Severna Park

Mark Teixeira, the pride of Severna Park and the world's highest-paid first baseman, was the recipient of a little home cooking when he took his bows Monday afternoon in the Orioles opener against the New York Yankees. More than any other player on the hated team from the Bronx, Teixeira was singled out for a roasting worthy of a Weber grill. Just four months ago, Baltimore fans envisioned a team revival built around a local boy with a .290 lifetime average who professed his love for the orange and black.

Girls basketball No. 7 Archbishop Spalding @ No. 1 St. Frances WHEN: Wednesday, 6 p.m. OUTLOOK: The Cavaliers are one of few teams that could give the six-time defending Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference champions a challenge. They have a strong backcourt led by Jany Brinkley, but they also have height in 6-foot F Jordan Clinton. The Panthers, however, have exceptional speed and quickness in their back court with four strong guards. including All-Metro player Shatyra Hawkes.

On the volleyball court, Broadneck senior Bridgette Smith has seen just about everything. That turned out to be a good thing for the fourth-ranked Bruins last night. Smith's nine digs and 6-for-8 serving performance were impressive enough, but her calming influence on the court pulled the host Bruins out of a funk and led to a 25-22, 25-19, 14-25, 27-25 win over rival and No. 7 Severna Park (6-1, 3-1) in a key Anne Arundel County league game. Broadneck (5-0, 4-0) took the 2-0 lead in games but then had to fight off a furious rally by the Falcons to put the match away.

Photography exhibit -- The Benfield Gallery will exhibit gelatin silver print photography by Michael Kahn through April 30 in the club dining room at the Chartwell Golf and Country Club, 1 Chartwell Drive, Severna Park. The show will feature antique boat shows through the eyes of a photographer. 410-544-2299 or www.benfieldgallery .com.

Player of the Year Hope Battista South River Battista's skill and leadership on defense were main reasons why the Seahawks went 14-0 in the regular season and allowed just six goals. Relentless in the backfield, the senior made smart decisions and showed the poise and patience required of a top-notch defender. She led the Seahawks to the Class 4A East regional final, in which they had a strong showing before falling to Severna Park in a shootout. Battista scored a goal in the shootout - one of seven goals she scored this season, mostly on penalty corners.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS -- Mark Teixeira wanted to make one thing clear. He is a member of the Texas Rangers and will be at least for another season and a half, unless the organization trades him. Before that, any talk about the Severna Park native coming home to help the Orioles return to prominence remains a fantasy. "It's a good story," said Teixeira, the Rangers first baseman who has been on the disabled list since June 9 with a strained left quadriceps. "It really is. I grew up a die-hard Orioles fan. There's no secret about that.

3 -- Top 15 teams with new coaches - C. Milton Wright's Bonnie Schnell, Hereford's Julia Martin and Winters Mill's Carli Harris. 6 -- Private school crowns won by defending Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference champion Bryn Mawr since 1997. 34 -- Goals scored two years ago by Severna Park's Hayley Rausch, who returns to action this fall after sitting out last season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. 52 -- Championships won by the four most successful programs in state tournament history - Severna Park (16)

While coach Larry Kramer called Severna Park's senior attack of Eric Lusby, Colby Rhodes and Randy Waugh "the best I've ever coached," a rival called the trio "the best I've ever seen" out of the Falcons. Their talents were on full display in last night's 15-6 rout of Wootton (18-1), in which they combined for 10 goals and three assists to earn the program's second consecutive Class 4A-3A state title and its fourth overall, including crowns in 1999 and 2004. Tied at 3-3 at 10:25 of the second quarter, the 10th-ranked Falcons (18-2)

The frantic phone call had the potential to be deadly dangerous: After discovering that his wife had cheated on him, a Marine who had served three tours of duty in Iraq shot a hostage and barricaded himself in a Severna Park home. He wanted flak jackets sent to all troops in Iraq and demanded to speak with the president. He said he was ready to die if police didn't comply. After closing roads and bringing in a special-response team, police determined that the elaborate scenario was a hoax.

One thing's for sure in the Anne Arundel County girls lacrosse championship: When Severna Park and Broadneck play, it will be a nailbiter. Before last night, the two had met in four of the past five title games. The biggest gap was three goals. The closest game went to double overtime. The other two were decided by one goal each. Last night's game fit the usual mold to perfection. In their 12-8 victory, the No. 3 Falcons came from behind early. The game was within three goals until the final 12 minutes, when Severna Park completed a five- goal run to pull ahead 11-5.

Jerry J. Ditzel Jr., co-owner of a hazardous waste removal company and an avid golfer, died Nov. 7 from a brain tumor at his Severna Park home. He was 66. Mr. Ditzel was born in Baltimore and raised in the Lakeland neighborhood in Southwest Baltimore. He was a 1961 graduate of the old St. Martin's High School and earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Baltimore in 1972. Mr. Ditzel held accounting and marketing positions before becoming a co-owner and president in 2001 of Environmental Technologies Inc., a hazardous waste removal company, based in Severna Park.

Darius Jennings Gilman, football A quarterback known for his slippery moves, Jennings rushed for 252 yards and three touchdowns and had an interception to spark then-No. 5 Gilman to a 34-27 upset over then-No. 2 McDonogh on Saturday for the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference football title. The No. 3 Greyhounds finished 8-3 as the 5-foot-11, 185-pound junior ran 215 times for 2,028 yards and completed 35 of 79 passes for 733 yards. He scored 35 touchdowns: 24 rushing, one returning a kickoff and 10 passing.

The No. 1 Westminster Owls never let Paint Branch breathe in their MPSSAA Class 4A state semifinal at Broadneck on Monday night. Playing smothering defense, the Owls scored their 12th shutout of the season and won, 4-0. Owl Meghan Macera scored three goals and her teammate Nicole Hodiak scored the other. The defense, led by Michelle Hodiak, Kara Evans and Carlyn Thompson, allowed Paint Branch just two shots and midfielders Jordan Wilkins, Melanie Solomon and Lindasy Nichols kept the ball moving between the defense and the attack.

Barbara Jean "B.J." Brokus Family and friends may visit at the Barranco & Sons, P.A. Severna Park Funeral Home, 495 Gov. Ritchie Hwy in Severna Park on Sunday from 2 to 4 pm and 6 to 8 pm and on Monday from 9:30 to 10:30 AM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at St. John the Evangelist Church, 689 Ritchie Highway in Severna Park on Monday at 11 AM. Interment will follow at Glen Haven Cemetery. Online condolences may be made at www.barrancofuneralhome.com.

No. 6 Severna Park is going to its 19th state semifinal next week, but with 16:14 left to play in the Class 4A East regional final Thursday night at No. 5 South River, Falcons coach Lil Shelton said she "wouldn't have bet you a nickel" on the possibility. But Shelton - who had told her team at halftime, "The worst thing you can hear on the bus going home is: 'We should have won.' " - saw her Falcons rally from a two-goal deficit to tie it at 3 in regulation and then win on penalty strokes, 3-2, after two scoreless overtimes.

South River dominated most opponents this season and had trailed in only two of its first 16 games heading into Tuesday's Class 4A East semifinal against visiting Broadneck. But the Seahawks didn't get rattled when they fell behind early. In fact, they played better. Brooke Griffin tied the score with an early second-half goal, and Kaitlin Maloy recorded the winner with 14:25 left to give No. 5 South River a 2-1 victory over No. 2 Broadneck. South River (16-1) will host No. 6 Severna Park on Thursday in the regional title game.

The Severna Park girls soccer team has been forced to forfeit two regular-season wins after violating a state rule concerning coaching players on a team other than their school team, according to Anne Arundel County supervisor of athletics Greg LeGrand. According to Rule .04G (2) in the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association handbook, only 80 percent of a starting lineup in a sport (eight players in soccer) can play for any of their school's coaches on a club team or any other soccer team during the school year.

No. 13 Hereford passed a tough test as the top seed in the Class 3A North playoffs by holding on for a 2-1 girls soccer victory over a tenacious North Harford team that put together a late rally in Tuesday's quarterfinal. The Bulls dominated early on goals by Anna Curreri and Kelsey Mattola but then scrambled to contain the visiting Hawks, who pushed more players forward in the second half. Hereford held on and plays No. 15 C. Milton Wright in the semifinals. "I was not pleased with our play," Hereford coach Nancy Ferguson said.

Trisha Mockapetris is the only freshman on the roster for Centennial's volleyball team. You won't find her sitting on the bench, though. On Tuesday at Marriotts Ridge, she showed why. The freshman served five aces and kept Severna Park's serve-receive off kilter all night to lead the second-ranked Eagles to a 25-21, 31-29, 25-22 win over the third-ranked Falcons in the inaugural District V championship. She also contributed five kills. "Our serving was a big key to the game," Mockapetris said.

Third-ranked Severna Park and No. 5 Reservoir both pride themselves on defense, but it was the Falcons who were rewarded for their ability to develop an effective attack in Tuesday's first District V championship in girls soccer at Arundel. Sarah Peterson's goal in the 56th minute was the winner for the Falcons, who controlled the midfield for much of the game. It was the 11th straight shutout for the Falcons (14-1), who enter the Class 4A East playoffs as the top seed. "The first three or four weeks of the season, we focused primarily on keeping our defense organized," Severna Park coach Todd Clark said.