THE GAZETTE
Page B-6
Wednesday, October 9, 2013 s
Richard Montgomery back takes a mechanical approach to running Richard Montgomery RB embraces engineering, averages 101 yards per game n
BY
DAN FELDMAN STAFF WRITER
Richard Montgomery High School senior running back Liam Duffy wanted to join the school’s robotics team, but football never left him enough time. He has helped his dad build a backyard deck and assisted an uncle who’s a carpenter. In the process, he’s developed an affinity for that type of mechanical thinking. So, Duffy plans to give up football after this season and pursue his other passion in college: engineering, ideally at
the University of Maryland, College Park. “I’ve always enjoyed seeing things and making them fit together in a way they weren’t meant to,” Duffy said. Duffy is practicing that each week on the football field, making his 5-foot9, 165-pound frame fit in the game’s most physical situations. After averaging 100 yards per game in the season’s first half, Duffy will next use his punishing running style Friday, when Richard Montgomery hosts Poolesville. First-year Richard Montgomery coach Josh Klotz didn’t know much about Duffy when he took the job last January, but he learned quickly. Everyone kept telling Klotz how tough Duffy is, and Klotz believed them, though he still wanted to see for himself. The coach got another clue when Duffy gave
impressive efforts during offseason workouts. Still, it was difficult for Klotz to look past Duffy’s small frame — until fall practice. “His demeanor just suddenly changed,” Klotz said. “As soon as the pads went on, he became an animal.” Duffy said he has to play that way just to hold up at his size. He actually considered giving up football after middle school because the high school players looked too big. But former Richard Montgomery coach Neal Owens convinced him to join the high school program, and Duffy became a starting linebacker/safety as a junior. Before switching Duffy’s focus to offense, Klotz showed Duffy video of all the plays he whiffed due to being overly aggressive.
“I would come up and hit someone and know I was blowing coverage if someone gets behind me, but I just had that thirst to get that contact, just to hit somebody,” Duffy said. “At running back, of course, now I’m trying not to get hit, but I still sometimes just want to lower my shoulder and get that contact.” Klotz said he believes Duffy could play Division III football if he wanted, but Duffy is set on majoring in engineering at a bigger school, in part, because engineering can be just as competitive as football. And he believes he’s ready. “People doubt you, and you have to show them what you’re made of,” Duffy said. dfeldman@gazette.net
GREG DOHLER/THE GAZETTE
Richard Montgomery High School running back Liam Duffy (left) carries the ball on a kick return drill during Wednesday’s practice.
All eyes on Wootton’s dynamic duo Sherman, Shi won the 2012 county championship at No. 1 doubles n
BY JENNIFER BEEKMAN STAFF WRITER
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Thomas S. Wootton High School girls’ tennis’ senior No. 2 doubles player Katarina Sherman is 5-foot-11 for the record. Opponents — Sherman and third-year doubles partner Karrie Shi have not lost a match since 2011 — can perhaps find some solace in that. “A lot of times at the end of matches opponents will ask me how tall I am,” Sherman said. Sherman’s height lends itself to a booming serve and quite intimidating aggressive net game. Shi, a junior, is an unassuming 5-foot-1 and prefers to hang back and smack groundstrokes from the baseline. Wootton coach Nia Cresham said she saw something special within the apparent differences betweenShermanandShiandher decision to pair them together has paid dividends. Last year’s county champions in the No. 1 doubles bracket, the two have become one of the county’s most prosperous doubles teams and an important cog in the Patriots’ recent ascent
to the top. With dominant wins against Winston Churchill and WaltWhitman—acombinedfour individual losses — Wootton has all but clinched the Division I title for the first time in recent history and is on pace to win the county championship. “Their games complement each other,” Cresham said. “I saw Kat being more of a net player because she’s so tall and can cover so much. Karrie has a pretty baseline game. She is consistent and hits nice low strong shots to set Kat up. They’re both strong mentally and get along well, it turned out to be a good fit.” Clearly, since the two have stuck together for three seasons. Sherman and Shi’s long-lasting partnership is a rarity in high school tennis. Teams are typically built from the top down; doubles pairs tend to be thrown together after the singles lineup is firmed up and usually seem to shift on a yearly basis as rosters change. Sherman and Shi’s familiarity with each other’s tendencies, their comfort with each other and ability to communicate with ease is an incredibly valuable intangible that sets them apart. Each year, the two agreed, they learn something more and become even more in sync, and it is tough for newly formed teams to com-
pete with that. “With each season that goes by, it’s just the smaller things that we notice, like how [Sherman] responds to certain shots when you’re playing against certain teams,” Shi said. “You feel more connected as time goes by. You know what to expect from each other.” Trust in a partner’s ability to hold her own is vital, Sherman and Shi agreed, and both have faith in one another during big points. After going undefeated and relatively untested en route to last year’s county championship, the two are undefeated eight matches in to 2013 and will likely be the top seed in the No. 2 doubles bracket at the county championships later this month. The addition of two talented freshmen in the Patriots’ singles lineup — No. 1 Miranda Deng (7-0) and No. 3 Rebecca Wuren — pushed last year’s Nos. 3 and 4 singles players, Kathy Kim and Kelly Chen into the Patriots’ doubles contingent. Having a pair like Sherman and Shi in the second doubles slot gives the Patriots immeasurable depth, which is the main reason it has cruised through its traditional rivals this fall and will play a major role at the county championship.