Catonsville and Arbutus area schools enjoyed memorable moments during the 2022-23 sports season

The Catonsville-Arbutus Times looks back at some of the memorable moments in athletics in the southwest area of Baltimore County from the 2022-23 school year.

Catonsville back Tyler Boyd rushes for 200 yards twice

Catonsville sophomore running back Tyler Boyd rushed for more than 200 yards for the second straight game and the host Comets rolled to a 41-6 victory over Towson on homecoming.

The week before, Boyd rushed for 235 yards on 17 carries but the Comets lost to Dulaney, 22-12, thanks in part to committing four turnovers. Against Towson, he rushed for 221 yards on 18 carries and scored two touchdowns and the Comets did not commit a turnover.

On the Comets’ second play of the night, Boyd took a pitch from quarterback Gunnar Gemmell and raced 75 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown.

Western Tech girls soccer rallies past Lansdowne

Western Tech girls soccer erased a one-goal deficit with a pair of goals in the second half in a 2-1 victory over host Lansdowne.

Lucia Lee broke open on a fast break and scored the game-winning goal with 10:24 left in the second half. The play was set up by a pass at midfield from freshman Rebekah Harmer. She sent it to freshman Suzie Metcalf and Lee finished an attempted clear by the Vikings.

“It was just running,” Lee said. “Coach would say cherry-picking, so my brain was just cherry-picking, sprinting above her and just took a shot.”

Catonsville’s Matt Barth makes hole-in-one at county tournament

Matt Barth played only one season of golf at Catonsville, but he ended it in thrilling fashion with the senior making a hole-in-one in his final competition.

His dad, Wayne, watched the ace on the par-3 fifth hole at Diamond Ridge go in from 183 yards at the Baltimore County championship on Oct. 17, but neither Matt or his grandfather, Bob, saw the ball drop.

“It was pretty amazing,” Wayne said. “I told my son he had something in common with his grandfather, both of them had hole-in-ones and neither of them saw it go in. It probably landed about 10 feet short and it rolled up toward the hole, and it looked like it was going in and I actually thought for a second it missed, and then it went past and then it disappeared.”

Matt didn’t absorb the moment until he saw a teammate’s reaction.

“It was just raining so I couldn’t really see out of my glasses,” said Matt, who handed his glasses to his dad to wipe dry while he hit the shot. “My teammate [Harrison Dean] screamed that it went in and then everyone else said that it went in. It was crazy. The next drive didn’t go so great, but it was just awesome, the first hole-in-one.”

Western Tech rushes past Lansdowne football

Western Tech coach Shawn Waller knew what he had to do to help his team get its first victory after four straight losses: get the ball to his playmakers.

And that’s exactly what he did for most of the night against neighboring rival Lansdowne, as senior quarterback Chris Dancy had 17 carries for 171 yards and scored on a 46-yard run, and junior running back Omari Sheppard added 20 carries for 103 yards and two touchdowns in Western Tech’s 26-12 victory over the Vikings at CCBC-Catonsville.

Catonsville soccer wins overtime playoff thriller

Catonsville senior tri-captain Bryan Barrientos scored his second penalty kick with 3:27 left in the first overtime to give the fourth-seeded Comets a 4-3 victory over fifth-seeded Perry Hall in the Class 4A North Region I quarterfinals.

Barrientos ended the night after he drew a foul in the box following a cross from Emmanuel Amoako. He drilled the kick low and inside the post to the keeper’s left.

“To do it twice is just amazing,” Barrientos said. “I’m not going to lie, there is a lot of pressure, you’ve just got to take a deep breath and I had God on my side and I prayed before taking both and he helped me.”

Catonsville basketball alum wins first game as coach

In his first game as varsity coach at his alma mater, Catonsville coach Jason Harris watched his Comets race to a big lead in the first quarter and never look back in a dominant 84-16 victory over visiting Sparrows Point.

The former Comet guard watched 10 different players score, led by senior guard Nic Brogdon, who scored a game-high 19 points, including 16 in the first quarter.

“Obviously, it’s my first game as varsity head coach. I was a little anxious,” Harris said. “I had the jitters a little bit, but I wanted to emphasize to the team that we have to make a statement from the first game, so we can build off some momentum to move forward for the rest of the season.”

Mount Saint Joseph beats top team in the country

A chance to play in Hawaii over winter break is special enough for a high school basketball team. But how about knocking off the country’s No. 1 ranked team, too? Mount Saint Joseph did just that, claiming a 56-55 win over Florida power Montverde Academy at the Iolani Classic in Hawaii.

The Gaels rallied from an early double-digit deficit to beat the Eagles, who were ranked No. 1 nationally by MaxPreps.

The Gaels, defending Baltimore Catholic League and Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference champions, leaned on their senior leaders to pull off the upset in the semifinal.

Amani Hansberry scored a team-high 15 points, Austin Abrams added and Ace Valentine added 10 points.

“Just a gritty team effort against a tremendous opponent. We got down early and Austin hit a couple shots to kind of weather the storm, and after that it was kind of nip and tuck,” Mount Saint Joseph coach Pat Clatchey said.

After beating Monteverde, the Gaels lost to Philadelphia-power Neumann-Goretti in the championship game, 76-72.

Senior forward Hansberry was named the Most Outstanding Player with teammates Abrams and Farrell claiming all-tournament honors.

Heavyweight leads Lansdowne wrestling to victory

On a night when every bout was won by either a pin or a forfeit, a dual meet at Lansdowne came down to the final heavyweight showdown between Lansdowne’s Anthony Nguyen and Randallstown’s Chris Ordonez.

The host Vikings led, 42-36, before the final bout and Nguyen’s pregame plan was simple: “Don’t get pinned and don’t lose.”

Ordonez scored a takedown midway through the first period, but Nguyen tied it 15 seconds later with a reversal and won it with a second-period fall, sealing a 48-36 win for the Vikings.

Catonsville girls basketball rallies past Towson

Host Catonsville trailed Towson at halftime, but rallied for a 20-19 victory by holding the Generals to five points in the second half and no field goals in the fourth quarter.

The loss ended a four-game winning streak for the Generals, who had six shots in the final 30 seconds, but couldn’t convert the go-ahead basket.

“It was hairy, we were holding on for dear life, but we held on,” said Catonsville coach Mike Mohler, who watched Alexis Johnson secure her 10th rebound to seal the win.

Emily Bartlett led Catonsville in scoring with seven points and Towson’s Audri Adams led the visitors with nine.

“It wasn’t pretty, but it was a really good gut win, a gut win,” Mohler said. “We just hung in there.”

Beaman shines in overtime for Wolverines

Western Tech senior Kole Beaman hit a game-tying fadeaway jumper with 1.3 seconds left in regulation to tie the game against visiting Lansdowne. Then, he scored seven of his game-high 34 points in overtime, leading the Wolverines to a 67-59 victory.

Beaman attempted to win the game with a 3-point attempt from well beyond the arc with seven seconds left, but he missed and the long rebound was tipped to Beaman, who hit the miracle from just inside the 3-point line to tie the game at 52.

“I saw where the miss was going and I really didn’t want to lose that game, so I hustled and got the ball and stayed confident and I made the second one,” Beaman said. “I feel like if I shoot the ball, I should make it and I just wanted the ball. I’m always confident even though my shot was off today, I just stayed confident so I shot the ball and it went in.”

Female wrestler Mame Thiam highlights Western Tech’s regional loss

Although Western Tech lost to Loch Raven, 42-36, in the Class 1A South Region semifinals, Western Tech’s 195-pounder had the most exciting victory.

Mame Thiam secured a 12-10 victory over Loch Raven’s Thomas Oswald with a takedown 22 seconds into overtime.

Thiam, a female state champion as a freshman and county and regional champ last year, built a 6-1 lead despite suffering a back injury that nearly ended the match. She continued to battle on and appeared to win, 10-9, despite a late takedown by Oswald. After a check at the scorer’s table, Oswald was awarded another point and the match was tied.

“Mame is something special, we know that for sure,” Western Tech coach Juan Solera said. “She’s a warrior, that’s all we can ask for out here, somebody that is a warrior is going to leave it all on the mat and she does that.”

Mason Ritter wins Baltimore County championship

Catonsville senior Mason Ritter won his first county wrestling title defeating Kenwood’s Kasim Bahar, 5-2, in the 170-pound final.

After a scoreless first period, Ritter took a 1-0 lead with an escape 15 seconds into the second. With one second left in the second period and nearly out of bounds, Ritter got a takedown and 3-0 advantage.

“That was really exciting,” Catonsville coach George Dunn said. “He definitely had the two before the towel came in and I heard the buzzer. He is such a smart kid, wrestles hard, he’s a leader, captain at practice and a well-deserved championship for him,” Dunn said.

Nathan Wess leads Catonsville lacrosse to victory

Catonsville senior Nathan Wess proved he was more than a faceoff specialist when he scored the tying and game-winning goals 31 seconds apart in the fourth quarter in the host Comets’ 5-4 triumph over Towson.

Wess scored from 10 yards in front of goalie Alex Hochrein with a one-hopper with 6:54 left in the fourth quarter and did it again from nearly the same spot with 6:23 remaining.

“We just talked about it at half and we were kind of laying back a little bit and we needed to come out angry,” said Wess, who practiced the same shot before the game. “Our defense was grinding the entire game, like I give that entire game to our defense. So I knew I needed to do something to help out the team and everybody needed to work together and I just thought it was my time to step up and I took my opportunity.”

‘Be Like Brent’

Before Mount Saint Joseph boys lacrosse defeated Catonsville, 16-5, in a game featuring the two rivals, a memorial tribute was held for Brent Johnson.

Johnson was a 1985 Mount Saint Joseph graduate and former Gaels lacrosse coach who passed away suddenly March 3.

Johnson’s positive, fun-loving attitude and deep desire to win made him an overwhelming coach favorite for young athletes in the Catonsville and MSJ communities.

Before the game, Johnson’s wife, Julie; sons, Noah and Vaughn; stepdaughter, Chloe; and parents, Barney and Janice, walked out to midfield along with extended family while athletic director Kraig Loovis spoke eloquently about Johnson, who wore No. 29 and went 10-5 with the Gaels in 1985.

“Most importantly, Brent was always a family-first man, and for coach Johnson, the Mount [Saint Joseph] lacrosse program was part of his extended family,” Loovis said. “His enthusiasm eventually led to years of service to the St. Joe lacrosse program as a proud alum, fan, adviser, mentor, recruiter and especially coach. His kindness and care were always present in the smallest of details.”

Mount de Sales softball wins softball thriller

Mount de Sales junior Sammy Brown drilled a deep drive over the head of McDonogh left fielder Claire Cook with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to score Brooke Fuhr from third base with the game-winning run in an 11-10 triumph.

Before the pitch, Brown, a junior and the oldest player on the team, wasn’t sure she was going to swing away.

“He [the third base coach] called a steal and then I was confused, and then I was reading the card and then I read it wrong and he just said, ‘Hit away,’” Brown said. “I just wanted to put the ball in play, I wanted to get my runner around. I’ve been struggling a little bit hitting and I haven’t felt a rhythm, so I just wanted to get a line drive.”

Rickwalder shines in softball triumph over Carver

Sam Rickwalder went 3-for-3, scored two runs and drove in two, while pitcher Abby Mitchell struck out 14 batters in Catonsville softball’s 5-1 victory over visiting Carver A&T.

It was a rematch of last year’s Baltimore County championship game, also won by Catonsville, 7-3.

Rickwalder led off the bottom of the first inning with a double over the left fielder’s head and she scored on an RBI single up the middle by Jaynie Simpkins. In the third inning, Rickwalder got a one-out infield hit and scored after the first of two runs in the inning after a pair of Carver errors.

“We knew that if we could get on base and we could put the ball in play, we could put a little pressure on their defense and that’s exactly what the kids did,” Catonsville coach Paul Harris said. ”That was the game plan going in, let’s put the ball in play and see what happens and that’s exactly what they did and it worked out.”

Catonsville boys lacrosse scores seven straight in comeback win

Catonsville’s boys lacrosse team trailed Dulaney, 9-5, after Drew Dannenfelser scored his only goal of the game for the Lions with 10:20 left in the fourth quarter, but the Comets scored seven straight goals in the fourth quarter to stun visiting Dulaney, 12-10.

Nathan Wess scored a team-high four goals and won 22 of 26 faceoffs for Catonsville and Eric Kaplan and Noah Kennedy each had three goals each.

Casey Fisher scores nine for Catonsville

Catonsville junior Casey Fisher scored a career-high nine goals to lead the host Comets to a 17-4 triumph over Perry Hall.

Fisher had six goals in the first half when the Comets built an 11-0 lead.

“I think my teammates really helped me with that,” Fisher said. “I think when we all come together as a group, it helps me to motivate myself and I think when we do come together and we get in that groove, I just have so much more confidence in my play.”

The High Point University recruit used her lightning-quick feet with a variety of dodges and jukes that left the Gators marveling at her escapability.

“She’s really good,” Perry Hall coach Hailey Jarrard said.

Her moves have impressed Catonsville coach Cantey Bailey all season.

“I would love to say I taught her that and take credit for it, but no, that is all her natural ability,” Bailey said. “We work on giving her a little bit more space because she is very good at that quick dodge and she can accelerate off of those and score goals.”

Catonsville’s Buckson belts game-winning hit

Catonsville senior Nazir Buckson roped a double down the left field line to drive in Dan Lauer with the game-winning run in the host Comets’ 1-0 victory over Lansdowne in eight innings.

It was Buckson’s first game-winning hit, and he did it on his senior day with two outs.

“I tried my best to stay relaxed and block everybody out out there and just hit the ball man, and just do what I can do,” said Buckson, who went 2-for-3. “I’m just sitting on it, I’m just waiting for my pitch. It was a fastball.”

The hit came after Lauer’s double to deep left field with one out off relief pitcher Matt O’Donnell, who had four strikeouts in two innings.

The sudden victory ended an outstanding starting pitching duel between Catonsville’s Tommy Bolster and Lansdowne’s Chris Baker. Bolster allowed only three hits and didn’t walk a batter. After Baker’s infield hit leading off the second, he retired the final 18 batters and got 14 ground ball outs overall.

Gaels win walk-off in late season showdown

Mount Saint Joseph’s Jack Bahouth a belted game-winning hit to deep left-center field that scored Matt Callahan from second in the bottom of the seventh to lift the Gaels to a 5-4 victory over John Carroll in a key Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference baseball game.

Bahouth’s hit came after Callahan walked and Mason Nemec singled.

“I just knew I was looking for something to hit and made sure not to miss it,” Bahouth said. “We were in a good position to win with no outs, runner on second, and I’m just looking to do some damage.”

Catonsville county title repeat denied by Hereford

Despite the fact that Hereford defeated Catonsville by 11 goals earlier this season, the Bulls didn’t let down in the Baltimore County championship game. The Bulls used using an early-five goal spurt to build a lead before holding on for an 11-10 victory.

Junior Brenden Kittner had three goals and three assists, senior Baylor Davis had four goals and senior Trey Gibbons had three goals and one assist to lead the Bulls. Catonsville got three goals each from Noah Kennedy and Nathan Wess, two from Eric Kaplan and one each from John Gorski and Colin Fox.

The Comets didn’t get their second straight title, but the comeback pleased coach KR Schultz.

“They’ve been battling all year and I’m super proud of them,” Schultz said. “They are a great group of kids. It’s fun to watch them grow throughout the season. Our focus is getting better every day and they are doing just that.”

Catonsville hurler throws no-hitter

Catonsville sophomore Amy Montgomery-Snoke pitched a no-hitter in her first varsity playoff appearance to lead the host Comets to an 11-1, five-inning victory over Parkville in the Class 4A North Region I quarterfinals.

The right-hander allowed seven base runners on three walks, two hit batters and two errors, but wriggled out of jams in the second, third and seventh innings. The only run she allowed came after two walks, a wild pitch and RBI ground out by Nex Vaughn that scored Moe Matthews in the seventh.

Montgomery-Snoke didn’t recall specifically the last time she threw a no-hitter.

“Probably like when I was very little, but not recently,” said Montgomery-Snoke, who was undaunted by the playoff pressure. “I feel like when I’m nervous, I don’t do well. I relax and focus and my teammates have my back. I think our defense is really solid, and when we have two outs I feel like there is not chance of scoring.”

Montgomery-Snoke has been the Comets’ No. 2 pitcher this season behind senior ace Abby Mitchell.

“Anything we can do to give Abby a little bit of rest is more than welcome,” Catonsville coach Paul Harris said. “I felt like this was a good game for her to get some work in and it worked out really well.”