La Plata High School | Archive | September, 2008

Football: SMAC Week 4 Top 5

SMAC Football Top 5 — Week 4

 1. Westlake (4-0, 2-0)
Previous ranking: 1
Devon Smith scored three touchdowns and Terance Proctor two, as the Wolverines rolled to a 50-6 win over Great Mills. While Westlake has rolled thus far, outscoring its opponents 187-41, this week should provide the stiffest test when the Wolverines travel to North Point and battle the stingiest defense they will have encountered this season.
This week: at North Point, Friday at 7 p.m.

2. Lackey (3-1, 2-0)
Previous ranking: 2
Through three weeks, the Chargers had been living on the exploits of its dominating defense. The offense finally started to get in on the act last Friday in a 34-7 win over Northern, producing all five of Lackey’s touchdowns. This week the Chargers are at McDonough, which nearly pulled off an upset of Friendly last week.
This week: at McDonough, Friday at 7 p.m.


3. Patuxent (3-1, 2-0)
Previous ranking: 3
Running back Ra’Joun Nelson was back to carrying a full load following an injury in the opener, and four different Panthers reached the end zone in a 34-14 win over a Leonardtown team that just wouldn’t go away on Friday. This week, Calvert County supremacy is on the line when the Panthers host Huntingtown.
This week: vs. Huntingtown, Friday at 7 p.m.


4. North Point (3-1, 3-0)
Previous ranking: NR
The Eagles racked up possibly the biggest win in the program’s short history with Friday night’s 20-14 win over the then-unbeaten Huntingtown Hurricanes. Arlando Scott rushed for three touchdowns in the win, while the Eagles defense allowed Huntingtown’s prolific offense just one scoring drive. North Point hosts Westlake on Friday, and will be looking to slow the Wolverines’ explosive running game down.
This week: vs. Westlake, Friday at 7 p.m.


5. Huntingtown (3-1, 2-1)
Previous ranking: 4
Huntingtown, in the midst of its toughest two-game stretch on the schedule, will attempt to rebound from last week’s shortcoming at North Point against county rival Patuxent.
This week: at Patuxent, Friday at 7 p.m. 

    ***DigitalSports’ SMAC Top 5 is selected by SMAC Content Manager Andy States. Please direct any questions or comments to astates@digitalsports.com.

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Football: La Plata 42, Calvert 0

***Check below for video highlights and interviews from the game***
Click here to view the game’s photo gallery

By Andy States
Content Manager, SMAC

Midway through the second quarter, La Plata’s Marcus Smoot dropped back to receive a punt on the Warriors’ rain-soaked field. With Calvert’s coverage unit bearing down on him Smoot initially mishandled the punt, but rather than it turning into a disasterous play the La Plata senior recovered and started the process of weaving through the defense and all the way back into the end zone for a 55-yard punt return.

It was just one of those days when virtually everything seemed to fall in La Plata’s favor. Senior quarterback Adam Joson accounted for four touchdowns and Smoot scored three to lead La Plata to a 42-0 homecoming victory over the visting Cavaliers on Saturday afternoon.

“We needed it,” La Plata coach Andy Loucks said. “This was a big game for us. Calvert is a good football team. They’ve played some tough teams the first couple weeks and we really needed to come out and be focused and prepared to play a tough game.

“I think by focusing on that and pounding it all week we finally did it.”

After intercepting a Joson pass inside the La Plata 20-yard line early in the first quarter, Calvert (0-4) appeared to be set up to take command. That was as good as it got.

La Plata’s Tracey Holliman intercepted a Calvert pass three plays later to **** the threat. La Plata (2-2) then marched 84 yards, with Smoot taking a short pass from Joson and racing the distance for a 53-yard score. That was only the beginning, as the Warriors exploded for 28 points in the second quarter to put the game out of reach by halftime.

“We wanted to jump on them early,” said Joson, who passed for 169 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 31 yards and another score. “When we’re leading we feel like we’re in control.”

After three largely lethargic outings to open the season, including last week’s 40-17 loss to North Point, the Warriors needed that feeling to get their season on track.

“We came out flat against North Point,” said Smoot, who caught four passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns to go along with his punt return to the end zone. “We didn’t come out to play. This game was 100 percent the opposite of that.”

The effort was not improved just on the offensive side for La Plata. While the offensive production exceeded 400 yards, the defense limited Calvert to under 100. The Warriors won the battles at the line of scrimmage and held B.J. Greening — one of the most dangerous players in the conference — to just 62 yards rushing on 17 carries, with 45 of the yards coming on one first-quarter run.

“We’re not real big. You can see that by looking at us,” Loucks said. “But we have the ability to be aggressive and play hard football and we finally did that today.”

Heading into this week’s matchup, the teams’ would have appeared destined to play down to the wire. The past three contests had been decided by a combined 11 points, with La Plata pulling out a win last year by a 32-27 count. And in three weeks prior to Saturday’s game, Calvert had been productive in terms of moving the ball. The Cavaliers scored 21 points against Westlake in the opening week and scored 20 points at Huntingtown last week but fell short after digging and early 20-0 hole.


“Honestly, I am [surprised],” Loucks said of the final score. “I’m surprised the score was 42-0. I was expecting a dogfight all game. They have plenty of athletes, they’re well-coached, their kids play hard. Last year we got up on them and they came back and put us in the hole.


“I was expecting that type of game again — a back-and- forth type game. They didn’t look like they were in sync today.”


Calvert hosts Northern next week, while La Plata is scheduled to travel to Thomas Stone. And after its best performance thus far, confidence is at a season-high for the La Plata squad.

“We can play with the best,” Joson said. “The only times we lose is when we beat ourselves. If we exectute and play as a team we got it.”

La Plata 42, Calvert 0
C    0    0    0    0
L    7    28    7    0
First quarter
L    –    Smoot 53 pass from Joson (Lemmert kick), 5:37
Second quarter
L    –    Joson 9 run (Lemmert kick), 10:31
L    –    Smoot 55 punt return (Lemmert kick), 8:01
L    –    Holliman 12 run (Lemmert kick), 3:21
L    –    Smoot 41 pass from Joson (Lemmert kick), :03
Third quarter
L    –    Mulvin 15 pass from Joson (Lemmert kick), 9:27

Top individual performers
Rushing
Calvert: Greening 17-62
La Plata: Caldwell 6-81, Roach 5-62, Joson 10-31, Smoot 4-30
Passing
Calvert: May 1-10-2 21
La Plata: Joson 7-11-1 169
Receiving
Calvert: Wallace 1-21
La Plata: Smoot 4-118, Caldwell 1-32, Mulvin 1-15

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Football: The Week Ahead

SMAC Football Preview — Week 4

Game of the Week
Huntingtown (3-0) at North Point (2-1)
Friday, 7 p.m.

In a matchup pitting the youngest programs in the conference, Huntingtown heads to North Point on Friday armed with the first 3-0 record in the program’s five-year history. Through three weeks the Hurricanes have looked to possess one of the more capable and balanced offenses in the conference, with Peter Athens leading the passing game and Greg Goodwin heading up the rushing attack.

North Point, in the second season of varsity competition, enters 2-1 and nearly defeated defending SMAC-champion Patuxent in the opening week. The Eagles’ defense could provide Huntingtown with a stiff test. North Point defeated La Plata 40-17 a week ago and shut out Northern 10-0 in Week 2.

With a win, Huntingtown could take another step towards establishing itself in the conference’s upper tier and keep it moving towards a second straight 3A South playoff berth. A victory for the Eagles could serve to announce the squad’s intention to be a major player in the conference as the season unfolds. 

Other games to watch
Stone (1-2) at Chopticon (2-1), Friday at 7 p.m.

Chopticon enters the winners of two of three, with the lone blemish on its record a narrow loss to Huntingtown. But the Braves were sluggish in last week’s win over Leonardtown, and will hope for a stronger showing this week.

Stone is coming off a tough two-week stretch which pitted the team against state powers Linganore and Lackey. The Cougars dropped both, including last week’s 25-0 loss to Lackey, but figure to be competitive this week. Stone was in position to defeat Chopticon a year ago before a late Braves’ rally culminated with a game-winning field goal in the final minute.

Calvert (0-3) at La Plata (1-2), Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

Through three weeks, Calvert and La Plata have combined for just one win, but that total may not be completely indicative of the teams’ ability. Calvert has proven capable of moving the ball all three weeks, but dug itself holes it could not get out of in losses to McDonough and Huntingtown the last two weeks. La Plata lost to Chopticon in overtime in the season’s first week.

Recent history suggests this game could go down to the wire. The past three meetings have been decided by a combined 11 points, with La Plata winning two of the three.

Other games
Friendly (2-1) at McDonough (1-2), Friday at 6:30 p.m.
Northern (1-2) at Lackey (2-1), Friday at 7 p.m.
Great Mills (0-3) at Westlake (3-0), Friday at 7 p.m.
Leonardtown (0-3) at Patuxent (2-1), Friday at 7 p.m.

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Golf: North Point 157, La Plata 162

Click here to see the match’s photo gallery

By Andy States
Content Manager, SMAC

Last year, the North Point Eagles shocked the SMAC golf world by knocking off the then-undefeated La Plata Warriors when the teams met in the regular season.

Wednesday afternoon, in a regular-season finale against those same Warriors, North Point knocked La Plata from the ranks of the unbeaten again. Led by Michael Barnas’ 37, the Eagles defeated La Plata by five strokes at Potomac Ridge.

“We were real psyched going into today,” Barnas said. “We had some fuel in the fire with some of the articles. We were really psyched to beat them today.

“We didn’t play our best, but we played pretty well and the conditions were really tough. It was windy for probably the first half and the greens, I’ve played here since I was 7, and it was the fastest I’ve ever seen them.”

North Point (11-1) conquered the elements and the Warriors, who have been the state’s runner-up two years running and again stood as the conference favorite this season.

“They’re a better team today,” La Plata coach David Russell said. “They were a better team last year, that day. We’ll find out who’s the better team at White Plains for the SMAC title.”

McKenzie Cutter shot 39, Samuel Jackson 40 and Mitchell Buccelli and Eric Sawchak each carded 41s to produce North Point’s aggregate score of 157 and help the Eagles rebound from last week’s loss to Chopticon, which entered the regular season’s final day tied with North Point with one loss.

“We just came out here and tried to play our game,” Cutter said. “We didn’t really try to play them because we knew if we tried to play them we’d end up crashing and burning.

“It’s a big win for us to win again, two years in a row versus La Plata.”

La Plata (11-1), which as the state’s 4A/3A runner-up the past two seasons enters most every season with aspirations beyond SMAC competition, was paced by Kevin Bowen’s 39. Jay Dove shot 40, while Spencer Bowling carded a 41. Both Blaine Mastin and Danielle Wathen came in with 42s.

With the SMAC tournament at White Plains looming, La Plata could have cemented its status atop the conference with a win Wednesday. Instead, the disappointing showing on North Point’s home course leaves conference bragging rights to be determined at the conference tournament on Oct. 14.

“Guys didn’t play well,” Russell said of his team’s showing. “I saw a lot of mental errors, guys taking out drivers, hitting driver off tees they had no business hitting driver off of — just tactical mistakes, really.

“It’s back to the drawing board. We’ll practice and try to get better. Another lesson learned for these guys, I hope.”

Knocking La Plata off its perch was a necessity for North Point in order to keep its conference hopes alive. And while the previous week’s loss to Chopticon prevented North Point from securing a spot in the driver’s seat, it also helped to refocus the Eagles heading into the showdown with the Warriors.

“We were real down as a team. We had a bad bus ride back, pretty much,” Barnas said of the team’s letdown against Chopticon at Wicomico Shores. “We got fired up and knew we had to win today.”

“If we hadn’t given one away last week we’d be sitting on top,” said North Point coach Tony Jones. “That’s all right, we’re tied with [Chopticon and La Plata]. We’re one of the best three teams in the conference and my top six, none of them are seniors. You have to be excited about where we are and how well they’re playing and the level they’re playing at with the youth we have.”

As the overwhelming underdog a year ago, North Point beat La Plata but then faltered in the weeks following. La Plata won the SMAC and District 4 tournaments and eventually finished second in the state’s 4A/3A tournament. North Point’s season peaked in the regular-season win over the Warriors, though the Eagles did qualify for the 2A/1A state tournament. This year, the team hopes for improved results in the tournament season.

“I think last year we kind of got relaxed,” Barnas said. “We were so excited to beat [La Plata] because we were the underdog. We kind of got too lax in the postseason. Hopefully this year we can pull it out. We have to play our best game, for sure.”

There is reason to be optimistic, according Jones.

“Three of the four that were impact players today were here last year,” said Jones, whose program is in just its fourth year of existence. “You have that one more year of experience, one more year of tournament play and that just makes them that much stronger.

“You’re starting to get that confidence where it’s not like ‘I’m going to play my best and hope that we win.’ They’re starting to get that little bit of an edge where it’s, ‘OK, I’m ready to step up and may the best man win.'”

North Point 157, La Plata 162
North Point: Barnas 37, Cutter 39, Jackson 40, Buccelli 41, Sawchak 41
La Plata: Bowen 39, Dove 40, Bowling 41, Mastin 42, Wathen 42






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Boys Soccer: Great Mills 1, La Plata 0

***Check below for video interviews and highlights from the game*** 
Click here to view the game’s photo gallery

By Andy States
Content Manager, SMAC

At 6 o’clock on Tuesday night, all was silent on the soccer field at Great Mills High.

The Hornets and visiting La Plata Warriors observed a moment of silence in honor of Great Mills graduate Will Smith, a Becker College (Worchester, Mass.) student fatally stabbed early Sunday morning. Smith, a 2007 Great Mills grad, was a three-sport athlete at the school.

“It was kind of emotional for some of us,” said Great Mills goalkeeper Michael Branigan close to two hours later, after the Hornets had successfully defended their home turf with a 1-0 shutout of La Plata.

“The whole school is pretty shook up about that,” Great Mills coach Matt Taggert said. “He was a great, great kid. He was a great personality. It was such a tragedy, what happened to him.

“I think it’s great how the community and the kids here are really rallying around him. They had a memorial for him here and a moment of silence, which was the kids’ idea. They handled it the best they could, I think.”

And after a slow start the Hornets, who won a one-goal, overtime match against Thomas Stone the night before, came through with their seventh straight victory to start the season. Frank Zeba scored the game’s only goal in the 60th minute to propell Great Mills (7-0, 5-0) past La Plata (3-4, 2-3).

“I think we came out kind of slow and sluggish,” Taggert said. “Having back-to-back games will kind of do that to you once in a while, but it seems we got our heads back in the game and started moving the ball the way we know how and started playing the way we know how and it showed up. Finally we put one in the back of the net.”

Throughout the opening half, La Plata generated the bulk of the scoring opportunites but was unable to finish. Great Mills, after an inspired halftime talk, clamped down in the second half to greatly limit any offensive chances for the Warriors.

“That’s the name of the game,” La Plata coach Dennis Burns said. “You can play with a team or outplay a team, but if you don’t put it in the back of the net you don’t win and that’s what happened.

“I think our midfield played very well today with Nick Dilodovico and Steven Barock, but we didn’t put it in the back of the net when we had opportunities.”

“They had too many opportunities not to score,” Taggert added. “They’re a tough team. They played well.”

With seven wins, and five in SMAC action, Great Mills has already exceeded its victory total from a year ago. And already armed with wins over perennial SMAC frontrunners Northern, Stone and La Plata, the Hornets are showing that they are a team to be reckoned with this year.

“I think this year we have a lot more team chemistry than we did last year,” Branigan said of the team’s turnaround.

“It’s because they’ve been together,” Taggert said, offering his take on the success the team has enjoyed thus far. “They’re starting to jell as a unit and they’re playing as a team.

“They’re not playing selfishly, which is the key. They’re sharing the ball and working well together. That’s the big difference from year to year. They’ve improved as a team instead of as individuals.”

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Football: SMAC Week 3 Top 5

1. Westlake (3-0, 1-0)
Previous ranking: 1
Devon Smith, Evan Harris and Antoine Reese combined for close to 300 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, as Westlake ran past McDonough 37-7 last Friday. The Wolverines’ defense proved equally tough, holding the Rams without a first down in the second half.
This week: vs. Great Mills, Friday at 7 p.m.

2. Lackey (2-1, 1-0)
Previous ranking: 2
Lackey’s defense used last week’s contest against Thomas Stone as another chance to shine. The Chargers scored two defensive touchdowns and shut out the Cougars 25-0. Through three weeks, including two against powerhouses Urbana and Patuxent, Lackey has allowed just 13 points.
This week: vs. Northern, Friday at 7 p.m.

3. Patuxent (2-1, 1-0)
Previous ranking: 4
The Panthers rebounded from a heartbreaking Week 2 loss against Lackey with a dominating performance against Northern. Justin Ford caught seven passes for 152 yards and scored twice, while Mike Swearingen continued his impressive work on the ground with a 102-yard, two-touchdown performance in Patuxent’s 35-0 shutout of Northern.
This week: vs. Leonardtown, Friday at 7 p.m.

4. Huntingtown (3-0, 2-0)
Previous ranking: 3
Huntingtown continued its impressive start, rolling to 3-0 for the first time in program history. Again showcasing their balanced offense, Peter Athens completed 10 of 18 passes for 176 yards and a pair of scores and Greg Goodwin rushed for 125 yards and another two touchdowns in the Hurricanes’ 35-20 win over Calvert. The Hurricanes could face their toughest task of the season to date this week at the North Point Eagles, themselves 40-17 winners at La Plata this past week.
This week: at North Point, Friday at 7 p.m.

5. Chopticon (2-1, 1-1) 
Previous ranking: 5
Chopticon overcame an, at times, sluggish performance to down country rival Leonardtown 21-7 on Thursday night. Quarterback Leo Kyte and Joe Yates connected on a pair of touchdown passes, while Aaron Makle rushed in for another to pace the Braves to the win.
This week: vs. Thomas Stone, Friday at 7 p.m.

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Most Watched Video Countdown Sept. 15-21

By Andy States
Content Manager, SMAC
 

Here are the 10 most-watched highlight clips from the past week. As the top 10 are primarily holdovers from last week, also included are five honorable mentions that just missed finishing in the top 10. The honorable mentions are first, followed by the top 10, which run from No. 10 down to No. 1.

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Football: Week 3 SMAC Scores

 Thursday
Chopticon 21, Leonardtown 7
Friday
Westlake 37, McDonough 7
Lackey 25, Stone 0
Huntingtown 35, Calvert 20
Patuxent 35, Northern 0
North Point 40, La Plata 17
Saturday
Severn 43, Great Mills 7

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Football: The Week Ahead

SMAC Football Preview — Week 3

Game of the Week
McDonough (1-1) at Westlake (2-0)
Friday, 7 p.m.

Through two games Westlake has seen its offense run wild and outscore opponents 100-28. This week would figure to provide the Wolverines’ stiffest test so far, though, as McDonough comes to town.

A year ago, McDonough led Westlake at the half but the Wolverines exploded for 37 second-half points in a 50-28 win. This year’s teams look significantly different — McDonough has a new coach and Westlake’s lineup is littered with new names throughout. Through two games, four different players have rushed for over 100 yards to lead what has been a high-powered and balanced rushing attack. Devon Smith leads the pack with 175 yards on just seven carries thus far.

Last week, Calvert’s B.J. Greening rushed for over 100 yards against McDonough, but the Rams’ defense stiffened up when it had to. McDonough shut out Calvert 14-0, and will need to be every bit as stingy this week.

Other games to watch

North Point (1-1) at La Plata (1-1), Friday at 7 p.m.

This matchup pits two teams looking to make their way up the conference hierarchy. La Plata, winners of last year’s contest, could use a win to continue forward with the progress the program made a year ago in going 5-5 after a winless 2006.

In its first season with a senior class, North Point is looking to make some noise. Last week the Eagles’ defense rose to the occasion in shutting out Northern, 10-0. This week it will have to corral La Plata’s Marcus Smoot and Adam Joson, who lead a La Plata offense that scored 54 points last week.


Patuxent (1-1) at Northern (1-1), Friday at 7 p.m.

The Panthers, coming off an emotional loss to Lackey a week ago, will look to bounce back at county-rival Northern. Patuxent has struggled with injuries through the season’s first couple of weeks, but did get quarterback Marcus Bullock back last week and have received strong performances from seniors Justin Ford and Mike Swearingen in the first two games.

Northern, which was shut out last week after putting up 50 points in Week 1, will be looking to get its offense back into gear against an extremely tough Panthers defense. Through two weeks, Northern’s Craig Hawkins leads the conference with 295 rushing yards.

Other games

Leonardtown at Chopticon, Thursday at 7 p.m.
Thomas Stone at Lackey, Friday at 7 p.m.
Calvert at Huntingtown, Friday at 7 p.m.
Great Mills at Severn, Saturday at 3 p.m.

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Volleyball: Huntingtown 3, La Plata 1

***Check below for video highlights and interviews from the match
Click here to view the photo gallery from the match

By Andy States
Content Manager, SMAC

With a big match against county-rival Northern looming on the horizon later in the week — and those very same Patriots watching in the bleachers — there was plenty for the Huntingtown Hurricanes to look ahead to.

Problem was, Tuesday night’s opponent was the La Plata Warriors, a team that came into Tuesday’s match at Huntingtown with an upset on its mind. But after the Warriors took the second set to square the match, Huntingtown regrouped to take the final two in convincing fashion in a 25-13, 22-25, 25-9, 25-14 win.

“I was ridiculously impressed with La Plata,” Huntingtown coach Shari Turner said. “They’re always, I call them the sleeper team. They’re always very scrappy. You’re never quite sure when the ball’s coming back.

“They played their hearts out and that pushed my girls to something that I can’t push them to.”

Huntingtown (4-0, 4-0) did not take its first lead until 10-9 in the opening set, but cruised the rest of the way in winning 15 of the next 19 points. But La Plata (1-2, 1-2) fought back in the second and hung tough through much of the fourth to provide a little more of a workout for the hosts — something Turner viewed as invaluable in preparation for Thursday night’s clash with Northern, a match that could have plenty of SMAC significance.

“I feel like they now know that they’re not invincible,” she said. “Anybody can beat you at any time and I know that’s lip service to a lot of teams because it’s very difficult to return after a very successful season that we had last year.”

The Hurricanes, though relatively few in numbers (just nine players round out the squad), do have lofty expectations based on past performance. In the program’s four years since the school’s opening, Huntingtown has won the 3A South title each year and made three 3A state final appearances, including last season. And after graduating four starters from last year’s team, living up to each year’s expectations can be a difficult task.

“Yeah, it is because every single game people are there watching,” Huntingtown senior Jordan Bittner said. “Northern was here tonight watching us — we play them Thursday.

“We just have to go out and play every game.”

With La Plata behind them, the Hurricanes can now focus on Thursday night’s challenge.

“We’ll prepare for them tomorrow,” Bittner said. “Hopefully we’ll play as good as we did tonight.”







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