BOYS BASKETBALL
Player of the Year
Jeff Pettiway
Joppatowne
The point guard is adept at passing as well as shooting. He led the county in scoring and assists for much of the season, finishing with averages of 19 points and six assists.
Pettiway also gave the Mariners a big assist with his on-court presence and was the catalyst to Joppatowne winning 17 games. Never losing his cool and always looking to lead, the 5-foot-9 senior is whom Joppatowne always looked to in times of trouble. Pettiway, who is undecided about college, impressed his coaches, teammates and opponents with his work ethic.
Coach of the Year
Chad Ritchie
C. Milton Wright
Ritchie turned around the Mustangs in just his second season. C. Milton Wright went 9-14 last year and lost some key players, but everything came together this winter as Ritchie emphasized fundamentals and defense.
Although Ritchie had just one starter back, he felt fortunate to have a roster full of unselfish players such as Jesse Volk, Adam Earle and Jeremy Rice. That trio formed the nucleus of a team that went 14-7 and just missed playing in the Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference championship game, finishing a half-game behind Aberdeen in the Chesapeake Division.
First Team
Name School Class Pos.
Joe Becker North Harford Junior Guard
Donn Hill Bel Air Soph. Guard
Jeff Pettiway Joppatowne Senior Guard
Devon Saddler Aberdeen Soph. Guard
Josh Selby John Carroll Fresh. Guard
Isaiah Philmore John Carroll Soph. Forward
Jesse Volk C.M. Wright Senior Forward
Brandon Newell Aberdeen Senior Center
Second Team
Name School Class Pos.
Devin Ewing Harford Tech Junior Guard
Sean Kelly Fallston Senior Guard
Lionel Perkins Bel Air Junior Guard
Jeremy Rice C.M. Wright Senior Guard
Stan Budzynski John Carroll Senior Forward
Adam Earle C.M. Wright Senior Forward
John Grant Har. Christian Senior Forward
Morien Perry Joppatowne Senior Center
Note -- Teams selected by Jeff Seidel after consultation with The Sun staff and area coaches.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Player of the Year
Jess Harlee
Fallston
The freshman showed poise beyond her years as she led Fallston to the Class 3A state semifinals. Harlee, a guard-forward, averaged 12.8 points, eight rebounds and 4.4 steals per game.
Aggressive on defense, Harlee could muscle inside on the boards, had impressive shooting range and even helped bring the ball up against defensive pressure. Fallston coach Vern Brown said Harlee, 5 feet 9, already is getting interest from major Division I schools.
Coach of the Year
Vern Brown
Fallston
With just two starters returning from last season's team, Brown guided the Cougars to a 23-5 record and their first berth in the state final four in 10 years. Fallston won its third straight Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference championship and then turned in some impressive performances in the regionals, heading into the state semifinals on a 10-game winning streak. Brown said the turning point in the season was a lopsided loss to St. Mark's (Del.) at midseason. He said it showed the players that they had to play as a team - which they did from that point on.
First Team
Name School Class Pos.
Corey Donohoe North Harford Senior Guard
Jess Harlee Fallston Fresh. Guard
Sasha Matthew Joppatowne Senior Guard
Shannel Shivers Aberdeen Senior Guard
Arielle Townes Joppatowne Senior Guard
Lauren Houck C.M. Wright Junior Forward
Allison Humphries John Carroll Junior Forward
Kristin Steiner Fallston Senior Forward
Second Team
Name School Class Pos.
Michaele Dunn Edgewood Junior Guard
Destinee Macklin Joppatowne Senior Guard
Kimmie McDaniel Fallston Senior Guard
Jess Steiner Fallston Soph. Guard
Tiffany Taylor Aberdeen Fresh. Guard
Lindsay Howard Fallston Junior Forward
Arlana Roland Bel Air Junior Foward
Joanna Catalanal Aberdeen Junior Center
Note -- Teams selected by Jeff Seidel after consultation with The Sun staff and area coaches.
WRESTLING
Wrestler of The Year
Matt Cross
Bel Air
The 140-pound junior went 39-4 with 19 pins, winning the Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference crown after having placed third as a sophomore. He also was runner-up at the 4A-3A East regionals after having twice placed fourth, and he placed fourth at 4A-3A states. Cross has a 102-19 career record and 47 career pins, and has two career wins over Mardela's 2A-1A state champion Lester Andrews and one victory this season over Rising Sun's 2A-1A state champion Jamie Price. This season he also defeated Urbana's 4A-3A North regional champion Justin Krop, Pikeville's Baltimore County and 2A-1A North regional champion Corbin Ellis and Severna Park's Anne Arundel County runner-up Zach Shreve.
Coach of The Year
Keith Watson
John Carroll
Watson, whose assistants included former NCAA All-American Tom Reese (University of Maryland), established the Patriots as a potential state power. Ranked as high as No. 9 in The Sun, the Patriots (40-8 in dual meets) won the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference dual meet title, captured four crowns in invitational tournaments, went unbeaten against Harford County rivals in dual meet competition and finished a school-record fourth at the MIAA tournament. John Carroll also finished a program-high sixth at the private schools state tournament, where 285-pound John Von Paris added a state title to the crown he captured at MIAAs. Von Paris was fifth at National Preps. The Patriots' Matt Bodt, Matthew Miller, Eric Hart, Tommy LaVey, Ethan Reese, Brock Brooks and Tim Webster all placed sixth or better at MIAAs, with LaVey, Reese, Webster and Keith Lipinski finishing eighth or better at private school states.
First Team
Weight Name School Class 103 Brandon Gain Harford Tech Fresh.
112 Chris Hoffman Aberdeen Soph. 119 Mark Taylor Harford Tech Senior
125 Ryan Owens John Carroll Soph. 130 Matthew Miller John Carroll Fresh.
130 Matt Oates Harford Tech Senior 135 Eric Hart John Carroll Soph.
140 Matt Cross Bel Air Junior 145 Tommy LaVey John Carroll Junior
152 Keith Lipinski John Carroll Junior 160 Justin Butler Edgewood Senior
160 Ethan Reese John Carroll Soph. 171 Kevin McGinty North Harford Senior
189 George Denton C. Milton Wright Junior 215 Ben Boor Bel Air senior
285 John Von Paris John Carroll Senior
Second Team
Weight Name School Class
103 Justin McCord C. Milton Wright Soph.
112 Matt Bodt John Carroll Junior 112 Erich Wienecke C. M ilton Wright Fresh.
119 Sean Ellenby Bel Air Fresh. 125 Joe Frazier Bel Air Senior
130 Brandon Frazier Aberdeen Junior 135 Zach Keller Bel Air Junior
140 Matt Miller Harford Tech Senior 145 Tom Stewart North Harford Junior
152 Kris Knopp Bel Air Senior 160 Aaron Williams Joppatowne Junior
171 Brock Brooks John Carroll Junior 171 Ryan Grabowski Aberdeen Senior
189 Justin Hohner North Harford Senior 215 Tim Webster John Carroll Senior
285 Mark Alexander Bel Air Senior
Note -- Teams selected by Lem Satterfield after consultation with The Sun staff and area coaches.