Looking ahead at some make-or-break matchups

Last week, after I jokingly told a Harford County coach that one of the coach's players, who has a last name with many K's, C's and Z's, was going on my "all-time typing error list," I began thinking about compiling an actual list of local high school athletes, past and present, whose names required one to perform some keyboard gymnastics. Just off the top of my head I can think of about a half dozen, and with some digging I could probably put together a whole column on the subject. For instance, one of C. Milton Wright's swim teams from a few years back had a trio of members who drove me insane, as their collective last names probably had four vowels all told.

The more I thought about it though, the further back into my own teenage years I was drawn, and though it's a terribly funny idea to me now at 31, if some newspaper jerk had pointed to 17-year-old me as having a strange name, which I do, I would probably have gone and looked for a rock to hide under until graduation. I like to say to my friends and family that working at a newspaper has stripped me of my humanity, but that's a joke, because though I have plenty of bad traits, I'm not cruel, so I'll shelve the "tough names to type" list until I get e mails from people telling me that they wouldn't be offended by it (seriously though, if you think you're one of the athletes I'm talking about, email me with your opinion).

So, with a deadline looming and my conscience having canned the original column, I'm just going to look ahead at some make-or-break contests in field hockey, girls soccer and football. Here is what I see:

Field hockey: The UCBAC scheduling committee is plenty smart putting the Fallston vs. Patterson Mill matchup in the last week of divisional play, as they were the teams that went neck-and-neck in the Chesapeake Division last season, with Patterson Mill finishing a half-game ahead and capturing the title in its first year after being promoted from the Susquehanna. This year they don't meet until Oct. 12, and lots of things can happen between now and then, so I'll wait to talk about that contest. The juiciest pairings I can see in the near future happen next week, when Fallston plays at North Harford on Wednesday, then has another road game two days later with C. Milton Wright. Both North Harford and CMW were right in the thick of things last season, and they are stronger this time around, so if the Cougars want to establish themselves as the front runners, nothing less than victories will do. Of course, Fallston losing one or both of them will make the upper division proceedings that much more interesting, but I'm not pulling for or against the Cougars, I just want things to be exciting.

Girls soccer: Last year, the Chesapeake Division of girls soccer was tighter than a snare drum, with CMW (6-0), Fallston (5-1), North Harford (4-2), and Bel Air (3-3-) taking first, second, third and fourth, respectively, and hopefully it's just as suspenseful in 2011. On Monday, reigning UCBAC champ CMW takes on upper division newcomer Patterson Mill, which took the Susquehanna Division last season, and result of that one might give us some insight as to how the rest of the division schedule shakes out. If the Mustangs cruise to a win, look out, but if the Huskies give them trouble, we could have a tight race. Also, the Oct. 3 matchup of CMW at North Harford should be entertaining, as will the Bel Air at Fallston game on the same day.

Football: Tonight (Friday), four of the five unbeaten teams in the UCBAC will be playing each other, with Patterson Mill traveling to Perryville, and Aberdeen heading to Joppatowne. The Patterson Mill vs. Perryville matchup is an interesting one, in that Patterson Mill has won all three of its games despite scoring just 39 points, while Perryville has put up bigger offensive numbers than anyone in the conference, scoring 128 points in their first three games.