Sports | EASTBALTCO.COM

Overlea Rec. Cancels 2020 Soccer Season

Overlea Rec. Council announced that their soccer program will not be having a season this fall.

“Overlea Soccer will not be having a Fall 2020 Recreational Soccer Program due to COVID 19. Some Rec Councils are still going to attempt to have a season and still play in the EASL League at Eastern Regional Park,” said a statement in an email to parents.

“If you are still interested in playing soccer in the Fall please see the list of Rec Councils in the EASL League. We are not positive that all of the Rec Councils are still attempting to have a Fall Season.”

The Overlea Rec. Council explained that this was going to be tough season with all the COVID regulations. Here is a list of the reason why the reason was made.

1. Liability for lawsuits to the Council, Board members, Program Coordinators, Coaches

2. Expecting Volunteers to keep contact logs of who comes to practice/ wearing masks at games for spectators

3. Parents who have underlying issues feeling forced to sign their child up to play so their child does not miss out playing

4. If season gets canceled – Overlea is not capable of sending out refunds again.

5. If 1 child on the team test Positive – All players would have to be quarantined for 2 weeks and test negative before coming back. (This would be the policy of Overlea Soccer – following CDC best practices)

6. NJCAA – Junior Colleges – Moved Fall Soccer to Spring – No Fall Soccer

7. Multiple College Fall Athletics have been cancelled already – Conferences Canceled – CACC, NJCAA, Patriot League, and MEAC are just a few that affect several colleges in our area.

No official word has been made for all rec. programs in Baltimore County. East Baltco News reported that Youth Football is hoping to hold a season.

Youth Football Still Hoping for Season

While there is always uncertainty since the arrival of COVID-19, youth football in the area is still hopeful for a return in the fall. Three of the four football rec. programs that are part of the Upper Chesapeake Youth Football League [UCYFL] announced that they are holding registration.

There was a statement from Edgemere Rec. Council that registration is taking place, but the season will be delayed.

“The UCYFL is planning for a season start (practices) of 9/1/20, as opposed to the normal Aug. 1 start. Games, divisions, etc. are still being discussed by the UCYFL board and details should be out after the next meeting, which is Aug. 3,” said the statement.

The Stembridge Colts Football in Essex said they hosted registration on Saturday and will hold it again in Wednesday in person at their rec. center.

Jake Nohe, who is with Stembridge Rec. Council, said the program is waiting to see what the future will hold, but is also preparing and hoping for a full season.

“They haven’t given us the full green light. But we can do non contact workouts and hold registration.” Nohe said. “I can’t speak for other programs. But we are fully preparing for a season until the fully stomp on the brakes.”

Middle River Rec. Council announced they started online registration back on July 2.

Perry Hall Rec. Council did not have any updates for the 2020 football season on their website and were unavailable for comment.

Here is a list of registration information

Edgemere Falcon Rec. Football
Contact: espfalconscommunications@gmail.com

Costs: $150 registration fee.

Payment Plan Available:
$75 Initial Payment and $75 charged on 8/15 automatically.

***Each player will need a copy of their birth certificate AND a sports physical at the time of equipment pickup***

A separate $140 check will be required for uniform deposit collected at equipment distribution date. This check will not be deposited unless equipment is not turned in at the end of the season.

Age Groups (cutoff date is August 1st): 6-14

NO PARTICIPANT MAY HAVE STARTED HIGH SCHOOL!

Age cutoff is August 1.
A player must have a copy of their birth certificate.
A player must submit a current physical to us when they pick up their equipment (date TBD).

-THERE WILL BE NO REFUNDS AT ALL UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES!!!!!!!!

REGISTRATION IS $150 by cc only and a $140 deposit check will be due when the player picks up their equipment. These checks will NOT be cashed unless the equipment is not returned at the end of the season.

*Guaranteed uniform numbers until Aug 1st

Stembridge Colts Rec. Council
Football and Cheerleading registration will be held on Wednesday, July 15th 6pm-8pm at the Rec Center, 99 Stemmers Run Rd. The costs is $180 for either program. There is a $80 dollar deposit to secure your spot and the remaining balance due at beginning of season

Middle River Renegades Rec. Council
The Middle River Renegades football and cheerleading registration is now open by going to www.middleriverrec.com.

Sparrows Point High Student Wins County Athletic Award

Nathan Wynne of Sparrows Point High School has been named the male winner of the 33rd annual Mildred Murray All Academic Scholar Athlete Award and Scholarship.

Wynne played varsity soccer for three years and varsity tennis for four years at Sparrows Point. His soccer coaches selected him as the recipient of the school’s sportsmanship award during his junior year. In his senior year, he was named captain of both teams, both of which won state championships.
During high school, Wynne volunteered for The Outreach Program for Soccer (TOPSoccer), which provides soccer instruction to individuals with physical and/or mental disabilities.

In Grade 10, he was chosen as the sole ambassador from Sparrows Point High to attend the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Conference. In addition, he serves as the treasurer of the National Honor Society. During his junior and senior years, he completed many courses at the Community College of Baltimore County, and he has maintained a 4.0 unweighted GPA throughout high school.

Wynne will attend the University of Maryland, College Park, in the fall to study aerospace engineering and participate in the University Honors program.

The annual countywide scholar-athlete award is named in honor of the late Mildred H. Murray, former BCPS coordinator of physical education and athletics. She dedicated 43 years to promoting excellence in athletics and academics throughout the county, region, and state, and she helped establish the annual scholar-athlete award.

Sierra Raspa of George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology was named the female winner.

Presented by the BCPS Office of Athletics, the prestigious honors will be awarded during an online ceremony on Thursday, June 4, at 1 p.m.

The scholarships are given to female and male senior student-athletes who have maintained a minimum 3.5 unweighted grade point average (GPA) for each quarter and have participated in at least two varsity sports. Each BCPS high school nominates seniors for this honor.

Parkville High’s Skinner Takes 3rd Place Unsung Hero

Parkville Girls soccer player Korionna “Kori” Skinner was a third-place winner of a $5,000 Charles Perry McCormick Scholarship as part of the 80th the McCormick Unsung Heroes Awards on Monday night.

Logan Welsh, a lacrosse player from Patapsco High School Center for the Arts was the female unsung hero. The male winner was Grant Carey, a golfer from Gilman School.

Coach Emily Wolf has coached Skinner for four years and said she is a true role model for her peers both on the field and in the classroom.

“Academically, Kori excels and is in the top 10 percent of Parkville’s graduating class. She participates in our magnet program as well as our AVID program. Electing to meet the requirements of both of these programs is a testament to Kori’s dedication to her education and desire to be the best version of herself,” Wolf said.

“Kori has even opted to take two of her graduation requirements at the college level in order to maintain space in her schedule to take all of the courses that she was interested in here at Parkville. After high school, Kori plans to pursue a degree in political science and pre-law.”

Wolf added that Skinner was born with albinism which had an impact on the senior’s vision.

“Not only was she learning and developing in her sport(s), but she also had to figure out how to accommodate the limitations of her eyesight. Never did Kori use this obstacle as an excuse to not work hard or keep trying to improve,” Wolf said.

“She also never complained about this disadvantage and would often advocate for her abilities.”

Skinner was also described as someone with a positive attitude and as a teammate that encourages others. She is one of the last athletes to leave the field. That included waiting for teammates to finish up running laps after practice.

“The mark of an unsung hero is someone who is willing to do things that no one else wants to do. And the last thing teenage athletes want to do after a tough practice or a long bus ride is to put away equipment<" Wolf said. "As trivial as equipment duties may seem, I believe it truly represents Kori’s character that she would always volunteer to help and even pick up her teammates’ slack to make sure that the task was done. Not only did Kori care about helping her teammates, she cared about helping her coaches as well."

Patapsco’s Logan Welsh Wins McCormick Female Unsung Hero

The 80th McCormick Unsung Heroes Awards were held in a virtual format Monday night as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. There were 114 Unsung Hero honorees who watched the live stream.

One male and female athlete were selected to receive a $40,000 Charles Perry McCormick Scholarship. One of those winners was Logan Welsh, a lacrosse player from Patapsco High School Center for the Arts. The male winner was Grant Carey, a golfer from Gilman School.

As was reported last week by EastBaltco.com, Welsh was a 12-season athlete at Patapsco on the field as she participated in a sport every season of her high school career. She was also a star as she balanced her rigorous course load to earn a 4.0 GPA.

“Sports have played a huge role in making me who I am today,” Welch wrote in her Unsung Hero essay. “Throughout my life I have played a total of six sports — soccer, cheerleading, field hockey, lacrosse and softball. The diverse range of athletic abilities have helped me grow not only as an athlete and a student, but overall as a person.”

“Sports have taught me a lot about what it takes to be successful. Success in anything means you must be willing to push yourself, whether it’s staying up late to study, running when you want to walk, or learning a new skill. You must be able to push yourself above and beyond, no matter what the outcome.”

During the McCormick ceremony, it was reported that Welch has not missed a single practice or game in all of her four years at Patapsco.

“Over the course of the last two years, I have watched Logan grow as a student and as a person. She has a strong work ethic and he puts forth great effort, not only in class, but in all her classes, her job and athletics,” said Tyler Clough, who is one of her lacrosse coaches.

According to Clough, Welsh has taken four Advanced Placement (AP) classes during her high school career with the rest of her classes being either GT or Honors. In addition to sports and academics, Welsh had other activities at the school as she participated in the school’s orchestra magnet and being the first chair in the ensemble. She also has a part time job at an athletic club as a lifeguard.

Clough told EastBaltco.com last week that all of Welsh’s hard work deserves to be recognized.

“I am proud to recommend Logan for the [McCormick Unsung Heroes]. She has been an asset to our school, and will be hard to replace,” Clough said about his nomination of Welsh.

McCormick’s also has second-place and three-place college scholarships. Korionna Skinner of Parkville High School was a third-place winner of a $5,000 college scholarship.

Skinner played soccer at the soccer and was born with albinism which had an impact her vision. Skinner was also described as someone with a positive attitude and as a teammate that encourages others. She is one of the last athletes to leave the field. That included waiting for teammates to finish up running laps after practice.

Her soccer coach Emily Wolf has coached Skinner for four years and told EastBaltco.com that Skinner is a true role model for her peers both on the field and in the classroom.

Parkville High Students Nominated for Unsung Hero Awards

McCormick & Company presents their annual McCormick Unsung Heroes where they honor high school athletes who have been models of sportsmanship and team. The 2020 McCormick Unsung Heroes Awards will take place in a virtual format on May 11. Every school in the region has a male and female athlete nominated for the award and Eastbaltco.com will profile each athlete from eastern Baltimore County over the next week. Eastern Tech, Mount Carmel, Patapsco, Perry Hall, Chesapeake have already been profiled.

Parkville
Girls soccer player Korionna “Kori” Skinner and Football player Da’Vaghn Curbeam are the two nominees from the school.

Korionna “Kori” Skinner

Coach Emily Wolf has coached Skinner for four years and said she is a true role model for her peers both on the field and in the classroom.

Wolf added that Skinner was born with albinism which had an impact on the senior’s vision.

“She also never complained about this disadvantage and would often advocate for her abilities.”

Da’Vaghn Curbeam

Curbeam played both football and lacrosse. On the football field, Curbeam help the Knights to 9-0 regular season. Curbeam was a running back on offense and played cornerback on defense.

In an opening playoff game, Curbeam had an interception and fumble recovery in a 49-0 win over Wheaton. It was the first playoff win in team history.

Curbeam and the Knights made it to the 4A State Quarterfinals before losing to Old Mill.

Kenwood Students Nominated for Unsung Hero Awards

Kenwood
Track athlete Jade Malone is the female nominee and football and lacrosse player Austin Boothe is the male nominee for Kenwood High School in Essex.

Jada Malone

Malone was described by Indoor Track Coach Chris Mattern as team MVP and two-time captain for the Indoor Track team. She is a multiple time scholar-athlete award winner and a member of the schools AVID program. Mattern added that Malone has overcome and persevered through some hardships and adversity.

“The family tragedies she has overcome are truly remarkable,” Mattern said.

Kenwood Athletic Director Tony Ruocco said that Malone has been accepted to many four-year colleges and he said he is proud of how Malone has handled adversity.
[She is an] excellent student and has a very charismatic personality,” Ruocco said.

Austin Boothe

Boothe was a two-sport athlete at Kenwood where he played football and lacrosse. His football coach Derrick Krumholtz stated that Boothe was accepted to Towson and Stevenson but he decided to attend Alvernia University in the fall to play football.

“Austin was a Captain of the Varsity Football Team for 2019, and also was our team Unsung Hero award winner. He was a starter on the Varsity Football team in both his Junior and Senior years, sometimes both sides of the ball,” Krumholtz said.

“Austin was a Baltimore County Senior All-Star game nominee.”

Perry Hall Students Nominated for Unsung Hero Awards

Perry Hall
Amanda Butz, who played badminton, basketball and softball is the female nominee and soccer player Kaleb Todjo is the male nominee for Perry Hall High School.

Amanda Butz
Butz almost had the rare distinction of being a 12-season Varsity starter at Perry Hall. Butz made Varsity for four years for Badminton and Softball but only made Junior Varsity for her freshman year of basketball.

Her basketball coach Linda Caccavalla said making the Varsity Perry Hall basketball team in her second year is still remarkable.

“I use to tease her that she is one of the only sophomores who is a three-sport varsity athlete at PHHS,” Caccavalla said.

Her softball coach Ally Bittner said that Butz would have been a four-year starter if the season would have not be canceled for COVID-19. Butz was Captain for her Junior year and was expected to have that title again for her senior season.

On the field, Butz made 1st County Outfielder as a freshman and made the 2nd County team in 2018 & 2019. Butz will be softball at McDaniel College in 2021.

“She has stepped up in different positions in times of need. Always on top of anything that needs to be done. Always a good attitude towards her teammates and opponent,” Bittner said of Butz.

“[She] works hard in the classroom and on the field. Great kid who is deserving of the recognition.”

Kaleb Todjo

Todjo was a three-year Varsity Soccer player, two year starter and the Captain of the Perry Hall Boys Soccer team his senior year. According to his coach Pete Eibner, Todjo has been a blessing to coach as he possesses skill, quickness and vision that most do not.

“As a sophomore, he worked hard and learned, developing each practice and improving each day. By the time he reached his senior year, he had matured as a young man and became a leader.” Eibner said of Todjo.

“While his ‘on the field’ accomplishments were impressive, it was his off the field resume that led him to be nominated for the McCormick Unsung Hero.”

Eibner added that Todjo is an unsung hero for his ‘behind the scenes’ work. Eibner gave an example on how his hard work would motivate his teammates. He was a good model for the underclassmen.

“Most impressively, Kaleb, along with Andrew Fitch and Sid Katilla, changed the culture of our program. Where, in years past, the underclassmen would have to pick up cones, get water, fill the ice bucket, carry the balls and move the goals, this year’s team had the seniors voluntarily do those tasks” Eibner explained.

“They did it in order to set the example of what it is like to serve others.”

Serving others is what Todjo did indeed as he drove underclassmen to off campus practices and he tutored teammates that needed help with academics.

“In 2018-19, we had 11 players on the ineligible list throughout the year and four with academic honors. This fall we had 13 make academic honors and none on the ineligible list,” Eibner noted.

“Aside from teammates, he helped underclassmen through the African American Male Mentorship Program.

Eibner added that Todjo’s hard work transferred in the classroom too as Todjo maintained a 3.74 GPA, is a three year National Honor Society Member and he also made the Honor Roll in every quarter of his high school career.

“He often goes unnoticed because of his humble and unassuming nature, but to our program, he is invaluable, and certainly worthy of this nomination,” Eibner said.

Patapsco High Students Nominated for Unsung Heroes Awards

Patapsco
Girls Lacrosse player Logan Welsh and Soccer and Lacrosse player Cameron Hood are the two nominees for Patapsco High School & Center for the Arts in Dundalk.

Logan Welsh

Welsh was described as a 12-season athlete at Patapsco on the field as she participated in a sport every season of her high school career. She was also a star as she balanced her rigorous course load to earn a 4.0 GPA.

Clough said all of Welsh’s hard work deserves to be recognized.

“I am proud to recommend Logan for the [McCormick Unsung Heroes]. She has been an asset to our school, and will be hard to replace,” Clough said about his nomination of Welsh.

Cameron (Cam) Hood

Although he is legally blind as the result of a lifelong degenerative eye condition, his coaches at Patapsco described Hood as someone who demonstrated tireless work ethic, commitment and leadership in the classroom and on the fields.

“Much like the modest salt and pepper in your McCormick based spice rack, Cameron (Cam) Hood is the understated, hardworking and crucial ingredient every successful team has,” Boys Lacrosse Coach Andrew Mininsky wrote in his nomination letter to the McCormick Unsung Heroes committee.

Mininsky said that Hood’s tenacity is “unparalleled”. Mininsky explained that Hood was described as competitive but he expects fellow teammates emulate the respect he brings to his competitors.

“Win or lose, you can always expect Cam to rally his team to go shake the other teams’ hands and congratulate them on a great game win or lose and then carry the water back to the bus. He is a true example of a competitor and gentlemen.” Mininsky added.

“Cam is someone his teammates choose to follow not because he is the best player but because he is a natural leader who is often one of the most consistent things in our young men’s lives. Our program will no doubt have a void after he is gone but it is with hope, we will see the fruits of his labor and have a generation of players who carry themselves the way he does.”

Off the field, Hood has maintained Honor Roll status. That includes taking Advanced Placement courses and as a member of the Patapsco AVID program.

According to Mininsky, Hood’s teachers describe the student as a role model who takes genuine interest in the classroom. Although he has to deal with the tough medical condition of being legally blind, Mininsky said that has not slowed Hood down at all.

“He continues to challenge himself and push the boundaries of what many believe is possible,” Mininsky said.

“We find it inspiring to see someone who has found strength in working through his challenges rather than being defined by them.”

Eastern Tech Students Nominated for Unsung Hero Award

Eastern Tech
Cheerleader Paris Morton and Wrestler Matt Haines are the two nominees for Eastern Tech High School in Essex.

Paris Morton

Morton was nominated for the award by her Cheer Coach Stacey Regino.

According to Regino, Morton was nominated for her leadership, academic success, mentoring of peers, ability to create choreography and stunts for her performances. In addition, Region credited Mortin for her interaction that included humility, kindness and empathy.

Morton was also nominated for her activism in the community.

Matt Haines

Haines was nominated by his wrestling coach Kevin Cross.

Haines was nominated for his leadership, work ethic, determination and ability to consistently improve and make others better. Cross also nominated Haines for his mentorship of other wrestlers in the program.

In addition to his wrestling career at Eastern Tech, Haines also played tennis and badminton at the school.