Eastern Baltimore County News
The Perry Hall Girls Soccer team was honored in Annapolis at the Maryland General Assembly for winning back to back state titles.
Since the Perry Hall School districts covers both the 7th & 8th Legilative Districts, the team and their coach Coach Matt Smoot were invited to the General Assembly by all legislators in those two districts.
Photos are courtesy of Perry Hall High School Girls Soccer Facebook page
-By Rocco Geppi of CCBC Essex-
Head women’s basketball coach Mike Seney said in a March press release, in part, that his “…promise is to bring the same passion, determination, and commitment to CCBC Essex,” that led to him building a legacy in his last head coaching stint.
So far this season, Seney and the Knights have delivered on that promise, most recently with a 96-63 win over Cecil College on Friday night to go to 18-2 (4-0 Maryland Juco) on the season. The victory also extended Seney’s conference win-streak, which now stands at 90.
NJCAA Player of the Week and Maryland Juco Athlete of the Month Mya Moye had, by the standards set this season, a quiet night with nine points (4-13), however, did dish out a game-high eight assists, had seven rebounds and three steals.
Freshman Trinity Horton (a grad of Chesapeake High in Essex) led the way for the Knights with 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including three three-pointers. She also had three rebounds, two steals and two assists.
The Knights have started many games slowly this season, but Friday was not one of them, as they outscored the Seahawks 30-16 in the first frame, while shooting nearly 43% from the field.
Sophomore Kasey Gagan had eight of her 16 points (5-9) in the second quarter, hitting 2-of-3 three-point attempts. She finished shooting 5-9 (4-8 on threes) and had five assists and two rebounds.
Sophomore Aislinn Flynn got things going in the second half, scoring 10 of her 14 points in the third quarter. She added 11 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season and had six blocks.
Sophomore Rayah Fink also had a double-double on 15 points (6-15) and 12 rebounds. She finished with three blocks, three steals, and two assists.
Freshman Kendal Haggerty scored 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting from three, had eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
The Knights converted 23 Seahawks’ turnovers into 28 points and finished with an 18-8 edge in second chance points.
CCBC Essex’s defense forced Cecil (5-7, 1-2 Maryland Juco) into its second worst shooting performance (29.7%) and its worst three-point efficiency (13.3%) of the season.
-by Rocco Geppi of CCBC Essex-
It had been nine days since head coach Mike Seney’s team had defeated sibling campus CCBC Catonsville 92-53 to win the 2019 National Title IX Holiday Tournament in Washington, D.C. That was the last time the Knights women’s basketball team was on the floor for a game.
Nine days can be a long time in sports. It can mess with timing, chemistry, and even routines.
“I wasn’t worried,” Seney said. “We had a few good days of practice and we came out like I thought we would. Our team was eager to get back out there.”
It didn’t appear that his squad was worried either, as the Knights continued its conference and regional domination, taking down the Raptors 107-59. It was also Seney’s 89th consecutive win against a Maryland Juco opponent.
Sophomore Mya Moye had a game and career-high 41 points (14-21, 67 percent overall), a game-high nine assists and tied for a game-high six steals. She added four rebounds as well.
“Mya has been taking over more and more of the ball handling duties and she’s been running with that,” Seney said. “Nothing rattles her. She is so poised and that is what [a coach] wants from the guard position.”
The Knights (17-2, 3-0 Maryland Juco) took control of the game early. After failing behind 5-3 at the 7:37 mark, Essex went on a 20-3 run to close out the opening quarter with a 23-8 lead. CCBC Essex was a bit cold in the second quarter, scoring just 16 points on 5-18 (27.8 percent) shooting, but held a 39-25 advantage at the break. Seney and his coaches must have had a great halftime conversation with their student-athletes, as the Knights came out hot in the second half.
The team shot 54.8 percent (23-42) from the field in the second half, including 57.9 percent (11.19) in the third quarter alone.
Freshman Kendal Haggerty (Urbana) was the game’s second leading scorer with 18 points (6-16) and hit 5-of-15 three-point attempts. She also had five rebounds and two steals.
Freshman Trinity Horton, grad of Chesapeake High in Essex had 16 points on 4-8 (50 percent) shooting, which included making 3-of-6 three-point attempts. She pulled down eight rebounds as well. Sophomore Kasey Gagan tied Moye with a game-high six steals. The University of Rhode Island transfer added 13 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
The Knights’ fifth starter, Rayah Fink, was one-point shy of a double-double. She finished with nine points, a game-high 10 rebounds and had a game-high two blocks. CCBC Essex starters averaged just over 32 minutes played and accounted for 97 of the team’s 107 points.
In the middle of their beat down of the New York Jets, the Baltimore Ravens announced at halftime of their game that Parkville High Football Coach Justin Payne was named as their High School Coach of the Year.
Payne coached the Parkville Knights to a 9-0 regular season after a 3-7 season in 2018. Parkville also won two playoff games before losing in the 4A state Quarterfinals last month.
According to the MPSSAA record book, Parkville had not won a playoff game in football until this year. They defeated Wheaton 49-0 and Einstein High 48-7 in the first two rounds before losing to Old Mill in the quarters 34-13.
Payne is a social studies teacher at Parkville.
The No. 10 ranked Knights continued their domination this past weekend as they bested Potomac State 100-71 on Saturday and took down Community College of Beaver County yesterday 103-46, returning home for the first time in nearly one month.
CCBC Essex is now 10-1 overall and 2-0 in Region XX Division II play. Their next game is Thursday at Harford Community College (Bel Air, Md.) with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m.
Although the Knights downed Potomac State by 29 points, the game began slowly. Essex led by four after the first frame and had a 43-38 lead at halftime. Head coach Mike Seney’s team shot 35.7% (15-42) from the field in the first half.
Sophomore Mya Moye had 15 of her team-high 27 points in the first half on 5-of-10 shooting. The Knights outscored the Catamounts 24-12 in the third to increase their lead to 17, before slamming the door in the fourth. Moye also finished with seven rebounds, six assists and three steals. Freshman Kobie Scott-Pearson had a nice day, finishing with 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting, four rebounds and three steals.
Freshman La’Mya Ford (Warrensville Heights) also had double-digit points with 12 (5-11), three rebounds and two steals.
While the Catamounts had a better shooting percentage over all (44.9% to 39.3%) and three-point percentage (42.1% to 25.5%), the Knights were able to turn 27 Potomac turnovers into 40 points. In addition, the Essex bench outscored Potomac’s 28-14 and the Knights dominated points in the paint 44-16.
Sunday Funday
The Knights yesterday hosted the other CCBC – Community College of Beaver County – and send the Titans back to Monaca, Pa. with a 103-46 loss. Essex again started slowly, but got things together in time to build a 49-22 halftime lead.
This game was a “live by the three, die by the three” sort of game for the Knights, as more than half of their shot attempts (51-of-92) came from behind the arc, a record for attempts by a Seney-coached team. Essex did hit 18 of those attempts (35.3%) in route to the 57-point victory.
Freshman Kendal Haggerty finished with a career-high 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting and went 4-for-6 on three-point attempts. She also had three steals and two boards. Sophomore Aislinn Flynn (Long Island Lutheran) led the Knights with a double-double on 15 points and 14 rebounds. The Towson University transfer also had six blocks, three steals and made 5-of-6 at the free throw line. Sophomores Kasey Gagan and Moye finished with 12 points and six assists apiece and combined to shot 8-for-23 from the field.
The Knights bench shined again, outscoring the Titans 52-0. Another huge difference maker was points of turnovers, which the Knights won 55-3.
The National Junior College Athletic Association announced it 2019 Division I Women’s Soccer All-America teams, with CCBC Essex’s and Perry Hall High graduate Kara Dietrich earning second team honors. She is the first Knights’ women’s soccer student-athlete since 2002 to earn the honor.
As a freshman, Dietrich helped lead the Knights to a 19-4 overall record and the team’s first trip to the national tournament in 24 years. She finished the season with 52 goals scored, second most in the nation.
Dietrich had 12 multi-goal games this year, including a career-high six on two occasions (September 21 vs. Hagerstown, October 1 vs. CCBC Catonsville).
She scored six goals in the Region XX Division I Tournament, helping the Knights to its first region title since 2012 and notched both goals in a 2-0 defeat of Sussex County in the NJCAA Northeast District semifinals.
The Knights also won its first conference title this season in 17 years.
Dietrich was voted NJCAA Women’s Soccer Division I Player of the Week (September 22-30) and Maryland Juco Women’s Soccer Player of the Month (September) this year.
– by Rocci Geppi of CCBC Essex –
CCBC Essex Women’s Basketball opened its Maryland Juco Conference and NJCAA Region XX slate on Tuesday at Howard and sophomore guard Mya Moye finished with a career and game-high 33 points in route to a 104-83 victory on the road.
Moye – a transfer from Florida A&M – shot 12-16 overall and hit 7-of-8 threes. She also finished one assist shy of a double-double and had five rebounds and two steals.
“Mya [Moye] has been finding her groove over the last few games,” said Seney, who extended his winning streak versus conference opponents to 86. “We knew a breakout performance was coming and we’re glad it happened in a tough road game.”
Moye is now averaging 19.8 points per game and 5.9 assists per game, both of which rank 6th in the conference and 4th in Region XX Division II. Freshman Logan Handy was second on the team and third in the game with 17 points (6-15). She also added four steals.
The Knights (8-1, 1-0 Maryland Juco) allowed the Dragons to stay in the game early, leading by only four points after the first frame. They outscored Howard 23-17 in the second quarter to take a 46-36 lead into halftime.
“We wanted to make sure we capitalized off [Howard’s] mistakes,” Seney said he and the coaches told the team at the break. “That’s how you extend a lead. You get stops and make the other team pay. That was our message at halftime.” The third quarter was a full on assault, as Essex went 16-27 from the field (59.3%), including 6-10 from beyond the arc (60%) to outscore Howard 41-24.
Handy scored 16 in the third and Moye was a perfect 4-4 overall, going 3-3 from three-point land. Howard (7-2, 1-1 Maryland Juco) bested the Knights 23-17 in the fourth frame, but the damage was already done, as CCBC Essex handed Howard its first conference loss of the season.
Freshmen Amiyah Holmes and Trinity Horton from Chesapeake High in Baltimore County, finished with 13 and 10 points, respectively. Holmes shot 6-9 and Horton 4-10, as both came off the bench for 20 minutes. CCBC Essex’s bench outscored Howard’s 31-17. As a team, the Knights shot 47.2% (42-89) from the floor and hit 40.6% (13-32) of its three-point attempts.
“It always feels good to win on the road in conference play,” said Seney. “Those games are always tough, especially with us having such a big target on our backs. We are going to get every teams’ best game.”
The Knights are off until Dec. 7 when they return home to host Potomac State College. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
– by Rocco Geppi of CCBC-
CCBC Essex Athletics announced on March 26, 2019 that it had hired Mike Seney to be head women’s basketball coach and tasked him to rebuild a program that had been absent for 15 years.
After just three weeks into the regular season, Seney has the Knights sitting at 5-1 and ranked No. 12 in NJCAA Division II with wins over two top 10 teams.
The Knights were also selected as the No. 1 team in the Maryland Juco Athletic Conference – as voted on by the conference head coaches – receiving seven first place votes.
“The fact we are being recognized at such an early point in the season lets the coaches and I know people are taking notice,” Seney said. “Especially those in our conference. That says a lot about the team we have built in a short amount of time.”
CCBC Essex began the season in dominating fashion, defeating Mercer County 109-43 at home.
University of Rhode Island transfer Kasey Gagan finished with a game-high 23 points on 6-of-10 shooting, which included going 4-for-7 from behind the arc. All in just 19 minutes.
Mya Moye – Florida A&M University transfer – scored 19 and freshman Trinity Horton,a grad of Chesapeake High in Essex, had 17 points. Freshman Kobie Scott-Pearson chipped in 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting.
All three came off the bench.
The Knights’ bench play has been deadly so far this season, as they currently average 41.8 points per game.
Horton seems to be Seney and company’s first choice off the bench, averaging 14 points per game as the team’s third leading scorer.
“My coaching staffs and I have had talent in the past, but this is the deepest team I’ve ever coached,” Seney said. “Trinity Horton is a great example of that. She doesn’t need much to get going and we love being able to bring her off the bench. She’s almost a sixth starter. We don’t lose anything with her in the game.”
Essex’s next game came on Nov. 5 at home against Rowan College at Burlington County.
Although the Barons had a better shooting percentage than the Knights (40.7% to 36.1%), the home team picked up an 80-74 win.
The Knights would hit the road next for a pair of games November 8-9 in North Carolina.
Facing ranked opponents for the first time this season, Essex would split the weekend, defeating No. 4 Cape Fear 82-73 and falling to Wake Tech 67-61.
Moye led the Knights against Cape Fear, finishing with 21 points (7-11) and six assists.
Horton (15 points), Gagan (13 points) and freshman Amiyah Holmes (13 points) also finished in double figures.
Horton was one rebound shy of a double-double.
As a team, Essex shot 45.8% (11-24, 3-pointers) and made 11 more free throws than Cape Fear, despite the home team receiving nearly twice as many opportunities.
Less than 24 hours later, the Knights hit the hardwood to face Wake Tech.
Seney’s Knights led 33-28 at halftime and still had a five-point edge to start the fourth quarter.
Ranked No. 18 at the time, the Eagles outscored Essex 25-14 in the final frame to hand the Knights their first loss of the season.
“I think we got so pumped for fourth ranked Cape Fear the day before that we put so much into that game, coaches included, and we let our foot off the gas against Wake Tech,” Seney said.
Moye led the Knights with 16 points. Although she was just 4-of-20 from the field, she went 6-for-9 at the free throw line.
Less than a week later, the Knights averted losing two in a row and did so in grand fashion with another Top 10 victory.
On Nov. 16, the Knights went west to its sibling campus for the CCBC Catonsville Mixer and faced No. 7 Union County on day one.
CCBC Essex had the top three scorers in the game, as the “receiving votes” Knights upset the Owls in a convincing matter 80-66.
Moye had a game-high 21 points (7-18) and five defensive rebounds and Horton came off the bench to finish with 20 (6-10).
Towson University transfer Aislinn Flynn finished with her first double-double of the season on 15 points and 12 rebounds.
“We couldn’t wait to get back out on the court after that first loss,” Seney said. “We weren’t mentally ready against Wake Tech. We were locked in and ready to go against Union and we didn’t have any real mental lapses.”
On day two of the Catonsville Mixer, the Knights made quick work of Harcum College, sending the Bears back to Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania with a 92-63 defeat.
The Knights again finished with multiple student-athletes in double figures, led by Gagan who had 17 points (5-9), four steals and made 5-of-6 from the free throw line.
Moye finished with 16 points (5-10) and four assists and Horton had 14 (5-14) off the bench.
Although the Bears kept Flynn off the score sheet, she did finish with 10 rebounds (seven defensive) and three blocked shots.
The Knights head to New York this weekend for the Mustangs’ Thanksgiving Classic, hosted by Monroe College (New Rochelle, N.Y.).
On Saturday, Essex plays ASA Brooklyn and takes on host Monroe on Sunday. Tipoffs are scheduled for 6 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.
Knights’ fans can watch the action at https://team1sports.com/monroecollege and/or follow the live stats at https://monroecollegemustangs.com/sidearmstats/wbball.
Facts About the Game
* Moye leads Knights with 17.8 points per game She ranks 34th out of more than 500 in NJCAA Division II and had a season-high 21 vs. Cape Fear.
* Gagan is Knights’ second leading scorer at 15.5 points per game…career-high 23 vs. Mercer County…leads team averaging 2.5 steals per game…started all six games
* Horton is Knights’ third leading scorer with 14 points per game. She had a career-high 20 points vs. Union County.
* Flynn leads Knights averaging 11 rebounds per game, which is tied for 23rd out of more than 500 in NJCAA Division II…averaging 2.2 blocks per game, tied 23rd NCAA Division II.
Parkville’s magical football season came to an end after a 34-13 loss to Old Mill on Friday night at Perry Hall High School in the 4A State Quarterfinals.
Then the Parkville defense forced a quick Old Mill three and out and the Knight offense moved the ball down to the Old Mill 38 yard line in the early third quarter. Parkville needed to convert a fourth and two but was stopped. Then Old Mill took over the game.
Old Mill’s offense rushed for over 200 yards and scored five touchdowns on Friday. Parkville defense was able to force three turnovers, including an interception from cornerback Da’Vaughn Curbeam, but the offense was not able to capitalize until the end of the game.
The Knights finished the season with an 11-1 record.
-by Rocci Geppi of CCBC Essex-
The Knights first NJCAA national tournament game in 24 years did not go as planned yesterday as the No. 11 seeded CCBC Essex fell 5-0 to the No. 2 seed Eastern Florida State College in Pool B play at Orlando Health Stadium.
Eastern Florida (15-0) struck first at 17:13 on a breakaway goal by Julieta Limardo. Eleven minutes later, Limardo finished her brace to put the Titans up 2-0, after a ball played into the box was not cleared.
The Titans added a goal in the 36th minute. Paula Garrido hit a shot from about the 18 and while Lydia Morris (Mercy) made a great step to deflect the shot, it still had enough on it to give Eastern Florida a 3-0 lead at the break.
The Knights (19-3) had chances throughout and missed turning it into a different game by inches.
In the fourth minute, Dani Zacierka (Sparrows Point) took a cross from Taylor West (North Point) and put a one-timer on frame, but the Titans’ Kiera Gibson made the save.
One minute later, Eastern Florida looked like they would have an early goal off a set piece that was sent into the box. Goalie Sam Tornatore (Eastern Tech) came off her line to cut it off and keep it scoreless.
In the 10th minute, Emily Vetri (Sparrows Point) broke up a scoring opportunity and 30 seconds later Tornatore stopped a one-on-one chance for the Titans.
The Titans continued to pressure the Knights defense in the 14th minute with a shot from 20 yards out, but Tornatore was there again to keep it 0-0.
Tornatore finished the game with 12 saves and now has 66 in over 1,592 minutes played this season.
The Knights’ had another opportunity to get on the board in the 30th minute.
An Eastern Florida defender played a ball back to Gibson, but did not hit it hard enough.
Kara Dietrich (Perry Hall) took the ball one-on-one and made a great move on the keeper. Unfortunately, her shot hit the right post and the rebound was saved by Gibson.
One of CCBC Essex’s last chances came in the 55th minute off a corner kick, as the subsequent shot hit a post again.
CCBC Essex would lose their next game to No. 7 Gillette (Wyoming) 4-1. The team finished the season with a19-4 record after going 7-9-1 in 2018.
