Varsity Team

Quick, name the county varsity boys soccer team with the most wins this season.If you said Severna Park, you're automatically disqualified for choosing the obvious answer.And the wrong one.Granite Baptist of Glen Burnie raised its victory total to five yesterday in typically quiet fashion, defeating Clinton Christian School of Prince George's County, 7-0.The Braves have gone 5-1 while competing in relative anonymity, also known as the Chesapeake Christian Athletic Conference. Their only loss occurred Monday at Shenandoah Valley, 3-2, in a shootout, though they controlled play during regulation and held a 25-6 advantage in shots.

Western Tech's volleyball team recorded its first win as a varsity team last week, pulling out a tight match against Woodlawn, 17-15, in the fifth game."

AberdeenAberdeen coach George Connolly knows the Eagles' program isn't as developed as those at other county schools. But he is closing the gap with hard-working and determined players.Last season, the Eagles' varsity team went from a 1990 record of 3-17 to 6-13 with only two returning starters and no seniors. The junior varsity team in a .500 performance against county foes, finishing 9-8 overall.Four members from that junior varsity squad move up to varsity this year. Aberdeen will have six seniors on the team.

It looks like the year of the Bear in county baseball.With above-average pitching, hitting, defense and speed, the Bears of Hammond High will be bad news to the rest of the county teams.Oakland Mills has six returning starters from a 12-8 season, and that includes two good pitchers. The Scorpions will provide Hammond with some intense competition.Centennial, under new coach Ron Martin, has two new and promising hurlers and could become a contender ifthat pitching produces.Mount Hebron won only five games last year but played every one close, and the Vikings return seven players.

Football No. School Record Prev. 1. Old Mill 12-2 1 2. River Hill 12-1 2 3. Arundel 11-1 3 4. Gilman 7-3 4 5. McDonogh 8-2 6 6. Eastern Tech 13-1 11 7. Joppatowne 13-1 5 8. Hereford 10-2 7 9. Dunbar 11-2 8 10. Arch. Spalding 10-1 9 11. Calvert Hall 9-3 10 12. Boys' Latin 10-1 12 13. Broadneck 8-2 13 14. Atholton 10-2 14 15. Loyola 7-4 15 Other teams considered: Annapolis (8-3), Chesapeake-BC (10-2), Patterson (9-3)

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EVERY APRIL, you're guaranteed to hear this story: In 1947, history was made when Jackie Robinson broke the color line in major- league baseball. It was a great leap forward for race relations, with part of the credit going to then-Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey, who had the foresight to sign Robinson. Most of that is true, some of it hype. But here's a tale you've probably never heard: The National Football League, once virtually all white, now has a majority of black players. The man who brought that about, the one who more than any other revolutionized the racial makeup of professional football by starting his 11 best players on offense and defense, is one Vince Lombardi, coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1959 to 1967.

Unlike some other teams over at "Canoe U.," the Naval Academy's varsity offshore team has had a particularly fine year.The team of midshipmen sailors has become a force to be reckoned with up and down the East Coast, and more of the same can be expected for the future.They compete with four boats ranging from Morning Light, a Frers 48 and Cinnabar, a Sparkman & Stephens 49, to Thunderbolt and Fair American, a pair of New York 36es, as well as a group of four Navy 44s -- Flirt, Lively, Swift and Vigilant.

For the boys at St. Paul's, the Baltimore Championships offer the only challenge to their status as the top high school boys crew in the area. Of course, except for Sunday, when Gilman races for the first time all season, the Crusaders have been the only boys rowing team in town. The Crusaders usually have to hit the road to Washington or Philadelphia, where they row against much tougher competition from programs that have been around for 20 years or longer. "It would be nice if Gilman or Boys' Latin had a serious team, but we can live without it," said Crusaders junior Alex Cook, who has been rowing for three years with the Baltimore Rowing Club.

No matter the outcome of Saturday's men's lacrosse game between Loyola and Navy, the Midshipmen will stand near the southern end of Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium and sing the "Navy Blue and Gold" song at game's end. And Charley Toomey will likely join them. That might seem odd considering that Toomey, as the coach of the Greyhounds, will do everything in his power to guide his team to a victory over Navy. But he is the former head coach of the Naval Academy Prep School team and a former assistant coach for the varsity squad, and Toomey's link to the Midshipmen still resonates with him today.