Category: Sports

Sports

All Good Things Must Come to an End

Words: Shawn Kruhm

Photos: Adithi Soogoor

On Tuesday, March 3, the Centennial boys’ basketball team traveled to Marriotts Ridge High School for the second round of playoffs. Centennial defeated Marriotts Ridge by a final score of 79-57 in the 3A East Region semifinals. 

Despite an early 16-5 run from Marriotts Ridge, Centennial led by eight points at halftime.

The Eagles took the momentum into the third quarter and never let up. Centennial went on a 19-4 run to open up the second half. They led by as many as 24 points as they sealed the game. 

Junior Bryson Baker led the team with 25 points, followed by seniors Joey Sedlacko and Jeong Hwang who combined for 28 as the team advanced to Regionals. 

Centennial hosted Wilde Lake in the 3A East Region finals on Thursday, March 5. Despite defeating Wilde Lake twice in the regular season, Centennial was unable to win on Thursday night. The Eagles were defeated by a final score of 66-63.

“It was heartbreaking,” said Sedlacko. “We gave it our all, but unfortunately came up short.” 

Centennial fell to an early deficit that they were unable to recover from. Despite never holding the lead, they fought until the final seconds.

The Eagles were down by as many as 14 points in the fourth quarter and nearly completed a comeback. With under three minutes remaining, Wilde Lake held a 12-point lead, but Centennial began to chip away.

With less than 10 seconds left, the Eagles trailed by six points. Baker received the inbound as Sedlacko set a pick. Baker nailed a three-point shot from downtown and drew the foul. 

“I knew we were down by six so we needed a three and I knew if I could get a clean shot off I could draw a foul,” said Baker. “Luckily, my defender got caught on Joey’s screen and it gave me a clean look as I drew the contact and sunk the shot.”

Unfortunately, Baker’s efforts were not enough, as Centennial was unable to ultimately send the game into overtime. The Eagles lost by just three points as Baker and senior Brandon Bonner each finished with a team high of 15 points.

Student section leader Zach Grable said “the entire team put forth their best effort every game. It was a sad ending to a great season and I will definitely miss it next year.”

A great season for Centennial will forever leave its mark on both players and fans. 

“This team will always have a special place in my heart,” said Sedlacko. “Our bond was so close and it truly felt like a family.” 

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For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan. 

Sports

Centennial’s Chris Lee Wins Big at the Wrestling County Championships

Words: Joey Sedlacko

Photo contributed by: Jeannie Prevosto

At the 51st annual Howard County wrestling tournament on Saturday, February 22, Centennial placed eighth in the standings, but junior Chris Lee shined for the Eagles.

In the finals for the 120-pound division, Lee won by decision 7-3 over Griffin Ordowski from Mount Hebron High School to take home the championship. The victory for Lee marks his first county championship. It was a significant improvement after last season when Lee finished third in the tournament.

“It was a lot of weight lifted off my shoulders, I knew being a county champion was very possible and I only had my junior and senior year left,” said Lee. “Getting the job done made me feel accomplished and made the sacrifices I made through the season all worth it.”

Lee was the only wrestler from Centennial to make it to the finals, but many placed in the top five in the tournament. Junior Ibaad Shaikh placed third in the 113-pound division. In the 132-pound division, sophomore Nick Shapiro finished fourth, and junior Matt Harris also achieved fourth in the 160-pound division.

As a team, Centennial placed eighth in the tournament after scoring 100 points.

Following counties, Centennial wrestlers Lee, Shaikh, Harris, and Shapiro all competed in the regional tournament on Saturday, February 29. Unfortunately for the Eagles, none were champions, but many made it far in the tournament.

In the 120-pound division, Lee was defeated in the third place match of the tournament, while Shaikh placed fifth in the 113 pound-division after defeating Nick Bakhtiar from River Hill High School.

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For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan. 

Sports

Centennial Basketball Hosts First Round of Playoffs

Words: Shawn Kruhm

Photos: Sara Ferrara

On Friday, February 28, the Centennial boys’ and girls’ basketball teams played in their first playoff games of the season.

Unfortunately, the girls lost to Manchester Valley by a final score of 42-33. 

Centennial was off to a hot start as they led by seven at the end of the first quarter. A breakout performance from sophomore Lauren Pellegrini gave the Eagles an early 21-17 lead entering halftime. 

Despite a near-flawless first half on both sides of the ball, Centennial was unable to hold off Manchester Valley in the final two quarters. 

The Eagles scored just 12 total points in the second half, and let up nine points in the fourth quarter alone. The defensive struggles for Centennial emerged as the team grew tired.

Pellegrini and senior Brook Anderson combined for 20 points, four steals, and 11 rebounds as Centennial suffered a season-ending loss to Manchester Valley.

Directly following the girls’ game, the boys’ basketball team hosted county rival Mount Hebron. The Eagles dismantled Mount Hebron, ultimately winning by a final score of 59-40. 

After back-to-back three-point buckets from seniors Jeong Hwang and Matt Schickner, Centennial started the game on an 11-0 run. 

The Eagles did not look back and led by as many as 24 points. Senior Joey Sedlacko led the team with 16 points.

The boys will travel to Marriotts Ridge on Tuesday, March 3, for the following round of playoffs. 

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For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.

Announcements, Sports

Six More Sign off on the Next Four

Words: Shawn Kruhm

Photos: Eliza Andrew

On Tuesday, February 26, six Centennial student-athletes came together for their official signing day. 

Anthony Matthews committed to play football at Bridgewater College. Jordan Hinz and Olivia Reese committed to play softball at Washington and Jefferson College and Shepherd University, respectively. Casey Stratton committed to play field hockey at Keystone College. Ty Sams and Kieran Senisi committed to play lacrosse at the College of Holy Cross and Saint Mary’s College of Maryland, respectively.

All athletes have made countless sacrifices to get to where they are now. 

“Signing to play Division One lacrosse was so surreal,” said Sams. “Ever since I started playing lacrosse my goal was to play on Saturdays for a D1 program; Words cannot describe the feeling I had when I put the pen to paper on my National Letter of Intent after the countless hours of practice had finally paid off.” 

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For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan. 

Sports

Centennial Boys’ Basketball Takes Down Hammond on Senior Night

Words: Shawn Kruhm

Photos: Adithi Soogoor and Eliza Andrew

On Friday, February 21, the boys’ Varsity basketball team defeated Hammond by a final score of 59-32.

Seniors Joey Sedlacko, Matt Schickner, Brandon Bonner, Connor Carpenter, and Jeong Hwang were recognized for their dedication and hard work over the years. 

Senior Dance Company members, Olivia Wang, Lexie Fang, Divya Proper, Wenyu Yang, Danica Choi, and Jillian Sanders, were also celebrated before the game. The girls performed at halftime and in-between quarters. 

Centennial dominated Hammond on both ends of the court. The Eagles put the game away in the third quarter after scoring 17 and allowing just four points. 

Hwang finished with a team-high 12 points as Centennial defeated Hammond in their final game of the season. 

The Eagles finished with a regular season record of 17-5 and tied for second place in the county. The Eagles will play Mount Hebron High School on Friday, February 28 in the first round of the playoffs.

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For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan. 

Sports

Centennial Girls’ Varsity Basketball Celebrates Their Seniors

Words: Shawn Kruhm

Photos: Melissa Notti

On Thursday, February 13, the girls’ Varsity basketball team hosted River Hill on their senior night. 

A vibrant gym, decorated with posters, flowers, and streamers welcomed the seniors of the girls’ basketball team for their final regular season home game. Centennial seniors Rasa Welsh, Sarah Sopchick, Gigi Castle-Smith, Brook Anderson, Olivia Reese, and Kristin Parisi were recognized and celebrated for their time with the basketball program. 

Centennial played strong and fought to the end of Thursday night’s game, but fell just short of River Hill. They had a great start as they trailed by only one point after the first quarter. 

Defensive struggles persisted in the second quarter, as Centennial had trouble stopping River Hill in transition. 

Despite trailing by nine points entering the second half, the Eagles would not give up. Centennial went on a 7-2 run to open the third quarter and trailed by just four points midway through the third. 

Although Anderson finished with a game-high 18 points, they were unable to hold off River Hill. 

The girls’ basketball team will travel to Glenelg next Wednesday, February 19, as they begin to prepare for playoffs. 

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For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan. 

Sports

Friday Night Hoops

Words: Shawn Kruhm

Photo: Eliza Andrew

On Friday, February 7, the Centennial Varsity boys’ and girls’ basketball teams hosted Atholton High School. The boys lost by a final score of 70-54, while the girls won 58-43. 

The girls dominated on both sides of the ball. Seniors Brook Anderson and Rasa Welsh combined for 30 points, and junior Tori Pearson scored a solo 15 points. The team as a whole finished with 35 rebounds and 4 steals.

Centennial outscored Atholton in every quarter except the second, and led by just two points at halftime. The girls came out hot in the second half, scoring 21 points in the third quarter alone. Centennial did not let up as they defeated Atholton by 15 points.

Unfortunately, the boys had an off night. Despite leading after the first and second quarters, Centennial struggled to defend Atholton in the second half.

Player of the week, junior Bryson Baker, was held to just four points. The Eagles’ shooting struggles persisted as the second half continued. 

Although Centennial had trouble offensively, senior Joey Sedlacko finished with a team-high 18 points. The number one team in the county lost just their fourth game of the season to Atholton. 

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For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.