Prospect Hall

Defense-minded Cougars blank Prospect Hall, 4-0 By ADELINE STAEBLER / Staff Correspondent THURMONT, Md. - Catoctin boys soccer coach Jack Bentley tried a new formation to build up his defense against St. John's at Prospect Hall Tuesday night. The new formation was effective when used, but the offense proved more effective as Catoctin defeated the Vikings, 4-0. "We played a 3-4-3 (formation) tonight and I really wanted to control the midfield with our four midfielders," Bentley said.

bobp@herald-mail.com FREDERICK, Md. - If Brandon Monroe needs a nickname as a member of the St. John's-Prospect Hall football team, cast one vote for "Eraser. " First the Vikings' tailback rubbed out Bishop Walsh's defense on Friday. Then he took a few seconds to rub out the myths about the St. John's program. "We are not just a first-year program," Monroe said with ice-cold conviction. "We are better than that. " Forget the first year. Try the first week. St. John's celebrated its coronation into high school football-dom by scoring 39 points in the first 24 minutes the Vikings ever played and held on for a 39-29 victory in the school's gridiron debut at McCurdy Field.

By MARK KELLER Staff Writer ST. JAMES - In a game of this magnitude, the basketball is like gold and a team must go to any lengths to protect it. But no matter how hard Thomas Johnson tried to hold onto the treasure in the closing minutes against St. John's at Prospect Hall, the Vikings kept stealing the gold. Four straight Patriots' turnovers sparked an 18-0 game-ending run as St. John's came back to defeat upset-minded Thomas Johnson, 63-49, in the semifinals of the St. James Invitational Tournament.

For a change, little changed in this week's Herald-Mail Super 7 poll. The top six teams in the poll stayed the same after posting victories. Martinsburg remained the unanimous No. 1 choice after a 56-14 pummeling of Woodrow Wilson. Frederick, which had lost two straight, re-enters the rankings at No. 7 following a 38-22 victory over Westminster. St. John's at Prospect Hall dropped out of the poll after falling to Boys' Latin, 42-22.

bobp@herald-mail.com FREDERICK, Md. - St. John's at Prospect Hall is a school with a history. But for 172 years, the private school in Frederick only worked on six-day weeks. It didn't have any "Friday night" history to speak of. Until now. With as much school spirit and pageantry as one school can have in trying to celebrate something it never experienced before, the Vikings stuck a toe in the icy waters of high school football ... and then dived in in cannonball fashion to cause some real waves.

Ricca will captain new crew for Vikings By DAN SPEARS dans@herald-mail.com FREDERICK, Md. - John Ricca is not a member of the Psychic Friends Network. Still, he had a premonition he would eventually make his way to St. John's at Prospect Hall. "I called up here about three or four years ago and asked them if they were thinking about starting a (football) program," Ricca said. "I guess this was in the back of my mind the whole time. It's crazy how it worked out. " Wednesday afternoon, Ricca fulfilled his own prophecy when the school announced he will coach the Vikings' inaugural football team this fall.

- PREP BASEBALL SJPH 13, Ames Annes 3 FRDERICK, Md. - Ryen Blizzard hit a grand slam and Andy Ivens and Matt Fogle hit two-run homers as St. John's at Prospect Hall scored nine runs in the first inning en route to its second win of the season. Danny Turner had three hits and Dan Butala had two hits for SJPH. Ames Annes10101-3 52 SJPH9301x-13122 Nunez, Perdue (1), Nunez (3) and Sudson; Blizzard, Ryley (3), Butala (5) and Ivens. WP-Blizard; LP-Nunez.

TJ, Vikings craving respect For Frederick County's two best boys basketball teams, today's tipoff for the 28th Annual St. James Invitational isn't as much the culmination of things, but another step up a tall mountain. "We always look forward to playing here, but the good thing is that we look forward to every game," Thomas Johnson coach Tom Dickman said. "Whether it's January at Westminster or a tournament like this, we've got kids that like to play. " The Patriots (13-2, No. 1 Herald-Mail poll)

St. John's at Prospect Hall's football game against Heritage (Va.) scheduled for tonight at McCurdy Field has been postponed indefinitely, SJPH coach John Ricca said on Thursday. Ricca said that the Loudoun County, Va., school district has halted all outdoor activities until next Tuesday in the wake of the sniper shootings in the Washington metropolitan area. A shooting Wednesday night in Manassas has linked to similar shootings in Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland, prompted the Loudoun County board to postpone the games.

While the top dog remains the same in The Herald Mail's Super 7 this week, several spots were shuffled in the poll. Martinsburg continued its unanimous post at the top after pounding Hammond, 69-14, while North Hagerstown became a unanimous No. 2 after roaring through Boonsboro, 34-14 for its fifth straight win to move up from third place. Frederick (3-2) made the biggest jump of all, moving into third place from seventh following its 10-7 upset win over previously unbeaten and second-ranked Walkersville (4-1)

St. John's Catholic Prep will move to a new location, the property where St. Thomas More Academy sits on Buckeystown Pike in Buckeystown, Md.   St. John's and St. Thomas More Academy have agreed to move the location of both schools. St. John's has entered into a contract with St. Thomas More to purchase its building and property.   St. Thomas More will move its school to a to-be-determined location in Frederick County.    The sale of the academy's building and property to St. John's allows both schools to move to a building more suitable for their respective sizes.

Dee Mency is a man in motion. Nowadays in college basketball, that is a product of the style of offense most teams play. The motion offense keeps every player on the move. But in Mency's case, it also means moving from position to position and responsibility to responsibility while playing his at Merrimack College. Mency, a sophomore, is a shooting guard by trade but finds himself cast in either forward position because of the lack of big men at the Division II level.

BOYS BASKETBALL CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Jonathan Motichka scored 29 points and the Trojans rode a 26-point surge in the third quarter to an 80-73 win over St. John's at Prospect Hall on Saturday night. Motichka added eight rebounds for the Trojans (1-0) and reserve Aaron Hill scored 11 of his 12 points in the second half. Jamill Whitehead added 16 points and 10 rebounds and Urese Taylor had 12 points. Chambersburg led 35-32 at halftime and shot 48 percent (29 of 60)

FREDERICK, Md - St. John's at Prospect Hall boys basketball coach Rich Fairley didn't like seeing his team take the treacherous route to the promised land. But just getting there was the objective, and his Vikings accomplished that with a 58-51 overtime victory over St. Maria Goretti. The Vikings allowed Goretti to control the tempo of the game, but still managed to get the win with a productive extra period. In overtime, St. John's-PH managed to score 14 points, more than it scored in each of the final three periods of regulation.

Hagerstown's Heidi Mothershead, a St. John's at Prospect Hall senior, signed a letter of intent Tuesday to continue her basketball career at Long Island University. Mothershead said she looked at many NCAA Division I schools, but her final decision was easy. "The main thing was the coaches," she said. "I could really relate to them. ... They almost seemed like older versions of myself. "The players were great, too. They were very welcoming and made me feel as if I was already part of the team.

koelble@herald-mail.com ST. JAMES /b> Developing storylines were in abundance as a Saturday matinee between St. James and St. John's at Prospect Hall became not so "saintly. " There were three player ejections, one was taken to the hospital for observation, St. James head coach Chick Meehan withstood a collison that sent him sprawling on the sidelines, two players each scored three touchdowns, another had three interceptions. Each were part of a physically, and emotionally-filled skirmish, but it was one right hand in the right place that made all the difference in attributing the thrill of victory to St. James and the agony of defeat to St. John's at Prospect Hall.

PREP FOOTBALL MERCERSBURG, Pa. - Hill School's would-be game-winning touchdown pass was called back because the quarterback had crossed the line of scrimmage, and Mercersburg Academy edged the Raiders 21-19 in a key Mid-Atlantic Prep League game Saturday. The win guaranteed the Blue Storm (7-0) at least a share of the MAPL title. Down 19-14 with about three minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Tyler Newberry tossed the ball to Jarvis Hodge, who completed a 65-yard pass to Austin Young for the game-winning score.

PREP FOOTBALL FREDERICK, Md. - Kenny White rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries to lead No. 4 Tuscarora to a 29-7 victory over South Hagerstown on Friday. Cruz Mannherz continued the Titans running attack by gaining 109 yards and a touchdown on 13 rushes. Mannherz also ran a successful two-point conversion in the third quarter. Tuscarora (2-0) receiver Jason Dice finished with two catches for 47 yards and a score. Chambersburg 41, CD East 0 COLONIAL PARK, Pa. - Jamill Whitehead led Chambersburg's rushing attack by tallying 90 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries as Chambersburg defeated Central Dauphin East in a Mid-Penn Commonwealth contest.