Raiders looking for revenge

Broadneck looming for volleyball team in region playoffs

Friday, Nov. 6, 2009

Heartbreak has summed up the past two postseasons for the Leonardtown Raiders in the Class 4A East region volleyball playoffs.

Both times, nine-time reigning regional champion Broadneck was on the brink of elimination. Not only did the Anne Arundel County power escape Leonardtown to win the region, but Broadneck used the momentum to capture back-to-back state titles.

Meanwhile Leonardtown –– which had five match points in the deciding game of the 2007 regional final against Broadneck –– was left to wonder what-if.

Had Leonardtown not blown two-games-to-one advantages in each instance –– last year's showdown coming in the semifinal round –– might it be the one with a state banner or two?

"There are a few skeletons in that closet that we have to deal with in regards to Broadneck," said Leonardtown head coach Steve Correll, whose 12-2 club is hoping to break the program's 23-year skid without a regional banner as it begins postseason action at 6 p.m. Monday in the role of the third seed versus the Great Mills-Annapolis first-round winner. That match is scheduled for 5 p.m. today. "Broadneck is still the reigning champion in 4A, and they'll be that way until they're knocked off. Our goal is to do that. But it's going to take a perfect game. We know they have a strong attack."

Leonardtown would play at second-seeded Broadneck in the regional semifinals should both knock off their quarterfinals foes as expected. The playoff rivalry has proven that home court hardly ensures much comfort, as Leonardtown had host Broadneck dangling on the ropes two years ago before losing in its gym to the Annapolis-based opponent a postseason ago.

Correll added, "Two years ago, we had our opportunities and they beat us. We stopped playing and played tight. In Game 5 [last year], they had the momentum. They won Game 4, and our girls ran out of juice. If you want to be considered one of the big dogs, you have to knock them off."

Northern understands what being a big dog is all about, having knocked off those in their path in the past –– most recently archrival and fellow juggernaut Huntingtown.

For the second straight year, Northern boasts the top seed in the 3A South with Huntingtown relegated to No. 2. The 3A South's top two seeds were solidified when unbeaten Northern (14-0) took down visiting Huntingtown (12-2) last Thursday in four games to cap the regular season.

And both clubs are favored to meet again in Northern's gym for the regional final by the end of next week.

That was the matchup last year to decide the regional title, and Northern came away impressively with victory in the minimum three games. That ended Huntingtown's four-year reign atop the region, claiming state runner-up status the latter three postseasons of the run.

Unlike Huntingtown, Northern has state championships on its resume. The most recent of Northern's eight state golds came in back-to-back fashion during 2000 and 2001.

"Nothing's a given, but it would be nice," Northern head coach Devin Hall said about the likely prospects of facing Huntingtown again in the regional final. "Anytime you're in competition, you want to play the best of the best. Two years ago, we beat them in the regular season and then lost to them in regionals. So we've actually said that [the regular] season is over with and we're not thinking about it. This is a whole new season, and that's the way we have to approach it. We really aren't looking at the regular season. We have a brand new season starting Monday."

That's when Northern begins its regional action at 5 p.m., playing the winner of the Chopticon-Westlake affair in the quarterfinals. The Braves-Wolverines matchup is at 6 tonight. Huntingtown also has a first-round bye and hosts the Crossland-Friendly victor in the quarterfinals at 5:30 p.m. Monday.

But all the Northern-Huntingtown hype in the 3A South does not have Hall and her club looking past the dark horses of the region in third-seeded La Plata and No. 4 Thomas Stone.

Stone (9-5) won six of its final eight regular season matches, including a five-setter in the finale against North Point. The quarterfinals presents Stone's first opponent in the form of fifth-seeded Lackey, a match scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday.

Of the SMAC teams in the 2A South, Patuxent (8-5) highlights the group with the No. 4 seed. Of Patuxent's wins, most notable was a 3-1 victory over Huntingtown last month. Patuxent also took Northern to five games in an impressive losing effort.

Fifth-seeded Calvert hosts 12th-seeded Hammond in a first-round match at 4:30 today, with the winner playing at Patuxent in the quarterfinals at 6 p.m. Monday.

Go-to player

Leonardtown senior Roni Peters has been her team's go-to player this year with over 100 kills. But unlike last year, Leonardtown is not reliant upon just a select few.

"My total team dynamic is different this year," Correll said. "This team is a really close-knit group and always picking each other up. Our offense is so spread out, and that makes it hard for teams to defend us. We have options, and that makes us more dangerous along the net. Our goal has been to make it to the state championship since the first day of tryouts."

dcogle@somdnews.com