Wildcats

After a heartbreaking Monday loss against South Hagerstown knocked the Williamsport boys basketball team out of sole possession of the MVAL Antietam conference title, the Wildcats needed some good news heading into their last home game of the season. And boy, did they ever get it. Stephen Christy led the Wildcats’ Senior Night with 22 points as they mauled the Manchester Valley Mavericks, 76-45. Tuesday’s win gives Williamsport an undefeated 12-0 home record. “It was a nice way to bounce back after a disappointing loss yesterday,” said Williamsport coach Scott Mowbray.

After one month, Williamsport girls basketball coach Chris Malott seems to be liking the year 2011, because his basketball team continues to show improvement. The Wildcats continued to impress their coach Friday, beating the Clear Spring Blazers 41-26 in an MVAL Antietam game. “Since Christmas, we have gotten better,” Malott said. “As a coach, that is what you want.” Williamsport (6-10, 5-6) has recovered from a disappointing 0-6 start by going 6-4 in its last 10 games.

MIDDLETOWN, Md. -- The 'W' in Williamsport is not intended to stand for walks. There were plenty of walks on Friday. The only problem was the Wildcats' pitchers were issuing them to lead to a 7-5 loss to Middletown. Williamsport outhit Middletown 10-4 but the Knights drew 11 free passes, seven from starter Jake Mann. Besides the walks, the Wildcats (8-12) left the bases loaded three times and wasted a leadoff double in the top of the seventh inning. "Four hits, 11 walks, a hit batter and we leave the bases loaded three times," summarized Williamsport coach Larnie Vickers.

Tuesday’s MVAL Antietam girls basketball clash between host South Hagerstown and Williamsport was a battle of two styles. The Wildcats wanted to pound the ball inside and use their superior height, while the Rebels wanted to get out in transition and push the tempo. Williamsport’s style won out thanks largely to sophomore Stacey Christy, who finished with 19 points and 17 rebounds in the Wildcats’ 49-36 victory. “I kind of called her out earlier this season, and maybe I expected too much out of a sophomore,” Williamsport coach Chris Malott said of Christy.

At least a ‘W’ in the win column made Williamsport boys basketball coach Scott Mowbray feel better leaving a hot Smithsburg gym than how he felt coming in Friday. “It wasn’t a pretty win, but we came here to get a job done and we did,” said Mowbray, who wasn’t feeling all that well before the contest. His troops went out and claimed a 66-55 victory over Smithsburg and a clinched at least a tie for the MVAL Antietam championship. Williamsport (18-1, 12-1)

A five-point loss to Boonsboro on Dec. 17. A nine-point loss to Smithsburg on Jan. 14. A two-point loss to Catoctin on a 3-pointer in the final seconds last Thursday. Williamsport coach Chris Malott and the rest of the Wildcats girls basketball team was ready for a breakthrough against an above-.500 team on Tuesday. “I’m tired of hearing about moral victories. They’re moral losses. I’m tired of losing. I want to win and the girls want to win,” Malott said.

Ashley Smothers pulled a disappearing act in the first half, then led Boonsboro’s girls basketball team to a hard-fought victory over Williamsport in the second half. Smothers, who averaged 14.7 points per game in the Warriors’ first three games, was held scoreless in the first half. But she scored 14 in the second half and made a critical jumper for a 46-45 lead with 1:13 to play as Boonsboro prevailed 50-45 on Friday night in an MVAL Antietam contest. “I don’t know where she was the first half, but she came out and played big for us the second half,” Warriors coach Max Shaffer said.

Williamsport laid the foundation to victory in the first quarter, put the walls up in the second quarter and then spent the second half nailing down the roof. In front of a rambunctious full house, the Wildcats moved to their eighth straight win, a decisive 66-49 outcome over previously unbeaten South Hagerstown on Tuesday night in a key MVAL Antietam boys basketball tussle. Click here to see all the photos Brandon McCauley scored 17 points, Xavier Green had 16 and Stephen Christy had 15 to lead Williamsport (8-0, 4-0)

Being the type of person who admittedly is “never satisfied”, Chris Downs could easily have harped on the scoring opportunities his Williamsport boys soccer team was unable to convert. Instead, Downs focused on the two goals that gave the Wildcats a 2-0 victory over North Carroll in a non-conference encounter Monday night. “We left probably two or three out there,” said Downs. “But that's not bad. I'm never satisfied. At the same time, we stuck two in tonight.” Williamsport (9-3-1)

It’s certainly no consolation, but Williamsport went toe-to-toe with the defending Maryland Class 1A state champions for six innings. However, games are seven innings and the bottom fell out on the Wildcats on Tuesday night in a 12-2 loss to St. Michaels in the state semifinals at McCurdy Field. Deadlocked 2-2 through six innings, St. Michaels scored 10 runs on only four hits in a nightmare seventh inning for the Wildcats. Six errors and two walks helped the Saints (20-3)

Williamsport's quest for a second straight Maryland Class 2A state baseball title was cut short Friday in the 2A West regional title game, as Catoctin defeated the Wildcats 5-1. “I think we were one or two plays away. A hit here, a pitch there and maybe this would have been a different ballgame,” said Williamsport coach David Warrenfeltz. “We ran into a team that played better than us and took advantage of opportunities that we didn't take advantage of.” The Wildcats (15-7)

For the second year in a row, the Williamsport baseball team had Wheaton in the first round of the Maryland Class 2A West region tournament. And as it did last year to begin an improbable run to the state title with a 22-0 win, Williamsport blanked the Knights on Monday 17-0. The road to defending the title will be somewhat tougher for the Wildcats on Tuesday when they travel to play No. 2-seed Poolesville at 4:30 p.m. “(Poolesville) is a good team so we'll have to play very well in all phases of the game,” said coach David Warrenfeltz.

Williamsport's youth movement paid dividends on Friday afternoon. Playing four freshmen and three sophomores, the underclassmen rose to the occasion as the Wildcats blanked  Boonsboro 4-0 in the MVAL Antietam. Both of Williamsport's wins this season have come against Boonsboro. Freshman Kate Wade pitched a four-hit shutout for Williamsport (2-15, 2-10), allowing only one walk. “I just threw how I usually do,” Wade said. “I just wanted to throw strikes. I have trust in my catcher and in my defense.

Under the lights of Municipal Stadium on Wednesday, Williamsport's baseball team shocked the MVAL Antietam world with a 7-4 victory over previously undefeated North Hagerstown. “The thing I was most proud of today was overcoming adversity,” said Wildcats coach Dave Warrenfeltz. “While we did make mistakes, we did a good job of overcoming those and retaking the momentum.” The Hubs (14-1, 9-1) got to Williamsport starter Riley Arnone early, as Austin Stone launched a two-run homer over the right-field wall in the top of the first inning.

Jared Smith, a 2008 Greencastle-Antrim High School graduate, was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round of the NFL Draft as the 241st overall pick Saturday. Smith, a defensive tackle from the University of New Hampshire, started 11 games as senior for the Wildcats last fall. He had 40 tackles, including 26 solo, with a team-high 10 tackles for loss. He had four sacks, forced two fumbles, recovered a fumble, collected four pass breakups and had a team-high three blocked kicks.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013 PREP BASEBALL CLEAR SPRING - Storms put a damper on Clear Spring's hot start, as Wednesday's MVAL Antietam baseball game was suspended with the Blazers leading 4-1 in the bottom of the third inning. Williamsport drew first blood in the first, as Brandon Toloso singled and scored on a wild pitch. Clear Spring responded with four runs in the second. Jared Brant doubled and scored on another double by Dylan Appel, who scored on a wild pitch.

The Williamsport baseball team did all of the necessary little things to pull out a 5-3 win over the Tuscarora Titans on Wednesday. “We didn't swing the bats great,” Wildcats coach Dave Warrenfeltz said. “But we had some good at-bats to get baserunners and to move them around. I also thought that we really played well defensively.” Warrenfeltz said his pitching staff held its own. “I thought we pitched really well,” Warrenfeltz added. “Today was Ryan Boward's first start since his injury.

Friday, April 12, 2013 PREP SOFTBALL Williamsport 10, Boonsboro 9 WILLIAMSPORT - Williamsport needed nine innings to get its first win of the season Friday against Boonsboro in an MVAL Antietam game. Kate Wade earned the win on the mound for Williamsport (1-7, 1-5).  Tristen Hartle hit two three-run homers for Boonsboro (0-7, 0-5) and Natelie Tobrey added a two-run shot, but the Warriors committed nine errors. Southern Fulton 14, Meyersdale 1 MEYERSDALE, Pa. - Southern Fulton was got a complete game from starter Marley Elbin and rolled to a win over Meyersdale.

Williamsport's baseball team executed well in all areas on Friday to defeat Boonsboro 6-1 in an MVAL Antietam game. “We had a good week,” Wildcats coach David Warrenfeltz said. “Anytime that you can go 2-0 during the week, it is a good week. If we can keep pitching well and getting hits at the right time, I think that we can play with anybody.” Senior Nick Sauble (2-1) and junior Wyatt Scriever combined on a five-hitter without a walk for Williamsport (6-3, 4-2). Sauble hurled five scoreless innings to get the win. Scriever gave up just one unearned run in two innings of relief.

The Williamsport Wildcats erased a 2-0 deficit by scoring three runs in the sixth inning to earn a 3-2 win over the Clear Spring Blazers on Wednesday in a MVAL Antietam baseball game. Williamsport (4-2, 2-1) started its three-run rally with one out in the bottom of the sixth. The Wildcats got three straight singles to center by Riley Arnone, Jordan Buchanan and Nick Williams. When Arnone came home on Williams' single, it first appeared that he was going to be tagged out. But the catcher dropped the ball after he tagged him and the home plate umpire ruled that the runner was safe.