CATONSVILLE’S COMEBACK

Reno Jiggetts scored three of his four TDs in the third quarter; Skippy Clary returned an interception 65 yards for another TD; and Dan Vanik booted field goals of 22 and 27 yards as the Comets overcame a 28-6 halftime deficit for Thursday’s 38-35 Baltimore County 4A-3A League victory at defending Class 3A North Region titlist Franklin.

The Comets (2-1, 1-1) were coming off of the previous week’s 56-0 blowout loss to Hereford. And after falling behind, 28-6, at halftime against the Indians (2-1, 1-1), appeared to be on their way to yet another devastating defeat.

But Jiggetts scored on consecutive runs of 3, 2 and 1 yards, respetively,during the Comets’ 20-point third quarter to bring his team within, 28-26.

Catonsville trailed, 35-29, when its defensive back, Skippy Clary, returned an interception 65 yards with 4 minutes to go to tie the score. Franklin blocked the extra point kick, however, and the Indians took over with a chance to finish the game.

With possession on fourth down at midfield, Franklin went for the first down, but was stopped by the Catonsville defense.

The Comets took over with 2:20 to play, drove to the Franklin 5-yard line with 8 seconds left, and went ahead by the winning margin on a 22-yard field goal by Dan Vanik, who earlier had connected on a 27-yarder.

Franklin had five seconds to work with on the ensuing kickoff, but its “attempted multi-lateral play failed,” said Catonsville coach Rich Hambor.

Catonsville 38 Franklin 35
 
Catonsville   0    6   20   12 – 38
Franklin      14   14   7   0 –   35

F-Mays 15 pass from Fleming (Gibson kick)
F-Fleming 65 run (Gibson kick)
F-Jones 65 pass from Ford (Gibson kick)
C-Jiggetts 2 run (kick blocked)
F-Jones 16 pass from Ford (Gibson kick)
C-Jiggetts 3 run (Chapman pass from Savage)
C-Jiggetts 2 run (kick blocked)
C-Jiggets 1 run (pass failed)
F-Mays 80 pass from Kelley (Gibson kick)
C-FG 27 Vanik
C-Clary 65 interception return (kick blocked)
C-FG 22 Vanik
 

New Town 20, Overlea 13: Tony Savage made six solo tackles among his seven tackles overall, disrupted four passes and made a critical interception with 19 seconds left, and rushed for 96 yards, incluing a 69-yard TD run at the end of th third quarter.

Quarterback Dexter Edwards also rushed for 122 yards, 73 of which came on a run on a tone-setting sprint on the second play from the scrimmage line.

Edwards scored on TD runs of 11 yards in the in the first quarter; of 3-yards in the second, and from 2-yards in the fourth.

Deonte Henderson caught a two-point conversion pass from reserve QB Nick Bedford.

ELMER DIZE WAS ‘POSITIVE INFLUENCE’

” I first met Elmer when I was in ninth grade,” said Ron Belinko, Baltimore County’s coordinator of athletics. “Elmer immediately made an impression on me as a 14-year-old.”

	by Lem Satterfield Former Mervo head wrestling coach Elmer Dize, who produced 24 Maryland Scholastic Association champions and 67 other top four finishers, died on Sept. 21. Relatives and Friends are invited to attend Dize’s viewing and wake at the Schimunek Funeral Home at 9705 Belair Road on Tuesday, Sept. 25, from 4 to 8 pm, with his funeral to take place on Wednesday at Oak Crest Village Chapel, 8820 Walther Blvd. from 12:30-to 1:45 pm.  Dize, 85, who will be buried on Wednesday at 2:45 at the Garrison Forest Veterans’ Cemetary, was the recepient of numerous awards. He was inducted into Baltimore County’s Hall of Fame in 1998; the MPSSAA’s Hall of Fame in ’99; and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2002. “With a coaching career that has spanned five decades, Elmer Dize is recognized as one of the finest gentleman to have worked with the young people in the state of Maryland,” read the biography which was submitted on behalf of Dize to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Hall of famer Elmer Dize coached 24 Maryland Scholastic Association champions.

“Elmer Dize has been a positive influence on thousands of youngsters,” the bio continued. “Wherever you go in the Baltimore area, you will meet physicians, police officers, teachers, coaches and productive citizens from all walks of life who remember the influence of Coach Dize on their lives.”

Dize served overseas during World War II with the Maryland National Guard. Upon returning to the Baltimore area, he enrolled at Towson State Teachers College (now Towson University).

At Mervo in 1954, Dize joined the football coaching staff and worked as a volunteer wrestling coach under Bill Anderson.

Mervo won MSA tournaments in 1956, ’62 and ’70, and Dize became the school’s head coach in 1965, crowning 24 individual titlists — including three who received Outstanding Wrestler honors.

In 1981, Mervo hosted the first Baltimore City Public School Wrestling Tournament. Dize coached Mervo to city titles in 1982 and 1983.

Dize became an Overlea High assistant in 1984, and, over the next 20 years, helped the Falcons develop seven state champions. Dize was an assistant to Bruce Malinowski in 1999 when the Falcons captured Baltimore County’s first dual meet state title.

“I first met Elmer when I was in the ninth grade at Southern High School. We had a big scrimmage in the old gym and I remember this man with the country charm working with wrestlers from all over the city,” said Ron Belinko, Baltimore County’s present athletic director. “Elmer immediately  made an impression on me as a 14-year-old.”

Belinko later worked with Dize on the football coaching staff at Overlea in 1983, the season during which the Falcons reached the state semifinals.

“Elmer was the force behind the successful Overlea Football Program,” Belinko said. “It was a great honor to coach with one of my childhood idols.”

Dize is survived by his wife, Geraldine; his sons, Cranston, 55, and Brian, 50, and their wives, Helen and Beverly; and his grandchildren; Cranston, Nathan, Martin, Kirsten and Taylor.

“Having been born in Crisfield, my father maintained his ties to the
water on the Eastern Shore and always made visits back whenever he
could to chase the Maryland Crab,” said Brian Dize.

“Another
thing that was dear to him was his Christian faith,” Brian Dize said.
“He worked with others through the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.”

ITS BULLS VS. GATORS

Hereford’s third straight victory by a rout, 64-8, over Towson sets up next week’s showdown with the Perry Hall Gators, a team the Bulls have lost two twice over the past two seasons. Perry Hall is 3-0 and the three-time defending Baltimore County 4A-3A champ.

The Bulls have out-scored their
opponents, 158-24, including last week’s 56-0 rout of Catonsville.
Kicker Adam Yates was good on all eight of his extra points, and, for
the year, is 19-for-19.

Yates, who has booted three field goals,
on Thursday placed seven of his nine kickoffs into the endzone, with
the other two landing at the 2- and 4-yard lines.

In totaling 295 yards, Hereford tuned up for next week’s showdown at three-time county 4A-3A League champion Perry Hall.

The
Bulls have lost twice to Perry Hall over the past two seasons, having
been reclassified based on enrollment into the Class 3A.

Hereford won one Class 1A state title and two Class 2A state titles along with eight county 2A-1A crowns before moving up.

Perry
Hall improved to 3-0 overall, and 2-0 in the county’s 2A-1A with
Thursday’s 35-0 shutout of Woodlawn. The Gators have beaten their last
two rivals by a combined, 63-0, and all three opponents by 84-14.

Gators
quarterback Mike Lang has thrown for 409 yards and five TDs, three of
them going to second-team All-Metro receiver-linebacker Dave
Steinbaugh, who has 12 receptions for 323 yards.

Perry
Hall running back Nelson Knight has 322 rushing yards and three
touchdowns, and receiver Matt Wood has four receptions for 54 yards and
a TD.

Perry Hall has won 30 of its past 31 games against Baltimore
County rivals, including nine straight. The run includes victories over
Hereford of, 27-7, on Sept. 9 of 2005, and, 10-7, on Sept. 8 of 2006.

Hereford has won 12 straight games against Baltimore County dating back to its loss to Perry Hall.

Ian Sadan rushed for scores of 4 and 63 yards
as well as a two-point conversion and TJ Glenn-Akles caught a 25-yard
scoring pass from Asa Laboo all in the second quarter of last night’s
20-0 shutout by Parkville over Baltimore County rival Kenwood.

With its third straight shutout, Parkville has out-scored its rivals by a combined, 99-0.

The
Knights improved to 3-0 overall, and 2-0 in Baltimore County’s 4A-3A
Division, tuning up for next Friday night’s league game on
Catonsville’s artificial surface.

–Lem Satterfield

Parkville 20, Kenwood 0

Parkville          0           20               0              0              20
Kenwood         0             0               0              0                0

P-Sadan 63 run (Sadan run)
P- Sadan 4 run (run failed)
P- Glenn-Akles 25 pass from Laboo (run failed)

MAVERICKS WIN, 42-0

Eastern Tech turns in another solid effort over Baltimore County rival Pikesville, tuning up for next week’s game against Calvert Hall of the MIAA’s A Conference.

Dave Spalt booted all six extra points in the victory, which was the 10th in the past 11 games for the Mavericks (3-0), who have out-scored their opponents by a combined, 136-12.

On the year, defensive end Ryan Schlothauer has two sacks, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery; Linebacker Bryan Watson has two interceptions and a fumble recovery; Gbor has recovered a fumble, intercepted a pass and disrupted a pass; and Edwards has disrupted four pass plays.

Also playing well, defensively, are Joe Jones, Andre Hall and Tim Smith with an interception; Jeff Kryglik with a fumble recovery; and Davis with a sack.

Eastern Tech 42, Pikesville 0

PIKESVILLE    0        0           0           0          0
Eastern Tech      14     21       7           0        42

E-Davis 2 (Spalt Kick)
E-Edwards 45 run (Spalt kick)
E- Davis 59 run (Spalt kick)
E- Gbor 20 INT return (Spalt kick)
E- Crane 2 run (Spalt kick)
E- King 4 run (Spalt kick)
E- King 4 run (Spalt kick)

FOUR-IN-A-ROW

Sparrows’
Point took a 4-3 lead in its series with Baltimore County rival
Patapsco, winning, 35-7. “We can throw the ball a little better than in
the past,” said Pointers’ coach Eric Webber, “or give the ball to many
different backs. We’re very versatile.”

“We know a lot of them, they know a
lot of us,” said Brown, a Sparrows Point senior. “We never have any
problem getting pumped up for those guys.”

The 5-foot-9,
200-pound running back did his part to assure that his streak remained
intact, rushing for a game-high 117 yards and scores of 1, 2 and 6
yards in a come-from-behind, 35-7 Baltimmore County interdivisional
rout of his neighborhood rival.

T.J. Howell rushed for 113 yards
in the Pointers’ (3-0) fourth straight win over Pataspco (2-1), ending
a three-game winning streak. The visting Patriots ended a 22-game
losing streak with their season-ending, 13-8 victory last season on
Nov. 10.

For the first time, the Pointers feel as if they can
win a league title: Baltimore County has been divided its football
programs into 4A-3A, 3A-2A, and, 1A Divisions — the latter comprised
of Chesapeake, New Town, Owings Mills, Pikesville, Western Tech and
Sparrows Point.

“We can throw the ball a little better than in
the past or give the ball to many different backs. We’re very
versatile,” said Webber, adding that quarterback Jeff Semelka was
5-for-5 passing in last week’s 47-8 rout of Baltimore Lutheran.

“We
had some questions about our line in the beginning of the season, but
we answered them in the first week Dan Clark really solidified that
left tackle position,” Webber said.

“We moved Dunstin Shindle
to guard, where he’s probably our best lineman,” Webber added. “Jimmy
Stolba’s the other guard, and Ryan Pollay blocked [University of
Maryland-bound] Teddy Dargan pretty well. We’ve found some kids with
some heart.”

After losing to Patapsco three straight times, the
Pointers have won by 20-6, 28-0, and, 20-0, respectively, entering
Thursday’s game. The schools are seperated by less than four miles.

“I
have friends from there, but when you see them, you just want to talk
smack to them,” Heather Robinette, junior who serves as the Pointers’
team manager.

 “We practice 10 times harder than any team
around,” Robinetted added. “There’s a lot of excitement for the game
and people expecting us to win. Lately, we’ve been showing them on the
field.”

	Sparrows Point linebacker Jay Beall played well, as did Stolba, Ryan Nadeau and Tommy Jarrell, with fumble recoveries as the Pointers held the Patriots to 84 total yards. Josh Greer came through with a sack and also was successful on all five extra point kicks. “This is been between us and Sparrows Point every year. We see them on the weekends, and talk some smack,” said right tackle Rob Caskey, a 6-foot-1, 245-pounder who is the lone returning starter to an undersized offensive line that includes Dan Clark (6-2, 170), Jimmy Stolba (5-7, 180), Dustin Schindle (5-10, 220) and Ryan Pollay (5-7, 195). “It’s execution. Practice is the biggest thing,” said Caskey, whose Pointers’ pushed backward a Milford Mill defense that included Dargan in their season-opening victory. “We came in thinking that we were going to lose that game at the time,” Brown said. “We had big heads for a little while after that game, but since then, we tell ourselves that any team can beat us.”
Sparrows Point’s Josh Greer caused a fumble that was recovered by a teammate with this sack of Patapsco quarterback Tom Lugenbeel as part of a defense that limited the Patriots to 84 total yards of offense. Greer also  made all five extra point kicks, pacing the Pointers to a 3-0 mark and their fourth straight win over the visiting Patriots in Baltimore County interdivisional action.

Brown’s
family is close to that of  the Patriots’ James Buettner (6-7, 275),
and he said he “played recreation ball with Jeff Timmons [6-1, 230]
back when I was five years old.”

But it was against Buettner,
Timmons, Trae Lindsey (6-6, 215), Akil Godsey (6-0, 235), Anthony Van
Dommelin (6-2, 275) and Nathan Sprouse (6-1,
220) that the Pointers generated 312 of their 430 total yards of
offense on the ground.

“Their linemen play as if they’re a lot
bigger than they are,” said Patapsco coach John Spencer. “I mean, we
had a lot of injuries today. We made four fumbles. But what it came
down to is that they beat us with some big plays. We couldnt stop them.”

The
Patriots did what they could early on, however, starting with Anthony
Vallar’s game-opening, 65-yard kickoff return, followed by Kevin
Kikola’s extra point kick, for a 7-0 lead.

“Anthony scooped it
right up and took off, and when that happened, we were feeling good,”
Spencer said. “That’s the way you start the game, but we couldn’t
finish. They blanked us from there.”

The Pointers scored on their next three possessions for a 21-7 lead at 11:55 of the second quarter.

First,
Patrick Potocki made it 7-7 with his 6-yard scoring reception from Jeff
Semelka, then Brown put the Pointers ahead for good, 14-7, with his
2-yard run. Another run by Brown, this time, from a yard away, gave
Sparrows Point a two-touchdown advantage.

“Our lineman, the
whole way, has stepped up,” said Brown. “We’re not big guys, we’re not
fast guys, but as long as we stick to the fundamentals, it all works.”

Plagued
by penalties throughout the latter part of the second quarter, and much
of the third, the Pointers went to the air with 1:32 left in the third
quarter.

The Pointers were up, 28-7 after Storm Neidinger took a
pitch from Semelka, faked as if he was sweeping to his right, then
stopped and tossed what receiver Sean Bentz called, “a perfect pass.”

Bentz
(6-foot, 160) hauled it in at the 15-yard line, stumbled, fought off a
final defender inside the 5-yard line, and kept his footing long enough
to cross the goal line for his first scoring reception of the year.

“We
don’t really pass that much, so when they called the play, my eye got
real big. When the ball was in the air, I was just praying, ‘please
don’t let me drop it,'” Bentz said. “But it was right on the money, in
stride. I got nervous, tripped, felt like I was going to fall. I was
nervous, but I kept my balance, even though there was a guy there. It
was a relief.”

With 5:11 to play, Brown’s 6-yard run provided
the final margin for the Pointers, whose fans wear white T-shirts to
the game, the backs of which display the running scores of all the
games. Sparrows’ Points scores on the right, Patpsco’s on the left,
with the year of the game in the middle.

“I love the crowd. I
love hearing my name being called. It’s like a college game, with our
band, the cheeleaders. I think we have the best crowd in the state,”
Bentz said. “It’s so inspiring.”

Sparrows Point 35, Patapsco 7

Patapsco               7       0       0        0                7
Sparrows Point      14    14       7        0              35

P- Vallar 65 kickoff return (Kikola kick)
S- Potocki 6 pass from Semelka (Greer kick)
S- Brown 2 run (Gree kick)
S- Brown 1 run (Greer kick)
S- Bentz 51 pass from Neidinger (Greer kick)
S- Brown 6 run(Greer kick)

CLASS ACTS

First-year Chesapeake coach, Mark Junker, has the Bayhawks looking to contend in Baltimore County’s newly-formed Class 1A League.

“I told the players that I have been fortunate to work for some very successful coaches and programs,” said Junker, a former assistant to Roger Wrenn at Patterson, Anthony Knox at Poly, and John Marquette last season at Parkville. “I told them that we were going to do things the way that I had seen them work before.”

Among Junker’s demands?

“We will work hard every day. We will be fundamentally sound. We will come to school and practice every day,” Junker said. “We will act with class and like a winner every day no matter what our record is.”

Fortunately for the Bayhawks — and, largely, due to their having carried out Junker’s demands — their record is a good one.

After struggling through consecutive 2-8 seasons, and having lost eight of their last nine games entering this year, the Bayhawks are off to a 2-0 start, having out-scored two Baltimore County opponents by a combined, 33-7.

The Bayhawks’ season-opening, 20-7, victory over Towson ended a three-game losing streak. Last week, the Bayhawks shut out Perryville, 13-0.

Their start has the Bayhawks looking to contend with New Town, Owings Mills, Pikesville, Western Tech and Sparrows Point for thecounty’s newly created Class 1A League title.

“The captains have led the way,” said Junker, referring to senior defensive end-offensive guard Steven Randolph, senior outside linebacker-tailback Dominique Tshiams and senior fullback-middle linebacker Antonio Williams.

“All three of these captains have set a tremendous example of dedication and work ethic,” Junker said.

Randolph, who has nine tackles and two sacks, “is the heart of both lines,” said Junker. “Offensively, he has had numerous big blocks.”

Tshiams “carried the load in the first game against Towson,” said Junker, referring to Tschiams’ 129 yards and one TD on seven carries, and his eight tackles in the game.

In two games, Tshiams has rushed for 203 yards and a TD, and, defensively, made 13 tackles. Tshiams is also the team’s placekicker.

Williams, who suffered an ankle sprain against Towson, is expected to return Thursday when the Bayhawks play host to Dundalk.

“Antonio is the only varsity player who was present for every weight training session over the summer,” Junker said.

But there have been others as well, such as senior offensive guard-defensive tackle Donte Frances; senior tailback-linebacker George Diggs; and senior defensive end-offensive tackle Chris Inskeep.

Frances has 12 tackles and two fumble recoveries, one of which resulted in a TD. Diggs, last week, made 11 tackles, two sacks and caused a fumble in the win over Perryville. Inskeep, who also serves as punter, has two sacks.

Also, junior QBk Dominique Saunders rushed for 159 yds against Perryville and “has done a fine job leading the offense,” Junker said.

Senior Marcus Jackson, who covered 119 yds against Perryville, “was our backbone in that game,” said Junker, and senior center, Lenny Banack, “does a solid job leading the offensive line.”

Junker’s assistants are Brian Salay, who coordinates the offensive and defensive lines; Mike Como, with the receivers and defensive backs; and junior varsity coaches Lance Gymory and Elwood Townsend, a former player for Patterson’s 1994 state semifinalists.

“The players deserve all the credit. They come to practice every day with a great desire to improve,” Junker said. “They have worked their tails off.”

POINTERS’ RUN

Sparrows Point racked up 330 rushing yards and received two scores each from Josh Greer, T.J. Howell and Paul Brown in tuning up for Thursday’s showdown with unbeaten Patapsco; Franklin ran away from Kenwood, 20-13.

The Pointers, who totaled 330 rushing yards and led, 47-0, before yielding their only TD to their rival, next play host to unbeaten Patapsco on Thursday at 4 p.m.

Sparrows Point 47, Lutheran 8
Sparrows Point 21    13   6   7      47 
Baltimore Lutheran 0     0      0   8       8
SP�??Greer 20 run (Greer kick)
SP�??Howell 53 run (Greer kick)
SP�??Brown 1 run (Greer kick)
SP�??Howell 6 run (Greer kick)
SP�??Greer 75 run (kick failed)
SP�??Brown 60 run (kick failed)
SP�??Nadeau 12 run (Greer kick)
L�??Seymour 1 run (Lee pass from Seymour) 

Franklin 20, Kenwood 13

Carl
Fleming scored on second-half runs of 25 and 60 yards and threw a
conversion pass to Jamal Jones and Ron Greene scored on a 6-yard run as
the Indians broke a 6-6 halftime tie in Baltimore County 4A-3A League
action.

Thought to be in a rebuilding year after having
graduated All-Metro running back, Scott Noble, the defending Class 3A
North Region champion Indians (2-0, 1-0 league) still found a way to
overcome the talented Bluebirds (1-1, 0-1).

Franklin 20, Kenwood 13

F         0       6      8       6          20
K         0       6      0       7          13
 
F- Greene 6 run (pass failed)
K- Wilson 6 run (kick failed)
F- Fleming 25 run (Jones pass from Fleming)
F- Fleming 60 run (kick failed)
K- Byrd 2 run (Martin kick)

MAVERICKS ON THE MOVE

Eastern Tech rose to 2-0 with a balanced effort, getting five TDs from as many different rushers, along with a 33-yard field goal by Dave Spalt.

The victory was the Mavericks’ ninth in their past 11 games, moving their record to 2-0 against Baltimore County teams.

Davis and fellow linebacker Bryan Watson anchored the defense, along with Ryan Schlothauer, a defensive end, and Devin Hardy, a defensive tackle.

Behind them, the Mavericks, who compete in the county’s 3A-2A, have out-scored their opposition by a combined, 94-12.

The Mavericks, who next take on Pikesville, opened the season with a 49-6 rout of Western Tech.

In that game, the Mavericks yielded an 80-yard kickoff return for a TD by the Wolverines’ Lance Wilkes, but, otherwise, were able to shut down their county rival.

Senior receiver Ryan White caught a scoring pass from QB Travis Crane, who also rushed for a score during a game in which the Mavericks totaled 326 offensive yards.

Conners, Davis, Edwards and Luke Horner all rushed for scores against Western Tech, and Spalt connected on all of his extra points, making him perfect on the season.

Schlothauer had six tackles, disrupted two passes and had a sack; Watson caused a fumble and had an interception; and Hall, at cornerback, had an interception and a fumble recovery.

Also playing well, defensively, against Western Tech were Davis, Gbor, Hardy, Matt Meadows, Jeff Kryglik, Joe Jones and Aaron Wilson.