Paint Branch

North Hagerstown juniors Delon Agee and Jim Eichelberger both agree: When the lights go dim in their gym this Saturday evening, the center mat is where they want to be. "You come out in the spotlight," Eichelberger said. "Everyone's watching you, and you just have to get it done. " Neither Eichelberger nor any of his teammates, however, know this from experience. None of this year's Hubs has ever wrestled in the championship finals of the Hub Cup - Washington County's largest and most prestigious annual tournament.

Lucky seven wrestlers advance By AL DITZEL -- alfredd@herald-mail.com Seven area wrestlers will go onto Western Maryland College's mats in the state tournaments Friday as west region champs. Three champs - Ryan McDonald (29-2 at 275 pounds), Steve Stone (28-1 at 130) and Travis Brown (21-8 at 145) - come from Williamsport, which finished second in the 2A/1A West Region with 152 points, 25 points behind first-place Northern Garrett. "I told the kids before the tournament that I'd like to see them step it up to the next level," Williamsport coach Chuck Martin said.

OPINION - Two old rivals in a new setting So this is what the old Tri-State League used to be? Wow. Wednesday night's boys Class 3A West semifinal between Thomas Johnson and North Hagerstown brought out the best in two conference champions, just like any good playoff game should. But the Patriots' 66-61 win left everybody gushing over the guys in the other uniforms - and with good reason. TJ's Jermaine Thomas scored the quietest 27 points in the history of basketball.

Last gasp chokes off North By DAN SPEARS dans@herald-mail.com South Carroll 10 North Hagerstown 6 S. Carroll3020005-10151 North0301110-6121 Sauter, Mantua (7), Dahlgren (7) and Payne, Webb (7). Hawkins, Hose (7) and Long. WP-Sauter (3-3). LP-Hose (3-3). S-Dahlgren (1). A second guess followed by a second chance led South Carroll to its first priority Wednesday afternoon in the 3A West baseball semifinals at North Hagerstown.

andrewm@herald-mail.com Derick Boerstler has been lifting weights, while Terrail Blair has been shedding weight. The South Hagerstown wrestlers are an unlikely duo. Not many would have guessed they'd be where they are today - the semifinals of North Hagerstown's 18th annual Hub Cup, with a pair of 15-0 records to go with their No. 1 seeds. If someone would have told them this before the season, "I wouldn't have believed them," Boerstler said. "Me either," Blair said.

No one wants to get ahead of themselves, but area high school wrestling fans may truly have a headliner bout tonight in the 13th annual Hub Cup. North Hagerstown senior Seth Staley, a small school state champion, as a sophomore and Magruder senior Tony Howard, a two-time defending big school state champ, are on a collision course. First, each must win their semifinal bouts. That round begins this morning at 10. If both get through, they will meet in the 160-pound final. That round starts at 7. "I still have to win my semifinal," said Staley, who needed just 1:48 to pin in his first bout and 1:29 to pin in his quarterfinal bout Friday night to reach the semifinal round.

Top seeds were hard to come by for Tri-State area teams, but spots in a region's top four and an automatic first-round bye were a completely different story at the MPSSAA State Tournament baseball and softball draws Monday. Only the Catoctin girls (1A South) and Walkersville boys (2A West) received No. 1 seeds for the tournament, which starts with first-round games on Friday and quarterfinal games on Monday. Region championship games are scheduled for May 17. Softball 1A West First Round: (9)

RUNNING Green, 21, of Martinsburg, W.Va., defended his men's title in 16:03.6. Spinnler, 44, of Hagerstown was the women's champion for the fifth time in 18:59.4. Completing the men's top four were: Doug Oates, 27, of Hagerstown in 16:49.7; Chris Pereschuk, 25, of Greencastle, Pa., in 16:54.5; and Matt Rouse, 20, of Williamsport in 17:00.

BOYS BASKETBALL Williamsport (Pa.) 64, Chambersburg 59 CHAMBERSBURG (10-3) Motichka 10 4-4 27, Riley 0 3-4 3, Merritt 1 0-0 2, Olson 1 2-2 4, Hill 3 2-2 8, Whitehead 2 0-0 4, Taylor 5 1-4 11. Totals 22 12-16 59. WILLIAMSPORT (Pa.) (8-5) Strickland 1 4-6 6, Diemer 7 3-4 19, Williams 1 2-2 4, Monroe 2 6-9 10, Salvatori 1 0-0 3, Kendall 5 0-0 10, Ray 2 1-2 5, Gregory 2 3-5 7. Totals 21 19-28 64. Chambersburg 15 15 12 17 - 59 Williamsport 15 13 13 23 - 64 3-point goals - Chambersburg 3 (Motichka)

andrewm@herald-mail.com The lightweights may have captured most of the weekend attention at the 16th annual Hub Cup Invitational at North Hagerstown, but, like all good wrestling matches, it all came down to the heavyweights. Just ask Walkersville coach Bryan Biehl. He sent four wrestlers to the finals Saturday, yet may have rooted the hardest during the night's last final at 277 pounds. And none of his athletes were even competing. Clinging to a two-point lead over Quince Orchard in the team standings heading into the 277 championship bout, Walkersville needed a win from Middletown heavyweight Andrew Presnell against Quince Orchard's Raffi Mnatzakanian to hang on for the team crown.