Fort Hill

Every great ride has to come to an end sooner or later. The Boonsboro football team would have preferred later to Friday night. The Warriors struck first against highly touted Fort Hill on its home field, but Garrett Clay took the game over in the second quarter, rushing for 269 yards and three touchdowns to lift the top-seeded Sentinels to a 26-7 victory over Boonsboro in the Maryland Class 1A West final at Greenway Avenue Stadium. Fort Hill (12-0) will host a state semifinal game next weekend.

SMITHSBURG -- Smithsburg's undefeated volleyball team saved its best match of the season for its biggest test to date. In doing so, the Leopards turned the Maryland Class 1A West final against Fort Hill into their own showcase. What was expected to be a close contest was no contest. The Leopards outplayed the Sentinels in every phase of the match in front of hundreds of their fans in a packed gym, and won their first regional title since 2001 with a 25-12, 25-14, 25-19 sweep. "Everyone played up to their potential and played a great match," said Smithsburg junior Taylor Belella, who directed the demolition with 31 assists.

CUMBERLAND, Md. - Williamsport sophomore Cayla Broadwater was not the best player on Fort Hill's court during Wednesday night's Maryland Class 1A West volleyball semifinal. But she was the best player when it mattered most. After winning the first two games, the third-seeded and four-time defending Class 1A state champion Wildcats' usual aggressive style vanished in a sea of errors, while the second-seeded Sentinels elevated their own attack to win Game 3 and take the lead in Game 4. With the outcome suddenly in doubt, Broadwater lit a fuse from her middle-hitter position with four kills down the stretch, and Brittany Horn finished the match with the last of her nine kills as the Wildcats escaped with a 25-23, 25-18, 18-25, 25-23 victory.

In the eyes of Mawdo Sallah, the finish of Monday's boys basketball game might have been a fitting conclusion, considering the way it started for the 6-foot-7 senior. Saddled with three personal fouls just minutes into the second period, Sallah came back to play a flawless second half and scored the winning bucket with 1 second remaining to give Broadfording Christian a 60-58 victory over Fort Hill. Down 37-26 at halftime and looking like a team from nowhere, the Lions (17-5) rallied with 10 minutes of solid basketball from a 49-31 deficit with two minutes left in the third period.

Fort Hill 38, Jefferson 6 SHENANDOAH JUNCTION, W.Va. -- Marcus Lashley ran for 68 yards and three touchdowns as Fort Hill defeated Jefferson. Lashley also kicked five extra points and a field goal for the Sentinels (3-1). Tim Oden return a blocked punt for a touchdown for the only score of the night for the Cougars (1-5).

Bulldogs trip over Fort Hill By MARK KELLER / Sports Editor MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Who let the dogs out? One thing's for sure, it wasn't Fort Hill. The Sentinels, No. 15 in the Maryland state football poll, kept Martinsburg's running game caged the entire game and used the big play to beat the Bulldogs 35-6 Friday night before a standing room only crowd at Cobourn Field. For the Bulldogs, No. 1 in The Herald-Mail poll, the loss could mean a road trip for the first round of the Class AAA playoffs next weekend.

BOONSBORO - The Fort Hill Sentinels dominated the Boonsboro Warriors in almost every phase of the game in a 37-6 victory Saturday night. Fort Hill got on the scoreboard midway through the first quarter when sophomore halfback Andre Pope ran along the right sideline 24 yards for a touchdown. A few minutes later, Dustin Dawson kicked a 22-yard field goal to extenc the Sentinels' lead to 10-0. Randy Rice scored on a 5-yard run with 2 minutes, 49 seconds remaining in the second quarter for a 17-0 halftime lead.

The North Hagerstown basketball team saved its best for last. The Hubs played their best game of the season, but it ended up being their last one, too. No matter how well North played, Fort Hill was just that much better as Jamie Kline poured in 39 points Monday to lead the Sentinels to a 78-72 victory in a Maryland Class 2A West quarterfinal game. "It's probably, even in a losing effort, the best ballgame we've played all year," North coach Tim McNamee said. "You have to give Fort Hill credit.

SHENANDOAH JUNCTION, W.Va. - On the fifth play from scrimmage, Jefferson's Ryland Newman bolted 55 yards for a touchdown and the No. 2 Cougars appeared to be at the top of their game offensively. Unfortunately, it was a short stay at the top as the Cougars came out on the short end of a 24-7 loss to Fort Hill in a Cumberland Valley Athletic League game Saturday night at Cougar Stadium. The unbeaten Sentinels (5-0, 3-0) responded with a 15-play, 74-yard drive capped on Scott Rice's 9-yard run. However, the Cougars still had a 7-6 lead following a missed extra point.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013 BOYS BASKETBALL Fort Hill 89, Hancock 42 CUMBERLAND, Md. - Jarrett Wolfe scored a game-high 33 points to lead Fort Hill past Hancock in the Maryland 1A West Region West section quarterfinals. Chad Sipe had nine points and nine rebounds for the Panthers (8-13), who trailed 19-7 after the first quarter. HANCOCK (8-13) Tosten 6, Anderson 2, Edgerton 2, H. McKinley 4, Sipe 9, T. Manning 6, Mitchell 9, N. Tosten 1, Teeter 3. Totals 16 3-10 42. FORT HILL Carroll 7, Gaus 11, Bush 13, Proretti 4, Wolfe 33, Jackson 2, Stewart 6, Thornton 9, K. Jackson 2, Painter 2. Totals 36 13-22 89. Hancock    7    15    11    9    -     42 Fort Hill    19    24    23    23    -     89 3-point goals - Hancock 7 (Tosten 2, T. Manning 2, Mitchell 3)

Here's a quick look at the regions involving Washington County teams entering the Maryland state playoffs: GIRLS 1A West: In the East Section, No. 1-seed Boonsboro (14-8) must get stronger on the inside with the capabilities of Shannon O'Brien and Tiffany Bowman. Warriors should get to region final after beating North Carroll. In the West Section, Hancock (15-7) joins Fort Hill, Allegany, Northern Garrett, Southern Garrett and Mountain Ridge. Hancock is the underdog against Fort Hill (13-6)

In the eyes of Mawdo Sallah, the finish of Monday's boys basketball game might have been a fitting conclusion, considering the way it started for the 6-foot-7 senior. Saddled with three personal fouls just minutes into the second period, Sallah came back to play a flawless second half and scored the winning bucket with 1 second remaining to give Broadfording Christian a 60-58 victory over Fort Hill. Down 37-26 at halftime and looking like a team from nowhere, the Lions (17-5) rallied with 10 minutes of solid basketball from a 49-31 deficit with two minutes left in the third period.

Clear Spring advanced to the semifinals of the Maryland Class 1A West boys soccer tournament by shutting out Fort Hill 2-0 in Thursday's late game at Mike Callas Stadium. The Blazers (13-2-1) advance to play at Brunswick on Saturday at 6 p.m. After misses by Nick Brandt and Jonathan Henesy from point-blank range in the third minute, C.J. Elwood got Clear Spring on the board in the 19th minute. Brandt brought the ball up the left side of the field and flicked a perfect cross to Elwood, who headed the ball past Fort Hill goalie Jarrett Wolfe.

The most simple scenario for the North Hagerstown and South Hagerstown football teams is this: Get a win Friday and advance to the postseason. The problem, of course, is that it's not possible for both teams to get a win Friday. The Hubs and Rebels, both 8-1, square off Friday night at South in the 56th meeting between the city schools, with the winner guaranteed a spot in the Maryland Class 3A West playoffs. The Hubs leapfrogged over the Rebels in the 3A West standings, jumping one spot to No. 3 after their 40-12 victory over Boonsboro.

Washington County games South Hagerstown Rebels (4-0) at Poolesville Falcons (3-1) When: Friday, 6:30 p.m. Series: South Hagerstown leads, 1-0. Last meeting: 2011 - South Hagerstown, 53-20. Last week: The Rebels beat Thomas Johnson, 21-14. ... The Falcons beat Walter Johnson, 35-28. Notes: The Rebels are off to their first 4-0 start since 1990, and they have won five straight dating back to last season - tied for the third longest winning streak in school history.

The North Hagerstown football team didn't have to depend on any single player to lead the way on Friday night against Fort Hill. The Hubs have a big arsenal of weapons to choose from. Four players combined for eight touchdowns as North ran over the Fort Hill Sentinels 54-16 at Mike Callas Stadium. Senior tailback Tre Anderson finished with three touchdowns for North (3-1). Two came on kickoff returns of more than 80 yards each, and the other came on a pass from junior quarterback Nicholas Karlen.

Friday, September 14, 2012 PREP VOLLEYBALL Smithsburg 3, Saint James 0 ST. JAMES - Amanda Snowden had 14 kills and Peyton Belella had 24 assists to lead Smithsburg past Saint James on Friday. Hollie Winders had eight kills and 11 service points, and Haley Caudell added five kills for the Leopards (4-1). Saint James fell to 0-4. Shalom 3, Faith Christian 0 MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Jasmin Earl had five aces for Faith Christian Academy in a 26-24, 25-14, 25-20 Mason Dixon Christian Conference loss to Shalom Christian Academy (4-4)

Tuesday, December 27, 2011 BOYS BASKETBALL BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - Noah Smartt scored a game-high 19 points to help Southern Fulton hand Clear Spring its first loss of the season, 62-52, in the championship game of the Great Tri-State Shootout on Tuesday. Damon Gordon added 15 points for Southern Fulton (6-1). Jared Brant led Clear Spring (7-1) with 10 points, while Nick Hill tacked on eight points and seven rebounds. Sam Elwood added four assists.

Fort Hill got solid production from both its starters and its bench as eight different players scored - including seven players getting on the score sheet in the first quarter - as the Sentinels dropped Broadfording Christian Academy 69-50 Monday night. Fort Hill used a consistent rotation that gave most of its players scoring opportunities. The Sentinels were led by Kammari Brown who had 16 points. “We have eight pretty good players who can contribute for us,” Fort Hill coach Thad Burner said.