Walter Johnson

Kenwood coach Gary Schneehagen thought his team wasn't getting the respect it deserved when the playoffs began. The Bluebirds are getting it now that they've earned their first trip to a state final. Goalie Alex Hancock made 11 saves and Kenwood got goals from Mark Wood, Tim Dudeck and Steve Dobbs last night as the Bluebirds stunned Montgomery County's Walter Johnson, 3-0, in a Class 4A state semifinal at Thomas Johnson High in Frederick. Kenwood (9-6-1), which rebounded from a seven-game (0-6-1)

The Long Reach girls struck out yesterday. DaMara Parrish gave the second-ranked Lightning a big effort, but Walter Johnson ended Long Reach's five-year championship streak in yesterday's state meet at UMBC. The Montgomery County school ended four years of frustrating second-place finishes and finally got over the top to win the Class 3A title. Walter Johnson finished with 57 points, just ahead of Long Reach (52). The Lightning had won the past three Class 3A championships - after winning two straight Class 2A state titles.

Bel Air junior midfielder Bethany Peck said it wasn't a pretty goal. Effective? Yes. Timely? No question. Peck's goal with four minutes left completed a late second-half rally that gave No. 11 Bel Air a resilient 2-1 win over Calvert in a Class 3A state girls soccer semifinal at Annapolis High last night. The Bobcats (13-4) will play in their second championship game in three years at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, looking for their first crown against Severna Park at UMBC. As for Peck's big goal, from less than 6 yards on the right side: "Brittany [Rothenbach]

Mount Hebron girls coach Mark Reedy felt elated. Severna Park coach Ed Purpura felt vindicated. Both their teams earned upset victories in the Howard County Striders Invitational 5K Cross Country Championships yesterday at Centennial High in Ellicott City. Favorites Matt Sanders of Mount Hebron (16 minutes 55.34 seconds) and Ashley St. Denis of Walter Johnson (20:37.34) shrugged off the heat to win the individual titles over the challenging course. Reedy felt that Walter Johnson, Severna Park and Glenelg would beat his team, especially without top Vikings runner Darya Fakory.

It's a fact Bernie Williams of the Yankees was named one of People magazine's 50 most beautiful people. Milestone Pedro Martinez struck out the side on 9 pitches May 18, the first Red Sox pitcher to do so and 35th in history. The number 3,507: number of strikeouts Randy Johnson has, ninth all-time, two behind Walter Johnson.

BETHESDA -- Intimidated by a raucous, overflow crowd at Walter Johnson at the start of last night's Class 3A West Regional final, No. 13 South Carroll and 6-foot-9 center Josh Boone finished as the intimidators. Trailing by 10 points early and five in the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers boys basketball team took the lead on Boone's slam-dunk with 1:16 left, then kept it when he forced the Wildcats' Jeff Hall to shoot an off-balance 10-footer too hard off the glass as time expired, giving South Carroll a 54-53 victory and a trip to its first state semifinal since 1989.

Sixth-ranked Mount Hebron got a first-half goal from Maria Bosica and held on for a 1-0 victory over Northern-C yesterday in a Class 3A state field hockey semifinal at Goucher College. The Vikings (14-4), who have been to the final twice, are seeking their first title and Howard County's second when they meet No. 7 Fallston at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the Goucher College stadium. Bosica scored her eighth goal of the season on a pass from Alicia Jewel with 8:35 left in the first half and the Vikings defense of Emily Goldman, Emily Smith, Kelly Knuuti and goalie Melanie Langmead (seven saves)

That C. Milton Wright's top-ranked boys team and North Carroll No. 2 girls squad captured the team championships in yesterday's Westminster Invitational weren't surprises. The shockers were who won the individual titles at the 3-mile course at Westminster High. Oakland Mills senior Izudin Mehmedovic upset Wright junior Pat Bailey in the boys race, and Rachel Hawes, a freshman at new Century High, claimed her first invitational in her second attempt. Mehmedovic finished the boys race in 16 minutes, 8 seconds - an eye-opening 11 seconds faster than runner-up Fanuel Chagaza of Walter Johnson and 19 seconds faster than Bailey.

That C. Milton Wright's top-ranked boys team and North Carroll No. 2 girls squad captured the team championships in yesterday's Westminster Invitational weren't surprises. The shockers were who won the individual titles at the 3-mile course at Westminster High. Oakland Mills senior Izudin Mehmedovic upset Wright junior Pat Bailey in the boys race, and Rachel Hawes, a freshman at new Century High, claimed her first invitational in her second attempt. Mehmedovic finished the boys race in 16 minutes, 8 seconds - an eye-opening 11 seconds faster than runner-up Fanuel Chagaza of Walter Johnson and 19 seconds faster than Bailey.

It's called exertional compartment syndrome, or ECS for short. For Dulaney's Tenke Zoltani, it nearly spelled the end. After missing the entire indoor season and half of this spring while recovering from surgery to the outer portion of both calves, the perennial All-Metro distance standout - now in her seventh week back - officially completed her comeback yesterday by winning a Class 4A state title in the 3,200 at UMBC. "My doctor said my career was over and I was done running," said Zoltani, who had suffered what doctors called one of the worst possible overuse injuries.