Walt Whitman

After Friday and Saturday's girls basketball regional championships, the winners advance to the state semifinals Thursday and Friday at UMBC. Three 2013 state champions will try to defend their titles -- No. 2 Aberdeen, Calvert and Dunbar. In Class 4A, Walt Whitman knocked out defending champion Gaithersburg. Here is the schedule for the state semifinals: Thursday, March 7 Class 4A Poly vs. Walt Whitman, 3 Eleanor Roosevelt vs. North Point, 5 Class 3A Aberdeen vs. Damascus, 7 River Hill vs. Friendly, 9 Friday, March 8 Class 2A R andallstown vs. Middletown , 3 Patterson Mill vs. Calvert, 5 Class 1A Western Tech vs. Southern-Garrett, 7 Dunbar vs. Mardela, 9

In a sense, Aaron Copland was to the 20th century what Walt Whitman was to the 19th. What Whitman did through poetry, Copland did through music -- celebrate the grandeur and majesty of the American nation, the vigor and optimism of the American people.Like Bartok and Sibelius, Chopin and Tchaikovsky, Copland will be forever linked with the music of his nation and his people. His life and work was truly, a "Fanfare for the Common Man."

My husband and I are interested in Walt Whitman. Are there tours where we can pay homage to America's poet? Whitman, born in 1819 in the community of West Hills in Huntington, Long Island, N.Y., lived the last 19 years of his life in Camden, N.J. Both cities celebrate his life and works and are worth a visit. Last summer, tourism officials in Camden, east of Philadelphia, offered "Walt Whitman and his Invincible City," a three-hour guided tour to Whitman's home and burial site, plus readings of his poems by an impersonator.

In a battle of ranked boys soccer teams, senior Brandon Quaranto scored three goals and added an assist to help host the Archbishop Curley Friars (1-0) blitz C. Milton Wright (3-1), 5-0.Going into the game, Curley was ranked No. 4 in the metro area; the Mustangs stood at No. 14.No. 5 Calvert Hall 1, Walt Whitman 0: Mike Pennacchia scored in the 69th minute to break a scoreless tie and gave Calvert Hall (3-0) a win over host Walt Whitman (0-1) at the Walt Whitman Invitational in Bethesda.Sean White assisted on Pennacchia's goal.

BOYS BASKETBALL(at Cole Field House)YesterdayFinalsClass 1A/# Forestville 67, Milford Mill 63Class 3A2& Randallstown 58, Thomas Johnson 57Class 2A, Dunbar 100, Oakland Mills 58Class 4A/# Lake Clifton 65, Springbrook 63FridaySemifinalsClass 1A5) Forestville 71, Colonel Richardson 69Milford Mill 80, Williamsport 64Class 2A3' Oak. Mills 74, S. Hagerstown 67, OTDunbar 80, Edgewood 55ThursdaySemifinalsClass 3A/# Thomas Johnson 46, Broadneck 44Randallstown 81, Gwynn Park 71Class 4A+ Lake Clifton 87, Arundel 70Springbrook 87, High Point 71GIRLS BASKETBALL(at UMBC)

Once again this year, the Maryland General Assembly will be asked to see the necessity of stricter laws against drunken driving, and once again an appeal will come from grieving students aided by local legislators.A crash on River Road in Montgomery County last Sept. 6 killed two Walt Whitman High School students, left two others badly injured and turned the crash site into a shrine for the victims.The car's 16-year-old driver, Elizabeth Clark, had a blood-alcohol level of .17, well above the legal limit in Maryland of .10. She and her friend Katherine Zirkle, also 16, were killed.

What: 37th Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association State Wrestling Tournament Where: Cole Field House, College Park Format: Double elimination Schedule: Today, 2:30-6 p.m., preliminaries on eight mats; 6-8 p.m., quarterfinals on eight mats; 8-9:45 p.m., consolation preliminaries on eight mats. Tomorrow, 9:30-11 a.m., consolation first round on eight mats; 11-1:15 p.m., championship semifinals on four mats; 1:15-2:15 p.m., consolation quarterfinals on eight mats; 2:15-3:30 p.m., consolation semifinals on eight mats; 4-6 p.m., consolation finals on four mats; 6:30-9 p.m., championship finals on two mats Tickets: $25 all-session two-day pass; $15 all-session one-day pass; $8 after 8 p.m. on Friday and after 6 p.m. on Saturday.

With four second-half goals, the No. 1-ranked River Hill Hawks broke open the Class 2A championship game against Easton of Talbot County to win their first state title yesterday at Old Mill High, 5-1.The second-year Hawks were sparked by two goals from sophomore Adom Crew.Wilde Lake 2, La Plata 0: The No. 6-ranked Wildecats (13-2-2) ended a streak of two consecutive losses in the state finals by defeating La Plata of Charles County in the Class 3A championship game.Glenelg 1, St. Michaels 0: Brian Musgrove's goal off two posts 13: 43 into the game lifted the Gladiators (12-6)

What -- Fourth Mount Mat Madness wrestling tournament, featuring top teams from Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia. Where -- Goucher College Format -- Double elimination. When -- Friday and Saturday. Schedule -- Friday: 2:30 p.m., championship pigtails, preliminary round of 16, consolation pigtails. Saturday: 8:30 a.m., quarterfinals; 10:30 a.m., consolation quarterfinals; noon, championship semifinals; 2:30 p.m., consolation semifinals; 5 p.m., consolation finals; 7:30 p.m., championship finals.