National Soccer Coaches

Moves Baseball ASTROS: Agreed to one-year, $1.25 million contract with SS Jose Vizcaino. MARLINS: Named Harry Dunlop bench coach, Luis Dorante bullpen coach and Brian Chattin director of player development. REDS: Named Dan Huston scout. ROCKIES: Named Mike Gallego third base and infield coach and Jeff Bridich manager of minor league operations. YANKEES: Agreed to one-year contract with free-agent C John Flaherty. Traded OF Kenny Lofton and cash to Phillies for P Felix Rodriguez. Traded P Felix Heredia to Mets for P Mike Stanton and cash.

Baltimore Jan. 3-6 Northeastern Weed Science Society annual meeting, Hyatt Regency, 300 Light St. Contact: A. Richard Bonanno, 987- 682-9563. Estimated attendance: 300 Jan. 4-5 Maryland Turf Grass Council conference and trade show, Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium. Contact: John Krouse, 301-345-4199. Estimated attendance: 900 Jan. 5-7 Mid-Atlantic Nurserymen's Association trade show, convention center. Contact: Carville Akehurst, 410-882-5300. Estimated attendance: 8,000 Jan. 12-16 National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention and exhibition, Hyatt Regency, 300 Light St. Contact: Bob Robinson, 610-688-1537.

PHILADELPHIA -- Centennial striker Brian West and McDonogh forward Laurie Schwoy were named National Soccer Coaches Association of America/Umbro boys and girls Maryland players of the year yesterday at the NSCAA convention.Both players also were selected to NSCAA high school All-American teams.Columbia's Cullen Meade, a defender for Middlebury College, was chosen to the men's collegiate Division III second team.Greensboro College defender Brian Thierrin, also from Columbia, and Baltimore's Matt Tischman, a forward for Salisbury State, made third team.

Mike St. Martin, Mount St. Joseph In a year when Joe Fiedler of Loch Raven and Kevin Flynn of Marriotts Ridge each did outstanding jobs coaching their teams to state titles, St. Martin did something that few people thought possible - knock off McDonogh - twice. The Gaels beat the Eagles, who were ranked No. 1 nationally at the time, during the regular season and then again in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference championship. St. Martin showed his instincts as a coach by putting forward Dave Arnold in goal for shootout victories in the MIAA A Conference semifinal and final.

Matt Weimer of Broadneck and Brian Peterson of Severna Park head thelist of county players competing for the North team in tomorrow's All-State boys soccer games at Thomas Johnson High.Weimer and Peterson recently were named to the National Soccer Coaches of America All-South team as well as to the Maryland coaches' All-State team.Meade's Eric Washington, Chesapeake's Dean Coccia and Greg Cameron, Old Mill's Brian Kelly, South River's Chris Asherand Annapolis' Jason Ostrum also will compete in the All-State game.

Mike St. Martin, Mount St. Joseph In a year when Joe Fiedler of Loch Raven and Kevin Flynn of Marriotts Ridge each did outstanding jobs coaching their teams to state titles, St. Martin did something that few people thought possible - knock off McDonogh - twice. The Gaels beat the Eagles, who were ranked No. 1 nationally at the time, during the regular season and then again in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference championship. St. Martin showed his instincts as a coach by putting forward Dave Arnold in goal for shootout victories in the MIAA A Conference semifinal and final.

Seven local soccer teams have been awarded a National Team Academic Award by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America for exemplary performance in the classroom during the 2010-11 academic year In total, 350 soccer teams (135 boys, 215 girls) were honored nationally. To qualify for the award, the team must have a minimum average GPA of 3.25 for the entire academic year. Catonsville's boys and girls soccer teams were both honored, as were the Mount Hebron girls and the boys teams from C. Milton Wright, Broadneck, Eastern Tech and Mount St. Joseph.

Clint Peay of Oakland Mills and Steve Sietsema of Howard High have been selected to the 1990 Parade Magazine All-America Soccer Team.Peay, a midfielder, was The Evening Sun Player of the Year. He also was recently named All-America by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.Peay had 11 goals and nine assists to help lead Oakland Mills to the state Class 3A championship last fall. The Scorpions (13-2-0) also finished No. 1 in The Evening Sun rankings.Sietsema, also a midfielder, had four goals and seven assists for Howard, which finished No. 2 in the rankings with an 11-1-1 record.

Et ceteraFormer Dayton QB Ernst collapses, dies at 26A funeral is scheduled tomorrow for Anthony "Tony" Ernst, who quarterbacked the University of Dayton to Pioneer League football championships in 1993 and 1994.Ernst died after collapsing in a Dayton, Ohio, restaurant. He was 26.Golf: Tom Lehman will join Mark O'Meara and Payne Stewart on the U.S. team for next month's Dunhill Cup.Boxing: Friday's scheduled WBA junior middleweight title bout between champion Sharmba Mitchell and Elio Ortiz was postponed because of a strained rib muscle suffered by Mitchell.

HockeyAvalanche: Recalled D Janne Laukkanen from AHL Cornwall.Islanders: Traded D Dean Chynoweth to Bruins for fifth-round draft choice in 1996.Stars: Recalled G Manny Fernandez on emergency basis from IHL Kalamazoo. Recalled D Travis Richards from Kalamazoo.SoccerSilverbacks (NPSL): Signed F Mark Thomas.CollegesAmerican Volleyball Coaches Association: Named Maryland middle hitter Sherry Smith to All-District 3 team.Gatorade: Named Dunbar LB-TE Tommy Polley Maryland High School Football Player of Year.