Gaels

You can't ask for anything better to start the baseball season than scoring eight runs in the first inning. The Jefferson baseball team rolled into Hagerstown on a cool and windy but sun-drenched Thursday and headed back home after five innings with a 19-2 romp over St. Maria Goretti in the season opener for both teams. From the very first batter, when Goretti's Adam Blenckstone walked Anthony DiAmario, it was all Cougars. Jefferson had 12 hits and took advantage of three hit batsmen and eight walks, scoring in every inning.

Friday, February 22, 2013 BOYS BASKETBALL Spalding 71, Goretti 68 SEVERN, Md. - Martin Geben had 22 points and nine rebounds for St. Maria Goretti in an overtime loss to Archbishop Spalding (21-11) in the quarterfinals of the Baltimore Catholic League tournament. Goretti led throughout the game until Spalding's Earl Potts hit a shot at the buzzer that tied the game at 61 and sent it into extra time. The Cavaliers hit a 3-pointer to take a 69-68 lead. Goretti was then called for an offensive foul before Spalding wrapped up the win with two free throws.

Monday, February 18, 2013 BOYS BASKETBALL BALTIMORE - The St. Maria Goretti boys basketball team reaped individual awards at the BCL banquet on Monday night. Amrit Rayfield was named BCL Coach of the Year in his fourth year as the Gaels' head coach. Then, 6-foot-8 junior Martin Geben was named Player of the Year. Geben averages more than 16 points and nearly 12 rebounds a game for the Gaels. Guard Tyrus Fleetwood won the BCL's Most Improved Player and was named to the honorable mention team.

Brady Shaper and AJ Abolarin were part of an all-senior starting lineup for St. Maria Goretti against Williamsport on Friday night as the Gaels honored them for playing their last home game. Both were instrumental in the initial stages of the contest en route to a 74-38 Goretti landslide victory. Shaper drained three 3-pointers in the first period and Abolarin, a 5-foot-8 seldom-used guard, hit his first 3-pointer of the year to give him double digits for points scored this season.

For the first time in decades, St. Maria Goretti will have a varsity outdoor track and field program this spring. “The interest level of our students to add a track program has been significant,” said David Blenckstone, Goretti's athletic director. “With the recent success of our cross country program, both in student participation and in competition, adding a track team in the spring is a natural for our students and school community.” The Gaels will be coached by Mike Spinnler, who also coaches Goretti's boys and girls cross country teams.

The St. Maria Goretti boys basketball team displayed some balance Saturday afternoon as 11 players found the scoring column in a 64-28 win over Maryland School for the Deaf in an Independent-Parochial School League game at the Gael Center. “We did some things that we wanted to do,” said Goretti coach Amrit Rayfield said. “We shared the ball well. We defended well and we rebounded well. I was pleased with our unselfishness and our balanced scoring.” Tyrus Fleetwood scored a team-high 10 points, while Martin Geben had six blocked shots and six rebounds for the Gaels (16-8, 3-0)

The number 13 was lucky for the St. Maria Goretti girls basketball team and unlucky for Saint James on Thursday night. The Gaels scored 13 straight points early in the first quarter to get on track to race to a 58-22 victory over the Saints in an Independent-Parochial School League game at Saint James' Alumni Hall. “We were more ready to play tonight than we were in our previous game,” Goretti coach Todd Rideout said. “We came out and we put some pressure on them. We were able to get some steals and turn them into easy baskets.

As the old adage goes, “it isn't how you start, it's how you finish.” Clear Spring's girls basketball team overcame a slow start to rumble past St. Maria Goretti 47-32 on Monday at the Gael Center. Both teams stumbled out of the gate, combining to shoot 11-for-47 in a first half that ended with Clear Spring nursing a 17-14 lead. However, the Blazers (4-5) came alive in the second half. Goretti (2-9) battled to a 20-20 tie to begin the third quarter, but buckets by Samantha Staley, Isabel Forsman and Kristen Mellott prompted a Gaels timeout.

Thomas Blake visited the Great Plains in August with the idea of attending the University of North Dakota. He also had thoughts of attending the school in Grand Forks to continue his athletic career. Blake, who showed skills as a soccer player while at St. Maria Goretti, decided to make the venture in basketball. “When I came here I chose basketball because I felt I had to prove something to myself,” Blake said. “I proved I could play soccer.” Blake, who was a Herald-Mail first-team All-Washington County soccer star, toiled on the basketball court for the Gaels for a couple of years.

Martin Geben lives in the moment. That's a good thing for St. Maria Goretti's center. He had a lot of them on Friday. Geben dominated the center of the floor, with 20 points and 21 rebounds in less than 25 minutes of playing time, as the Gaels jumped on Mount Carmel early and steadily pulled away for a 79-59 Baltimore Catholic League victory. If that's considered dominant, Geben didn't notice. “I don't look at it like that,” said the 6-foot-9 junior. “I just work possession by possession and try to play 35 seconds of defense.