Two close ones prevented Prophet Pat from having a 6-0 week, and therage of a sage had to settle for a 4-2 slate on his high school sports predictions.
As a result, the Prophet is now 153-72 for a percentage of .680.
The St. Mary's girls lacrosse team and the Glen Burnie baseball team were the only ones the sage missed on in a week that even the Prophet's old buddy Pete Trau of Severn came through.
Old Mill was the one-goal favorite over St. Mary's in girls stick action, but the Saints were victorious, 15-14, in OT. Otherwise, the game went the way the sage forecasted it. The Prophet said it would be "a high-scoring affair, something like 16-15."
Glen Burnie upset Meade in baseball, 4-3. Meade was a Prophet pick by a run.
Severn's boys lacrosse team and its coach have gotten the Prophet's attention in the last couple of weeks, but the sage is proud to announce that the hatchet has been buried.
After sounding off on the 24-hour Sportsline (647-2499) last week and giving the Prophet a piece of his mind for picking his Admirals to lose, Trau has come to his senses. Trau has joined themillions of others who put their hope and faith in the Prophet.
Last week the Prophet said he was going "to prove how nice he is" and "not pick the Admirals' game at St. Paul's Saturday because he knows they're going to lose that one."
Instead the Prophet picked Severnto beat Gilman of Baltimore by two goals on Tuesday.
Well, St. Paul's downed the Admirals Saturday, 9-6, but Severn came back to defeat Gilman, 10-8.
"Ask the Prophet if he would go to the track with me because he got me again," joked Trau on the Sportsline Tuesday night.
The Prophet's other hits were compliments of the St. Mary's and Broadneck boys lacrosse teams and the Glen Burnie softball team. All won by the predicted one point.
St. Mary's defeated St. Paul's, 10-6, while Broadneck outlasted Southern, 10-7. The Gophers softball team of Coach Bob Broccolino nipped Chesapeake, 1-0, as underrated Mandy Albrecht out-dueled Amy Jakubowski.
The Prophet picks nothing but tight ones this week and it's believed to be the first time all of his six-pack predictions are by one point.
BASEBALL
Northeast atSeverna Park
3:45 p.m. Friday: "Upset of the Week"
The hottesttwo teams in the county clash in this one, with the Falcons (11-2) having three factors in their favor.
First, Severna Park will be seeking revenge big time. Last year the Eagles (15-0) buried the Falcons, 16-1, and don't you think for a minute that the Falcons have forgotten it.
Second, the Falcons are home, where they have beaten everybody in the home-run derby in their hitter's paradise.
Unlike thepast, when foes have come into Severna Park and unloaded more homersthan the home team, the Falcons have the edge this year with bomberslike Jay Novak (five), Mark Budzinski (four), Rob McCandless, Wes Zimmerman and John Milicitz (three each).
And third, the law of averages is against the Eagles to record a second straight undefeated regular season, and this is the one to lose. If they ever finish that 6-5 game with Old Mill (they were ahead in the 13th inning of the suspended game), the Eagles could end the regular season with two losses.
But that will be forgotten when they cap the season with the stateClass 2A championship and the school's first state title in baseballsince 1975, the eighth season in a 24-year career for Coach Harry Lentz.
Even with their ace Charlie Buckheit on the hill tomorrow, the Eagles will get their wings clipped.
Severna Park plus 1 over Northeast.
Broadneck at Meade
3:45 p.m. Monday: This is a crucialgame for both clubs in terms of making the Class 4A Region IV playoffs. Severna Park (11-2), Arundel (12-3) and Old Mill (10-4) are virtual locks for postseason play.
The fourth and final spot is up for grabs among Meade (8-5), Broadneck (7-7), Glen Burnie (7-7) and Chesapeake (7-9). Meade could be on a mission.
In their 14-year history, the Mustangs never have qualified for the baseball playoffs.
"Wewant it bad and this is a team that is really together," said seniorleader Lance Taylor. "Coach (Elliott) Harvey has a team that really wants to win for the first time."
Take the Stangs over the Bruins,who have been playing well lately, in a thriller.
Meade plus 1 over Broadneck.
BOYS LACROSSE
St. Mary's at Loyola
3:45 p.m. Tuesday: This one ranks as the "Game of the Year" to date in the metro area, and St. Mary's has a great shot to upset the defending Maryland Scholastic Association A Conference champs.
St. Mary's (10-2) has been frustrated time after time by Loyola (6-2) over the last few years, but this might be the year to break the hex.
Coach Jim Moorhead's Saints are hot and starting to peak at just the right time. They're showing the tenacity it takes to be a champion, with Tuesday's 10-6victory over St. Paul's a prime example.
"We were a man down following a stick check at the beginning of the fourth quarter, and we had the lead at 7-5," said Moorhead. "But in that three-minute span (penalty period), we scored a goal and held them scoreless, and that gave us the momentum to outscore them, 3-1, in the final period."
While the Saints were defeating St. Paul's, Calvert Hall was upsetting Loyola, 11-10, in OT to create a tie for first in Division I of the A Conference between St. Mary's and Loyola (each 6-2). The team that finishes first gets top seed and home-field advantage against the second-place team from the other division.
The Prophet believes this is the year the Saints shake the hex because of four-year players likeRob Chomo and David Jones, who are tired of losing to the Dons.
St. Mary's plus 1 over Loyola in what should be a classic.
Arundel at Broadneck
7 p.m. Tuesday: The visiting Wildcats (8-3) and the home-team Bruins (8-4) are trying to earn a postseason playoff berth for public schools.
It could come down to this game for one or the other.
The Prophet likes the Bruins, because they are home and their offense has improved steadily in the last couple of weeks.
Broadneck plus 1 over Arundel.
SOFTBALL
Northeast at Severna Park
3:45 Friday: Unlike their baseball counterparts, the host Falcons (11-2) won't be pulling off any upset of the Eagles (13-1).
Kristy Zulka is back and Erika Shade is more than your normal No. 2 pitcher forthe Eagles of Coach Lynn Pitonzo.
So, once again, Northeast, which probably already has lost its last game for the year (4-3 in 16 innings to Glen Burnie) will chalk up another in the "W" column.
Northeast plus 1 over Severna Park.
Old Mill at Glen Burnie
3:45 Friday: Visiting Old Mill (9-6) is battling North County (9-5) for the possible fourth seed in the 4A Region IV playoffs. So, quite obviously this game is much more important to the Patriots than the host Gophers (11-2).
But they're not going to get a break from their neighbor. The two schools love to beat each other no matter what the sport.
And it goes without saying that each relishes knocking the other out of the playoffs. The Gophers could do that by defeating the Patriots.
One thing the Prophet is sure of is that Glen Burnie will take it, and Michelle Ackerman and Melanie Scharf will contribute key hits.
Glen Burnie plus 1 over Old Mill.
The Prophet to date
Right... ... ..Wrong... ... ...Pct.
153... ... ... 72... .. .. ....680