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New York Times
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Sliders: As he nears 3,000 Ks, Clayton Kershaw shares thoughts on the future of his craft
Welcome to Sliders, a weekly in-season MLB column that focuses on both the timely and timeless elements of baseball. Durability and dominance are the twin pillars of pitching greatness. Prevent runs for a long time while humbling the world's greatest hitters: Few have ever done it better than Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Sometime soon, Kershaw will record his 3,000th career strikeout. On Wednesday, in his third start of the season, Kershaw fanned three Cleveland Guardians to push his total to 2,974. His career earned run average is 2.51. Only one pitcher in history has that many strikeouts with a better ERA: Walter Johnson, who was born 100 years before Kershaw and last pitched in 1927. Johnson had a 2.17 ERA and 3,509 strikeouts — and if he had whiffed batters at Kershaw's rate, he would have fanned almost 6,400. In my colleague Andy McCullough's engrossing Kershaw biography, 'The Last of His Kind,' Kershaw said flatly that he did not care about 3,000 strikeouts. Advertisement He does. 'Yeah, I'd be lying if I didn't want to do it,' Kershaw said last week. 'But I think the coolest part is the company you get to be a part of. You know what I mean? There's just some really special names.' He laughed and continued: 'I try not to think about it, because honestly, at this rate 30 strikeouts seems like a lot. A lot can happen. But if I ever do get to do it, the guys that I came up with, Scherz and Verlander, I want to be in that group, too.' Justin Verlander (3,457 strikeouts), 42, is on the San Francisco Giants' injured list with a pectoral injury, and 40-year-old Max Scherzer (3,408), now with the Toronto Blue Jays, has been out since March with right thumb inflammation. Kershaw, 37, is coming off knee and toe surgeries. What a drag it is getting old. The three aces, of course, have a lot to show for their hardship. Each has earned more than 200 victories (262 for Verlander, 216 for Scherzer, 212 for Kershaw), which is very hard to do without a lot of success before age 30. When Kershaw turned 30, he had 144 wins. Verlander had 124 at that age, Scherzer 85. The active under-30 leader in victories? The Giants' Logan Webb, 28, with 60 — fewer than half of what either Kershaw and Verlander totaled by 30. If there's a certain successor to Kershaw, he hasn't revealed himself. 'It is weird to not see young guys figure it out,' Kershaw said. 'I wish there was a simple solution. Maybe (Paul) Skenes is that. Maybe 100 (miles an hour) is just too fast, maybe that's what it is. I don't know.' Nobody who started his career after 1988 has 300 career wins. But after this generation, is 200 also doomed? The master has thoughts. 'I hope starting pitching has a resurgence,' Kershaw said. 'I think it's better for the game to have starters throw 200 plus innings (and go) 115, 120 pitches. Seeing those matchups in the seventh inning, that's what fans like. I think it's better for baseball, I think it's better for health, I think it's better for relievers. It's good for a lot of things. Advertisement 'Now, how can we get back to that in an age where we have to have incredible stuff (and) be able to maintain it? I don't know how you get back to that, because I do think it is harder now. I think hitting is better. I think the strike zone's smaller. Even from 10 years ago, I think everybody's just better. I think the talent is just so much better. 'So unless you're like the few guys like (Tarik) Skubal or Zack Wheeler or (Yoshinobu) Yamamoto — you can kind of count them on one hand, the guys that have the ability to go seven every (start) — it's just hard.' No MLB pitcher has reached 115 pitches in a start this season. The Dodgers have had only two seven-inning starts (both by Yamamoto), the same as the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets. The Chicago White Sox have had one. The Miami Marlins haven't had a starter go seven all year, and their nominal ace, Sandy Alcantara, hasn't been right since 2022, when he won the National League Cy Young Award as a model of sturdiness. Alcantara led the majors with 228 2/3 innings that season, had Tommy John surgery the next October and now has the majors' highest ERA (min. 50 innings) at 8.47. In spring training, after the New York Yankees lost Gerrit Cole to Tommy John surgery, teammate Carlos Rodón noted that every throw is tracked for shape and spin, even in the bullpen. It's max effort with every pitch, every time. 'I agree with that, but at the same time, that's how you get drafted, that's how you make it through the minor leagues,' Kershaw said. 'So that's what you do, because teams value that over learning how to pitch.' Kershaw, a father of four, drew an apt analogy: In farm systems, he said, it's as if teams build fleets of Ferraris without making any minivans. Sometimes, he said, a minivan gets the job done. 'So there needs to be some blend of it to a point where you can do both,' he said, referring to power and durability. 'I know everybody's starting to think about how to keep guys healthier and how to get (more from) starters, because we use our whole bullpen more than anybody, and as good as our bullpen is, it's a hard thing to sustain. Advertisement 'I have tons of thoughts on it. Nobody knows if they're right. (We won't know) until somebody radical makes huge changes, until a team tries to flip everything on its head and find guys that can sustain it and just go for pitchability — other than just pure metrics and stats — and have success. You have to have success, or nothing's going to change.' It's unfair to demand that baseball produce more Kershaws. He is an outlier, after all, one of the greatest ever to do it. But it shouldn't be impossible. And as Kershaw approaches another milestone, it's worth studying his species to ensure its survival. Four teams signed Drew Pomeranz to a contract in 2024. He logged four days of major-league service, never got into a game, and spent months rediscovering something called summer. 'It was amazing — like, summer?' Pomeranz said recently. 'Most of us haven't had summer since we were I don't know how old. It's a different life. I played a lot of golf. Took my kids to school. We did the whole south of France thing. It was fun. I didn't know where I was.' Now, at 36, Pomeranz is back to a place he wasn't sure he'd ever visit again: a major-league mound. He didn't get there with the Los Angeles Angels, Dodgers, Giants or Seattle Mariners, who all held his rights last year. But the Chicago Cubs are glad they found him: In 14 appearances, Pomeranz has worked 12 2/3 scoreless innings with 14 strikeouts, three walks and no runs allowed. 'The guy's throwing fastballs by people right now, and his breaking ball is something that's always stood out to me,' starter Matthew Boyd said. 'It's just really cool that he continues to do his thing and get outs, and he's so valued on our team.' Pomeranz had flexor tendon surgery in August 2021, a month before Boyd. But while Boyd has appeared in the majors in every year since — even mixing in Tommy John surgery in 2023 — Pomeranz's record shows three blank seasons in a row: 2022, 2023 and 2024. Each year he pitched a handful of innings in the minors, which only increased his frustration. Advertisement 'It just felt like no matter what you do, nothing's working,' said Pomeranz, who had another surgery, in 2023, to remove a bone spur. 'I've always been a player who's like: 'I need to get back, I need to get back,' instead of probably being a little selfish and taking more time. You feel like a jerk when you're not with your teammates — not playing, just hurt all the time. It's not fun.' Pomeranz, an All-Star starter for San Diego in 2016, returned to the Padres as a reliever with a four-year, $34 million contract in November 2019. He pitched well in 2020, tore his flexor tendon the next spring and tried pitching through it until August, when the pain became unbearable. 'I threw a pitch and felt it rip more,' Pomeranz said. 'It hurt to throw my fastball so I was just flipping curve balls, trying to get out of the inning. I had two outs and the guy rolled over one. It just dribbled through the four hole and I was like, 'OK, I can't do this.' I gave it all I had.' Pomeranz never made it back with San Diego, but got through a healthy spring training with the Angels in 2024. From there he pitched in Triple A for the Dodgers, then left when the Giants offered a spot in the majors. It would last just four days, they told him, and Pomeranz warmed up once, at Citi Field last May 24. The Giants were trailing the Mets in the top of the eighth, and if it stayed that way, he would pitch the bottom of the inning. When a three-run homer by Patrick Bailey gave the Giants the lead, Ryan Walker was summoned instead. By the end of May Pomeranz was a free agent again, waiting for another call to the majors. It never came, and returning to the minors held no appeal. That left Pomeranz in a strange kind of purgatory. When you reach the majors as a phantom, fulfillment is elusive. 'I made it back but I didn't pitch,' Pomeranz said. 'There was a little bit in me that was like, 'I'd like to pitch one more time and just give it everything I got' — and that would be good. Just go out there and throw as hard as I can.' Advertisement The summer was fun, Pomeranz said, but also boring at times. He figured he should work out 'just to be a healthy human being,'and gravitated to a baseball training facility in Irvine, Calif., near his home. The Mariners signed him in early December, but Pomeranz was still conflicted. 'Before spring training,' he said, 'I was literally like, 'I just might not go.'' He went, pitched well and kept at it with Triple-A Tacoma, knowing he could leave if another team offered a job in the majors. The Cubs did, and when Pomeranz debuted against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 25, he lived out his vision: fastballs, as hard as he could. Bryce Harper swung through the first two, fouled off another, then swung and missed again. Pomeranz was back, this time for real. 'I don't care when I pitch, I don't care who I face, just tell me and I'm gonna do whatever I've got to do,' Pomeranz said. 'I have a very different perspective on baseball — and playing in general — than I did when I was younger. After not having baseball, I'm just happy to be here every day now. I don't care what happens. I'm just gonna enjoy it. The Mets' Francisco Lindor is already one of the most accomplished all-around switch hitters in major league history. With five more stolen bases, he will join Carlos Beltrán and former Cleveland teammate José Ramírez as the only switch hitters with 1,500 hits, 250 homers and 200 steals. And at 31 years old, he has lots of time to add to his resume. Lindor is a natural right-handed hitter. He's been essentially the same threat from both sides over his 11 MLB seasons: .286/.350/.488 as a righty and .269/.339/.469 as a lefty. Not only do most breaking pitches move into him, he said, but being a switch hitter also affords a clearer view of every pitcher's release point. That is, he never faces a pitch delivered from behind his head. Advertisement Lindor — who modeled his style after a fellow infielder from Puerto Rico who was traded from Cleveland to the Mets — offered some insights before a recent game at Citi Field. Why did you decide to switch hit? 'My favorite player, Roberto Alomar, and my brother and my cousin, they switch hit. I always wanted to be like them, so I did it. I always did it as a kid, but when I was 14, 15 years old, that's when I first took it seriously.' Did you struggle as you learned your left-handed swing? 'There's still struggles from the left side, still struggles on the right side. And I plan on it to be like that my whole career.' Why did you stay with it? 'I'm stubborn, and my dad always said, 'If you can hit .500 from one side, why would you switch and make it harder on yourself?' So I used it as a motivation to prove to him that I can hit from both sides.' What advice would you give to aspiring switch hitters? 'To stick to it — and if you take 200 swings from one side, you've got to take 200 from the other side as well. You've got to make sure you give the same amount of love to each side.' When you're hot (or cold) on one side, are you also hot (or cold) from the other? 'Most times, yes, because it's the same brain. When you're feeling good, you're feeling good. So you kind of bounce back from one side to another. But sometimes it doesn't work like that, and vice versa — if you're struggling from one side, it doesn't mean you're gonna struggle from the other side. So having two swings, when I'm struggling from one side I try to imitate myself from the other side, and that helps.' Milwaukee's Christian Yelich has been playing in the majors for 13 seasons. He's dug his cleats into the batter's box more than 6,500 times. And yet until this week, Yelich had somehow never come to bat at home in the ninth inning (or later) with the score tied. Advertisement Since baseball is utterly ridiculous, Yelich came up in that situation on both Tuesday and Wednesday against the Boston Red Sox. On Tuesday, he belted a grand slam for his first career walk-off home run. He didn't quite repeat the feat on Wednesday, but he did hit a single. Anyway, the game-ender was the 214th home run of Yelich's career, and it removed him from the list of players to never end a game with a homer. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Yelich had trailed only these five players for most career regular-season homers with zero walk-offs: That brings us to Cash, who fit into Tuesday's Grid as an All-Star with at least 40 career wins above replacement. A five-time All-Star with 52 bWAR, Cash played from 1958 through 1974, mostly for the Detroit Tigers, and was known for unusual bats. In 1981, Cash told Sports Illustrated that he always hollowed out the top of his bat, drilling a hole eight inches deep and half an inch wide and stuffing the top two inches with cork, glue and sawdust. It seemed to help most in 1961, when Cash hit 41 homers and led the majors with a .361 average. 'I owe my success to expansion pitching, a short right-field fence and my hollow bats,' Cash told SI. Cash's other unorthodox bat was uncorked, but disallowed. On July 15, 1973, at Tiger Stadium, Cash came up in the ninth inning against the Angels' Nolan Ryan, who was one out away from a no-hitter. Figuring his bats were pretty much useless, Cash brought a table leg to the box. 'I told Ron Luciano, the umpire, 'He can't hit with that,'' Ryan said in the 2022 documentary, 'Facing Nolan,' 'and (Cash) says, 'It doesn't matter, Ron, I can't hit him anyway.'' Cash popped to shortstop to end the game. The return last week of Atlanta's Ronald Acuña Jr., who missed nearly a year after tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament, is a reminder of his place in an all-time great trivia question. As featured on a recent episode of the 'Starkville' podcast, with The Athletic's Jayson Stark and former major leaguer Doug Glanville, Acuña is one of only three players to have 70 extra-base hits and 70 stolen bases in the same season. Advertisement The first was Ty Cobb, who had 79 extra-base hits and 83 steals for the 1911 Tigers. Acuña did it most recently, with 80 extra-base hits and 73 steals for the 2023 Braves. The other is a bit more obscure: Juan Samuel, with 70 extra-base hits and 72 steals as a Phillies rookie in 1984. As Richie Ashburn might have said: 'Hard to believe, Harry.' Ashburn, the Hall of Famer who shared the Phillies' broadcast booth with Harry Kalas for decades, appears in this 1985 commercial with Samuel, Kevin Gross and Glenn Wilson. It's a time capsule from the bygone days when ballplayers loved to unwind with sandwiches and Trivial Pursuit. (Top photo of Clayton Kershaw: Frank Jansky / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
School board appoints some new principals
The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education has approved several principal appointments at schools throughout the district, including Walkertown Elementary School and Glenn High School. And another of the principals formerly served at East Forsyth Middle School. Stephanie Jordan was approved as principal of Walkertown Elementary. She currently is principal of Wiley Magnet Middle School and previously led Frank Morgan Elementary School and Hanford Dole Elementary School in Rowan County. Under her leadership, schools have consistently met or exceeded growth expectations, and she was recognized as a Top 5 Finalist for WS/FCS Principal of the Year in both 2022 and 2023. Jordan has a doctorate in educational leadership from High Point University and has served in various leadership roles across the district, including president of the Forsyth Principals Association. Walter Johnson will be the new principal of Glenn. He is currently serving as co-principal at Parkland High School, where he has a focus on student engagement, community partnerships, and academic achievement. He previously served as principal of Forbush Middle School in Yadkin County and held assistant principal positions at East Forsyth, Walkertown and Parkland high schools in WS/FCS. Johnson holds an education specialist degree from East Carolina University, a master's in school administration from Appalachian State University, and a bachelor's in middle grades education from Winston-Salem State University. Donald Wyatt, a former principal at East Forsyth Middle, is returning to Sedge Garden, where he previously worked, to be principal there. He joined WS/FCS in 2010 as a teacher at Union Cross Elementary School. Prior to that, he taught in Craven County Schools. He served as assistant principal and then principal of Sedge Garden Elementary School. After his term as principal at East Forsyth Middle, he was principal of Mount Tabor High School.
Washington Post
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Walter Johnson walks off with its first Maryland baseball championship
The ball hadn't yet landed in right-center field, but Shaun Rudick's hands were already raised. The ping of his bat had echoed through Prince George's Stadium in Bowie, followed by a growing roar from the third base side as Grant Matalia sprinted around third, chugging home for glory. Matalia slid home headfirst, beat the tag, and the call was safe. Game over. Walter Johnson was the Maryland Class 4A baseball champion, and it was Rudick, a senior, who had provided the most consequential swing in the North Bethesda program's 68-year history: a walk-off single that secured a 7-6 win over Urbana on Friday, earning the Wildcats their first state title.
Associated Press
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
This Date in Baseball - Shawn Green became the 14th player in MLB history to hit 4 HRs in a game
May 23 1901 — The Cleveland Blues, later known as the Indians, scored nine runs with two outs in the ninth inning to beat the Washington Senators 14-13. 1910 — In the top of the ninth inning in a game against Boston, Cincinnati's Dode Paskert stole second base, third base and home plate. The theft gave the Reds a 6-5 win. 1924 — Washington's Walter Johnson struck out 14 in a 4-0 one-hitter over the Chicago White Sox for his 103rd shutout. 1925 — Cincinnati pitcher Pete Donohue had five hits — four singles and a homer — in beating the Philadelphia Phillies 11-2. 1935 — The first major league night game, scheduled for Cincinnati, was postponed because of rain. 1948 — Joe DiMaggio hit three consecutive home runs, the first two off Bob Feller, to lead the New York Yankees to 6-5 win over Cleveland. 1962 — New York's Joe Pepitone hit two homers in the nine-run eighth inning of the Yankees' 13-7 triumph over Kansas City. 1970 — The San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants battled for 15 innings, with the Padres winning 17-16. Nate Colbert led San Diego with five hits and four RBIs. 1984 — The Detroit Tigers won their 16th consecutive road game, 4-2 at California, tying an AL record. 1991 — Tommy Greene, making the 15th start of his major league career, pitched a no-hitter and the Philadelphia Phillies beat Montreal 2-0. 2000 — The Orioles defeat the Mariners‚ 4-2. Seattle's Rickey Henderson draws his 2‚000th career walk in the 9th inning‚ making him the third player to reach that level‚ after Babe Ruth and Ted Williams. 2002 — Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shawn Green became the 14th man in major league history to homer four times in a game and set a big league record with 19 total bases. He went 6-for-6, scoring six times with seven RBIs in a 16-3 win at Milwaukee. 2003 — Jeremi Gonzalez earned his first major league victory in nearly five years as Tampa Bay beat Anaheim 3-1. Gonzalez won for the first time since June 28, 1998, while with the Chicago Cubs. He had elbow surgery in 1998 and '99 before the Cubs released him in 2001. 2005 — Lefthander Mark Mulder of the St. Louis Cardinals becomes just the 12th National League pitcher since 1976 to throw a complete game shutout of 10 innings or more when he blanks the Houston Astros, 1-0, in 10 innings. Greg Maddux posted the last extra-inning shutout in the National League in 1988. 2009 — Jason Giambi hit his 400th homer in the Oakland Athletics' 8-7 loss against the Arizona Diamondbacks, becoming the 44th player to reach the milestone. 2011 — Corey Hart hit his first three home runs this season and drove in seven to tie both club records, lifting Milwaukee to an 11-3 win over Washington. 2018 — The Seattle Mariners sign a new 25-year lease to continue playing at Safeco Field. The lease will take effect at the expiration of the current 20-year lease at the end of the season, a lease which was signed when the ballpark opened in 1999. 2023 — Gerrit Cole records the 2,000th strikeout of his career when he fans Jorge Mateo of the Orioles in the 2nd inning, becoming the third-fastest pitcher to the mark in terms of both games pitched (278) and innings pitched (1,714 2/3). _____
Washington Post
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Baseball Top 10: Champions crowned with postseason in full swing
After 11 years, Steve Sutherland finally got the monkey off his back. In recent seasons, the coach and his Walter Johnson baseball team have made a habit of advancing to the region final, but time and time again the Wildcats fell just short. This year, as the region's top seed, they again advanced to the title game, their third in four seasons. They broke through with a 10-0 mercy-rule win over rival Whitman Thursday, as the Wildcats claimed the Class 4A West II championship and kept their momentum rolling two days later with a dominant state quarterfinal victory — punching their ticket to the Maryland Class 4A semifinals for the first time in program history. 'Since covid, we've had 16-plus-win seasons every single year. But we've never been able to get over that hump,' Sutherland said. 'I do think there's such a thing as baseball luck. You need to be prepared, but you also need a little bit of luck and, you know, we're healthy at the right time. It's a great feeling knowing we finally got it done and I think we're prepared for this next game.' No. 8 Walter Johnson's semifinal matchup against Reservoir will be a tantalizing pitching duel. The Wildcats boast a tandem of dominant southpaws, Nolan Ross and Spencer Gilcrest, while Reservoir's one-two punch of Matthew Russell and Gavin Metrick has been as dominant as any in the state. The other 4A semifinal at Shirley Povich Field in Bethesda features No. 5 Broadneck against Urbana. The Bruins' region title was a similarly marquee moment, it being their first in 30 years. It required knocking off Leonardtown, both the defending state champion and the program responsible for Broadneck's elimination in two of the past three seasons. Junior Aiden Casey hit a walk-off double down the left-field line in extra innings Thursday to secure a 2-1 victory for the Anne Arundel County champions. 'It was an exciting moment,' Bruins Coach Matt Skrenchuk said. 'To be able to get out of our region is something that we've been striving to do, something that we've been focused on all season. We're very proud of what we've accomplished so far.' All records through Sunday. The Cadets won their third straight Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championship by sweeping Paul VI. They finished the season as winners of their last 20 games and will span the entire year as the area's top-ranked squad. Last ranked: 1 The Cadets won their third straight Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championship by sweeping Paul VI. They finished the season as winners of their last 20 games and will span the entire year as the area's top-ranked squad. Last ranked: 1 Georgetown Prep's Interstate Athletic Conference dynasty continued with a commanding championship sweep of Landon, which earned the Hoyas their sixth straight league title. They won 17 of their final 18 games. LR: 5 Georgetown Prep's Interstate Athletic Conference dynasty continued with a commanding championship sweep of Landon, which earned the Hoyas their sixth straight league title. They won 17 of their final 18 games. LR: 5 The Warhawks clinched the top seed in the Concorde District last week with a 14-0 win over South Lakes in which they hit four home runs and allowed only two hits. LR: 2 The Warhawks clinched the top seed in the Concorde District last week with a 14-0 win over South Lakes in which they hit four home runs and allowed only two hits. LR: 2 Battlefield has been the top team in the Cedar Run District this spring and will enter the district tournament as the No. 1 seed, which it locked up on May 9. LR: 3 Battlefield has been the top team in the Cedar Run District this spring and will enter the district tournament as the No. 1 seed, which it locked up on May 9. LR: 3 After beating defending state champion Leonardtown in the Class 4A East II region championship, 2-1, and rolling in the state quarterfinals, Broadneck will play Urbana on Tuesday with a spot in the title game at stake. LR: 7 After beating defending state champion Leonardtown in the Class 4A East II region championship, 2-1, and rolling in the state quarterfinals, Broadneck will play Urbana on Tuesday with a spot in the title game at stake. LR: 7 The Tigers won 16 straight games before taking their first loss. They are positioned as the top seed in the Potomac District with only a pair of games against Briar Woods separating them from the postseason. LR: 8 The Tigers won 16 straight games before taking their first loss. They are positioned as the top seed in the Potomac District with only a pair of games against Briar Woods separating them from the postseason. LR: 8 Spalding's streak of three consecutive Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association titles ended when the Cavaliers fell to Calvert Hall in the first round of the conference playoffs. LR: 4 Spalding's streak of three consecutive Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association titles ended when the Cavaliers fell to Calvert Hall in the first round of the conference playoffs. LR: 4 Walter Johnson marched through a competitive region and will play in the Maryland Class 4A semifinals for the first time in program history. It will face Reservoir on Tuesday. LR: 10 Walter Johnson marched through a competitive region and will play in the Maryland Class 4A semifinals for the first time in program history. It will face Reservoir on Tuesday. LR: 10 Paul VI was the runner-up in the WCAC and Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division I tournaments. The Panthers tied the program record for wins in a season. LR: 6 Paul VI was the runner-up in the WCAC and Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division I tournaments. The Panthers tied the program record for wins in a season. LR: 6 The Warriors, in pursuit of a fourth state title in five years, will play Chesapeake in the Maryland Class 3A semifinals Tuesday. They've won their last nine games, including a 6-1 win over Arundel in the state quarterfinals. LR: Not ranked Dropped out: No. 9 Gainesville On the bubble: Gainesville, Jackson-Reed, McLean, Reservoir, West Springfield The Warriors, in pursuit of a fourth state title in five years, will play Chesapeake in the Maryland Class 3A semifinals Tuesday. They've won their last nine games, including a 6-1 win over Arundel in the state quarterfinals. LR: Not ranked Dropped out: No. 9 Gainesville On the bubble: Gainesville, Jackson-Reed, McLean, Reservoir, West Springfield
