State Games

Despite the dismantling of the Maryland State Games Commission afterthe agency was hit with charges of misused funds, the Maryland StateGames will take place this year.The seventh running of the gamesis slated for July 19 to 21 at the University of Maryland Baltimore County and will include 24 sports.The commission was disbanded early this year after an audit revealed questionable spending practices by the agency, which was a part of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The commission had just moved into new offices at the Springfield Laundry Center in 1989.

BOYS LACROSSE (All games at UMBC) CLASS 2A-1A NO. 15 FALLSTON (15-4) VS. PATTERSON MILL (10-9) When: Tuesday, 6 p.m. Outlook:  The Cougars will look to defend last year's championship in an All-Harford County final.  During the regular season, Fallston earned a 9-5 win over the Huskies in a game that was suspended because of inclement weather in late April. Tied at four late in the first half when play was halted, the Cougars dominated when play resumed to win. Kyle D'Onofrio (66 goals, 24 assists)

The Maryland State Games program used $4,500 in government drug-abuse prevention money to hire the band for a "thank-you" party Gov. William Donald Schaefer hosted for his staff last spring, the program's financial records show.The payment was just one example of questionable spending found in a review by The Sun of health department records on the freewheeling State Games program, which had been charged with promoting amateur athletics as a means of discouraging young people from using drugs.

The sirens blared and lights danced as a line of fire trucks rolled up a brief stretch of Interstate 83 before taking Mount Carmel Road on the way to Hereford High School. School buses and cars followed close behind to form a lengthy caravan that made a ruckus. Horns honked, arms flailed out bus windows, and there was hooting and hollering and ear-to-ear grins. It may have stirred the tiny town of Parkton, but there was no need for alarm. On that night last May, the Hereford boys lacrosse team won yet another state championship.

State Health Secretary Adele A. Wilzack said yesterday that she has disbanded the scandal-ridden Maryland State Games program, saying that in less than six months it has spent its budget for an entire fiscal year and run up a deficit of nearly $50,000 beyond that.Ms. Wilzack, refusing to speak directly with reporters, made the announcement in a statement issued by a spokesman. Health department spokesman Richard Proctor declined to say how the State Games staff hadspent its budget of $310,000 so quickly, or to elaborate on Ms. Wilzack's decision to close the program.

Two years ago, John M. Staubitz Jr. persuaded lawmakers to preserve his Maryland State Games program by showing them letters of support from the head of the U.S. Olympic Committee and other sports officials.Those letters were forged by Mr. Staubitz and his staff, witnesses were expected to testify in a trial beginning today.The first details of the state's case against Mr. Staubitz, the former deputy health secretary charged with conspiracy to commit misconduct in office, were disclosed in documents filed yesterday in Baltimore Circuit Court.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars to promote amateur athletics in Maryland -- including money intended to bring an Olympic Festival to Maryland -- came from government funds intended to combat drug and alcohol abuse, the dismissed director of the Maryland State Games said yesterday.James E. Narron, who was fired last week amid allegations that he misused money as director of the Maryland State Games, said he acted with the full support of Adele A. Wilzack, the secretary of health and mental hygiene, and her deputies.

The Maryland State Games, which have been the focus of several investigations into financial improprieties by their former director, will be continued this year under the auspices of a different government agency.The Maryland Office of Sports Promotion, part of the state's Department of Economic and Employment Development, announced yesterday the games will be held July 19-21 on the campuses of UMBC and Catonsville Community College.James E. Narron, the former director of the Maryland State Games, was forced to resign last December after it was found that he misused state health department funds.

Concerned about the possible misuse of federal drug funds, the FBI has launched its own investigation of the discredited Maryland State Games program, according to sources.In particular, federal investigators are looking to see if any federal drug-grant money was misspent by the State Games program, sources said.The federal investigation comes in the midst of a similar probe of the program by the criminal division of the state attorney general's office.As the State Games scandal unfolded between December and February, the two top officials of the state health department, as well as the leader of the games, lost their jobs.

Scandal, conspiracy and ridicule -- all have been synonymous with the Maryland State Games for close to two years.When the eighth annual games kick off today, Josh Waldorf, the sports marketing specialist for Maryland's Department of Economics and Employment Development, will try to eradicate some of the damage."

Randallstown girls basketball coach Ron Isaacs called his team "the Cinderella team" of the state Class 2A state semifinals, but the Rams did not have a great time at the ball. Isaacs' youngsters stuck close for a while before Middletown's combination of outside shooting and inside strength overwhelmed them and powered the Knights to a 60-27 victory at UMBC's RAC Arena. The Rams (22-7) had their only leads in the first quarter. Mariah Byam's follow shot and Essence Stinnette's free throw gave them a 9-8 edge, but that would be their last lead as Middletown scored 12 straight points.

His team has lost four of six games since its 13-1 start, including three straight on the road in the Atlantic Coast Conference. After Mark Turgeon was widely praised for keeping the Terps competitive in his first season, fans are getting a little impatient with the progress the team has made in the coach's second year at Maryland. At least, that's if you pay attention to what is being written on the various message boards and said on some radio talk shows. Not that Turgeon does.

Dunbar's football team likes to celebrate its own special family tradition around this time every year and for the Poets, that means a trip to M&T Bank Stadium. The No. 6 Poets used a relentless running game and an intimidating defense to overpower Brunswick's record-setting aerial offense en route to a 40-8 state semifinal victory Saturday, earning the two-time defending Class 1A champions another berth in the state finals. "This was our goal - and that's everybody's goal going in - but we set up our offense and defense to get back to the championship, to keep going back," Poets All-Metro defensive end Marvin Gross said.

Colleges Ex-Terp Merriman to hold annual coat drive Saturday Shawne Merriman , a former Maryland standout who now plays linebacker for the Buffalo Bills, will hold his annual coat drive Saturday before the Maryland-Florida State game at noon at Byrd Stadium. Over the past 10 years, Merriman and his Lights On Foundation have collected more than 20,000 coats to benefit numerous communities in the region. This year, Merriman's efforts will be focused on those affected by the storm Sandy in New York and New Jersey.

No. 2 South River (17-1-1) ran off with a 6-0 victory in the 4A state championship game against Catonsville on Saturday, restoring the Seahawks to the top spot for the first time in eight years. "This is a dream come true," South River senior forward Abbey Lawrence said. "I think we had the potential. Everyone worked hard and I believed in us. We've been getting better and better. I'm going to celebrate this for the rest of my life. " It was a game of dreams on both sides of the ball.

For the past six months, I have had the incredible opportunity to consume mountains of gaming-related information and regurgitate on Game Cache the things I thought were interesting. In that short time I got to see the warm and fuzzy side of the industry as well as the smarmy and corrupt. It's been a fun ride, but it's time to find the exit while I still enjoy actually playing games for the sake of playing them. Like the video game equivalent of Alexis du Tocqueville, I have some parting observations and predictions for where games are and where they might be headed.

The investigation of the Maryland State Games Foundation won't keep the 1992 U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials out of Baltimore, nor will it stop the state's effort to land other trials, officials in Annapolis and Baltimore said yesterday."

Two years ago, John M. Staubitz Jr. persuaded lawmakers to preserve his Maryland State Games program by showing them letters of support from the head of the U.S. Olympic Committee and other sports officials.Those letters were forged by Mr. Staubitz and his staff, witnesses are expected to testify in a trial that begins today.The first details of the state's case against Mr. Staubitz, the former deputy health secretary charged with conspiracy to commit misconduct in office, were disclosed in documents filed yesterday in Baltimore Circuit Court.

After losing to perennial powerhouse Severna Park in last year's Class 4A/3A state championship game, the Westminster girls' lacrosse team had waited for the chance to play the Falcons again. The Owls arrived at UMBC Stadium Wednesday night, but had to hold off for another day when lightning storms forced the postponement of the scheduled meeting between last year's state finalists. But an extra day to prepare for the rematch didn't matter, as Severna Park took an early six-goal lead and cruised to its second consecutive championship victory over the Owls, 13-6, on Thursday at UMBC Stadium.