Bo's Coach Knows Success
By Sheldon Shealer
CHESAPEAKE CITY ñ The next time Todd Shives visits College Park, it will be because his players have earned it.
Shives, the 25-year-old head coach of Bohemia Manor, has not been back to the site of the annual Maryland football state championships since he walked away a disappointed Smithsburg High School senior following a last-minute loss to Wilde Lake in the 1991 Class 1A final.
ìI was going to go last year,î Shives said. ìBut after we lost in the first round, I kind of lost interest for a little bit.î
This year, Bohemia Manor is positioned for a run at the 1A title under the guidance of Shives, who played for three straight Class 1A runners-up as a linebacker with the Leopards from 1989-1991.
Shives, who took over the Bohemia Manor program at the age of 23, has tried to instill the confidence and success he experienced at Smithsburg. In fact, heís even using the Leopards old playbook for defense.
ìBeing on a winning (high school) team helped me tremendously,î Shives said. ìI took a lot from them ñ work ethic, weight room. ... (A winning attitude) is what weíre trying to convey. This is the start of something good.î
Bohemia Manor currently is 8-0 and rated No. 1 in this weekís Class 1A points standings. The Eagles have received votes in the state football poll for the past several weeks.
With two more wins, the Eagles will likely earn the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage as long as they win in the playoffs.
Two postseason wins would put the team in the final at College Park.
ìWe won a county championship, and making the playoffs was a major feat last year,î Shives said. ìThat was a big deal, but thatís not the whole (package). We want to take it to the next step.î
NOTES ñ Bohemia Manor is one of 14 undefeated teams in the state. ... Every paid coach on Shivesí staff is 25 or younger. ... Bohemia Manor has not won a playoff game since 1988.
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TAKE NOTE
The Week 9 notebook will be posted Sunday evening (real late) and will include a detailed look at the playoff possibilities as the season enters the final week.
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RANKINGS SHUFFLE
Westlakeís 12-6 victory over Suitland might have saved the Wolverinesí season, and it also created movement in this weekís Top 20.
Westlake was coasting along at No. 6 in the state before a surprising loss last week to unranked Chopticon. The setback all but ended Westlakeís hopes of conference and region titles.
However, the win over Suitland, which inherited the No. 6 ranking from Westlake,
puts the Wolverines back in the running for the Class 3A South region title.
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IT DOESNíT GET ANY BIGGER
Seneca Valley goes for a Montgomery County record 35th straight win Friday, but it will not be any easy task. The Screaming Eagles, ranked No. 1 in Maryland, face rival Gaithersburg, also undefeated and ranked No. 3.
The game is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff at Gaithersburg.
The Montgomery County record of 34 consecutive wins has been accomplished twice ñ by Richard Montgomery from 1966-1969 and by Georgetown Prep from 1967-1971.
Seneca Valleyís streak is the longest exclusive run since the establishment of postseason play in 1973. Howard had a 47-game win streak which ended in the 1975 Class B state championship game, but most of Howardís win streak occurred before the state instituted playoffs.
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DID YOU NOTICE?
There are 14 undefeated teams remaining in Maryland and none are scheduled to meet in Week 10, leaving the likelihood of the Middletown (currently 8-0) vs. Walkersville (7-1) game as the Week 10 contest with the most bonus points on the line.