IVENTICHEV: RUNNING FOR HISTORY

Placed on a four-year plan by Friends head coach Ken Fowler, Russian born Grisha Iventichev will make his run at the MIAA individual cross country crown on Nov. 7 at Oregon Ridge.

	by Alejandro Danois Grisha Iventichev is attempting to become the first runner representing a MIAA B Conference school to win the individual MIAA cross country title. The Friends School senior is undefeated in the league and considered the top contender heading into next month’s championship race (Nov. 7) at Oregon Ridge. â??Grisha simply loves running,â? said Friends coach Ken Fowler. â??Itâ??s the first and last thing he thinks about every day. Heâ??s always asking, â??how much more can I do to improveâ?? and loves the competitive, one-on-one nature of it.â? In late August of 1999, Iventichev moved to the United States from Ivanov, Russia, a city roughly the size of Baltimore located 300 kilometers northeast of Moscow. Two weeks after his arrival, he was overwhelmed when he stepped foot into an American school for the first time. â??I was ten years old and didnâ??t know any English,â? said Iventichev. â??The only thing I was able to say is, â??Hi, my name is Grisha and I canâ??t speak English.â?? School was very difficult because of the language barrier and I had no idea what was going on.â? He joined a soccer team that fall, which helped ease the transition.
When the 2007 MIAA Cross Country Championships get underway on Wednesday afternoon at Oregon Ridge, Grisha Iventichev of Friends will be running for history, as he attempts to become the first runner from the MIAA B Conference to capture the overall individual title.

â??I was able to communicate and socialize with people through the sport and I couldnâ??t do that through language.â?

Iventichev applied himself in the confusing world of school, learning new words and studying as best he could every day. He spoke Russian at home with his family, but in less than two years became fluent in English.

On the soccer field, Iventichev found that he could run up and down for hours without getting tired. His father, a former college track athlete who competed in the 800 and 1500 meters, began coaching and instructing him on the nuances of distance running. The two would work out together, mixing short distance bursts, hills and long distance runs.

By the eighth grade, he traded in his soccer cleats and began competing in cross country.

â??As a freshman, even though he was very small at 5-foot-4, he was running very well,â? said Fowler. â??He was our number two runner and the biggest challenge I had was holding him back and not letting him do too much, too soon. He had the mindset that he wanted to do more but I wanted to look at it as a four year project and not burn him out the first year.â?

During his sophomore year, Iventichev became the B Conferenceâ??s top runner. He provided a glimpse of his potential and innate drive at the conference championships.

At the inception of the race, Iventichev felt good, quickly establishing a comfortable rhythm on the challenging course at Oregon Ridge.

â??I didnâ??t expect anything from that race as a sophomore because I was running against the big guys, they were all seniors, and I didnâ??t know what was going to happen,â? said Iventichev.
    
Before reaching the two-mile mark, he felt strong, started moving up and left the bulk of the competition behind during the uphill run.

â??At that point, I said Iâ??m just going to go for it and went all out,â? he said.

Iventichev hung behind the three leaders and eventually caught one runner near the end of the last mile. He finished the race third in 16:35, placing third overall.

â??The time that he ran on that course, for a sophomore, was amazing,â? said Fowler. â??Weâ??d seen him all through the year doing well in the B Conference races but that was the first time he stepped up against the big boys.â?

Two days before last yearâ??s championships, Iventichev came down with flu like symptoms. He showed up at the start line with a high fever, feeling very sick. The strength that he exhibited the year before was nowhere to be found, but he still managed to be the first B Conference runner to finish, placing 11th overall.

â??I felt weak during the entire race and was happy just to finish,â? said Iventichev.

He competed as a one man team last winter during the indoor season because Friends does not have a track program. A hip injury forced him to sit out the outdoor season, where he looks forward to running the 1600 and 3200 meters, and even possibly the 800 in the spring.

This fall, Iventichevâ??s only cross country defeat came at the elite Bull Run Invitational. He placed second, competing against top runners from schools in Maryland, Delaware and Virginia.
Last week, he injured his Achilles during a practice run. Competing in bulky, heavy training shoes at the meet hosted by Severn High School, held at Anne Arundel Community College, he still managed to place first.

Fowler is nearing the end of the four year project that is Iventichevâ??s development as a runner. The limitations of three years ago, where the coach would not allow his talented freshman past eight mile runs, have given way to twelve mile intervals and back to back hard workouts. On weekends, the coach and athlete can be found running together on McDonoghâ??s track, working to push Iventichev towards the next goal.

â??As good as he is now, Grishaâ??s going to improve more in college when he gets around like minded athletes that are as serious, and enjoy running as much as he does,â? said Fowler.

â??I canâ??t wait to get to college and run with people who are excited and enjoy running in a similar way,â? said Iventichev, whoâ??s eyeing Dickinson and LaSalle, among other schools.

Before that, thereâ??s the simple matter of making history at this weekâ??s MIAA Cross Country Championships.

â??I want to do my best and try to stay healthy,â? said Iventichev. â??I want to win and become the first B conference runner to win the league championship, thatâ??s my goal.â?

TIGER TALE

Mount Carmel hoops star Troy Franklin verbals to Towson University

	by Derek Toney Mount Carmel High School boys’ basketball player Troy Franklin announced Monday afternoon he plans to sign a national letter of intent with Towson University. The 5-foot, 10-inch senior point guard chose the Tigers over Central Florida, George Mason, St. Bonaventure and Toledo. “It just came down to it being the best academic and overall basketball fit for me,” said Franklin. “I fit in with the players, the coach [Towson coach Pat Kennedy] is a cool person. He spoke to me straight-up, he never tried to talk sly to me.” A two-time MIAA B Conference first-team selection, Franklin averaged 14.9 points, four assists and 2.6 steals a game for Mount Carmel, which has reaced the league championship the past two seasons, including the title in 2005-06. Franklin averaged 14.9 points, 4.4 assists and two steals as a sophomore after transferring from Boys’ Latin. A member of the Baltimore Stars Amateur Athletic Union squad, Franklin is ranked among the top 160 seniors from in the Northeast region by Tom Konchalski’s High School Basketball Insider Report. The report ranks Franklin as the top senior point guard in Maryland/D.C. area.
Cat Lover: Mount Carmel Cougars standout Troy Franklin announced Monday afternoon he’s signing with the Tigers of Towson University.

“I don’t feel any pressure at all,” said Franklin when asked if he had any concerns staying local to play collegiately. “I’ve been playing under pressure since I was seven years old.”

“I think Towson being his last official visit and after that experience, he came to the conclusion Towson was the best fit for him,” said Mount Carmel coach Tom Rose. “He’ll be a very good fit for their basketball program and a very good student.”

The national early signing period for basketball begins Nov. 14 until Nov. 21. 

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BOYS’ LATIN WINS, STAYS IN THE HUNT

SJCP & LUTHERAN EACH WIN; SET STAGE

On Saturday at Friends, St. John’s freshman LaMont Wims rushed for 183 yards and two touchdowns, as he led the Vikings to a 44-14 win over the host Quakers, while Lutheran had six different players score touchdowns as it shutout Annapolis Area Christian, 48-0, on Lutheran’s turf in Towson.

Both of Wims’ scores came in the third quarter and the Vikings also got a big game from quarterback Chris Pieffer, who threw for two scores.

For Lutheran, senior Daniel Bright rushed for a pair of third quarter touchdowns, as the Saints scored 21 points in the quarter, to build on a 20-0 halftime lead.

In the contest, Sean McFadden caught a 14 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Billy Seymour and senior Sean McFadden returned an interception 25 yards for a score.  Aaron Lee also scored on a 52 yard run, while Akil Thomas and Anthony Fiorvante also rushed for touchdowns.

St. Johns (4-2) and Lutheran (3-3), who are both 2-0 in the C Conference, did not meet last year when they both were members of the B Conference.  However, they will meet twice this year.  In addition to Friday’s 4:00 pm clash at Lutheran, the two will meet Nov. 9 at Frederick’s McCurdy Field.

	Calvert Hall quarterback Zach Blake fires a pass over Georgetown Prep’s defense. The Cardinals defeated the Little Hoyas, 27-6, Saturday in Towson, ending a two-game losing skid.

NO HEARTBREAK FOR CALVERT HALL

After two losses in final seconds, Cardinals rout Georgetown Prep in MIAA A football

MCDONOGH SURVIVES ST. JOE, 14-7

“Every week is survival in the ‘A’ Conference, particularly when you’re
0-1,” said McDonogh coach Dom Damico, whose tri-champion Eagles edged MIAA A rival Mount St. Joseph to rise to 1-1 in the conference and 3-3 overall. “If you’re 0-2 in the league, then you’re finished.”

But it was the Eagles’ bend-but-don’t break defense which survived a fourth-quarter push by the Gaels’ offense, allowing McDonogh to rise to 3-3, overall and 1-1 in the A Conference, and causing the Gaels’ fall to 2-4, 1-1.

Matt Hart, Shane Milam and Malcolm Mose-Hampton all had interceptions, with Moses-Hampton’s, at his own 18-yard line, ending the Gaels’ final drive with 56 seconds to play.

“I think that our defense is under-rated,” said Moses-Hampton. “If you look at our schedule, with the exception of Malvern Prep [a 46-7 loss,] we’ve held most teams to seven points or less.”

Even against a talented Gaels’ offense which dropped several passes within striking distance of the endzone, McDonogh defensive lineman Tyler Goldberg said, “we were very calm, mentally,” down the stretch.

“We didn’t worry too much. We knew that our defense could hold up,” said Goldberg, who knocked down a pass at the line of scrimmage during the Gaels’ final surge. “I believe the fact that we were so calm is the reason we won the game.”

	Coupled with Saturday’s 26-7 victory by Calvert Hall (3-3, 1-1) over Georgetown Prep (2-4, 1-1), there are now five teams with 1-1 records in the six-member A Conference, including Gilman (3-3 overall), which shared last year’s league crown with Loyola (6-0, 1-0) and McDonogh. McDonogh coach Dom Damico, whose Eagles were coming off last week’s 9-6 overtime loss to Loyola — their second straight extra-session setback against the Dons — called the victory “a turning point.” “Every week is survival in the ‘A’ Conference, particularly when you’re 0-1. If you’re 0-2 in the league, then you’re finished,” said Damico, who suffered an earlier, 3-0, loss to William Penn Charter on a fourth-quarter field goal. “It was a lot harder to practice this week because of that emotional let-down against Loyola,” Damico said. “It took us until Friday to get over that game.” But the Gaels’ defense had little sympathy for the Eagles, as Paul Moore, Jarin Roberts and Leroy Bradford led an assault that resulted in Johnson being sacked four times.
“It was a lot harder to practice this week because of [last week’s] emotional let-down against Loyola,” said McDonogh coach Dom Damico  (above), referring to a 9-6 overtime loss that preceded Saturday’s dramatic 14-7 victory over visiting A Conference opponent  Mount St. Joseph  “It took us until Friday to get over that game.”

“They were coming with some complex schemes, rushing seven guys, using some complex stunts and putting some pressure on Rudy,” Damico said. “It was tough for a sophomore quarterback, running our offense under that kind of pressure.”

But on a day when the sun’s strength-sapping, blistering rays shone brightly overhead, the Gaels’ high-scoring QB duo of Chris Collins and Chris Costabile was cooled by the Eagles’ defensive front comprised, at various times, of Goldberg (6-4, 215), Jordan “Grizzly” Davenport (6-2, 285), Lane Clelland (6-5, 270), Sam Ford (6-3, 195) and Alex Falcone (6-1, 215).

Used as a kickoff and punt returner, and as a receiver and running back as well as a QB, Collins had been singularly dangerous in games against Archbishop Spalding, Georgetown Prep and, most recently, Steubenville, Ohio.

In the Gaels’ season-opening, 47-14 rout of Archbishop Spalding, Collins rushed for 112 yards and scores of 1, 7 and 62 yards, and also a punt 75 yards for a score.

In the Gaels’ 40-3 blowout of MIAA A Conference rival Georgetown Prep, Collins rushed for scores of 1, and, 3 yards, and was 8-for-11 for 151 yards with scoring passes of 22 and 30 yards to Dom Serio and Derek Cotton.

And in last week’s 35-28 non-conference loss to Steubenville, Ohio, a program that has now won 37 consecutive games, Collins threw a 7-yard pass for a touchdown and scored fourth-quarter TDs on a run and a reception from Costabile, respectively, with 3:12, and, 1:09 remaining to close the
gap.

“Our game plan was to contain No. 7 [Collins] because he’s so shifty and can get away from us easily,” said Goldberg. “We wanted to not let him get outside. We tried to jack their offensive guards to not let him go inside.”

The Collins-Costabile switcheroo, as well as the patterns of the Gaels’ receivers, were rehearsed “over and over again” by the members of McDonogh’s secondary throughout last week’s practices, according to Hart.

“All week long, we prepared for the fact that No. 14 [Costabile] is more of a crisper passer, and No. 7 [Collins] is more of a shifty, runner-type who can also throw the ball,” said Hart, whose interception was made in the endzone.

“On my interception, I just got the jump on the ball because we gone over them in practice. We looked at the same routs that they run until we sort of knew them,” said Hart. “It was to the point where we knew what was going to happen before it happened.”

But that didn’t stop Collins and Derek Cotton from connecting on a seccond-quarter, 10-yard scoring pass worthy of a highlight reel on SportsCenter. Moses-Hampton admirinly described the play.

“No. 7 [Collins] must have had three guys in his face, and he still managed to get the pass off,” said Moses-Hampton. “And then, the ball was tipped, and it’s like No. 10 [Cotton] was hanging up in the air for three seconds before he came down with the ball.”

Damico summarized the Gaels’ final offensive push, and his Eagles’ survival of it, as “typical of an A Conference game — full of great drama and great plays on both sides of the ball.”

“It was a game that came down to the final drive,” said Damico, who bore witness to a number of breath-taking near-misses by the Gaels.

On one such effort, Nick Hutcherson out-leaped two McDonogh defenders in the endzone and seemed to have control of the ball, only to have it ruled incomplete  as it bounced free of his hands once he landed sideways on the ground.

Costabile faced third-and-7 at McDonogh’s 14-yard line when a diving Collins dove for a ball just beyond the firstm down marker, only to have it escape his grasp at the last instant.

On the next play, Goldberg batted down a pass at the scrimmage line.

Collins dropped another pass near the McDonogh sideline inside the Eagles’ 30 wiith under a minute to go, seemingly with a shot at scoring a touchdown had he been successful.

“We had some shots, some dropped passes. We make those, we’re right in the game,” said Mount St. Joseph coach Chip Armstrong. “But my hat’s off to McDonogh. They kind of had their backs to the wall, and they played well under those circumstances.”

The Gaels play Loyola next, while the Eagles face Calvert Hall.

GILMAN BATTLES PAST CALVERT HALL IN FOUR SETS

After going up 2-0, with 25-20 and 25-18 wins, the Gilman Greyhounds found themselves in a highly competitive MIAA A Conference volleyball battle with host Calvert Hall, Friday in Towson.  The Cardinals came on to win game three, 25-23, and stormed back from six points down in the fourth game, tying it up at 25, 26 and 27, before finally falling, 29-27, as Gilman wrapped up the 3-1 victory.

Calvert hall Coach Matt Carbine said, “We’re improving to the point where we can be play competitively with Gilman.  They’ve set the standard for a number of years and it’s good to take a game from them, and then go to overtime in another one.”

The Hall is 9-3 overall on the season.  The Greyhounds, with this win, remain undefeated at 12-0.

Gilman was led by senior Eddie Wiese (14 kills, 8 digs), junior Asher Kaplan (14 kills, 10 digs) and senior Kevin Niparko (13 kills).  Niparko was especially tough in the decisive fourth game, where he had 9 digs and 2 blocks.

Also contribution were seniors Idy Iglehart (9 kills) and Jeff Irwin (26 assists), as well as junior Will Allenbach (22 assists).

Greyhound coach Neil Gabbey said, “Unbelievable job by Calvert Hall.  Sometimes my guys tend to play like winning is sort of entitled to us.  Calvert Hall has players who dig the back-line really well, they blocked well, they hit well, and they put a lot of shots down our throats.”

Gabbey praised Niparko, his middle-hitter, saying, “He played very well at the net, and came up with lots of smart plays.  He hit the ball well and came up with a bunch of kills in game four that we really needed.

“Both of our centers, Jeff Irwin and Will Allenbach had good games; they moved the ball all over the place.”

Next week the Greyhounds will put their unbeaten streak on the line at Mount St. Joseph, a team that Gabbey said “plays with lots of passion.

“They will be tough.” 

CHAPELGATE WINS GRACE

Tom Guarino staked visiting Greater Grace to an early 1-0 lead, when he scored an unassisted first half goal.  The Jackets trailed for most of the opening half, but got the equalizer just before the break, as a hard shot from midfielder Alex McCurry grazed a defender and found its way into the back of the net.

In the second half, sophomore Mike Becker was assisted by his brother Jim, a senior, for a hard upper left corner shot to give the Yellowjackets the lead. Meanwhile, defenders Grant Shipley and Chris Carlson kept pressure on the Greater Grace midfield, while seniors Mike Lovaas and Jeff Yahiro backed goalies Matt Siggins and Steve Handy to preserve the lead.

Greater Grace keeper Charles Hadley had ten saves in goal, but the offense was unable to convert, leaving Chapelgate with the win.

Chapelgate Christian 2, Greater Grace 1
Goals: CC-A. McCurry, M. Becker. GG-T. Guarino
Assists: CC-J. Becker
Saves: CC-M. Siggins 1, S. Handy 3. GG-C. Hadley.
Half: 1-1.

— Lauren Bradley

PATRIOTS TURN ON THE LIGHTS, BUT ST. PAUL’S STEALS THE WIN