Boys soccer
It was a rainy opening weekend, but that didn't stop several county squads from beginning their seasons on the right foot.
River Hill won twice to capture the title at the Franklin Invitational, while Reservoir, Marriotts Ridge, Oakland Mills and Centennial each won a game at their respective tournaments. Glenelg and Hammond, playing in the Liberty Tournament, each started a game but didn't get to finish because of thunderstorms in the area.
For River Hill, the first weekend was one to remember thanks to 2-0 victories over Catonsville and host Franklin. The Hawks had four different players score on offense and the defense was led by a pair of shutouts by goalie Nick Voyton, who finished with seven saves in each contest.
Reservoir, the defending Class 3A state champions, participated in the Spalding Tournament and went 1-0-1. The Gators started things off with a 1-1 tie against the host Cavaliers, then followed it up with a 3-1 victory over Old Mill.
Marriotts Ridge had its first game of the Sherwood Tournament postponed at halftime because of the weather. The Mustangs were trailing host Sherwood, 1-0, at the break when the game was called.
The good news was that Marriotts Ridge was able to get back on the field later in the day for a full game and it took advantage with a 3-0 win over Bowie.
In its own tournament, Oakland Mills lost in penalty kicks to Westminster and defeated Loch Raven, 3-1. Centennial beat Chesapeake, 1-0, to start off the Chesapeake tournament Sept. 2, before losing, 1-0, to North Point the following day.
Field hockey
Kat Varga opened the season with a hat trick as River Hill defeated Patterson Mill, 4-2, Sept. 2.
Marriotts Ridge's Bri Hanlon had a goal and four assists as the Mustangs defeated South Carroll, 6-1, also on Sept. 2.
Long Reach placed second in the Paint Branch Tournament on Sept. 3. The Lightning defeated Reservoir, 4-2, in the opening round and lost to the host team in the championship game.
"Finishing second was like a victory for us," said Long Reach coach Rashmi Bhanot. Long Reach keeper Taylor Burfeind (5 saves) got hurt in the game and the Lightning had to put in its JV keeper for the final 10 minutes. She only allowed one goal.
Reservoir had a 2-0 lead over Long Reach before the game's momentum flipped entirely.
"We mentally collapsed in the second half. Long Reach capitalized on our many mistakes and scored four unanswered goals in the last 15 minutes of the game," said Reservoir coach Melissa Frye.
"I really think that we stepped up," said Bhanot.
Maggie Wagner and Alexis Briscoe (two goals each) scored for Long Reach. Shayna Tiller and Alexa Spearman had the Reservoir goals.
Reservoir defeated Sherwood, 1-0, on Nicole Sullivan's goal to take third place in the tournament.
Centennial placed third in its own tournament by defeating Towson, 4-0. The Eagles had lost to Seton Keough, 3-0, in the opening game, which included a lengthy rain delay. The team made positive adjustments before taking on Towson.
"We changed the line-up, which I think mentally changed the way we worked together," said Carey Whittenberger, who scored as did Erica Heaply, Eryn Davis and Key Kelly.
The Eagles switched from a four-player front line to a three-player one. They also made an adjustment on defense.
Football
The 2011 football season kicked off on Friday night as Hammond, the defending 2A South regional champion, defeated visiting Wilde Lake, the defending 3A state champion, 16-12.
Wilde Lake's Anthony Miller rushed for more than 100 yards and a touchdown, but the Wildecats' were unable to overcome three turnovers in the second quarter, including a 25-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by Rasheed Lashley.
Check explorehoward for more on the game and scores from around the league.