The County Times
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Hornets Survive War with Leonardtown Morse’s Last Minute Goal Rescues Great Mills By Chris Stevens Staff Writer GREAT MILLS – Great Mills field hockey coach Michelle Richmond was not feeling particularly well to begin with Saturday afternoon, and the up and down game her Hornets played against Leonardtown did nothing to help matters. However, Hannah Morse’s goal with 45 seconds left to play proved to be of some relief as the Hornets edged the Raiders 1-0 in SMAC field hockey action. “For the most part we played our game,” Richmond said of the all-out war with their cross-county rivals, “but were too tentative sometimes. “The girls felt like they were afraid to make
Photo By Chris Stevens
Great Mills’ Joselynn Stewart moves the ball up field while being defended by Leonardtown’s Emily Lynch.
mistakes.” There were few mistakes made as the game was scoreless for 59 minutes and 15
seconds and seemed destined to be resolved in overtime. That was before Morse got a friendly bounce and rat-
tled the cage, igniting a roar from Hornet supporters and teammates, which proved to be helpful for the senior
forward. “‘Bitsy’ (fellow senior Ryshell Butler) tipped the ball, it came to me and I shot
it...I just heard everyone make noise so I started celebrating,” she said, acknowledging she did not have the benefit of seeing the ball go in. “I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.” The goal and the final defensive stand, which involved the Hornets playing keep-away, helped the team improve a perfect 5-0 on the season as well as in Southern Maryland Athletic Conference games this season. It was a heartbreaking loss for the Raiders (2-1 on the season, 2-1 in SMAC play), who took their first loss of the young season, but head coach Vicki Lydon was extremely pleased with her team’s effort and felt they should be as well. “The girls should be really proud of the way they played,” she said enthusiastically. “Nobody’s given Great Mills a run like this, so our girls just have to keep playing like they played today – outstanding. We will become a force to be reckoned with.” Richmond fears games like Saturday’s tight battle, See Field Hockey page B-
Raiders Hang Tough, But Fall to Braves Lisanti “Disappointed” With Chopticon’s Effort By Chris Stevens Staff Writer MORGANZA – Tony Lisanti said after a loss to Huntingtown High School two weeks ago that the Chopticon football team plays up and down to the level of their competition. Last Thursday night, the coach saw more evidence of that as the Braves stumbled around the field but held on to beat Leonardtown High 21-7 at Braves Stadium. “I’m very disappointed in the maturity level of my players tonight,” Lisanti said following a game that saw four lost Chopticon fumbles and numerous penalties that either killed drives or kept Leonardtown’s going. “I don’t know what happened for the kids to make those kinds of mistakes, but I will fix it.”
The Braves (2-1 overall, 2-1 in SMAC play) were almost fixed by a Raider team who previously came out on the short end of games to Charles County powerhouses Thomas Stone and Westlake, but proved to be a tough out for Chopticon. “Our kids played hard, and you have to give Chopticon credit, they are a playoff team,” said Raiders head coach Anthony Pratley. “That’s what I like about our kids – they never quit and they’ll never lay down,” Pratley added. The Braves opened up the contest with style, as senior Michael Gilmartin took the opening kickoff 42 yards up the middle of the field to give Chopticon possession at the Leonardtown 40. The Raiders committed See Chopticon Football page B-
Second Half Effort Promising For Hornets Photo By Chris Stevens
The Braves’ Michael Gilmartin opens up the game with a 42 yard kickoff return Thursday evening.
Knights Can’t Avoid Sweep By Chris Stevens Staff Writer LEONARDTOWN – Low ceiling notwithstanding, the St. Mary’s Ryken volleyball team is a still a tough team in the eyes of St. John’s coach Bill Pribac. “It’s always a tough trip down here,” said Pribac, even after his Cadets improved to 7-2 on the season with a 3 sets to 0 sweep of the Knights in Washington Catholic Athletic Conference volleyball action Friday afternoon. “They are a very dangerous team that if you’re not careful, before you know it you’re in more of a dogfight than you anticipated. The Cadets (5-2 in WCAC play) won by scores of 25-16, 25-20 and 25-17, but the victory was not as easy as the score indicated. The Knights’ service game, led by Danielle Nichols and Gabby Morgan, gave Ryken several long See Ryken Volleyball page B-
Photo By Chris Stevens
St. Mary’s Ryken’s Gabby Morgan prepares to serve during Friday’s volleyball match with St. John’s.
Girls’ Soccer Team Dominates, Pleases Coach By Chris Stevens Staff Writer GREAT MILLS – Positive thinking is something Great Mills girls’ soccer coach Amy Herndon chooses to enforce when leading her team into battle. So even though the Hornets (23-1 on the season, 1-2-1 in Southern Maryland Athletic Conference play) dropped a 7-2 decision to North Point in girls’ soccer action last Wednesday, Herndon preferred to concentrate on the positives, and there were many to choose from. “I’m really proud of how they finished the game,” Herndon said of a second half that featured the Hornets keying in on and shutting down North Point’s outstanding midfielder Michelle Grozinski. “We were trying to find a couple of players to track her, because she is a great player. If she didn’t finish the play, she created it. “We did a good job on her in the second half.” As for the decisive first half of play, Grozinski scored two goals and assisted on two others while freshman forward Sydney Williams added two goals as North Point took a 5-1 edge into halftime. Grozinski ended up with four goals for the game, as she was joined in the scoring column by Williams twice, Calin Mcelhenny and Alyssa
Photo By Chris Stevens
Nelka Caceres-Rivera sets up the Hornets’ first goal of the game with this kick. North Point’s Calin Mcelhenny defends.
Sato. The Hornets’ first goal of the game was also the first in the career of freshman Courtney Bartsch.
With just about 11 minutes to go in the first half, Bartsch was the recipient of a Nelka Caceres-Rivera pass See Hornet Soccer page B-