Chad Capellman's Various Articles


	Return to Clips Index Sports MOUNT ST. MARY'S 82, HOWARD MEN 62; Young Bison Stumble to 0-3 Start Chad Capellman Special to The Washington Post 12/04/1996 The Washington Post FINAL B04 Copyright 1996, The Washington Post Co. All Rights Reserved While the season is young and no one is panicking, there may be a growing concern among the members of the Howard basketball team. With last night's 82-62 loss to Mount St. Mary's before a crowd of 1,020 at Burr Gymnasium, the inexperienced Bison dropped to 0-3. Last year's team had the worst start in school history, losing its first 15 games. "Howard is struggling a bit and we knew that," said Mount St. Mary's Coach Jim Phelan, who earned his 760th victory to move into sole possession of fifth place on the NCAA's all-time victory list. "They are uptight when the shots don't fall. If they can get themselves relaxed. . . . they're hustling and playing hard, but nothing good is happening it seems." Howard had its confidence shaken Saturday by losing, 81-79, in overtime to Division II Morehouse, and looked unsure of itself in the first half of last night's game. The Mountaineers (2-1) routinely broke the Bison press and made 52 percent of their shots. Forward Rob Balgac compiled game highs of 17 points and 10 rebounds. Howard was led by Xavier Singletary (Dunbar High) and Eric Dedmon, who scored 14 points apiece. The Mountaineers -- who made 62 percent of their three-point shots in the first half -- went on a 29-9 run late in the half to lead by 43-23 before a layup by Dedmon made the score 43-25 at halftime. In the second half, a three-pointer by Silus Cheung (Magruder High) pushed Mount St. Mary's lead to 56-32 with 13 minutes 38 seconds remaining, but a 14-2 run by Howard cut the lead to 12 points with 7:02 left. Unfortunately for the Bison -- who had their lowest number of turnovers this season with 11 -- they took several premature perimeter shots and could not get closer. "I'm sure [last year] is in the back of their mind. It's in the back of my mind," said Howard third-year coach Mike McLeese. "I don't see us going 0-15 this year. We're going to get some wins before we get to the 15 mark anyway, but we've got an ambitious schedule."


	Return to Clips Index Sports Jue Learns a Lesson From His Coach: Mom; Chantilly Star Taught That Football Is All Academic Chad Capellman Special to The Washington Post 11/29/1996 The Washington Post FINAL B04 Copyright 1996, The Washington Post Co. All Rights Reserved When Bhawoh Jue is a running back in Chantilly High's wing-T offense, few teams can control him. And when Jue, a senior with outstanding speed, plays defensive back, not many have been able to get by him. However, one person nearly stopped Jue's football exploits: his mother. Three years ago, Jue was one of a few sophomores to play on the school's varsity squad. But soon after the 6-foot-3, 190-pounder earned a starting position in the second half of the season, his grades began to slip. Jue already was receiving recruiting letters from colleges but his mother, Bendu, was concerned only with her son's academic performance. Bendu, a mother of four who moved to the United States from Liberia when Bhawoh (pronounced Bow, rhymes with now) was 1, told Bhawoh that his days on the team were numbered if his grades didn't improve by November. "My reason [for the threat] was he has to have an education," Bendu said. "Kids can play football and forget school. I didn't know how much he loved the sport, but he must have because he worked real hard." Since then, Jue's academic and athletic performances have improved and colleges continue to recruit him. Jue will be a key Saturday as No. 1 Chantilly (11-1) meets Kecoughtan (11-1) of Hampton in a Virginia AAA Division 6 semifinal at 1:30 p.m. at W.T. Woodson High School. "She would have worked harder to pay the extra bills for me to go to school," said Jue, who has been recruited by Michigan, Penn State and North Carolina. Chantilly Coach Danny Meier knows how valuable Jue is to the team. "I cannot imagine us going into a big game without him on either side of the ball," said Meier, whose Chargers are 32-4 over the past three seasons. "He is the complete package." Jue, who plays forward on the basketball team and reached the state outdoor track semifinals in the 100 meters, has been a major reason the football team has held opponents to 8.6 points per game this season. Jue has 18 touchdowns this season, averages 9.5 yards per rush and is the team's leading receiver with 29 catches for 678 yards. "Probably anywhere in the country he wanted to go he could go," said Coach Jerry Smith of Broad Run, which was a 34-28 loser to Chantilly earlier this season as Jue rushed for 250 yards and four touchdowns on 13 carries. "He is tough to get a good shot at. He just has phenomenal speed and reduces the field for them." Jue made a play two weeks ago in the Northern Region semifinal that few in Chantilly's program soon will forget. Herndon led 3-0 when running back Doug Kushin broke loose and looked certain to score a 93-yard touchdown. Jue came from across the field and tackled Kushin on the 2-yard line. Chantilly held the Hornets to a field goal and rallied for a 17-6 victory keyed by a 14-yard touchdown reception by Jue. "After the game, several people came up to me and said that was the greatest play they had ever seen," Meier said. Since his academic rally, Jue has gained an interest in civil engineering. "Ever since he was a little boy he loved to fix things," Bendu Jue said. "He broke a few TVs trying to fix them." He has been warned by some that it will be a difficult line of study, but Jue is not fazed by that thought. "I'm not the type of person," Jue said, "to shy away from challenges."


	Return to Clips Index Sports NO. 5 ELEANOR ROOSEVELT 29, LAKE CLIFTON 8; Acrimony Brings Game to Halt Chad Capellman Special to The Washington Post 11/24/1996 The Washington Post FINAL D11 Copyright 1996, The Washington Post Co. All Rights Reserved Instead of giving reserve players a chance to participate in the final moments of yesterday's 29-8 Maryland Class 4A semifinal victory over Baltimore's Lake Clifton, the coaching staff of host No. 5 Eleanor Roosevelt instead had to make sure all of its players remained eligible for the school's first state title game. With acrimony increasing throughout the game between Lake Clifton players and Roosevelt's fans and players, head official Jim Heller ended the game with 1 minute 20 seconds left. Police and security personnel on the grounds of the Greenbelt school were put on alert after some Lake Clifton players and Roosevelt fans who were watching from outside the field's fence began yelling and throwing rocks at one another. One Lake Clifton player was struck in the head, according to Coach James Monroe. Police said a car window was broken. Nearly overshadowed by the abrupt ending was the performance of William Bowden, who led Prince George's 4A champion Eleanor Roosevelt (11-1) to its 11th straight victory and a berth in Saturday's 7 p.m. state title game against No. 3 Sherwood at Byrd Stadium. Raiders coaches wanted to make sure none of their players was ejected from yesterday's game, which might have made them ineligible for the championship game. Emotions ran deep throughout the second half. On the second play of the third period, Heller ejected the Lakers' Dijorell Dunn for unsportsmanlike conduct. That action was part of a busy day for the officials, who called a total of 21 penalties for 180 yards. With both defenses dominating, Bowden shifted the balance with his second key special teams play in as many weeks. Roosevelt was leading 10-8 with 5:15 remaining when Bowden returned a Lake Clifton punt 35 yards for a touchdown and a 16-8 lead. In a quarterfinal victory over Oxon Hill, the senior returned a kickoff 64 yards to set up the game-winning score. "At a big moment, in a big game, he always seems to come up big for us," said Roosevelt Coach Pat McGroarty. That started a 19-point Raiders surge in 4 1/2 minutes. Running back Kevin Brooks rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Most Roosevelt students have grown up within miles of the University of Maryland stadium. "We pointed to the trees over there all week," said McGroarty, "and said, `Byrd Stadium is just over the hill and we have got to get there.' " Lake Clifton (10-2) 0 8 0 0 -- 8 Eleanor Roosevelt (11-1) 0 3 7 19 -- 29 L -- Lowery 3 pass from Able (Pearsall run) R -- FG Richmond 30 R -- Brooks 1 run (Richmond kick) R -- Bowden 35 punt return (kick failed) R -- Franklin 22 run (Richmond kick) R -- Upchurch recovered fumble in end zone (kick failed)


	Return to Clips Index Sports NO. 4 WESTLAKE 26, DUNBAR (BALTIMORE) 14; Wolverines Have Inspiration, First Shot at Championship Chad Capellman Special to The Washington Post 11/23/1996 The Washington Post FINAL B10 Copyright 1996, The Washington Post Co. All Rights Reserved Prior to last night's Maryland Class 3A football semifinal game against visiting Dunbar of Baltimore, Westlake Coach Dominic Zaccarelli emphasized to his players the opportunity that lay before them. The Wolverines had a chance to earn their first state championship game appearance. And if they were to play at Byrd Stadium next week against Damascus, it would mean the five-year-old Waldorf school would have to beat the team that last season eliminated Westlake from its first playoff appearance. Zaccarelli's team followed the inspiration, taking a 26-14 victory before about 3,000 fans on a windy, chilly night. Westlake's Daniel Holton starred offensively and defensively. He scored three touchdowns and had a team-high 15 tackles playing linebacker as the No. 4 Wolverines improved to 12-0. "I told the kids that very rarely in your life do you have a chance to make things right, and this is one of them," said Zaccarelli, whose team lost to Dunbar, 14-6, in a state quarterfinal last season after the Poets recovered a fumbled snap on a punt play for the game-winning touchdown. Dunbar went on to win its second consecutive state title. "We took it very hard last year," said Holton, a 5-foot-11, 195-pound senior. "That's why we were so fired up to come out and play hard this year. We just felt that we could not have that happen again." Last night, after Dunbar opened with a 71-yard drive capped by a one-yard quarterback sneak for a touchdown by Denelle Hale, Westlake responded with four straight touchdowns -- the last three by Holton. He scored on a 27-yard touchdown reception and on runs of five and 45 yards as the Wolverines took a 26-8 third-quarter lead. In the third period, Dunbar (9-3) recovered a fumbled punt return on the Westlake 33-yard line. A lofted 21-yard pass from Hale to Ali Culpepper on fourth and 18 set up a 12-yard score by Culpepper (118 yards on 20 carries) on the next play. But the Poets got no closer. Note: Since going 0-10 as a junior varsity squad in 1993, Westlake has gone 28-5 in its three varsity seasons. Zaccarelli, who previously worked as an assistant coach at McDonough, has coached at Westlake for all three seasons. Dunbar (9-3) 8 0 6 0--14 Westlake (12-0) 0 20 6 0--26 D -- Hale 1 run (Hale run) W -- Dickens 5 run (Prather run) W -- Holton 27 pass from Austin (kick blocked) W -- Holton 5 run (run failed) W -- Holton 45 run (run failed) D -- Culpepper 12 run (run failed)


	Return to Clips Index Sports Emotions Help Drive Robinson; Retiring Coach, Rams Seek Regional Title Chad Capellman Special to The Washington Post 11/21/1996 The Washington Post FINAL E02 Copyright 1996, The Washington Post Co. All Rights Reserved After the No. 16 Robinson High School football team upset then-No. 13 Lake Braddock in a Virginia AAA Northern Region Division 6 semifinal game last Friday, it would have been easy for retiring Nick Hilgert to bask in the afterglow of a victory that extended his coaching career at least one more week. It was his team's fifth straight victory and should have made this final season for Hilgert, 56, most enjoyable as the Rams earned a berth in Saturday's regional title game against No. 2 Chantilly. However, there are mitigating factors. The team has played this season knowing its offensive coordinator, Loran Ward, has been battling pancreatic cancer since Sept. 1. Ward, 76, was back Friday and delivered an inspiring pregame talk, after which the Rams came away with a 19-16 victory over Lake Braddock, which had beaten them, 33-2, in the regular season. Following Friday's game, Hilgert learned his 85-year-old mother was hospitalized. The next day, Hilgert, an only child, made the four-hour drive to his home town of Elizabeth City, N.C. Since Tuesday, he has shuttled between Fairfax and Elizabeth City, trying to prepare for Saturday's game and tend to his ailing mother. "You lose a lot of time, but that's my mom," said Hilgert, who has coached the Rams for 14 seasons. "I feel better going [to visit her] than if I had stayed here worrying. . . . I hope there is someone to be there for me when I'm her age." Ward, a former head coach at Fairfax, Lee and the since-closed Groveton, also coached Point Merrion (Pa.) High to a 1952 Pennsylvania state title. After losing nearly 40 pounds in the past three months, much of it spent in hospitals, Ward was optimistic about his health and determined to appear at last week's game. The doctors "think they got [the cancer] whipped," Ward said. "I certainly hope so. I had a long seige -- it was pretty tough to keep myself fighting. I wanted to be back to be there for the football team. I told the offensive line that they could be the best the school has ever had. But me saying so does not make it true. They had to do it." Ward's presence and words may have provided vital inspiration. "He has been real important to us the last two years," said senior center Chris Musick, whose father, Craig, played for Ward in 1973. "When he came to visit us, it gave us so much determination to come off the ball and win. He was not just talking to us about football -- he was talking about life." Ward's offensive line continued its outstanding play, which has led to 5-foot-6, 140-pound junior running back Marcus Howard establishing two single-season school rushing records with 2,293 yards and 28 touchdowns. The previous record for yardage was set 12 years ago by Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Warren, who was one of the most powerful high school running backs in the Washington area over the past two decades. Hilgert's emotional season began with the decision that it would be his last. His wife, Sharon, would be eligible to retire from her job and a goal Hilgert long ago set for himself -- 100 career wins -- was attainable with one more season. Several injuries led to a disappointing 3-3 start, necessitating that Robinson (now 8-3) win its final four regular season games to get Hilgert's 100th victory and a playoff berth. "It was important not to win the next four games for the 100, but to win the next game because our kids were a good ballclub," Hilgert said. Heading into Saturday's game against Chantilly, Hilgert has tried to put the game's importance in perspective with the off-the-field situations surrounding him and his team. "Life is short and football is a part of it," Hilgert said. "It should not be your whole life -- a lot of things come first. If they don't, you are in trouble." CAPTION: Robinson Coach Nick Hilgert, who is retiring after the season, and running back Marcus Howard face No. 2 Chantilly in playoff Saturday.


	Return to Clips Index Sports NO. 3 SHERWOOD 55, PATTERSON 19; Warriors Back on Track Behind Foreman's Runs Chad Capellman Special to The Washington Post 11/17/1996 The Washington Post FINAL D14 Copyright 1996, The Washington Post Co. All Rights Reserved BALTIMORE, Nov. 16 -- It was not his longest run of the day, nor did it account for one of his four touchdowns in little more than a quarter. But Tyree Foreman's 23-yard run that left three defenders lying on the ground in No. 3 Sherwood's 55-19 win over host Patterson in a Maryland 4A state quarterfinal game summed up the entire day. "I think I should have scored on that play," said Foreman, who scored from the 4 on the next play. "There was no one else there. I just fell." Indeed it appeared the only way the Warriors could be stopped was when they stopped themselves. The Sandy Spring team (10-1) regrouped impressively one week after its winning streak was ended at 14 games by Seneca Valley. And if today's game was an indication, Sherwood should be well-prepared for next week's semifinal: It will travel to Germantown for a rematch with No. 1 Seneca Valley (11-0). Sherwood Coach Bob Milloy said he was unhappy with his team all week in practice for dwelling on last week's loss to Seneca Valley. "I never walked off the field happy . . . it was a rough week," Milloy said. "I am shocked that we beat Patterson as badly as we did." Today, Foreman (185 yards on 16 carries) dominated on the offensive side and Graham Manley overpowered the Clippers (9-2) from his linebacker position. The 6-foot-3, 235-pound Manley had a sack and limited the Clippers to 60 offensive yards. "They were clearly better than us in all aspects of the game," said Patterson Coach T. Roger Wrenn, whose team won the Baltimore City 4A title the past two seasons and was eliminated from the playoffs each time. "I'm not surprised. When I scouted them, we anticipated that they were better than we were." Sherwood (10-1) 21 27 0 7--55 Patterson (9-2) 0 6 7 6--19 S -- Foreman 15 run (Manley kick) S -- Foreman 29 run (Manley kick) S -- Miggins 56 pass from Cilento (Manley kick) S -- Foreman 4 run (Manley kick) S -- Carrier recovered fumble in end zone (Manley kick) S -- Foreman 10 run (kick failed) P -- Branch 10 run (run failed) S -- Daniels 5 run (Manley kick) P -- Little 1 run (Jones kick) S -- Reiss 1 run (Thompson kick) P -- T. Williams recovered fumble in end zone (kick failed)


	Return to Clips Index Sports ROBINSON 19, NO. 13 LAKE BRADDOCK 16; Howard's Three Scores Cue Upset Chad Capellman Special to The Washington Post 11/16/1996 The Washington Post FINAL H05 Copyright 1996, The Washington Post Co. All Rights Reserved The coaching career of Robinson's Nick Hilgert will live for at least one more game. With an effort that resembled nothing of the first meeting this season between the teams, Robinson utilized the rushing of Marcus Howard and a solid defense to upset defending region champion and No. 13 Lake Braddock, 19-16, in a Virginia AAA Northern Region Division 6 semifinal game before a crowd of about 3,500 last night in Burke. Howard, a 5-foot-6, 140-pound junior who finished the regular season as the area's third-leading rusher, scored all three of Robinson's touchdowns as he finished with 193 yards on 24 carries. But it was Robinson's defense that held in the game's final two minutes, as Lake Braddock quarterback D'Arcy Wills just missed two receivers in the end zone for go-ahead scores in the game's final drive. "We played above ourselves to win this ballgame," Hilgert said. Wills completed 18 of 22 attempts for 225 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. His second touchdown pass was a 71-yarder to Ronnie Washington that gave the Bruins the lead with 8 minutes 14 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Hilgert, who plans to retire at the end of the season, guided Robinson to its sixth Northern Region championship game since the school's first appearance in 1977. Robinson will be playing for its fourth region title. Notes: Lake Braddock took advantage of four Robinson turnovers in the regular season meeting, but last night was the team that made the costly mistakes with two turnovers. "If they had turned the ball over even one time," said Lake Braddock Coach Francis Dall, "that probably would have made a difference in the game."


	Return to Clips Index Sports In Final, Kannarkat Can't be Caught Chad Capellman Special to The Washington Post 11/10/1996 The Washington Post FINAL D08 Copyright 1996, The Washington Post Co. All Rights Reserved Four months ago, Jamie Larson thought that this fall she would be trying to improve on her round of 16 showing of last year in the Tennessee state high school girls singles tennis tournament. Instead, the sophomore transfer -- now playing for Osbourn High School -- is feeling good about reaching the Virginia AAA state final. Larson was defeated yesterday by Milly Kannarkat of First Colonial High School of Virginia Beach, 6-3, 6-1, in the final held indoors at the Four Seasons Tennis Club in Fairfax. The title is the second for Kannarkat, who won as a freshman but lost in the semifinals of last year's tournament while playing with an injured right shoulder that required surgery after the season. For Larson, it was the first defeat of her Virginia high school career. "I had no idea what to expect; I did not know what anyone played like or who anyone was," said Larson, who moved from Johnson City, Tenn., in late August and finished the season 18-1. "I was just hoping to win a round or two." Larson reached the final by ousting defending state champion Bridget Bruner of Douglass Freeman High of Richmond, 7-5, 6-0, on Friday. In that match, Larson trailed 5-2 in the first set before winning 13 straight games to close out the match. Larson opened yesterday's match by breaking Kannarkat's serve, but Kannarkat settled down midway through the set, took advantage of her overpowering forehand and controlled the rest of the match. "She just plain beat me," Larson said. "I should have kept it away from her [forehand] a lot more than I did." Note: In the doubles final, Kristin Lanio and Katie Mason of Clover Hill defeated teammates Amy Fowler and Sunlin Miller for the title, 6-1, 6-1. Lisa Pruett and Monica Archondo of Annandale defeated Laura James and Abby Golson of Centreville for third place, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3).


	Return to Clips Index Sports Mescheriakov's 3-Pointer Helps GW Avoid an Upset Chad Capellman Special to The Washington Post 11/09/1996 The Washington Post FINAL D04 Copyright 1996, The Washington Post Co. All Rights Reserved A funny thing happens when a highly touted college basketball team comes out flat in its first exhibition game against a team that it had figured to beat rather easily: The final moments have the look and feel of a regular season game. Such was the case last night as George Washington University needed overtime before forward-center Yegor Mescheriakov made a three-point shot with 36 seconds remaining to beat Court Authority, 88-86, before 2,138 at Smith Center. "I like to play anywhere behind the three-point line," said Mescheriakov, a 6-foot-8, 232-pound sophomore who finished with a game-high 27 points. "I have more room there." For much of the late stages of the game, however, the Belarus native did not have that luxury. Junior center Alexander Koul fouled out with 4 minutes 30 seconds remaining after getting nine points and seven rebounds. That left Mescheriakov to play center. "Yegor is beginning to become the player that we all want him to be," said George Washington Coach Mike Jarvis. "But he still has a lot of work to do." Through most of regulation, the Colonials, who have only one senior on the roster, looked exactly like what they were -- a young team playing its first exhibition game. Using several different combinations, the Colonials overcame a 10-point first-half deficit and watched a nine-point second-half lead turn into a five-point deficit before overtime. "You want to see how certain individuals fit in together," Jarvis said. "That's where coaching will come in and we will try to improve upon that." Notes: Colonials point guard Shawnta Rogers changed his jersey number to 54 after wearing No. 10 last season. The new number corresponds with his height: 5-4. VIRGINIA 79, MELBOURNE 71: Reserve Courtney Alexander scored 21 points in the Cavaliers' exhibition win in Charlottesville. Jamal Robinson added 15 points to help Virginia hold off an Australian team led by Andrew Gaze's 35 points. GEORGE MASON 102, CHAMPION AAU 92: Guard Nate Langley scored 30 points in 26 minutes to lead the Patriots in an exhibition game at Patriot Center. Langley hit 4 of 6 three-point attempts and had five rebounds, seven assists and nine steals.


	Return to Clips Index Sports No Referees Means No Field Hockey Final Chad Capellman 11/02/1996 The Washington Post FINAL D09 Copyright 1996, The Washington Post Co. All Rights Reserved The final of the Maryland 3A West Region field hockey championship between Magruder and Churchill, which was moved to yesterday to ensure that there would be officials available, was postponed because no officials showed up to work the game in Rockville. The game has been rescheduled for today at Magruder at 2 p.m. A shortage of officials for soccer, field hockey and volleyball has been a constant problem throughout the Washington area this fall. Earlier this year, a field hockey game between Einstein and Kennedy was ended with about five minutes remaining after darkness set in. That game started late, according to Magruder Coach Katherine Mulholland, because officials arrived after the scheduled starting time. After a half-hour wait yesterday beyond the scheduled 3:15 start, Mulholland and Churchill Coach Mike Carroll agreed to postpone the game, fearing darkness would be a factor even if officials arrived late. "This has happened to me before," said Mulholland, who said the 1993 regional final had to be rescheduled after a similar scenario. The rescheduling will mean a hectic weekend for several girls from both teams who are taking the Scholastic Assessment Test this morning.