If last season’s results are any indication, football in Baltimore County is clearly on the rise. In fact, four of the six schools I cover for Patch (Franklin, Western Tech, New Town and Catonsville) earned playoff appearances in 2010. Obviously, football is the ultimate team game. But, if these teams end up maxing out their potential, the players listed below will be a big reason why. Here are six prep players who deserve your, and my, special attention this season. (Some come with highlight videos courtesy of YouTube, just click the link.) Ian Thomas Wide Receiver/Defensive Back (Franklin) …

In the three to four weeks of tryouts and preseason practice before high school teams suit up for actual games, coaches spend a considerable amount of time sizing up their players and deciding who they’re going to put their faith behind. When it comes to prep sports, coaches are looking at far more than just talent, whether you believe it or not. Any coach with some semblance of values will appreciate the player who shows up every day and puts in maximum effort over the kid who relies on ability alone and coasts through each practice just going through the motions. What I’m saying is, there …

Before kicking off his high school sports coverage when tryouts commence on Aug. 13, Dave revisits his beloved Baltimore Orioles and a bold prediction he made earlier on this spring. I know I’m still fairly green as a columnist, but one thing I know to do is be accountable for what I write and man up if I simply get something wrong. With that said, I remind you of a column I penned way back in April, declaring this a new day in Baltimore Orioles lore. At the time, the Birds stood at 6-2 and I was convinced they were ready to turn the corner and break free from their stretch of 13 straight …

To give everyone a little background, this was my first season covering high school sports. Prior to this year I had really only covered high school football. To expand my horizons and get to see so many different sports and meet so many players and coaches has been amazing. The first game I covered for Patch was Catonsville soccer against Parkville, way back on October 9. You’ll notice there aren’t any quotes in the article. That’s because my finger slipped and I deleted everything off of my audio recorder. Lesson learned on that one. My final game of the season some 30 weeks later was …

My All-Patch squad is comprised of players from the six schools I cover for the site (Franklin, Owings Mills, New Town, Catonsville, Western Tech and Lansdowne.) While I do go off some statistics and numbers, I primarily picked this team based on the games I actually witnessed and the kinds of contributions I saw these players make.   Basically, if I was managing an all-star game of sorts, these guys would be the first choice in my lineup. There’s no doubt in my mind that an abundance of players could fit into these 12 spots, but without further ado, here is my All-Patch baseball team: P …

Covering six different schools and upwards of 24 teams (that’s just counting baseball, softball and boys and girls lax) I could’ve written about 100 more bulleted points in last week’s column of some my observations and highlights of this spring season. Well, 100 observations would probably be a bit much, but here are a few notes I either omitted from last week’s entry, or have learned just this week. Also, with the regular season winding down to a great year in high school sports, I just want to reiterate how much fun I’ve had covering athletics at its most pure level. The players play and …

With the spring regular season winding down, here are some notes, observations and musings regarding the teams and players I’ve covered for the past few months, including a Lansdowne softball pitcher's dominance, Franklin lacrosse's resurgence and little factoids I like to call my opinion. Lansdowne pitcher Maude McCourry is really, really good. In her softball squad’s 15-1 win over Sparrows Point this week, the junior registered her third no-hitter of the season. (The one run scored via a walk, wild pitch, bunt and throwing error.) The three no-no’s include a perfect game against Woodlawn. …

As I wake up here on Saturday morning of April the 23rd, I roll out of bed to find something not so surprising—it’s raining. And not only that, the Franklin Softball Tournament (featuring local teams Franklin and Lansdowne) that I intended to—and was pumped up to—cover is rained out. Enough is enough. I understand that there are going to be some wet-weather cancellations here and there, but I didn’t realize the old saying went, “April showers bring May flash-flooding.” Something is wrong when it’s about two months into the sports season and most baseball and softball teams have played …

Okay, as I prepare to dive back into the high school sports realm, let me first apologize for the superior jinx I placed on the Orioles. I take full responsibility seeing as how after I wrote my column last week, proclaiming this the dawn of a new era, the Orioles responded by losing four straight and stand at 6-6 (as I write this entry Saturday morning.) But while the Orioles hot start ultimately fizzles, I want to switch gears to softball and mention a few teams that have started the season hot and maintained their success so far this season. Of the six schools I cover for Patch, two (…

With the Orioles off to an impressive 6-2 start, Dave puts the prep world on hold (just for a moment) to rant about just how long he's waited for this day. The last time the Baltimore Orioles made the post season, much less had a winning regular season record, I was 10 years old and in the fifth grade. I had no idea just how lucky I was to have a competitive baseball team to watch. I had no appreciation for what it meant to root for a winner. Now I do. After enduring 13 years of losing, choc-full of putrid players, managing blunders and front office stupidity, I now have an appreciation for …

With the abundance of bad weather to start off the spring season, area baseball and softball teams—for lack of a better way of putting it—have struggled just to get their feet wet. Numerous games have been washed away due to the immense amount of rainfall and even practicing outside has turned into a luxury. As a result, teams have been forced to practice indoors in whatever dry space they can find: gyms, cafeterias, storage closets…well maybe not storage closets. Either way, practicing inside where there are no bad hops when you field the ball or dirt to dig your feet into when you step up …

The Baltimore Sun revealed its All-Metro selections this past week, and wouldn’t you know it, several of the players I follow at Patch garnered recognition for the honors. I do promise that following this week, my focus will shift to the spring sports season, but with that just getting into gear now, I would be remiss to not make mention of the extraordinary accomplishments of the athletes I’m about to elaborate on. The Sun’s All-Metro choices span the entire city and all of its surrounding counties, so to be mentioned on this list, the athletes really had to stand out—and that’s exactly what…

With the brief layoff of high school sports as we transition from winter into spring, I get the chance to talk about something that I (and we all) get excited about every single year. March Madness. Now, to give you a little history, as my mother lay in a hospital bed right before she went into labor with yours truly way back on March 20 in 1987, her television on the wall displayed none other than a NCAA Tournament game. To this day we use this as a partial reason to explain why I love sports as much as I do. Presumably, I was kicking back in the womb with a bag of pretzels in one hand while…

Looking at some of the postseason awards given out at the end of every year, I figured, hey, whot not choose a team of my own. Besides, the coaches pick the All-County and All-Division teams, and psh, what do they know? Kidding obviously, but I created these teams based on the games I saw them play this year and the impression they left on me as players. The selections span the six schools I cover for this Western Baltimore County Patch region. The schools being: Owings Mills, Franklin, New Town, Catonsville, Western Tech and Lansdowne.  So, here are my choices, and I encourage you to debate …

While I lay in a chaise lounge in the Bahamas last week, soaking up every bit of the hot sun, the Western Tech girls track team was busy scorching the earth at the Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex in Landover, Md., for the MPSSAA Track and Field Championships. The lady Wolverines simply owned the competition, tallying 81 points (compared to just 49 by runner-up Boonsboro) to capture the 1A State Title.  Going over the several pages of results, there was one common thread—a Western Tech player popped up in nearly every track event. The Wolverines featured first place winners in the …

Western Tech’s Relentless Defense Leads to Quick-Strike Offense In his first season as Wolverines head coach, Nolan Roe doesn’t keep it a secret that he is a defensive minded guru and having led his squad to a 19-2 regular season record, it’s pretty clear that his players have bought in. Western Tech repeatedly suffocates opponents with its full-court press and the greatest benefit in doing so is the mountain of fast-break, transition buckets that come as a result. “Just looking at the stats from last year to this year our steals are way up. We’re just quicker this year so we’re able to press…

Kieran O’Connell coaches boys’ basketball at Franklin. Mike Mohler coaches girls’ basketball at Catonsville.  O’Connell is in his seventh year of coaching (with four years as the Indians’ head honcho.) Mohler is pacing the sideline for his 38th season (currently his 17th for the Comets). O’Connell is the father of two kids less than 16 months old and has been married for two-and-a-half years. Mohler has fathered two grown children (one with a grandkid on the way) and tied the knot more than 36 years ago.  Despite the array of differences, one aspect in both coaches’ lives is invariable and …

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or in an igloo) over the past two weeks, you are well aware that Super Bowl Sunday is now upon us. The Packers and Steelers are squaring off in one of the more historically significant championship games in a while, and everyone from the avid NFL aficionados who watch every game to the creepy guy in your office that tries far too hard to impress you when it comes to his sports knowledge. (Or lack thereof.) So, to get you ready for tonight’s game, I’ve decided to help you get to know some of the players who will be taking the field tonight. But Dave, …

Anybody else sick and tired of snow yet? I know I am. I’ve already started looking at homes in Arizona—not really, I care about Patch sports far too much to even consider leaving Baltimore County! (Although I am going on a cruise toward the end of February.) Travel plans aside, the mid-week onslaught of snowfall has allotted me the free time to take a look back at the past couple of weeks of basketball action and highlight a few newsworthy happenings from around Western Baltimore County.   15th Annual Basketball Academy Unkind to Owings Mills Prior to last weekend, the Eagles were unbeaten at…

In my final “installment” of local basketball players who deserve a few paragraphs of recognition in this space, I’m going to focus on some of the budding stars on teams I cover for Patch. Players that have yet to reach their full potential, but have certainly shown some glimpses as to what they’re capable of on the court.  In addition to this column, I encourage you to look back at past entries featuring my top performers and dirty work players—let me know what you think. Here are a few of the athletes you can expect to hear from as playoff time approaches and in the seasons to follow: Kyle …