South River

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.

Two weeks ago, Broadneck coach Jeff Herrick predicted that the county football league would have more parity than at any other time he could remember. "The county looks to me like it's extremely competitive for the first time in a really long time," said Herrick, who is in his 19th season, after his Bruins came from behind to knock off Old Mill, 31-28. Herrick's assessment is proving accurate. Last weekend's results included two road upsets. Northeast (1-2), 1-9 last season, got its first win of the year and handed Southern (2-1)

Unranked Reservoir used a balanced attack to overwhelm visiting No. 9 Long Reach, 42-14, last night. Three Reservoir running backs shared in the scoring. Scott Sutton ran for 48 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries, Robert Wile had 54 yards and one touchdown on six carries, and Tyler Howell made 53 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries. "We used a balanced attack ... we prepared well and executed," said Gators coach Joe Lewis. Senior quarterback Josh Cohen went 11-for-25 for 186 yards and a touchdown pass for Reservoir.

FIELD HOCKEY No. 2 Bryn Mawr @ No. 1 South River WHEN -- Friday, 6:30 p.m. OUTLOOK -- The top ranking likely will be on the line in the third meeting in four years between these perennial powers. The Mawrtians won one-goal games in each previous meeting, and both teams were unbeaten going into yesterday. Look for strong defenses on both sides, anchored by Bryn Mawr goalie Abby Bisbee and South River goalie Virginia Jorden. Sarah Cole leads the Mawrtians with six goals and two assists, while Brooke Griffin has seven goals and five assists for the Seahawks.

BOYS Runner of the Year Zach Sullivan Archbishop Spalding Sullivan ran strongly all season but saved his best performance for the biggest race. The junior captured the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association championship by pulling away from Grisha Iventichev of Friends and Calvert Hall's Anthony Rowe in the final half mile. Sullivan won in 16 minutes, 1 second, beating Iventichev by seven seconds, then finished fifth in the private schools state championship. Coach of the Year Josh Alcombright Severna Park Alcombright guided the Falcons on a winning path in his second year as coach.

Patrick Kiley's job is teaching English at South River High School, but his passion is running. He is also the school's cross-country coach. Kiley is like many cross-country and track coaches who love the sport. He is a member of the Annapolis Striders running club, and he helps set up and oversee races for high school runners in the area and will do almost anything to help runners - especially on his team - improve. His love of the sport could explain why he spends time making sure that the cross-country trails at the Edgewater school are lined, cleared and ready for use. Coaches in this sport often go beyond the call of duty.

South River's Jaclyn Nucci is the returning All-County girls basketball Player of the Year after averaging 20.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, three assists and 2.7 steals last year as a junior. The senior, 5 feet 9, was also an All-County performer in soccer this past fall and is concentrating now on leading the Seahawks to the Class 4A state semifinals. Undecided on a college, Nucci, who has a 3.8 grade-point average and scored 1,520 on her SAT, hopes to play basketball at the next level, preferably at a small school.

If turnovers and big plays are things that make coaches crazy, then South River coach Dave Summey must be feeling a little crazy right now.His Seahawks (0-2) turned the ball over six times, five on interceptions, in a 28-6 loss to host North Carroll (2-0) yesterday.The Panthers were led by running back Steve Suter, who rushed for 200 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries, and scored another touchdown on a 94-yard punt return.The Seahawks were led by Bruce Lee, who rushed for 73 yards on 13 carries.

An unprecedented six of the county's 12 public school baseball teams still have a shot at making the county championship game, which will match the top-two league finishers on May 10 at Joe Cannon Stadium.With four games remaining, it's anybody's guess which teams will be playing.Going into today's games, top-ranked Severna Park (13-3 overall, 10-2 league) and No. 7 Arundel (11-5, 9-3) have the inside track.But the way county teams have been knocking each other off this season, the title game's combatants are far from settled.

On a day otherwise dominated by defense, South River senior Carolyn Colacicco was plenty offensive.Colacicco's three goals and one assist came at all the right times for the No. 9-ranked Seahawks girls in their 5-3 playoff victory over county rival Southern yesterday.In winning the second-round Class 1A-2A East game, South River took a big step toward a second straight state playoff appearance.Colacicco got help up front from senior Eryn Belt, who finished with a goal and an assist, and a swarming defense led by seniors Meghan Murphy and Angie Beckett contained the Bulldogs' transition game.

South River senior midfielder Brooke Griffin wasted little time Thursday night letting the No. 1 Broadneck Bruins' field hockey team know their days of being undefeated were numbered. Just six minutes into the match, with No. 5 South River on a rare corner, Griffin took a pass from Shannon Denno and sent the ball through a thicket of legs and into the Bruins' goal. The goal turned out to be the game-winner as South River (9-1) ended the Bruins' winning streak and sent the area's No. 1 team to its first loss, 1-0. "It's awesome to beat them," Griffin said.

Severna Park coach Lil Shelton asked her No. 2 Falcons whether they liked the feeling they had after losing to unranked rival Severn on Monday. The answer was clear Wednesday night as the Falcons scrambled to a 3-2 overtime victory over No. 6 South River. "It was the worst feeling, losing the Severn game, " said senior forward Hannah Balleza, whose stick struck the final ball in tandem with teammate Jaclyn Anspach's. Anspach was credited with the winning goal. "We did it together," Anspach said of the game-winner, which came on a corner and went into the net off a defender's stick.

Two talented girls soccer teams took to the field Wednesday night, when No. 11 Fallston played host to No. 6 South River. The difference between the teams became more apparent with each minute: The Seahawks simply had more experience. The visitors got a goal from forward Shelbi Lowe midway through the first half and protected the lead with poise, leaving with a 1-0 win over the Cougars. South River, which has 10 seniors back from last year's Anne Arundel County championship team, improved to 2-1, while the young Cougars fell to 1-2. Lowe's goal typified the Seahawks' game plan: Get the ball in deep along the goal line and make things happen.

Hogan took a short pass from Stephanie Smith on the right side and neatly found the lower near post from 14 yards. Morrison provided the rest of the offense, scoring in the 54th minute and again in the 60th on a strong run and finish from 10 yards. Senior sweeper Kirsten Frank was dominant in back, with junior goalie Jocelyn McCoy turning back three shots for the shutout. "At halftime, we just said, 'Let's pick it up, let's pick it up,' and it was a good team effort," said Morrison. "We know we have targets on our backs, and that's why we're working ... even harder than last year, because we want to take care of the No. 1 spot."

AGE: 34 SALARY: $150,000 YEARS ON THE JOB: 15 How he got started: : While still in high school, Griff Bell took a summer job working for a sailboat rental company near Annapolis. He grew up along the South River, boating with his family, and it was the perfect job as well as one he could keep once he began attending college at Frostburg State University. In his sophomore year, he had an opportunity to buy the business, which at the time had four sailboats. He ran the business during his summers off from school.

BOYS LACROSSE Player of the Year Jason Gonos St. Mary's A three-year starter and first-team All-Metro selection, Gonos led the No. 3 Saints (15-2) to the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference semifinals with consistently fine play on defense. The senior captain played with smarts, skills, toughness and athleticism in helping the team limit opponents to fewer than seven goals a game this season. Gonos, also a member of the Saints' B Conference champion football team, will play lacrosse at Harvard next year.

GIRLS LACROSSE Player of the Year Brooke Griffin South River A dominating player in the midfield, the junior excelled in all facets of the game. She could force a turnover one minute and score a big goal on the attacking end the next. Speedy, skilled and quick around the crease, she was a constant threat on the attack, scoring 66 goals and dishing out 27 assists. Perhaps her best asset was her ability to win the draws - 96 this season - often giving the Seahawks a considerable edge in possession time.

Two teenage Crofton boys were arrested Sunday and charged in the death of Christopher David Jones, a 14-year-old who was attacked a day earlier while riding his bicycle along one of the town's tree-lined streets, Anne Arundel County police said. An autopsy by the state medical examiner's office in Baltimore indicated that David, who lived on the 2400 block of Old Mystic Court in Crofton, died from head and neck injuries. Police said Sunday night that a motive for the fatal attack - by five to seven young men - is still under investigation, but emphasized that it was not a random act. Charged as an adult with manslaughter, second-degree assault and reckless endangerment and held at the county's detention center was Javel Marqueth George, 16, of the 2200 block of Montauk Drive.

The South River boys lacrosse team is something to watch when at its best in settled situations on attack. The passes are crisp, and the finishing is exact. And senior midfielder Matt Gregoire is usually in the middle of all the fine work. In the third quarter of Wednesday night's Class 4A-3A state championship against Urbana, the No. 11 Seahawks brought surgeon-like precision - scoring five unanswered goals that lifted them past Urbana, 11-6, at UMBC Stadium. Gregoire (five goals, one assist)

It took only a few minutes after the final whistle at South River - fast minutes for the host Seahawks and shocking ones for visiting Severna Park - to fully understand that Friday night's boys lacrosse game was much more than a typical regular-season contest. The Seahawks, who pulled out the 7-6 upset win over the No. 11 Falcons, were filled with jubilation and mobbed by their equally enthusiastic fans in the middle of the field. Severna Park, which had won the previous seven Anne Arundel County titles, slowly walked off the field in stunned disbelief.