Fall Sports Preview: Southern High School

New Southern High School principal Marc Procaccini told the Source in an interview that he would like to see the sports program at Southern High have a can-do confidence. Although the school is smaller than other county high schools—and plays in a different division in divisional playoffs—Procaccini said that Bulldog athletes are just as talented as the athletes at the big schools.

“There’s no reason we can’t be winning more games,” he said. As a former assistant principal at the school, he was already proclaiming his Bulldog pride.

Southern football

Football. The ‘Dawgs went 5 and 5 last year, a slip from their 8-3 record in 2010. It’s a great place to start the season. Practice for players started on Monday. The team will have their first scrimmage on Aug. 21 at home against Marriotts Ridge High School. Principal Procaccini said that he wants to see students and parents from all Southern schools, including elementary and middle schools, come to the games to “tailgate” and help build Bulldog pride so that all students will look forward to attending the school when they get older. Of course, that tailgating will be an alcohol-free affair.

Field Hockey. Coaches Cindy Gray, Paul Daley and Jessica Anlonczy have high expectations for the 2012 Field Hockey season at Southern High School. With only 4 returning varsity players, the focus will be on developing strong skills and endurance in younger players. The 5 seniors Hannah Daley (Goalie), Tori McDermott (Goalie), Jen Moreland (Midfield), Haley Bowen (Midfield/Defense) and Tori Wentz (Defense) will hold down the defensive end of the field as Varsity new comers Anna Rulapaugh (junior offender) and Lauren Hoffman (sophmore midfielder) bring strong stick skills and aggressiveness to the offensive end of our game. Even though 16 of our total 33 players are freshman, Southern Field Hockey hopes to develop all of their potential into a 500 season and a first round win in the playoffs.

This is Gray’s first year as head coach. Gray was born and raised in Lothian and attended Southern where she played field hockey all four years.

Soccer (Boys). Tryouts for boys soccer began Monday and will run each evening 4:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. until Friday. The team went 6 and 10 in 2011. Coaches are asking each class to wear different colors for tryouts: white for freshmen, grey for sophomores, yellow for juniors and blue for seniors.

Soccer (Girls). Maryland soccer coaches bestowed Coach of the Year honors on Southern Girl’s Soccer Coach Brooke Walsh last year. Her team, state finalists in Division 2A, ended the season 12-6-1 in 2011. The state final in Baltimore ended with a single score for Middletown. Nine players out of 21 players graduated in the class of 2012.

Cross Country. Coach Doug Ellmore held Cross Country tryouts Monday and will be held again on Wednesday at Portland Manor Farm, 84 Portland Manor Farm Drive in Lothian. After that, daily practices will alternate between morning and afternoon at the farm. Of the 19 athletes on the team, only four graduated with the class of 2012, giving Ellmore a good start on this year’s stable of runners.