Prep Notebook: County stating hockey case

Angela Carpita didn't need to know what her girls accomplished. She was happy enough with the win.

Jessie Marshall scored two first-half goals to guide Annapolis to a 4-0 victory over Leonardtown, the No. 1 seed in the Class 4A East field hockey playoffs, Friday to send a ripple through the rest of the bracket.

"We didn't realize that was an upset," Carpita said. "Since we were unaware, it was easier to help my girls know, in their hearts, that they could beat these girls from St. Mary's County."

Leonardtown (12-3) lost only one in-county game and won a coin flip against South River (15-1) for the region's top spot.

The Seahawks, whose only loss came in a 3-2, overtime decision to 18-time state champion Severna Park, are responsible for Broadneck's lone defeat and handed Quince Orchard - last year's runner-up - a 7-0 beating to open the season.

Annapolis (8-4) lost collectively to those three teams, 21-0, and still held Leonardtown to seven shots and stopped all eight corners.

"My girls were really hungry, and that really is as much of an edge," Carpita said. "If we didn't know who Severna Park was (today), it would be an entirely different game."

The Panthers will have their shot to avenge a 9-0, regular-season loss to Severna Park in today's quarterfinals.

Regardless of the outcome, Annapolis' win - and one-win Meade's 6-0 victory over Kenwood last week - should speak volumes for the level of field hockey in Anne Arundel County.

Only Montgomery County (25) - home of power Bethesda-Chevy Chase - with 26 public high schools, has won more state titles than Anne Arundel County, which has 23 between Severna Park (18), South River (three) and Broadneck (two). Worcester County has 16 - all Pocomoke's; Hereford has 16, including 11 from Fallston; as does Carroll County.

Leonardtown, which boasts five of the three-school St. Mary's County's six titles - Chopticon has the other - hasn't been to the state semifinals since 1994, when it last won a championship.

Broadneck and Severna Park had beaten Bethesda-Chevy Chase this season, and South River dispatched Quince Orchard and Bryn Mawr - the Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference champion - in one tournament. Outside of Patuxent and Great Mills, which have combined to make eight state semifinal appearances since 2002, Leonardtown didn't play any team with quite the postseason experience as Anne Arundel County teams do on a regular basis.

That's a big reason why Carpita didn't feel it was an upset.

"I have pretty high expectations for this group," Carpita said. "Beating Arundel was a very big deal. Where we're ranked now is absolutely where we expected to be."

Instead of South River getting the No. 1 seed and a chance to play Severna Park in the semifinals to see who can shut down Broadneck, it won't be. While the level of field hockey doesn't diminish when Broadneck and South River meet in today's semifinal, Severna Park's road to a 19th title looks a lot clearer now than it did two weeks ago. And that's an advantage no fourth-ranked team - no matter its history - should have.

Maybe a coin clip isn't the best way to break a tie.

STAYING PUT?: With four IAAM C Conference titles in hand, Annapolis Area Christian School soccer coach Paul Brophy has no intention of moving up a level next season.

Due to the lack of competition within the upper-level league programs and the possible inclusion of B Conference teams into the C, the Eagles will defend their string of titles once more in 2010.

"We've considered (moving up) each year," said Brophy, the Eagles' coach for the last 15 years. "There are two or three teams possibly coming down, which is going to strengthen the C. We've played a few Bs, and it's not competitive. These games are competitive. You want to be competitive. Any four of the years, we could have been beaten. … If we need to go up, we'll go up. If not, some teams will come down to make it competitive."

Passed last May, the IAAM decided to form competition committees - compiled among selected athletic directors, heads of schools and sports chairs - to decide the programs' movement on a yearly basis. The competition committees, Eagles athletic director Joe Palumbo said, past seasons' records, teams' accomplishments and recommendations.

The committee will meet this week to decide on next year's fall alignment, and an announcement is expected soon.

The Eagles went 15-2-1 this season and are 60-8-5 over the last four, going unbeaten in 2008 and losing only to St. Timothy's in 2009.

"The (Nos.) 1 through 4 each year, anyone could win it," Brophy said. "It's just we feel like we get them up, we get them ready and they step it up. Other teams could step it up, and somebody's going to have to."

GOLDEN COURT: Linthicum resident Gabrielle Johnson and Mount de Sales teammate Maggie Andrew were named IAAM A Conference All-Stars after defeating Roland Park's 9-0 doubles tandem of Morgan Lambert and Kelsey Dwyer, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, in the final.

Severn doubles partners Macy Walker and Allie Foard also earned A Conference nods, while Archbishop Spalding's Danielle Johnson was named to the B All-Stars.

mpeters@capitalgazette.com