It was a title-winning performance for Calvert Hall College Saturday at the Baltimore Touchdown Club's 7-on-7 tournament at St. Paul's School. The Towson school is hoping for several more championships in the future as they build towards 2008 and beyond in the MIAA A Conference.
River Hill's Luke Hostetler prepares to throw during the Hawks' opening match with Old Mill. The defending Class 2A state champions won their bracket for the third time in as many appearances at the BTC event.
by Derek Toney
dtoney@digitalsports.com (See video, standings & scores below)
To millions of football fans, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. is the
No. 1 source for the National Football
League draft. But the Calvert Hall College graduate is probably his alma-mater’s
football team’s most ardent follower.
“They’re developing a heck of a football program,” said Kiper
before the start of Saturday’s Baltimore Touchdown Club’s 7-on-7 competition at
St. Paul’s School. “Rest assured, Calvert Hall will be winning MIAA A Conference
championships in the not too distance future. “
Optimism is aplenty for the Red & Gold, looking to
return to prominence. The Cardinals’ bracket championship on a warm Saturday
was a step, albeit small, toward a return to championship heights.
“We brought 35 kids out here and they all played,” said
Cardinals coach Donald Davis. “We were able to be successful by playing freshmen,
sophomores, juniors and seniors. To have that entire group contribute meant
more than the trophy or winning the games.”
Mount St. Joseph, River Hill and Wilde Lake also won bracket
titles in the 16-team event. All three enjoyed successful campaigns in 2007.
The Cardinals posted a 5-6 mark last season in Davis’ first
campaign at his alma-mater. After an expected adjustment phase, Calvert Hall is
approaching 2008 with a similar mindset.
“It was like today, up and down,” said Cardinals junior
linebacker Raynard Parks, whose team beat Centennial, Reservoir and Old Mill,
and loss to Winters Mill. “We had a lot of things we weren’t really sure about.
It’s a learning process, but we stick together as a family. It’s a rebuilding
process.”
Davis said the Cardinals will be young, but “have a great
opportunity” to show improvement from last season. Like Kiper, Davis believes
Calvert Hall will be ascending to the top of the MIAA A.
“I’m excited about the enthusiasm they have for the
program. We set our sights on the
championship every year,” said Davis. “I don’t think there’s any reason why you
should come out and aspire to do anything other than win the whole thing. If we
can stay healthy, we can make progress and our kids can grow up, we’ll have as
good of a shot as anybody.”
Mount St. Joseph wasn’t on the radar when the 2007 campaign started,
but by season’s end, the Gaels were atop the MIAA A Conference standings, sharing
the crown with Loyola Blakefield. The west Baltimore school appears ready to be
a formidable challenger again this fall, winning its bracket Saturday.
“We played well on both sides of the ball, we scored in
every game on defense,” said Mount St. Joseph coach Chip Armstrong, whose team
went 4-0 in its bracket. “I think we have a better passing game that we’ve had
at St. Joe in quite a while.”
River Hill remained
perfect at the BTC competition, beating Old Mill, St. Paul’s, Westminster and
Winters Mill. The Hawks, who won the Class 2A crown last season, are 12-0 in its
three BTC 7-on-7 appearances.
Wilde Lake, a team that’s been on the Hawks’ heels the last
several seasons in Howard County, beat North Carroll, Archbishop Spalding and
Poly in its bracket (loss to Severna Park). The Wildecats claimed the 3A East Region title
before losing to eventual state champ Damascus in the state semifinals.
“We’re returning a lot of our skill kids and the young
linemen have had a good offseason,” said Wildecats coach Doug DuVall. “We would
like to think we’re going to be competitive.”
Baltimore Touchdown Club 7-on-7 Tournament
At St. Paul’s School
STANDINGS
Bracket 1
Wilde Lake 3-1
Archbishop Spalding 2-2
Severna Park 2-2
North Carroll 0-4
Bracket 2
Mount St. Joseph 4-0
Marriotts Ridge 3-1
Poly 1-3
John Carroll 1-3
Bracket 3
River Hill 4-0
Old Mill 2-2
Westminster 2-2
St. Paul’s 0-4
Bracket 4
Calvert Hall 3-1
Winters Mill 2-2
Centennial 2-2
Reservoir 1-3
SCORES
River Hill 36, Old Mill 30
Westminster 36, St. Paul’s 18
Calvert Hall 24, Centennial 12
Reservoir 24, Winters Mill 18
Poly 24, John Carroll 12
Mount St. Joseph 30, Marriotts Ridge 12
Spalding 31, Severna Park 30 (OT)
Wilde Lake 42, North Carroll 6
Old Mill 30, Westminster 24
River Hill 36, St. Paul's 0
Calvert Hall 19, Reservoir 18
Winters Mill 37, Centennial 32
Mount St. Joseph 36, Poly 18
Marriotts Ridge 48, John Carroll 12
Spalding 18, North Carroll 12
Severna Park 42, Wilde Lake 36
Centennial 19, Reservoir 18
Winters Mill 19, Calvert Hall 18
River Hill def. Westminster
Old Mill def. St. Paul's
Severna Park 25, North Carroll 24
Wilde Lake 30, Spalding 12
Mount St. Joseph 36, John Carroll 24
Marriotts Ridge 24, Poly 18
Centennial 36, St. Paul's 6
Calvert Hall 7, Old Mill 6
River Hill 60, Winters Mill 12
Westminster 42, Reservoir 30
Marriotts Ridge 24, Spalding 18
Mount St. Joseph 42, Severna Park 12
Wilde Lake 36, Poly 30
John Carroll 42, North Carroll 24