Playoff Points

A county football championship, and more importantly, a playoff berth are at stake at 7 tonight as top-ranked North County takes its aerial show into Fort Meade.The Meade Mustangs (6-2) play host to the Knights (8-0), with both teams unbeaten in county Class 4A league play. Meade is 5-0 in league action, and has a visit to Arundel (5-3, 3-2) next week left. North County is 6-0 and playing its final league contest.Meade is in a must-win situation tonight and next week."It's more important to us than it is to them, because they're probably in the playoffs already," said Meade coach Jerry Hartman.

Football previews Today No. 14 Patterson (8-1) at Lake Clifton (8-1) Time: 2:30 p.m. Outlook: This city East Division finale carries with it a share of the league title for the winner, and possible elimination from the 4A state playoffs for the loser. Both teams are 4-1 in the league, with the Lakers coming off their first loss, 26-20, to Mervo, a team Patterson defeated, 22-20, one week earlier. Patterson's only loss was by 19-0 to City, a team Lake Clifton edged, 16-13, a week later.

Last year the Class 4A state champions in boys and girls cross country, Westminster and C. Milton Wright, respectively, came out of the East regional. Those two are back at Baybrook Park tomorrow in the 10-team East regional that will qualify five teams in each of the two classifications for the states to be held Nov. 11 at Hereford. Hosted by North County coach and East Region meet director Ed Harte, the competition is loaded with quality runners. On the boys side, which starts at 2 p.m., No. 4 Westminster is joined by No. 3 Broadneck, No. 5 Severna Park and No. 7 C.Milton Wright.

Last year the Class 4A state champions in boys and girls cross country, Westminster and C. Milton Wright, respectively, came out of the East regional. Those two are back at Baybrook Park tomorrow in the 10-team East regional that will qualify five teams in each of the two classifications for the states to be held Nov. 11 at Hereford. Hosted by North County coach and East Region meet director Ed Harte, the competition is loaded with quality runners. On the boys side, which starts at 2 p.m., No. 4 Westminster is joined by No. 3 Broadneck, No. 5 Severna Park and No. 7 C.Milton Wright.

When have you ever heard of a group of boys not wanting snow so that schools won't be closed?Mark this one down: The Old Mill boys basketball team is hoping school is open today. What's wrong with those guys, you ask? It's simple.Today's weather could decide whether the Patriots get a chance to defend their Class 4A Region IV title.It also could affect the second and third seeds for the regional set to start Monday. The advantage of being one of the top two seeds is a first-round bye and home-court advantage in the semis.

It was only a 3-3 week overall for the Prophet, but two of his hits were biggies while the three others just missed.As a result, the Prophet's overall record predicting high school games is now 113-52, a respectable .685 percentage.The rage of a sage hit on last Friday's top two boys hoop games that could prove critical when all the playoff points are totaled and the Class 4A Region IV playoff seedings are finalized.First, the Prophet accurately forecasted an Annapolis victory over then second-ranked Southern of Baltimore, 92-87, in OT. Annapolis was the Prophet's pick by two points.

Meade High school is challenging the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association decision to put Walbrook in the 4A state playoffs set to begin Friday in place of Oxon Hill.The Mustangs feel they should be going instead of Walbrook as the eighth seed. Anne Arundel County school superintendent, Carol Parham, a board of education attorney and Meade principal George Kispert are scheduled to meet this morning with MPSSAA executive director Ned Sparks."This whole thing is not right, because the state didn't want to take the time and go back and recount all the points," said Meade football coach Mark Frye.

What would you think if the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association did away with the points system for state playoffs and put every team in postseason tournaments no matter what its record was?The points system is a necessary evil at best. Even some of the most avid high school sports fans often don't understand how teams qualify.Points are awarded by the size of the school (and there are four classifications) and newspapers print actual records, which adds the confusion. You see a team with an 18-2 record not making the playoffs or being seeded lower than a team at 15-3 and you wonder how that can happen.

Let's start this Q-and-A session with one of the hottest boys basketball teams in the county and metro area, Severn School.Any answers you may have to these questions without answers or any "Q's" of your own are always welcome on my 24-Hour Sportsline, (410) 647-2499.* Is Maryland Scholastic Association B Division-leading and 13th-ranked Severn (14-1) getting the respect it deserves?Admirals assistant coach Wayne Fowler says it is not."We want to schedule a game with either Annapolis or Broadneck so people around the county will consider us legit," Fowler said.

Patterson's veteran baseball coach, Roger Wrenn, is among the many who likes the idea of doing away with the playoff points system and going to an open tournament that would include everyone."

Meade High school is challenging the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association decision to put Walbrook in the 4A state playoffs set to begin Friday in place of Oxon Hill.The Mustangs feel they should be going instead of Walbrook as the eighth seed. Anne Arundel County school superintendent, Carol Parham, a board of education attorney and Meade principal George Kispert are scheduled to meet this morning with MPSSAA executive director Ned Sparks."This whole thing is not right, because the state didn't want to take the time and go back and recount all the points," said Meade football coach Mark Frye.

CHICAGO -- In a game in which artistry and accuracy took the night off, no one was spared. Not the Miami Heat. Not the Chicago Bulls. Not even Michael Jordan. And certainly not the record book.The Bulls and Heat combined to score 143 points, the lowest in a playoff game since the NBA instituted the shot clock four decades ago. And after the Bulls managed a 75-68 victory last night to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals, the teams shared something else, too:Equal blame."Bad," said the Heat's Tim Hardaway.

A county football championship, and more importantly, a playoff berth are at stake at 7 tonight as top-ranked North County takes its aerial show into Fort Meade.The Meade Mustangs (6-2) play host to the Knights (8-0), with both teams unbeaten in county Class 4A league play. Meade is 5-0 in league action, and has a visit to Arundel (5-3, 3-2) next week left. North County is 6-0 and playing its final league contest.Meade is in a must-win situation tonight and next week."It's more important to us than it is to them, because they're probably in the playoffs already," said Meade coach Jerry Hartman.

Want to make a lot of money and at the same time make a lot of coaches very happy? Well, I've got the job for you.Find the answer to why teams come out flat and listless on nights they should be revved up and you will have it made.Of course, we all know that no coach has ever been able to get a handle on the perplexing demeanor athletes sometimes take on, not even successful coaches such as North County's Chuck Markiewicz.After Friday's 7-0 triumph over Annapolis, Markiewicz was asked if he had any idea why his Knights and the opposing Panthers seemed so flat.

A 15-member committee met Thursday to embark on an eight-month-long study of the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association's playoff point system.Announced in the fall edition of the MPSSAA's Scout magazine, the group -- seven of whom are from the Baltimore area -- was chosen during the summer and will work through the season and report its findings in April."The committee formed as a result of a combination of a lot of different questions and concerns regarding the current point system," said committee member Jill Masterman, a specialist in the Baltimore County office of athletics, working with coordinator Ron Belinko.

Patterson's veteran baseball coach, Roger Wrenn, is among the many who likes the idea of doing away with the playoff points system and going to an open tournament that would include everyone."

It's going to be a very interesting weekend in high school football especially in the Class 4A Region IV race where the county's only shot at a playoff berth exists. And little old Class 2A Northeast at 1-6 could play a key role going down the stretch.Also, St. Mary's Saints will put their unbeaten (8-0) mark on the line at Class 3A South River (4-3) Friday night.Old Mill (6-1) paces 4A Region IV in playoff points and average at 60 and 8.57 with Glen Burnie (6-1) a close second at 56 and 8.00.

So, you think your life is complicated. Well, just read this and I guarantee your head will be spinning, helmet-head fans.It's down to the wire for high school football teams hoping to qualify for the playoffs. And after what happened statewide this weekend on the field,it's going to take a lot of luck for the winner of the celebrated Severna Park-Annapolis season finale to make the Class 4A state playoffs. That's especially true in the category of bonus points.Upset wins by Baltimore County's Woodlawn and Paint Branch of Montgomery County, not to mention another win by Perry Hall of BaltimoreCounty, have put the Annapolis-Severna Park winner's chances in jeopardy.

What would you think if the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association did away with the points system for state playoffs and put every team in postseason tournaments no matter what its record was?The points system is a necessary evil at best. Even some of the most avid high school sports fans often don't understand how teams qualify.Points are awarded by the size of the school (and there are four classifications) and newspapers print actual records, which adds the confusion. You see a team with an 18-2 record not making the playoffs or being seeded lower than a team at 15-3 and you wonder how that can happen.

When have you ever heard of a group of boys not wanting snow so that schools won't be closed?Mark this one down: The Old Mill boys basketball team is hoping school is open today. What's wrong with those guys, you ask? It's simple.Today's weather could decide whether the Patriots get a chance to defend their Class 4A Region IV title.It also could affect the second and third seeds for the regional set to start Monday. The advantage of being one of the top two seeds is a first-round bye and home-court advantage in the semis.