Vereen

Playing one of the metro area's most demanding schedules, No. 14 Severn has been beaten by the best guard from Baltimore in top-ranked Lake Clifton's Shawnta Rogers and now the best from the Washington area in Louis Bullock of Laurel Baptist.Bullock led Laurel Baptist (33-4), ranked No. 5 by the Washington Post, to an 88-75 victory over Severn (19-8) yesterday. The 6-foot-2 point guard, bound for the University of Michigan, scored 29 points (20 in the second half) and had five boards and eight assists.

There's a gift Ben Vereen gives to students across the country in his lectures. He calls it "keys to overcoming adversity."Last night, he delivered that gift to an audience at Anne Arundel Community College in "Life Is Good," his traveling lecture series on triumph over trouble."

If St. Paul's first-year coach Brian Abbott wasn't on the John Vereen bandwagon before yesterday's matchup with No. 12 Severn, he is now.And who could find fault with that? Vereen gained more than one admirer as he scored four touchdowns to lead the Admirals to a 41-6 victory over their Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference rivals."Vereen is, in my opinion, the top running back in our area, bar none," said Abbott after watching the 5-foot-11, 185-pound senior rush for 146 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries.

Severn senior John Vereen talks proudly of this year's team."We have a nice offense and a nice defense," he said. "I think we have the total package."Last night, Vereen proved he was the total package, rushing for 204 yards and three touchdowns, as visiting No. 10 Severn (2-0, 5-1) defeated Cardinal Gibbons (1-1, 2-3), 30-8, in a Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference game.Vereen, the area's leading rusher entering the game with 864 yards, rounded out his evening with an interception and eight tackles on defense.

After losing by two points to McDonogh in last Saturday's MSA B Conference title game, the 13th-ranked Severn Admirals had only one thing on their mind.Sweet redemption.Last night, in the finals of the MSA Independent Schools Tournament at Gilman, that's just what the Admirals got.Tournament MVP Alhamisi Simms scored a game-high 21 points, and teammate John Vereen held Eagles standout Donta Evans to a tournament-low 10 as Severn beat 12th-ranked McDonogh, 54-49."We proved who was the true No. 1 team in the B Conference," said Simms, whose team has now defeated McDonogh (15-5)

Actor/singer Ben Vereen, who recovered from a near-fatal accident in California in 1992 to return to the Broadway stage, will deliver an inspirational lecture about overcoming adversity tonight in Frederick.The star, who played the Chimney Man in the Broadway hit "Jelly's Last Jam," will appear at 7:30 p.m. at the Weinberg Center for the Arts, 20 W. Patrick St. Tickets range from $10 to $25. (Call 301-694-8585.)"He will not only discuss how he overcame his own adversities, but the prayer he admonishes every day to continue to be a successful person," says publicity material for the event.

Severn took the lead only once during yesterday's Maryland Scholastic Association B Conference matchup at McDonogh School's Memorial Field House.And it couldn't have come at a more opportune time.Junior John Vereen's breakaway layup with two seconds remaining gave Severn its first lead and lifted the No. 15 Admirals to a 66-64 win over unranked McDonogh, which led by as many as 12 in the fourth quarter.Vereen finished with a game-high 26 points, including 11 in the momentum-shifting fourth quarter.

Severn took the lead only once during yesterday's Maryland Scholastic Association B Conference matchup at McDonogh School's Memorial Field House.And it couldn't have come at a more opportune time.Junior John Vereen's breakaway layup with two seconds left gave Severn its first lead and lifted the No. 15 Admirals to a 66-64 win over unranked McDonogh, which led by as many as 12 in the fourth quarter.Vereen finished with a game-high 26 points, including 11 in the momentum-shifting fourth quarter.

For the second week in a row, Southern-Anne Arundel kept the opposition from scoring. And for the second week in a row, that was only half the story.The visiting Bulldogs used their explosive rushing attack and the timely passing of senior Joe McCafferty to rout Severn, 34-0, yesterday.McCafferty completed five passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for a two-point conversion. But he was overshadowed by a ground game that churned out more than 300 yards."Our [offensive] line is just devastating the defensive line on every play," said senior tailback Corey Contee, who gained 145 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Host Severn qualified for its first appearance in the Maryland Scholastic Association C Conference finals, using a 17-4 third-quarter burst to defeat Anne Arundel County rival St. Mary's, 51-45.Jason Moran scored six of his eight points during the pivotal period on three layups. Jamand Mack scored four of his team-high 10 points during the spree, as he and freshman guard John Vereen (eight points) sparked the defense with two steals each -- all of which led to easy baskets."I think all year long, our defense has been the key. We're not all that good when we just have to play a half-court game," said Severn coach Jim Doyle, whose team has earned its first 20-win season against seven defeats.