Zolak

In his one season as starting quarterback at the University of Maryland, Scott Zolak performed a curious ritual before every game.He rubbed a football that bore the signature of Joe Montana for luck.Not a football with a rubber-stamped autograph, this was the real McCoy.Since Zolak passed for 2,589 yards in 1990, second most in school history, one might assume something good rubbed off that Montana football. Then again, you could easily say Zolak had it in him all along."Joe signed a football for me two springs ago when he went home after the Super Bowl," Zolak said yesterday.

FOXBORO, Mass. -- They probably could have lost yesterday and still qualified for the AFC playoffs because Tennessee was beaten in Green Bay, Pittsburgh lost to Cincinnati at home and neither Seattle nor Oakland was likely to win its final two games.But the New England Patriots didn't want to back into the playoffs and yesterday, in a performance no one could have imagined, they did what was necessary to qualify legitimately by upsetting the mighty San Francisco 49ers before a sellout crowd at Foxboro Stadium.

QUARTERBACK Scott Zolak is as glad as anyone on the Maryland football team to be playing in the Independence Bowl tomorrow night. Though this game against Louisiana Tech will end Zolak's Maryland career, he has been a starter for only one year. He welcomes an extra chance to showcase his talent before pro scouts, especially because this is the only bowl game being played that day."I want to play in the NFL," says Zolak, who has the size (6 feet 5, 221 pounds) and the strong arm pro scouts like.

Centennial's Briana Zolak, The Sun's All-Metro volleyball Player of the Year, signed a national letter of intent yesterday to attend Towson University.The signing period for NCAA national letters of intent began yesterday and concludes April 1.Zolak, a two-time All-Metro performer who helped the Eagles to undefeated seasons the past two seasons, received athletic and academic money that amounted to a full scholarship."I liked the team a lot, the coaches and the campus," said Zolak, an outside hitter who led the No. 1 Eagles in kills (216, three per game)

COLLEGE PARK -- When Scott Zolak came off the field with 1 minute, 27 seconds remaining against North Carolina State yesterday at Byrd Stadium, and Maryland trailing by two points, the senior quarterback wasn't thinking about the time or the score or the ominous possibilities."

COLLEGE PARK -- Scott Zolak strode briskly into the lobby of Maryland's football building and announced that, yes, his confidence was still intact."It's just fine," said the Terps' senior quarterback. "A quarterback's has to be. The guys look up to him."As Zolak begins a week that will culminate with Maryland's homecoming game against Wake Forest here Saturday, he is trying to put behind him a most unpleasant experience.He was sacked 10 times in the 31-3 loss to Georgia Tech, after being nailed a total of 15 times in the previous five games.

Scott Zolak may be picking the wrong time for a former Maryland quarterback to be going to Atlanta.Just three days after Maryland's Scott Milanovich lost his 1995 debut to Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Zolak will make his first start this season for the New England Patriots today against the Atlanta Falcons in the Georgia Dome.In his fifth season, Zolak, who threw only eight passes last year, is getting his fifth NFL start because Drew Bledsoe has a separated shoulder.One of his first four starts was a 1992 game in Atlanta.

COLLEGE PARK -- During three of the first five weeks, University of Maryland quarterback Scott Zolak was the hero in last-minute comeback victories. Yesterday, he heard boos as he walked off the field at halftime.And there was a lot of cheering when backup quarterback Jim Sandwisch replaced Zolak with 7 minutes, 17 seconds to play in the game.Zolak has thrown eight pases that were intercepted in the last three games. He was charged with only one yesterday, but was intercepted three times in a Maryland drive late in the first half.

COLLEGE PARK -- Quarterback Scott Zolak and four othe Maryland seniors are among the 360 college football players who have been invited to preen for pro scouts during the NFL's pre-draft tryouts Feb. 5-9 in Indianapolis.Zolak will be joined at what is known as the "combine" by wide receiver Barry Johnson, linebacker Jack Bradford and offensive tackles Clarence Jones and O'Neil Glenn. All except Bradford played in postseason all-star games."This is a good representation from Maryland," Terps coach Joe Krivak said.

COLLEGE PARK -- The route is one of the oldest in football. Everybody runs it. The key to its success is having a strong-armed quarterback and a fast wide receiver, and matching them against man-to-man coverage.The post pattern.The University of Maryland has won its first two games with it.Flashback I: Maryland quarterback Scott Zolak passes to wide receiver Gene Thomas on a short version of the post pattern for a 51-yard touchdown with 1 minute, 1 second left in the game for a 20-13, season-opening win over Virginia Tech.

Player of the YearBriana Zolak, Centennial, senior, hitter: The letter from Rutgers University was short and to the point. "It said that I didn't have the size, talent and national experience they were looking for," Zolak said. Zolak received the letter in September and put it up in her room where she could see it every day. "They actually did me a favor because it made me work harder," said the outside hitter, who stands 5 feet 8. "I look at it in the morning [5: 30 a.m.] before I run. When I sit up [in bed]

There were plenty of Briana Zolak kill shots and Robyn West aces to satisfy the crowd yesterday at the Class 2A state championship at Catonsville Community College.And those two seniors certainly were important reasons why top-ranked Centennial defeated North Hagerstown, 15-0, 15-7, 15-9 to finish its second straight unbeaten season and earn a record-tying seventh state title.But Centennial's greatest strength -- as it has shown throughout the playoffs -- is its depth. That was evident many times yesterday, but no more so then early in the third game when backcourt specialst Marcy Cangiano made two outstanding returns that allowed the Eagles to win a point.

Atholton Raiders1996 record: 15-6Coach: Mike KalinockClassification: 2ATop players: Jen Thomas, Jr., OH; Jen Poston, So., OH; Lauren Mickley, So., OH.Outlook: With only one returning starter from last year's Class 2A state finalist, and no experienced setter, Kalinock has his work cut out for him. "Wins and losses aren't going to mean anything this year," said Kalinock, whose team lost to North East in four games in the state final. "What's most important is developing the team and this program."

Scott Zolak is good at playing the waiting game.The fourth-round pick of the New England Patriots out of Maryland in 1991, Zolak is in his seventh year with the team and has started only five games.As Drew Bledsoe's backup, he won't start as long as Bledsoe is healthy. Last year, he threw just one pass. In 1993 he threw two, and in 1994, eight.The only time he got much work was in 1992 when he threw 100 passes and in 1995 when he threw 49. Last year, he even lost the holder's job to punter Tom Tupa.

Just when it looked as if the No. 7 Liberty Lions had finally gained some sort of control in yesterday afternoon's opener at Centennial, the Eagles saved their best for last.Trailing for the first time with 7: 27 left in the fourth quarter, Centennial went 80 yards on 14 plays, with senior quarterback Ryan Gielen throwing a 26-yard touchdown pass to senior Chip Harrison to provide the 20-17 victory.It was the Eagles who made the bigger plays yesterday and it was never more evident than in the final drive, which left only 58 seconds for the Lions to respond.

Scott Zolak may be picking the wrong time for a former Maryland quarterback to be going to Atlanta.Just three days after Maryland's Scott Milanovich lost his 1995 debut to Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Zolak will make his first start this season for the New England Patriots today against the Atlanta Falcons in the Georgia Dome.In his fifth season, Zolak, who threw only eight passes last year, is getting his fifth NFL start because Drew Bledsoe has a separated shoulder.One of his first four starts was a 1992 game in Atlanta.

Centennial's Briana Zolak, The Sun's All-Metro volleyball Player of the Year, signed a national letter of intent yesterday to attend Towson University.The signing period for NCAA national letters of intent began yesterday and concludes April 1.Zolak, a two-time All-Metro performer who helped the Eagles to undefeated seasons the past two seasons, received athletic and academic money that amounted to a full scholarship."I liked the team a lot, the coaches and the campus," said Zolak, an outside hitter who led the No. 1 Eagles in kills (216, three per game)

FOXBORO, Mass. -- They probably could have lost yesterday and still qualified for the AFC playoffs because Tennessee was beaten in Green Bay, Pittsburgh lost to Cincinnati at home and neither Seattle nor Oakland was likely to win its final two games.But the New England Patriots didn't want to back into the playoffs and yesterday, in a performance no one could have imagined, they did what was necessary to qualify legitimately by upsetting the mighty San Francisco 49ers before a sellout crowd at Foxboro Stadium.