Ellicott City Sports Round Up - August 2011

As summer heads towards its close, a host of Ellicott City athletes and teams begin preparation for their fall seasons, while others wrap up seasons extending back into spring.

Football

The sole football team bearing the city’s name, the Ellicott City Patriots, got into action in late July and is preparing for their 2011 Mid-Maryland Youth Football schedule. 

The program typically has well over 400 football and cheer athletes and per Patriots’ president Ken Clark, they're off to a good start in 2011. "So far, the boys and girls are working hard in the heat, getting into shape. We have been at it less than two weeks, but the amount of progress the football players and cheerleaders have made is amazing. I credit this to the fine group of volunteer coaches we have this season," Clark said. The cheer program is directed by Linda Lagala-Spano.

Last year, the Patriots sent their 10-12 Liberty team to the MDYF State Championship, and the squad responded by . While losing a handful of players to high school, a number will return from that squad to further a solid lineup of Patriots’ teams at the 11-13 level this year. 

The 2011 season marks the fifth anniversary of the program’s inception.

The Mt. Hebron Vikings varsity football team looks to rebound after a long 1-9 2010 season. Led by returning head coach Ross Hannon, this year’s team will open their regular season schedule on September 2, at Oakland Mills. Oakland Mills posted a 4-6 mark in 2010. To keep up with team news and scores, the Vikings launched an informational blog in 2010 called The Extra Point. 

Practice begins this upcoming week for the Vikings.

The Centennial Eagles finished a game up on the Vikings last year with a mark of 2-8. Like the Vikings, the Eagles will look to improve in 2011 and are lead by head coach Ken Senisi. The Eagles are scheduled to return senior quarterbacks Ben Ciarolo and Jeremy Bloom to this year's squad.

Baseball

Nick Natoli was  as signing with the Lowell Spinners of the New York Penn League. Through August 10, Natoli had appeared in a total of 19 games for first the Gulf Coast League Red Sox and then the Red Sox Single A affiliate Spinners. The right-handed batting shortstop was hitting a combined .271 on the season. 

Earlier this year, Natoli was named the CAA Defensive Player of the Year for the Tigers. 

Natoli's Towson teammate this spring, Ellicott City's Ben Winter (Centennial), played for the and help them gain the finals of the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League (CRCBL). 

While a solid .255 contributor at the plate, Winter was exceptional in centerfield. He had 72 putouts without an error for the Redbirds, and made good on 103 of 104 chances in the outfield for the Tigers this spring, for a combined 2011 fielding average of .994. 

Winter will return as a senior in the spring of 2012 for the Tigers, and will be joined by fellow Ellicott City players Brian Wyman (Long Reach) and Mike Draper (Mount St. Joseph).

Soccer

Mt. Hebron girls' soccer will come back from a 7-8-1 season that included an 8-0 opening round playoff game win over Anne Arundel County's Northeast High School. The Vikings return a host of players, including junior forward Susie Halper.  Halper was the 2009 Mount Hebron JV's MVP and earned a 2010 All-Howard Honorable Mention.

Senior Katie Donegan returns in goal for the Centennial Eagles this fall. Donegan played for SAC United’s U17 team this past spring. The Eagles finished at 9-6-1 in 2010, good for fifth in the county.   

Dorsey Hall's Matt Seinfeld returns to VMI this fall to resume his soccer career for the Keydets. VMI plays in the Big South Conference and went 3-12-2 in 2010. Seinfeld started 12 of 17 games as a sophomore and found the back of the net twice while adding an assist as a midfielder.