THE GAZETTE
Page B-2
FOOTBALL
Continued from Page B-1
BRIAN LEWIS/FOR THE GAZETTE
Northwest High School quarterback Mark Pierce drops back to pass against Quince Orchard on Friday.
GIRLS
Continued from Page B-1 on scholarship at Duke University in 2014-15, was also selected — Falcons coach Jim Bruno said she is the thirdranked high school player in the country — but is unable to attend. “It means a lot [to be selected],” Hinz said. “When I heard about it I was really happy, I put a lot of work in this year. To be recognized like this and partake in something like this means a lot. I’m really excited, this is definitely an experience I will be able to draw back on.” The All-American game coincides with the biggest weekend in NCAA women’s soccer as the College Cup is
SOCCER
Continued from Page B-1 Though they may not be MLS, Lee, a 2008 graduate from Col. Zadok Magruder High School, is still “living a dream.”
Championship pedigree As a senior at Magruder, Lee led the Colonels to a 19-0 record and a 4A state championship. He set the school record for goals in a season (21, in just 16 games), which subsequently resulted in his becoming the Colonels’ all-time leading scorer (52 goals) and an All-America nod. In less than a year, as a Terp,
WRESTLING
Continued from Page B-1 tling is a passion at Damascus that’s seemingly unmatched anywhere else in the county, possibly the state. “This is what you hope you would build up,” Furgeson said. “The feeder program keeps bringing in kids who are willing and able to put forth effort and put a great team together. They’ve been together for so many years, so they all know each other and like each other.”
1906003
ponents, including two victories over Quince Orchard (10-2). The Jaguars defeated the Cougars 2820 in the Class 4A West Region championship game on Friday to advance. “Our kids realize that Northwest is a much improved team,” Nesmith said. Pierce threw two touchdowns and two interceptions in the region final, completing 13-of-23 passes for 133 yards. He is averaging three touchdown passes during Northwest’s four-game winning streak. Northwest senior Joshua Gills and Pierce shared quarterbacking responsibilities when it played Paint Branch in the regular season, with Gills taking most of the snaps under center. “[Pierce’s] confidence seems to have gone up several notches,” Nesmith said. “He no longer looks like a sophomore quarterback when he’s back there.” Northwest receiver Matt Watson has developed into Pierce’s top target in the playoffs. The senior has five touchdowns in the postseason. “He came out of nowhere.
also being played Dec. 6 and 8 in Cary. The participants will attend the semifinal games on Dec. 6, an opportunity both Doll and Hinz said they are looking forward to as well. Hinz might get the chance to watch her future teammates, Michigan played its secondround game on Friday but the game ended too late to be included in this edition of The Gazette. Doll and Hinz agreed playing against the nation’s top high school soccer players in an all-star format is sure to provide a high level of competition. Both have attended NCAA tournament games in the past, they said, but not in the past couple of years as they close in on their own freshman seasons of college ball, something that has only
Wednesday, November 27, 2013 s
FEARLESS FORECASTS The Gazette sports staff picks the winners. Here are this week’s selections:
Ken Sain
Nick Cammarota
Jennifer Beekman
Dan Feldman
Travis Mewhirter
Kent Zakour
Montgomery record All games
153-30 303-59
151-32 301-61
152-31 300-62
151-32 300-62
147-36 297-65
143-40 285-77
Northwest at P.Branch Meade at Suitland Surratts. at Fort Hill
Northwest Suitland Fort Hill
Northwest Suitland Fort Hill
Northwest Suitland Fort Hill
Paint Branch Suitland Surrattsville
Northwest Suitland Fort Hill
Northwest Suitland Fort Hill
Nobody knew who he was,” Pierce said. “Everybody’s asking me, ‘Who’s Matt Watson, who’s Matt Watson?’ Just get the ball in his hands and he’ll make a play.” Paint Branch has won six straight games, most recently a 51-48 victory over Perry Hall (102) in the Class 4A North Region finals. The Panthers fell behind 26-6 before putting up 31 secondhalf points to escape with the win. Senior quarterback Gaston Cooper threw for more than 300 yards and scored four touchdowns to lead Paint Branch’s comeback. Nesmith said his team cannot afford another slow start against
recently become so tangible, Hinz said. Someday, both said they hope to play in the College Cup. “[A few years ago] I went to a Final Four game,” Doll said. “I still look at those girls and think, ‘Wow, they’re incredible.’ But I remember a few years ago I was like, ‘This is a dream.’ I was so excited that one day I would be playing college soccer and it’s crazy it’ll be next year.” The All-American participants were chosen by a selection committee that included high school coaches and National Soccer Coaches’ Association of America members and were selected based on high school achievements only, according to a news release. The players were divided into East and West
Northwest. “We have to play a great game in order to beat these guys,” Nesmith said. The Panthers are coming off a 3-7 season, one which Nesmith called an “aberration.” “We had a talented team last year a team that we felt could have been a playoff team had it not been for a lack of chemistry,” Nesmith said. This season there is more of a team effort, Cooper said. “We’re bonded together. Last year we didn’t really have too much of a team bond, but this year we’re even more close,” Cooper said.
coast teams. Hinz and Doll, who have known each other for years through club soccer and the Olympic Development Program, agreed the opportunity to represent the East Coast and Washington Metropolitan area in particular is an additional honor and adds fun twist on the all-star game. “I think [the All-American game] is a cool idea and I like the idea of playing against the West team because it’s totally different competition,” Doll said. “I’m excited, I think it’s going to be really competitive. You always hear about California girls being such incredible soccer players, I’m excited to represent the East Coast.” Players are scheduled to arrive Thursday and should have no more than
Lee played 13 games at forward in what eventually resulted in a national championship. NCAA title in hand, the entire back line turned pro, three going to the MLS, one to the United Soccer Leagues, and Cirovski needed some new defenders. “At our level, you have to have players in the back who have an understanding of a forward’s mentality,” he said. To his chagrin at the time, Lee was that archetypal, offensive-minded defender whom Cirovski sought. “At first I was pretty disappointed,” he said. “But eventually, when I was playing back line, I was loving it.” In time, Lee established
himself as a starter. But then came the car accident just 11 games into his sophomore season, and so began the long road of recovery. “He was always a great healer with muscle injuries,” Cirovski said. “But you never know with the head. We all thought his career was over.” Lee was back to school in less than a month, jogging in two months, and running full speed in four. That fall he returned as Cirovski’s full-time starter at center back and led the Terps to a school-record 15 shutouts in his junior season. But at the end of his collegiate career it was back to rehab after a pulled quadriceps sidelined
him for the final eight games of his senior season as well as any professional combines he had a chance to participate. Despite the missed time, Dallas drafted him with the 11th overall pick in the 2012 supplemental draft. Lee was going pro.
As crazy as it might sound, this year’s team could potentially be better than the group that won four out of five possible titles last season. And that’s a scary proposition for local coaches. “Damascus is clearly the cream of the crop,” said BethesdaChevy Chase coach Nick Arnone. “I’d be shocked if they don’t win the state title for the next few years. Just seeing the team that they have coming back and the youth they have coming in, it’s going to be tough for any team in the state to compete with them.” The Swarmin’ Hornets are
led by a juniors in Owen Brooks, Ari Capacardo, Johnny Fischer, Mikey Macklin, Cory Obendorfer and Michael Wilkerson. Macklin won a 4A/3A state title at 106 pounds last season, while Wilkerson took home a region title and Brooks lost in the region final. They’ll also likely be able to absorb the blow of losing four key seniors from last year’s team (Caleb Baisden, Andrew Nickell, Michael Scafate and George Vinson) with relative ease, which says something about the talented underclassmen stepping in. “Those guys are setting the
The Northwest-Paint Branch winner will face either Suitland (12-0) or Meade (10-2) in the state championship game scheduled for Dec. 6 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Paint Branch has not won a state championship since 1975. Northwest, established in 1998, won its first and only state title (3A) in 2004 when it defeated Lackey 14-9. “If we beat QO we can beat anybody,” Pierce said. “We’re hot right now. We need to keep going, we need to keep going.” Travis Mewhirter contributed. egoldwein@gazette.net
two days to practice with their teams, but Doll and Hinz agreed the magnitude of the event will still bring out the best in these highly competitive athletes. Doll also said she is familiar with many of the girls on the East team through club soccer. One of them, Carissima Cutrona (Williamsville, N.Y.), will be her teammate next year at Colgate. There are only so many ways high school girls’ soccer players can be recognized, Bruno said, and being one of 44 players selected from the entire country to play in an All-American game is quite remarkable. “It’s really a prestigious honor,” Bruno said. “It’s a great thing for them.” jbeekman@gazette.net
His quad recovered, Lee was back into what he says was close to the best shape of his life. Then, with the Dallas coaches telling him he was scheduled to make his first start, Lee began to feel pain. In October, after two to three months of rehabbing the enigmatic injury, a doctor concluded Lee had a hernia. He
would need season-ending surgery. As Lee went through yet another rehab, management changed hands in Dallas, and his option wasn’t picked up. “I knew it was coming,” Lee said. “He hadn’t seen me play. He didn’t know anything about me.” But he was sure other pro clubs would come calling. Only one, Tampa, did, but the tryout was fruitless. “I was real close to retiring,” he said. His agent informed him of a last-ditch tryout for a USL club, the Richmond Kickers. It took just one weekend for coach Leigh Cowlishaw to extend Lee a
contract. “To be honest, right away we knew he was going to be the right fit for us,” he said. “The boy has an engine, always wanting to join the attack, which was exactly what we wanted.” Lee appeared in 20 games, was fifth on the team in minutes (1,664), and stood out enough that its big brother affiliate, the D.C. United, invited him and two others on a trip to Indonesia next week. “I think he has all the attributes to play in the MLS,” Cowlishaw said. “I think it’s just if someone is willing to take a chance on him.”
tone already in the room,” he said of his juniors. “No nonsense, no complaining. For the most part, these guys wrestle year round and are doing everything they can to be successful. With that in mind, they’re just kids and they just want to have fun. It’s really special and cool to see them do that.” Of course, perspectives can vary when it comes to the county’s opponents sizing up the Hornets. Everything from great respect to a deep desire to beat them. But Northwest coach Joe Vukovich, whose teams are tra-
ditionally very strong, said it’s important to have a squad like Damascus set the standard for excellence in the area. “We can really benefit by having a state championshipcaliber team like them in our region because everyone’s got to rise to that level,” he said. “It’s all about who’s going to step up to their level and challenge them.” Whether any team will be able to do so remains to be seen, but Furgeson did his grapplers no favors by setting an extremely difficult schedule that includes a trip to Glenelg, a visit
from DeMatha Catholic and a tournaments that feature Oakdale and River Hill. He wants to make sure no venue, including the eight mats and bright lights of the state tournament, is too big for his group. “We’re not going to creep up on anybody,” Furgeson said. “We’re not one of the younger teams anymore. There’s pretty much a bull’s-eye on our chest. But the kids are going about it with a great energy and they’re having fun too.”
Another chance
tmewhirter@gazette.net
ncammarota@gazette.net