For Dave Trumbo, the timing was finally just right.
After nine county championships in his 11 years as coach of the Liberty volleyball team, Trumbo last week decided to try his hand at college coaching by accepting the top job at Division III Villa Julie College.
Villa Julie athletic director Brett Adams had courted Trumbo off and on for five years.
"I always wanted to see what I could do at the next level, and I wasn't willing to move to do it," said Trumbo, who praised Villa Julie's recent growth, including its new student housing. "It's a better recruiting situation than it was five years ago when they were a commuter school. I think I can get good kids to come and play volleyball, and it's 20 minutes from where I live."
During his tenure at Liberty, Trumbo led his teams to Class 2A state titles in 2003 and 2004, as well as six regional titles. His career record of 167-31 includes a metro-area record 49-match winning streak, which was ended in 2005.
Given Trumbo's success and close ties to the school - his son Michael is a Villa Julie graduate who ran cross country for the Mustangs beginning in 2000 - Adams said that Trumbo was the right person to lead the team into its first season in the powerful Capital Athletic Conference, which includes Salisbury, Gallaudet and Marymount.
"He's a tremendously successful coach with great values that we want for our kids," Adams said.
Trumbo said that the decision to leave Liberty was difficult, especially considering his lengthy relationships with most of the players.
"I've worked with those kids for a long time, and I introduced a lot of them to volleyball in sixth and seventh grade," Trumbo said.
Falcon returns
Less than a month after fracturing both wrists when he took a spill during a basketball game, Winters Mill guard Devon Lesniak completed a stunningly quick recovery by returning to the court last Friday.
The junior played about half the game against Middletown, scoring a key three-pointer in the fourth quarter.
The injury occurred Dec. 8 against Century, when Lesniak landed awkwardly after having his legs taken out from under him. He was forced to wear braces on both arms and missed seven games.
"He's been basically immobilized for a month," Winters Mill coach Dave Herman said. "He's the kind of kid who watches the game and is one of the smartest, in terms of knowing the game, of any I've been around. So in terms of understanding what's going on, he'll be OK there. It's just a matter of getting his timing back."
"It's going to be awhile," Lesniak said. "My left [arm] is fine; it's just my right one is still a little sore."
MVAL honors
For the second straight week, North Carroll freshman forward Caitlin Bach has been named the Monocacy Valley Athletic League's Chesapeake Conference Player of the Week.
Bach scored 11 points in a loss to Thomas Johnson and 12 in a 42-40 win over Tuscarora.
Another county player, Winters Mill forward Brett Burrier, has been named the MVAL's Piedmont Conference Player of the Week for averaging 17.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in victories over South Carroll and Middletown.
Against Middletown, his two foul shots with 16 seconds left were the difference in the game.
To submit news and story ideas about Carroll County high school athletics, contact Rich Scherr at CarrollSports@comcast.net.