South Carroll

While Ryan and Gavin McTavish were growing up in Mount Airy, a chain reaction of three noises routinely came from their household. First, there was the repetitive thump of a bouncing basketball at the hoop near the front curb. Then came equally persistent yapping between the competitive brothers as they played 1-on-1 for hours. That ruckus prompted a third noise inside - the phone ringing. "The neighbors would call and say, 'Hey, I think your boys are fighting,'" said their mother, Maureen.

The Century boys and South Carroll girls took home the team titles in the Carroll County championships held Thursday at McDaniel College. Weston Carvalho of Winters Mill repeated as the individual champion for the boys in 16:48.0, beating out Century's John Mead (16:55.5). Century put four runners in the top 10 to finish with 42 points and easily beat out Westminster (77). For the girls, Manchester Valley's Abby Culp won in 19:48.6. She easily beat Liberty's Sarah Reinhart (20:21.5)

South Carroll found a number of wide-open shots in Friday's Class 2A state semifinals. The Cavaliers got good looks from the corners, the wings and a number of other places. But they couldn't make the shots. After scoring 13 points in just over four minutes at the start, No. 12 South Carroll suddenly went cold. That allowed Easton to bounce back and pull away for a 69-52 victory over the Cavaliers at Comcast Center. South Carroll (24-2), trying for its first state final appearance in 22 years, suffered its second loss in the state semifinals in the past three seasons.

South Carroll got a layup from Tyler Alcid with 9.1 seconds left to rally from a 10-point deficit at halftime and defeat Westminster, 36-35, in an early-season Carroll County game. The Cavaliers (3-1, 2-1) were paced by Gavin McTavish's 13 points. Devan Curet led Westminster (5-1, 4-1) with nine points. "We didn't play well, so it's hard to be that happy with the effort," South Carroll coach Doug Goff said. "I am proud of my guys, though. We rallied and we played a lot better in the second half.

A year ago, Century spoiled South Carroll's bid for a 5-0 start. This time around, Cavaliers senior Ben McCarty all but made certain history wouldn't repeat itself. In the span of 12 seconds midway through the third quarter, McCarty recovered a Century fumble deep in South Carroll's end, then rushed for a 73-yard touchdown, leading the visiting Cavaliers to a 21-13 win against their Carroll County rival. "It was definitely right in front of our heads," McCarty said, referring to last year's game.

WALKERSVILLE - The South Carroll football team has become a fixture in the Class 2A West Region football playoffs. The Cavaliers reached the playoffs six times in the last nine years, and are the first Carroll County team to make three straight postseason appearances since Francis Scott Key in 2004-06. But a talented Walkersville team showed South Carroll the exit door in Friday's regional semifinal, jumping to a 21-0 first-quarter lead on the way to a dominant 35-0 win over the Cavaliers.

It took No. 14 Westminster more than 20 minutes of play Friday night to score a goal against Carroll County rival South Carroll. Once the host Owls found their rhythm on offense, however, they proved difficult to stop. After trailing early, Westminster scored eight of the next nine goals to take command en route to an 8-2 victory over the previously unbeaten Cavaliers. "I told the guys to be patient — that we're an explosive offense," Westminster coach Steve DeFeo said.

Marriotts Ridge's Nick Applegate didn't leave any doubt when a second opportunity arrived early in the second half of Friday's Class 2A state semifinal against South Carroll. Racing past two defenders to win a ball sent down the left side, the junior forward quickly made his way inside the penalty area before placing a right-footed shot from eight yards into the far-right corner. The goal came three minutes into the second half, setting the tone as the two-time defending state champion and No. 6 Mustangs came away with a 4-1 win over the No. 5 Cavaliers at Bel Air. Marriotts Ridge (13-4-1)

The junior midfielder led the Cavaliers (8-2) to three wins last week, totaling 12 goals and seven assists along with winning 83 percent of the faceoffs he took. In a 16-11 victory over Marriotts Ridge on April 19, McCarty, a three-year starter, scored three goals and added two assists. In a 14-5 win over Francis Scott Key the following day, he recorded four goals and three assists before closing out the week with five goals and two assists in a 15-8 win over North Carroll on Thursday.

It's safe to say the South Carroll boys basketball team has taken on the personality of its point guard, senior Dan Mullen. In his fourth year on varsity, the two-year captain is smart, works hard and does whatever is needed to bring home wins. After the graduation of standout Ryan McTavish, who left the program as Carroll County's all-time leading scorer last year, many believed the Cavaliers would slip a bit this season following two state tournament appearances in the past three years.