South Carroll

South Carroll is the team to beat in the Class 1A girls race Saturday at the Maryland State Cross Country Championships at Hereford High School. "That's what everyone says, but we're going to see what we can do," said Smithsburg senior Natalie Mancini, who led the reigning state champion Leopards to the West region title last week. The Leopards will have to do more than they did at the South Carroll Invitational earlier this season. The host Cavaliers placed seventh in a tough field with 169 points, while Smithsburg was 12th with 305. "We're a lot better than we were that day," Smithsburg coach Ray Shriver said.

When Boonsboro's Jackson Phillipson ran off the field late in the second quarter Friday night, his uniform was still white as snow. And that was fine with everyone, because it meant he had done his job. Phillipson went nearly untouched for a 93-yard kickoff return to restore the No. 3 Warriors' two-touchdown lead before halftime and spark them to a 48-7 thrashing of South Carroll. "I think the only thing I felt was my blocker when I hit his shoulder and went to the outside," said Phillipson.

Barring a couple of upsets, Washington County is likely to find itself with three teams in the regional high school football playoffs beginning next Friday. North Hagerstown has already locked up a playoff berth, regardless of the outcome of tonight's game against South Hagerstown at School Stadium. A win over the Rebels tonight guarantees the Hubs at least one home game in the postseason. The Hubs (9-0) are tied with South Carroll (8-1) atop the 2A West standings, but North is technically first because it has more wins.

GIRLS BASKETBALL INWOOD, W.Va. -- Nikki Stephenson had 19 points and 12 rebounds, becoming the first girl in Musselman history to score 1,000 career points as the Applemen opened their season with a 63-56 win over Mercersburg Academy on Wednesday. Meghan Stambaugh added 14 points and seven rebounds, while Chantie Henderson scored 15 points and Brittany Marsh had seven boards and five steals for Musselman (1-0). Jen Dillon scored 15 points and Caroline Lovette had 14 for Mercersburg (1-2)

SYKESVILLE, Md. - North Hagerstown starter Marcellus Sumlin routinely did what South Carroll starter Mike Fisher couldn't Wednesday afternoon - find the plate. While Fisher walked six Hubs and hit another in his brief start - failing to get out of the first inning, in which North scored five runs without a hit - Sumlin was around the plate and the defense behind him was exceptional as the Hubs moved within one win of their second straight Maryland Class 2A West regional title with a 6-2 victory over the Cavaliers.

Welcome to League Alignment 101. Was everyone getting familiar with the alignments in the Monocacy Valley Athletic League as they stood for the past two years? Well, it's time for a refresher course. By a 2-1 vote, the MVAL has realigned its three conferences for the 2007-08 and 2008-09 school years in all sports. After discussions between school officials, the final vote approved the changes to be made strictly based on the projected enrollments for 2007-08. Therefore, the Antietam Conference will be made up of Class 1A teams, the Piedmont Conference will house 2A schools and the Chesapeake Conference will be made up of 3A and 4A schools.

"South Carroll might be the best team in the whole bracket," North Hagerstown girls soccer coach Rick Aleshire said before the start of the Maryland Class 2A West tournament. He was at least half right. Senior forward Kristen Harris scored two goals as South Carroll came back from a 1-0 halftime deficit to upset the top-seeded and previously unbeaten Hubs 2-1 in the region semifinals Saturday evening at Mike Callas Stadium. The Cavaliers (11-5-1) will play second-seeded Middletown in the final.

andrewm@herald-mail.com With the North Hagerstown girls soccer team trailing South Carroll 2-0 late in their Maryland Class 2A West quarterfinal match Tuesday night, most of the people at School Stadium must have had the same thought Hubs senior Christine Wason had. "I actually thought to myself, 'It's over,'" Wason said. "But I'm never going to think that again. " Wason scored two goals in the final 13 minutes of regulation to tie the match at 2-2, and after two scoreless overtime periods, the Hubs edged the Cavaliers 5-4 on penalty kicks for a stunning 3-2 victory.

Girls' Basketball Overall Top 20: 1. Linganore (28-0); 2. Elizabeth Seton (30-2); 3. St. John's-Prospect Hall (28-3); 4. Largo (25-2); 5. St. Mary's (24-4); 6. Mercy (25-3); 7. Seton Keough (22-6); 8. McDonogh (21-2); 9. Gwynn Lake (25-4); 10. Wheaton (24-2); 11. Blair (24-3); 12. John Carroll (18-7); 13. Centennial (21-6); 14. Friendly (24-3); 15. Douglass-PG (22-3); 16. Annapolis (23-5); 17. Western (24-4); 18. South Carroll (19-6); 19. McDonough (22-1); 20. Bullis (22-7)