DuVall’s Last Season Opener
On September 5, Wilde Lake head football coach Doug DuVall, 60, will start his 36th season on the sidelines for the Wildecats knowing it will be his last.
"I've always loved working with kids, and there's nothing to say I won't coach again, maybe on the college level,” DuVall told the Baltimore Sun. “Or maybe I'll go into business. I'm just going to take some time and figure it out."
DuVall has led Lake to 296 win, five state championships, and 20 Howard County titles.
"The best memories are just of all the kids I've coached," DuVall told the Baltimore Sun. "Some of them, I'm coaching their kids here now. The relationships and friendships mean more and are more important to me than any win."
St. Mary’s Ryken Plays First Season Opener
The Knights of St. Mary’s Ryken boarded the bus last Friday night for the first time as a varsity football team. When they returned to their school later that night, they did so touting a perfect record, having won the first varsity football game in the school’s history, a 35-0 trouncing over the Annapolis Area Christian School Eagles.
The Knights had fielded a freshmen and a junior varsity team in each of the last two years in preparation for their inaugural game at the varsity level. The experience paid off as St. Mary’s Ryken sophomore running back Marlow Wood (18 carries, 87 yards) scored three touchdowns, giving the Knights points in each of the game’s four quarters and paving the way for an easy opening victory.
On the other side of the ball, the Eagles - opening just their second season as a varsity program - are still feeling the effects of fielding a varsity team with no previous playing experience. They have just eight seniors on their 39-man roster that won just one game (1-7) last season.
St. Mary’s Ryken will try to extend the school’s all-time winning streak to two when they travel to Bishop McNamara on September 6. For the Knights it will be the second of 10 away games during their first season. The Eagles will try to bounce back when they host the Potomac School on September 5.
Severn Gets New Coach Four Days before Opener
It didn’t take Troy Wilson long to be christened on the sidelines as the interim head coach of the Severn football program. Unfortunately for Wilson, as time expired he wasn’t getting doused with a water cooler to celebrate his first victory as a head coach. Instead, he was shaking off the shock after watching his team get trounced, 45-7, in their season opener against rival Archbishop Curley.
Just four days before Severn’s opener, former head football coach Tony Werner resigned to spend more time with his family. Werner had compiled a 12-16 record during his three years patrolling the sidelines for the Admirals.
Wilson, the team’s offensive coordinator, was immediately appointed interim head coach. He had previously served nine years as an assistant coach - five at James Madison High School in Fairfax, VA, and four with the Admirals.
His appointment to the helm of the Severn program is his first as a head coach. The Admirals return 18 starters from a team that went 3-7 overall, and 1-7 in the MIAA ‘B’ conference last year.
Wilson will look to get his first win as a head coach when Severn travels to Cotoctin on September 6.
Gilman Tops St. Mary’s in Opener
Gilman’s defense held St. Mary’s All-County receiver Mark McNeill to just one catch for minus-6 yards on their way to a 28-0 shutout in the season opener for both teams on Friday night.
Gilman jumped on the scoreboard early in the first quarter when safety Jack Doyle picked off a Ryan Hart pass and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown. Tailback Darius Jennings rushed for two touchdowns to seal the victory.
Gilman takes their 1-0 record to DeMatha on September 12 while St. Mary’s will look to rebound from their opening loss when they host John Carroll on September 5.
Broadneck Girls Soccer to Open 0-1 before taking the Field
The Anne Arundel public school systems announced last week that the Broadneck girls soccer team will forfeit its first game of the 2008 season for conducting too many practices during its summer league program.
According to Maryland Public School Athletic Association rules, teams are allowed to compete in summer leagues under their regular season head coach, but must limit practices proportionately to the number of games played and may not practice after the summer league ends. Broadneck’s penalty is a result of the team practicing the day after their last summer league game.
“Basically, I made a mistake setting up the team schedule and when we caught the mistake, we canceled the last two practices,” head coach John Camm said in the release. “The board investigated the matter, ruled on it, we accepted it and are ready to move on.”
Broadneck will play their opener against St. Mary’s on September 5, but the game will be recorded as a forfeit win for the Saints.
Jon Buzby is the Maryland correspondent for MaxPreps.com