Hat Trick

Considering the Smithsburg boys soccer team hasn't scored more than three goals in any game all season, hat tricks have been a rare occurrence. That made Adler Garrett's feat Friday night that much more special. The Leopards' senior striker accounted for all three goals as Smithsburg topped Southern Garrett 3-2 in the first round of the Maryland Class 1A West playoffs. “It feels good, especially after the season we've had,” said Garrett. “It feels good to get a big win, and hopefully we can continue this through the playoffs.” After struggling through a 2-13 season, the Leopards will travel to Allegany on Monday or Tuesday - at least, as long as the weather permits it. Garrett scored the game-winner in the 60th minute on a Ryan Bolton assist.

ADULT BASEBALL BRUNSWICK, Md. - The Brunswick Orioles added another crown to their 2004 trophy case, beating Perdue of Salisbury, Md., 6-4 for their second straight Maryland State Semi-Pro Baseball Association title. Brunswick, which won the the NABF World Series and Blue Ridge Adult League championships previously this summer, finished its season at 51-7. Jason Mobley was the MVP of the state championship game, going 2-for-5 with a three-run homer for the Orioles.

Washington County's quest for a third straight MSHL Class 1A state championship ended in heartbreak Monday at The Gardens Ice House, as Severna Park skated away with the title in overtime, 5-4. Sophomore forward Nick Bondra - the son of Washington Capitals legend Peter Bondra - scored the game-winning goal for the Falcons (13-2-1) 5:08 into the first overtime period. The goal gave Bondra a hat trick, the first in a 1A final since Zach Kimmel did it for the Northstars in 2011. “We beat an incredible team tonight,” said Severna Park coach Patrick Weaton.

BOONSBORO - Lauren Hensley had a game of firsts Tuesday night. Boonsboro's sophomore forward scored her first three varsity playoff goals, got her first yellow card and helped the fourth-seeded Warriors blank Clear Spring 3-0 in a Maryland 1A West quarterfinal. Boonsboro will visit top-seed Smithsburg - a 6-1 winner over Allegany - on Thursday at 7 p.m. "It felt really good to help the team move further in the playoffs," said Hensley, who posted her second hat trick and leads Washington County with 23 goals.

WASHINGTON -- Alex Ovechkin got his first playoff hat trick. Sidney Crosby matched him, but his was too little, too late. Ovechkin broke open a tie game with a pair of goals less than 3 minutes apart in the third period Monday night, leading the Washington Capitals to a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins and a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Ovechkin followed a one-timer from the left circle on a power-play with 7:07 to play with a slap shot from between the circles with 4:38 remaining.

HEDGESVILLE, W.Va. - Jen Hoffman wasn't merely thrilled Tuesday night, she was downright giddy. And she had plenty of reasons to be. Not only did the Hedgesville senior record a hat trick while sparking her team to a 5-1 victory over Jefferson in the Region 2, Section 4 soccer quarterfinals, but she established a school record for most goals in a career to boot. "(It felt) awesome," said the Eagles forward. "Winning the game meant more than achieving a record. But if I can do both in the same game, why not?"

HEDGESVILLE, W.Va. - Simon Lee-Feuillet might have preferred his first hat trick of the season to come at a more critical point, but he's not complaining. Two of the goals for the Hedgesville midfielder came after the match was all but decided, as the Eagles thumped youthful Berkeley Springs 6-1 Wednesday night. "We didn't have a good first half," said Lee-Feuillet. "We just weren't playing up to our ability. We came out and were much more intense in the second half. We wanted the ball.

View more photos here! Senior striker Joey Barvir scored three second-half goals and Smithsburg's boys soccer team rallied from a 2-0 deficit to pull off a a major upset, beating North Hagerstown 3-2 on Thursday night in an MVAL Antietam game at Mike Callas Stadium. The Leopards (2-12, 2-5) kept the Hubs (9-4, 5-1) from clinching the Antietam title. "When we were down 2-0, I knew that when I got the ball that I had to do something with it," Barvir said. "I give thanks to my teammates, because all three of my goals were assisted.

BOYS SOCCER Luke Bunting had a hat trick to lead Grace Academy past Broadfording Christian Academy 6-2 on Tuesday night in a matchup of the top two Mason Dixon Christian Conference squads. The Knights (14-1, 11-0) completed a sweep of the Lions (13-3, 11-2). Grace defeated Broadfording 3-0 on Sept. 10. Patrick Salvagno had two goals and an assist for the Knights, while Caleb Serafini added a goal and an assist. Zack Morgan recorded two assists, Andrew Michael had an assist and Kenny Frederickson made 12 saves, one on a penalty kick.

HEDGESVILLE, W.Va. - Senior Kristen Marshall scored three goals Tuesday night, sparking Martinsburg to a 6-0 girls soccer win over Hedgesville. "I was real pleased with the effort," Martinsburg coach Meredith Matczak said. "We were aggressive, beat them to the ball, and generally controlled the game. I hope the intensity we showed tonight carries over for the rest of the season. " Martinsburg (2-1) opened the scoring in the 10th minute when sophomore forward Amy Wright scored on a point-blank shot past Hedgesville goalie Chelsie Oals.

Washington County's quest for a third straight MSHL Class 1A state championship ended in heartbreak Monday at The Gardens Ice House, as Severna Park skated away with the title in overtime, 5-4. Sophomore forward Nick Bondra - the son of Washington Capitals legend Peter Bondra - scored the game-winning goal for the Falcons (13-2-1) 5:08 into the first overtime period. The goal gave Bondra a hat trick, the first in a 1A final since Zach Kimmel did it for the Northstars in 2011. “We beat an incredible team tonight,” said Severna Park coach Patrick Weaton.

The Washington County Northstars played Noah's Ark hockey on Thursday. They unleashed a storm of offense and scored goals two by two. Sean Kreps scored a hat trick and added an assist as the Northstars scored all their goals in their first 22 shots in an 8-1 victory over Montgomery Blair in the quarterfinals of the Maryland Student Hockey League Class 1A playoffs. Six of Washington County's eight goals were scored in sets of two, seconds apart. The Northstars did all their scoring in a 25-minute span and led 8-0 after two periods.

Led by Josh Barron's four goals, the Washington County Northstars blew Linganore out of the Hagerstown Ice & Sports Complex on Monday, 13-1. Barron wasted no time in making his presence known, earning a hat trick in the first period. Barron later scored with 2 seconds to go in the second period. He also had two assists. Linganore (2-7-1) got on the board with 9:08 left in the first on a Colin Maggi goal, but from there it was all Washington County. Drew Brooks led the second period with two goals while Travis Biggs and Michael DiMercurio each added one for a 7-1 lead heading into the third.

Considering the Smithsburg boys soccer team hasn't scored more than three goals in any game all season, hat tricks have been a rare occurrence. That made Adler Garrett's feat Friday night that much more special. The Leopards' senior striker accounted for all three goals as Smithsburg topped Southern Garrett 3-2 in the first round of the Maryland Class 1A West playoffs. “It feels good, especially after the season we've had,” said Garrett. “It feels good to get a big win, and hopefully we can continue this through the playoffs.” After struggling through a 2-13 season, the Leopards will travel to Allegany on Monday or Tuesday - at least, as long as the weather permits it. Garrett scored the game-winner in the 60th minute on a Ryan Bolton assist.

Karen Flores scored the game-winning goal for Northwood with 1.6 seconds remaining to lift the Gladiators over South Hagerstown 9-8 in the first round of the Maryland Class 3A-2A West girls lacrosse playoffs Wednesday night. “(Flores) is a competitive student-athlete. She plays with heart and she's talented and quick,” Northwood coach Carlos Montalvan said. “She's not the tallest one on the field, but she's a game-time player.” Flores's game-winning goal, which gave Northwood (3-10)

The Boonsboro boys lacrosse team's “never say die” attitude has reached a fever pitch. In their first varsity season, the Warriors (4-9) have advanced to the second round of the Maryland Class 2A-1A West region tournament with a 10-7 home victory over Catoctin on Wednesday. “It's amazing to see the team come together and play a hell of a game,” said Boonsboro coach Phil Aversa. “It's great that we got a home game and played in front of our own fans. We came together and played well in all facets of the game.

One could say that senior attacker Ben Louderback came through with a double hat trick. Louderback scored six goals to help the Saint James Saints squash the Georgetown Day School Grasshoppers 13-6 on Tuesday in a Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament boys lacrosse quarterfinal game. Fourth-seeded Saint James improved its record to 8-8 and will now play in the MAC Tournament semifinals at top-seeded Potomac School on Thursday at 5:30. “I want to give credit to the rest of the team,” Louderback said.

Thursday, April 26, 2012 BOYS LACROSSE Graham Horst had three goals and an assist for St. Maria Goretti in the Gaels' 10-6 victory over Shenandoah South Lacrosse Club on Thursday. Patrick McDermott had three goals, Mike Ewing had two goals and two assists, Clarence Wroblewski had a goal and 14 ground balls, Dylan Bradley had a goal and Mike Fairley had seven saves for the Gaels (7-8). PREP BASEBALL Brunswick 14, Smithsburg 13 SMITHSBURG - J.R. Rinehart blasted a three-run homer in the second inning for Smithburg in an MVAL Antietam loss to Brunswick (10-5, 6-4)

In the final regular-season game for seniors Bradley Alvarez, Savon Ambush, Matt Stemper, Keith Koontz and J.R. Lowery, the Washington County Northstars clinched the Monocacy Valley division title with an 8-3 defeat of Middletown, punching their ticket to the Maryland Scholastic Hockey League playoffs. Koontz celebrated his Senior Night with a hat trick and sophomore Travis Biggs netted four goals for the Northstars (13-2-1). Middletown (3-11) scored first in the first period on a goal by Derek Gaskins, assisted by Denzil Cotera, but that only seemed to draw the ire of Washington County.

The Washington County Northstars hosted Walkersville on Monday, a team which hadn't lost in the 2012 calendar year, outscoring its opponents by a combined 24-10. Led by defenseman Sean Kreps' first career hat trick, the Northstars snuffed the Lions' hot streak in emphatic fashion, blanking them 10-0 in a Monocacy Valley division matchup. “It all started with the loss to Carroll County on Monday,” said Washington County coach Jamie Blackwood. “We had a 180-degree turnaround on Friday (a 10-2 win over Middletown)