After roaring through the playoffs with an overall 9-2 record, the Prophet, whose photo on this page is even scarier than his buddy O'Malley's "Sidelines" shot, can't wait to make his final four picks of the high school season.
The red-hot Prophet is 167-80, a percentage of .676 for the year, and if he hits on this weekend's four state championship games -- two softball and two baseball -- he will finish with a more-than-respectable .681 for the year.
St. Mary's boys lacrosse team, a one-goal favorite, was upset by St. Paul's of Baltimore County in the Maryland Scholastic AssociationA Conference championship last Friday. On Saturday, the Severna Parkgirls, a one-goal underdog, took care of Chesapeake, 9-5, in their rematch (Chesapeake took regular-season game 17-16 in OT), which was the state 4A-3A championship.
Those were the only misses by the rage of a sage who picked Dulaney to beat North County by at least two goals in the state 4A-3A boys lacrosse final, and the Lions covered easily by 13-4. Also, the Prophet said that Arundel (4A) and Northeast (2A) would win their regions in baseball and Chesapeake would take the 4A Region IV title in softball.
Here are those uncanny picks by the Prophet in parentheses -- Class 4A Region IV baseball: Arundel 10, LaPlata 3 (Arundel by three runs); Old Mill 6, Severna Park 2 (Old Mill by one); and in the final, Arundel 7, Old Mill 0 (Arundel by one).
In Class 2A Region III baseball, the pick was "Northeast to breeze" and win both regional games with "no sweat." Northeast humbled Fairmont Heights, 19-0, and Frederick Douglass, 16-1. That's a breeze with a capital "B."
As for 4A Region IV in softball: Chesapeake 4,Old Mill 0 (Chesapeake plus two); Glen Burnie 4, Severna Park 0 (Glen Burnie by one); and in the final, Chesapeake 5, Glen Burnie 1 (Chesapeake by one).
Is there any wonder why the Prophet can't wait to close out what has been a great school year for him by going 4-0?
Now batting . . . No. 27, the Prophet . . .
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SOFTBALL
Statefinals
Friday at Upton Park in Severn
Northeast vs. Damascus of Montgomery County
Class 2A at 6 p.m.
Coach Lynn Pitonzo's Eagles are gunning for their fourth consecutive state 2A championship and seventh in the last decade, but will be extremely hard-pressed to pull it off.
This week the Eagles (18-3) hammered Stephen Decatur of the Eastern Shore, 15-1, to move into the finale opposite Damascus (19-0), a 14-0 victor over Howard County's Mount Hebron. This one promises to be a beauty with two great teams, featuring two great pitchers.
Kristy Zulka is the senior ace for the Eagles at 10-2 but still favoring a knee injury a bit, and flame-throwing Marcie Whitehead is her counterpart. And what a counterpart she is.
Whitehead is an Anne Arundel County-style windmiller -- heat, more heat, changeup andsuperb riser. The Hornets' ace is 18-0 with a national record 15 no-hitters, four of which went down as perfect games.
Undoubtedly Whitehead will be one of the best the Eagles have faced this year, but in this county, the Northeast players see somebody like that nearly every game.
And she is no stranger to the Eagles, many of whom play for the Tangerine Machine or Jade Garden summer teams against Whitehead and the Lewistown Tigers. They've beaten her before and should again.
"The girls know her well, and I don't think she has faced a lineup like Northeast has all year in her league, and Kristy will be the best they've faced," said Tangerine Machine coach Tom Conley.
The Prophet says it will be Northeast by 1-0 or 2-1.
Northeast plus one over Damascus.
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Chesapeake vs. Frederick
Class 4A, 8 p.m.
The Cougars (19-3) will roll over the Cadets (14-5) from the North. Simply put -- there is no comparison between Frederick County and Anne Arundel when it comes to softball.
Frederick hasn't seen anyone quite like the Cougars' windmiller, Amy Jakubowski.
Jakubowski smoked Montgomery County's Springbrook, 11-0, Tuesday on a no-hitter, walking only two and striking out nine. With a bat, Jakubowski went 4-for-4 with a booming home run, two RBI and three runs scored.
It's quite obvious that the Cougar senior wants to close her brilliant high school career with a second straight state 4A championship and third in four years. The Cougars also took it all in Jakubowski's freshman year in 1988 when she was a starting outfielder, because the pitching then was handled by Alex Spak and Heather Frey, two perennial All-County performers.
By repeating, Chesapeake also would give Anne Arundel County its sixth consecutive state 4A title -- Glen Burnie 1986, Severna Park 1987, Chesapeake 1988, Glen Burnie 1989 and Chesapeake 1990.
It also would be the county's seventh since 1983, when Arundel won under Coach Rod Clark.
Frederick moved into the final by routing a weak Oxon Hill from Prince George's County, 11-1.
Chesapeake destroyed last year's championship game foe in Seneca Valley (Montgomery County), 11-3, on a Jakubowski three-hitter with 13 strikeouts, after humbling Eleanor Roosevelt (Prince George's), 14-0, in the semis.
Yes, history will repeat itself. Chesapeake is a lock, softball fans, and don't worry about that jinxing it because the Cougars have too many guns.
Chesapeake plus four over Frederick.
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BASEBALL
State finals
Saturday at McCurdy Field, Frederick
Northeast vs. Hammond of Howard County
Class 2A at 10 a.m.
Harry Lentz probably hasn't slept since Monday night, because his Eagles moved into the state championship game for the first time since 1980 when John "Catfish" Smith (9-3, 1.85 ERA) was the ace of the staff and the big hitters were catcher Dave Myers (.443), outfielder JeffMarsh (.364) and first baseman Rob Vereen (.330). But he will sleep well Saturday night.
That's because his Eagles most definitely will win it all Saturday morning in Frederick for the first time since 1975 and become the first state public school to ever go 24-0. Their 23-0 mark going in is already a record.
Several teams have won 22 in a season and Prince George's Bowie was 22-0 in 1981 and 1982, but no one has won 23 until now, and you can bet the house it will be 24 around noon Saturday.
That 1980 team (15-7 overall) dropped a 4-3 heart-breaker to Charles W. Woodward High of Montgomery in what was then Class A (now 3A), as Anne Arundel missed taking three state titlesthat year.
Old Mill won its first in AA (now 4A), 4-3, over Kenwood (Baltimore County) and Brooklyn Park its first by 4-2 over Sparrows Point (Baltimore County) in Class B (now 2A) in 1980.
This current Northeast team is a lot like that 1980 team with one big difference -- this club will win.
The Prophet wouldn't be surprised to see the Eagles bury Hammond, a team they ripped back on April 2, 15-4, inHoward County.
Hammond (19-4) is not a bad ballclub and advanced to the final by blanking Edgewood of Harford County, 7-0, on a two-hitter by Joe Nestor, who struck out eight. That's the same Nestor the Eagles sent to the showers in the sixth inning with a six-run explosion in the earlier meeting.
Nestor was already down, 7-4, in the sixth when K. C. Murphy belted a grand slam to put the game and Nestor away.
Northeast ace Charlie Buckheit (9-0 this season), the county's all-time pitching winner (29-3), got No. 3 that day, and Saturday will be the lucky day for No. 30.
There is no stopping this Northeast murderer's row with the likes of Donnie Shump (.494, six home runs, county season and career records for RBI -- 44 and 80), Russ Curry(38 RBI), Rich Spiegel (35 RBI), Craig Everett and Derek Dolch (25 RBI).
Northeast plus four over Hammond.
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Arundel vs. Perry Hall of Baltimore County
Class 4A at 7 p.m.
Coach Bernie Walter has had that gleam in his eyes on four other occasions that he had onMonday after his Wildcats disposed of Old Mill, 7-0, for the 4A Region IV championship. Those other occasions were 1976, 1977, 1981 and 1987, the four times Walter's Wildcats have won state championships.
"This is a complete ballclub, and we don't have any outs in our lineup," Walter said Monday.
Oxon Hill of Prince George's found that out Tuesday night at Joe Cannon Stadium in Harmans when the Wildcats (19-4) ripped it to shreds, 15-5. Arundel moves into the 4A final opposite defending state champion Perry Hall (16-2) of Baltimore County,a 10-5 winner over Gaithersburg of Montgomery in the other semifinalat Cannon.
Jason Radford jacked one out of Cannon to pace a 13-hit Wildcat attack, as Jeff Beard notched his 10th win (10-1).
PerryHall took it all a year ago, going 20-0, but the Prophet's crystal ball kept showing cat paws on the screen rather than gators. That, my friends, means forget a repeat.
Arundel has left-hander Zach Collins (7-1) ready and raring to go, great defense, excellent base running, and it can swing the bat. Those are the ingredients of a state champion.
Arundel plus one over Perry Hall.