The County Times
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Inspired Raiders Silence Hurricanes
Seahawks Ranked No. 24 in Final Aicher’s Six-Goal Effort Sparks Leonardtown Division III Poll
Photo By Chris Stevens
T.J. Jordan and the Seahawks finished their Cinderella season ranked 24th nationally among NCAA Division III colleges.
Photo By Chris Stevens
Mike Hebb’s dominance in the face-off circle keyed the Raiders’ 15-9 victory over Huntingtown High School Thursday Night.
By Chris Stevens Staff Writer HUNTINGTOWN – Thursday Night’s boys’ lacrosse match at Huntingtown was more than just the SMAC opener for the Leonardtown Raiders, and more than just a game against the team who has beaten them in each of the last two seasons. The 15-9 victory was a tribute to a beloved member of the Raider family who the team has unfailingly rallied around. “Mike Hamlett, a former player of ours is in the hospital with a broken
neck,” said Raiders coach Matt Chew. “His sister is our team manager, his mom has been the team mom, so that was very important for us tonight, to assist his family.” With a member of their family heavily on their minds, the Raiders had extra incentive to hustle all game long as they did. For every goal, assist and ground ball the Raiders recorded Thursday, seven dollars would be donated to Michael Hamlett’s medical care, and Leonardtown (3-1 overall, 1-0 SMAC) did not disappoint. “Mike’s been like a big brother to
me, I’ve known him since I was a kid,” said senior Stephen Norris, who scored two goals in the win. “It’s only right that we came out as a unit and supported the Hamlett family and made some money for them. They deserve it.” “When you play Leonardtown lacrosse, you’re playing as a family,” said senior attacker Kenney Aicher. “It was important that we came out and gave our all for him.” Aside from the personal motivation, the Raiders have felt the crunch of losing to the Hurricanes once in each of the previous two years, including See Raiders Lacrosse page B-
Hornets Edge Braves Jackson Goes The Distance In Tight Victory
Sterling, Va. – To cap off an incredible season, the St. Mary’s College of Maryland men’s basketball team received the program’s first-ever national ranking as the Seahawks finished No. 24 in the final Division III Top 25 released by D3hoops.com. This ranking is a testament to the Seahawks’ success during the 2007-08 campaign. For the first time in program history, SMCM made an appearance in the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Tournament by clinching the Capital Athletic Conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. They captured the school’s second CAC Championship title as the fourth seed March 1 with an 82-72 triumph over No. 2-seed University See Seahawks Basketball page B-
St. Mary’s College Sports Briefs Assistant Coach Bill Ward Recognized by US SAILING As 2007 National Coach of the Year (St. Mary’s City, MD) March 24, 2008—US SAILING’s Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC) recognized Bill Ward, assistant sailing coach at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, with the 2007 National Coach of the Year Award. The award is a part of the United States Olympic Committee’s (USOC) Coach Recognition Program, which highlights the accomplishments and contributions of coaches who train athletes at all levels of sport. As the assistant coach at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Ward was part of the coaching team that won three 2007 national championships. “Last year was an amazingly successful year for the College’s sailing teams and for me. It was a long battle with lots of obstacles, but we brought home the national championships in the sloop, team and women’s divisions,” Ward said. See Sports Briefs page B-
By Chris Stevens Staff Writer
Photo By Chris Stevens
Chopticon’s Stephen Shorter swings at a pitch as Great Mills catcher Alex Mancil looks on.
MORGANZA – Great Mills baseball coach Steve Wolfe was very pleased with the Hornets’ 3-2 victory over Chopticon, and not just because they won. It was the way his young ball club responded to the late inning pressure-cooker that had the coach smiling from ear to ear. “We’re a really young team, and we are going to be in a lot of these 2-1, 3-2 ballgames all year,” Wolfe said. “For them to get a close win like this against a quality team like Chopticon, I couldn’t be happier.” Great Mills (1-1 on the season as well as in SMAC competition) starts just two seniors, catcher Alex Mancil (who con-
nected for three hits on the afternoon) and first baseman Brandon Gravelle. One of the young Hornets responsible for the close victory was junior pitcher Matt Jackson, who went the full seven innings, striking out eight Braves batters and walking just two. “Their pitcher single-handedly beat us today,” said Chopticon coach Steve Williams. “He had our guys all over the place.” “I just tried to throw first pitch strikes and come inside a couple of times,” Jackson said. Nearly as untouchable for Chopticon was Steven Shorter, who struck out five and walked three in six-plus innings of work. After the Hornets took a See Baseball page B-