Howard co-coach Martin Goode said that sometimes you need a little luck to win a big event like yesterday's Class 3A state championship meet at the 5th Regiment Armory.
But on this day, the only luck the Lions had was bad.
Missing one of their top runners due to a death in the family, and with another top runner, Donna Mullings, at half strength with flu- like symptoms, the county and region champions had to settle for third place in the girls competition.
Linganore of Frederick County swept both the boys and girls meets. Other local boys teams in the top 10 were Broadneck (fifth), Poly (seventh) and Franklin (eighth), while the Centennial girls took eighth.
Goode said that Howard's finish was a bit of a letdown, considering his expectations of a place in the top two.
"I told them before the meet that sometimes little things can go wrong in a big meet like this," said Goode, whose team missed second by a point.
"Unfortunately, we were the ones that got hit the hardest."
The Lions coach, however, was the first to admit that his team made the most of what it had.
After falling well behind in the early going, Howard scored heavily in four of the final eight events.
The Lions' best performance came in the 55-meter --, where Kym Morehouse won in 7.43 seconds with teammate Tominka Howard coming in third.
The Columbia team also fared well in the 300, with Zuzette Mullings taking fourth and Donna Mullings (sixth), and the high jump, with Melissa Williamson taking third.
Susan Manchos, Howard, Zuzette Mullings and Donna Mullings then combined for a first-place finish in the 800 relay (1:49.8).
The Centennial girls made it into the top 10 on the strength of an all-around performance by senior sprinter Kare Fisher.
She took third in the high hurdles and sixth in the 55, and helped her relay teams to third- and sixth-place finishes in the 1,600 and 800 relays, respectively.
Kari Meyer also contributed, taking sixth in the 800 and 1,600.
"I was really pleased," said Centennial coach Dale Huting. "Our people just ran really well. We've run our fastest in the regional and state meets."
Howard was the county's top finisher in the boys competition, taking 13th place.
Lions senior Jason Stephens accounted for all of his team's points, winning the 55 -- in 6.71 and finishing in a tie for fifth in the 300.