April 19, 2006

I ventured to my first Mount Hebron women's game earlier this week to see if I could uncover the secret to their success. Granted, I didn't have to venture far, as the Vikings were playing highly-regarded St. Mary's of Annapolis just steps from my office door in one of the four games that comprised the Maryland High School Lacrosse Showdown at Homewood Field in Baltimore.

I was convinced that if I watched intently, I would uncover the secret to their success. There must be a magic formula that adds up to a nation's-best 85 game winning streak, along with nine consecutive and 13 overall Maryland state championships.

There were no hints during warm-ups. In fact, if the uniforms didn't have the school names written across the front, I would have likely zeroed in on the wrong team as the pre-game favorite.

There also appeared to be no noticeable differences in physical stature during the introductions. Mount Hebron players appeared to generally be the same size and have the same physiques as their opponent. Physical superiority was clearly not the answer.

Then it must be the experience. Mount Hebron must have a team full of seniors who capitalize on their opponent's youth and inexperience. Wrong again. St. Mary's started eight seniors, while the Vikings had just six.

Even after the game started, the domination was never overwhelming. The play appeared to be balanced, even and competitive. It was only after Mount Hebron posted a 6-0 half-time advantage that it began to sink in.

These girls are consistent and methodical. They don't drop balls, they don't mishandle passes, and they don't rack up turnovers. They do challenge you defensively, they do hit their spots when shooting, and they always seem to make the right decisions with the ball. In short, they weren't going to beat themselves. You were going to have to seize the victory. It wouldn't be handed to you.

Unfortunately for St. Mary's, which entered the game with a 10-1 record, they couldn't seize enough in the second half. Despite finding some holes in the Viking defense and scoring eight times after intermission, the early six-goal deficit proved to be the difference in the 14-8 final.

And the streak continues.

Ultimately, perhaps the mystery is that there is no mystery. There's no secret formula, other than sound fundamental lacrosse, supplemented with solid decision-making and consistent execution.

Mount Hebron Head Coach Brooke Kuhl-McClelland says that the history of success, in some ways, helps fuel the program's continued success. "Any young girl who lives in our district knows that the expectations are pretty high," she said. "It takes a major commitment to be a part of this program because the kids all know of the legacy. A great work ethic and dedication to the game are the constants."

While everybody knows about the streak, Kuhl-McClelland notes that it is never a topic among the players on the team.

"The only time it is really talked about is when we are asked about it," she said. "We do celebrate every win, because we're not always going to win. And if we do lose, it's not a big deal. It's just a game and we've got to keep it in context."

•Playing in the same tournament, the McDonogh girls, ranked second only to the Vikings in Maryland, improved to 11-0 with a 12-9 win over Dulaney. McDonogh and traditional power Roland Park square off in a key league game Friday.

•Meanwhile, just across the Potomac River, Virginia's nationally-ranked St. Stephen's & St. Agnes ran its record to 6-0 with a narrow 12-10 win over Maryland's Notre Dame Prep.

•In Virginia boys, 2003 state champion Norfolk Academy was off to a 5-0 start and outscoring opponents 80-9 before suffering its first loss, 11-10 in overtime to Collegiate of Richmond. The Bulldogs rebounded nicely with an 8-4 victory last week over defending state champion Woodberry Forest.

•The season has not started smoothly for three-time defending Virginia public champion Oakton, which stands 3-3 overall. Granted, the Cougars have faced a challenging non-league schedule, with match-ups against three of Maryland's traditional powers in St. Paul's, Boys' Latin and Georgetown Prep. The surprise is that the Cougars have not been more competitive in those games, losing by 14, 15 and 18 goals, respectively.

•On Long Island, some things never change. Manhasset's Head Coach Alan Lowe just keeps ticking, registering his 500th career win last week. Lowe, who has coached the Indians since 1975 and has had Assistant Coach Bob Rule at his side throughout, ranks third on the all-time Nassau County wins list and fourth on Long Island. Along the way, Lowe has piloted Manhasset to nine County Championships, including four of the past five years, seven Long Island Championships, and state titles in 1995 and 2004.

After opening with five straight wins this year, the Indians suffered their first loss on Saturday, losing 15-14 in overtime to arch-rival Garden City in the annual Woodstick Classic.

• On a side note, Manhasset High School will host a fundraiser and lacrosse benefit for the family of former Manhasset, University of Virginia, and Team USA lacrosse player John Driscoll, who passed away in 2002 after battling a brain tumor for nearly six years. The event will be Saturday, with youth games in the afternoon, followed by girls' and boys' varsity games at 5 and 7 p.m.

•Also on Long Island, nationally-ranked Huntington continues to roll, improving to 8-0 by winning its last three conference games by a combined 47-4 score.

•And finally, Wendy Kridel, who has led the United States to two International Federation of Women's Lacrosse Associations' U-19 world championships, has been named head coach of the 2007 U.S. U-19 Women's Lacrosse Team. Kridel was the head coach for the U.S. team that captured the 1999 IFWLA U-19 championship in Perth, Australia and the 2003 IFWLA U-19 championship in Towson, Md.

Kridel has been the head coach at The Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore, Md., since 1997 and is now also the athletic director at the school. She previously coached at Towson (Md.) High School and Roland Park Country School. In 16 years of coaching she has won seven league championships and her combined record entering this spring was 154-33-4.