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Elkton Forges Own Reversal Of Fortune In Hoops Playoffs

     If the purpose of high school sports is to be an extension of the classroom, the Elkton High School boys basketball team have already graduated with honors after their 69-64 win at Edgewood tonight in the Maryland State Playoffs.

     “The took it all away from us,” said Coach Steve Smith, “Now we have it back.” Smith was referring to the nineteen wins the Golden Elks had to give back when it was learned Raimek Taylor was ineligible to play.

     The Taylor situation got even worse before it got better, his suspension was reduced in time for him to join his Elkton teammates in the playoffs.

    Before the “readjustment” of wins and losses the Edgewood and Elkton squads were evenly matched in talent, playing record and in prior matchups. The first quarter of tonight’s tilt played out that way with the Rams holding a 13-11 lead.  In the second frame, Edgewood made a sustained run to go into halftime with a 10-point lead.

     Coach Smith implored his team during halftime to make their own run and made a defensive switch to a zone he declined to name for fear his next opponent might make an adjustment.

     The speech worked and the new defense worked. Elkton outscored Edgewood 27-9 in the third period to erase their deficit and grab a lead they would never relinquish.

     As each team fought to extend their seasons and playoff runs, it was free throws from the charity stripe that played an integral role. While the Rams made only five of ten foul shots in the second half, the Golden Elks knocked down eleven of thirteen.

     Edgewood’s Van Rolle led the Rams with 19 points, while Elkton had four players in double digits.  Malachi Seney led all scorers with 20 points and Sterling Cruz added in 18 points.

     Next up for the Golden Elks is Patterson Mill on the road in Bel Air in the Sectional Semifinal on Thursday.

02-28-12 Elkton v Edgewood HS Basketball Playoffs - Images by Eclipse Sportswire

Lady Panthers Press Their Way To Victory In Playoffs

They didn’t have champagne to celebrate their victory, water bottles would have to do. But the exhilaration of winning a game in the state playoffs, a game few thought they could win, was cause for unbridled joy in the Perryville girls basketball locker room.

     Not many who follow girls high school basketball would have believed you if you said Perryville would be the last Cecil County team standing in the State Playoffs, but they are.

     After closing out the regular season with crushing back-to-back losses on their home court and mired by injury problems, the Lady Panthers came out and pressed the visiting Sparrows Point squad from the opening tipoff with a vengeance.

     They built a solid lead off turnovers and went into halftime with a 19-12 lead. The Panthers backed off of the press and it seemed to allow the Pointers momentum to make a comeback.

     The team effort by Perryville saw eight players hit the scoreboard, with only Ali Jones entering double digits at 13 points to lead all Panther scorers. Savannah Dunn led the scoring for Sparrows Point with 15 points.

     Just as Sparrows Point pulled within a basket of Perryville, the Panthers made a run that would put the game permanently out of reach. Perryville outscored Sparrows Point 15-5 in the final period to salt away a 45-27 victory and a trip to the regional semifinals at Western School of Technology in Baltimore County on Wednesday.

02-27-12 Perryville v Sparrows Point Girls Basketball - Images by Eclipse Sportswire

Union Rags and Animal Kingdom Shine Light On Local Horsepower

Union Rags winning the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park in Florida.

     The depth of local horse power should never be underestimated and 2012 is looking like it might be a banner year. Two very intriguing horses call Fair Hill Training Center home for most of the year - Animal Kingdom and Union Rags.
     The former is the reigning 2011 Champion Three Year-Old and the latter stamped himself as the early 2012 Kentucky Derby favorite with an impressive win this weekend. Cecil Scene mentioned them last month as the Eclipse Awards were approaching. (CLICK HERE)
     Both horses are wintering in Florida before they return to Fair Hill. In the mean time, their connections have set their sights on the more prestigious goals in thoroughbred racing in the Kentucky Derby and the Dubai World Cup.
     Many thought Union Rags should have been Juvenile Horse of the Year. The three year-old trained by Michael Matz was barely beaten by Hansen in the 2011 Breeders' Cup Juvenile last November. The strapping colt made his return to the races at Gulfstream Park in Florida on Sunday and quickly reminded everyone how fantastic he looked in 2011. Ridden by jockey Julien Leparoux, he geared down in the stretch and defeated some accomplished rivals handily.  That win solidified him as the early Kentucky Derby favorite.

Animal Kingdom training at Fair Hill last Spring.

     There was no reason to expect Union Rags wouldn't do well in his return, but the return of Animal Kingdom was a different story. He last ran in the 2011 Belmont Stakes where he was injured. Team Valor principle Barry Irwin and trainer Graham Motion made the decision not to retire the colt, to rehabilitate the 2011 Derby winner and keep him racing in 2012.
     The return to competitive racing is always a tenuous situation. Horses can look healthy and train well, but one never knows if their competitive fire is still there.
     Animal Kingdom returned to the racing on February 18th and cleared up those doubts.  His win made him the first Kentucky Derby winner since Big Brown to win a race after the Derby. 
     With that victory, Animal Kingdom remained pointed for a trip to Dubai on March 31st to run in the $10,000,000 Dubai World Cup, the greatest purse in racing.
     Cecil Scene will keep you posted as Animal Kingdom and Union Rags progress towards their ultimate goals this Spring.
      
     

Cecil Scene Player of the Week Cimarosi Tops State Wrestling Contingent

     Cecil Scene Player of the Week (sponsored by WXCY Radio) Anthony Cimorosi heads a contingent 18 deep from Cecil County who will compete in the 1A/2A Maryland State Wrestling Championships next weekend in College Park.

     Cimorosi, who earned All-American honors last summer, notched his 100th career win during this weekend's Maryland State Regional Tournament in Easton, Maryland.  The victory gave Cimorosi three straight UCBAC and East Region wrestling titles. Cimorosi hopes to add the one title to his resume he has yet to earn - State Champion. He finished second the last two years in the finals.

     Cimorosi isn't the only wrestler from Cecil Country headed to College Park in the 100 Win Club. Perryville's Amos "Buddy Harlan grabbed his 100th win earlier in the year during a match against Havre de Grace.

     For wrestlers, the 100-win mark is a big deal. You can check out the Maryland State High School 100 Win List here - http://marylandwrestling.org/maryland-hs-100-win-list/

     Perryville and Rising Sun High Schools each placed five wrestlers in the group headed to College Park. Wrestlers earned the right to vie for a State Title by virtue of their Top-Four finishes at this weekend's East Region tournament. Cimorosi and Bohemia Manor's A.J. Jourdan were the only Cecil County wrestlers to win their weight class at Regionals. Here are all qualifiers by weight class.

106 – Tyear Castle, Bohemia Manor

113 – Chris Brown, Perryville / Tim Taylor, Elkton

120 – A.J. Jourdan, Bohemia Manor / Joe Antoshak, Perryville 

132 - Jake Trybus, Bohemia Manor

126 – Andrew Brown, Perryville

138 – Amos “Buddy” Harlan, Perryville / Paul Keeley, North East

145 - James Hyman, Rising Sun

152 – Anthony Cimorosi, Rising Sun / Alex Sharp, Bohemia Manor

160 – Lance Eveland, Rising Sun

170 – Msema Msackyi, Elkton / David Doring, Perryville

195 – Jake Brown, Rising Sun

220 -  Tyere Garner, North East

285 – Ty McGee, Rising Sun

The Best 2-21 Team In The State? First Round Hoops Playoff Action

      They might be the best 2-21 team you will ever see play. With Elkton’s 78-62 playoff win at home against North East in the opening round of the State Championships, the Golden Elks still have a chance to win it all.

     The last weeks of the season brought controversy and disappointment for the Elkton squad. The Golden Elks were forced to forfeit all of their regular season wins, save their season ending win after the forfeits, to give away all 19 wins in their 19-2 season.

     In spite of efforts by Elkton to race out to an early lead, North East made a fight of it in the first period. Indian Maurice Dickey buried three three-pointers, including a trifecta at the buzzer, to cut the Elkton lead to 18-16 after one.

     Elkton turned on their defense and the press in the second period, holding North East to three baskets and ten points. The Golden Elks put up 25 points in the second frame and blew the game wide open.

     North East’s senior leaders did their best to keep the game close. Maurice Dickey carded five three-pointers for the game and 21 points to lead the Indians. Kendall Danglade added 20 points.

     Malachi Seney posted 25 points for the Golden Elks to lead all scorers in a team effort that had ten different players putting points on the board.

     After forging their double-digit lead in the second period, the Golden Elks never let off the gas forcing numerous Indian turnovers.  In spite of eight three-pointers for the contest, North East never mounted a serious second half run, ending their season with a sixteen point loss.

     The Golden Elks have now started a new winning streak, currently at two games, and will face the winner of tonight’s Fallston-Edgewood matchup.

02-24-12 Elkton v North East Boys Basketball - Images by Eclipse Sportswire

Lofty Goals For Seahawk Spring Sports

    How do you build a sports dynasty? How do you leave a sports legacy? The Yankees had the Core Four and the 49’ers had Joe Montana to build their dynasties. Cecil College softball coach Ed Durham and baseball assistant coach Rod Williams don’t have the luxury of star players returning year after year. For them, the legacy is in the teaching.

     “The sheer joy of coaching for me is to see how they progress throughout the year,” said Durham, adding, “I tell them this is their team, I am just here to facilitate for them.”

     The reputation Cecil College has, not only for teaching, but for level of competition, isn’t lost of student-athletes who choose to come the junior college in North East, Maryland.

     According to returning sophomore Josh Hampton, a shortstop and third basemen for the Seahawks baseball team, “The coaches are great teachers, they move kids on to bigger colleges every year.”

     The dedication to teaching echoes like at cadence from Coach Williams during batting practice, “Stand short, stand tall, hit the wall,” he repeats as he helps his hitters work on their mechanics.

     For Hampton, a standout performer his freshman year, the personal goal of becoming a major league player is a step-by-step process. When he finishes this year as a Seahawk he will move on to Wilmington University. 

     Having “the next step” taken care of is a great relief for Hampton. “Now I don’t have to worry, some kids will start pressing when they don’t know where they are going next and they know scouts are watching.”

     Hampton can credit the weight being lifted from him to his 2011 season. In 52 games, he tallied thirteen home runs and 53 RBI, while sporting a .411 batting average. “I hoping for average,” said Hampton, “I didn’t expect to play that well. But, as the year went on, I kept learning more and doing better.”

     Hampton’s goal for the year is the same as Coach Durham’s in softball and the rest his coaches in baseball – to make it to the Nationals, to make it to the World Series. But for junior college squads, having players like Hampton is a luxury. The turnover for the squads is significant.

     The baseball team has four position players and five pitchers returning out of 26 current roster spots. The softball team is in a similar position, usually having five or six returning players on a total roster of twelve or thirteen girls. According to Durham, “Sometimes we don’t know exactly who we will have until January, we always have kids moving on to bigger schools, sometimes after one year.”

     According to Assistant Baseball Coach Rod Williams there is only one way to combat the turnover. “If you recruit right, it doesn’t matter,” he said, “You just go where the talent is and hope for the best.”

     The baseball and softball teams have different recruiting missions. The current baseball team has only four local high school graduates. That varies according to Williams, “The 06-07 team, we had seven or eight local kids, but right now we have kids from as far away as Virginia and New York.”

     The softball team doesn’t have to wander as far for talent. “ In the five years I have been coaching softball, we have had two girls from Pennsylvania, two from Delaware and one from Harford County,” said Durham, “The rest are home grown in Cecil County.” 

     The pipeline of local talent has served Cecil College well, allowing the Seahawks to make back-to-back appearances in the National tournament. “I have always said the strength of Cecil County is in its softball and baseball,” added Durham.

     One of those local products is returning sophomore Hannah Musick. Initially Musick, a graduate of Perryville High School, attended college and played softball at Bowie State, but felt the fit wasn’t right. “I came here and I love it so much better,” said Musick, “I feel like I have learned a lot more here and I love the way coach coaches.”

     The move served the Port Deposit native well as a freshman in 2011. Musick posted a 10-2 record and 1.51 ERA for 74 innings of work at the pitching mound, adding in 69 strikeouts.

     Musick was eight years old when she became a part of the Cecil County softball pipeline. She played recreation league, travel league and high school softball. Before moving on to either Washington College or Stevenson University, Musick hopes to help the Lady Seahawks make it three National Tournament appearances in a row.

     Whether it is with a softball or baseball everyone at Cecil College echoes the same thoughts about making it the National Tournament. Says Coach Rod Williams, “We have lofty goals.”

02-24-12 Cecil College Spring Baseball Softball - Images by Eclipse Sportswire

Perryville Track and Field Makes Impact At Indoor Championships

     Powered by Jordan Dodson’s wins in the Girls 800 and 1500 Meter Races, the Perryville Girls Indoor Track and Field team just missed ending up on the winner’s podium and finished fourth in the 1A Division.

     Athletes from Perryville, Bohemia Manor, Rising Sun and North East competed in the 1A/2A Maryland State Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Prince George's County Sports Complex in Landover, Maryland today, but it was Perryville’s girls who kept turning in solid performances.

     The meet opened with the Girls 4 x 800 Meter Relay.  Meet Champion Boonsboro proved too much for Perryville, but Kaylee Haberkam, Sam Leonard, Tori Antoshak and Merve Akbay got the Perryville Panther squad on the board with a third place.

     Kaylee Haberkam, as a solo act, was next. She cleared 4’10” easily, two inches more than she qualified with, but she had to wait to see where she would place. Boonsboro’s Maggie Sullivan was off competing in another event. When she returned, she was unable to clear 5’0” as well, giving Haberkam the second placing based on missed jumps.

     Jordan Dodson qualified for the 1500m contest almost 43 seconds slower than Boonsboro’s Sarah Zielinski, who also motored through the 3200m contest for a win. But, it was Dodson who battled past Zielinski for the win. Dodson set her sights on Zielinski early in the race. “I knew I could outkick her, if I just kept her close,” she said.  Dodson added the 800 meter win later in the meet.

     The Perryville Boys finished eighth for the meet, with Karl Palmer providing the best result for the Panthers – a second place finish in the 55m Dash.

    Tori Bertrand from North East scored a second place finish in the pole vault in the 2A Division and Rising Sun's Austin Mcginley finished second in the 2A 3200 meter run for the boys.

     Katie Hild rounded out the Top-3 finishes for Perryville and all Cecil County athletes with her third place finish in the Pole Vault.

*****COMMENTARY*****

     What you might not know is that Indoor Track and Field is a club sport. It isn’t sanctioned.  The athletes pay for their own uniforms, they pay travel expenses and they don’t even qualify as a “letter sport” to put a P or B on a jacket or a sweater. But, they all love track and field.  Part of it is a lack of interest countywide in the Winter version of the Spring sport that is very popular. That said, a short-staffed Perryville squad showed up in Landover and faced serious track and field powerhouses and made a great showing for Cecil County.  Maybe their performance will inspire other Cecil athletes to take part in Indoor Track and Field.  The Perryville Panthers should be quite proud of their fourth place finish.

02-20-12 Maryland State Track and Field - Images by Eclipse Sportswire

Keeping Up With Eclipse Performing Dance Company

     The process of building a stage production from the ground up is tough enough. Add in a cast of dancers who have lives of their own involving class schedules, works schedules, large travel distances and families and one can see the challenges.

     Christi Janney is putting all of this together as she goes. When inspiration hits her, she stops. "I might be cooking dinner and I have a thought and I have to stop and write it down." 

     There are tons of moving parts. The performers work on different elements together, but many don't quite know how the pieces fit together until the entire company works as a unit. Most of the dancers also have a framework for their dances, but are given the autonomy to select their own poses during certain portions of the show.

     Even with the obstacles, the entire Eclipse Performing Dance, minus one dancer who just couldn't make it, came together to run through "Earth" - the first section of their inaugural show "Storm". Dancers like Morgan Pearson drive up to three hours to the Sundance Dance Studio in Rising Sun to be a part of this project. 
    This was the first time some of the dancers were able to see all the moving parts of "Earth" at the same time. It will also be yours. 

Take a look at the slideshow of images from today's rehearsal.

NOTE: This is the second installment of Cecil Scene's continuing coverage of the Eclipse Performing Dance Company.
02-19-12 Eclipse Performing Dance Company - Images by Eclipse Sportswire

Seven Cecil Wrestlers Claim UCBAC Titles, Earn Trips To Regionals

     Wrestlers from Cecil County schools positioned themselves for a banner day in the Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference wrestling finals. Local grapplers were in a position to walk away with eleven of the 14 titles – the next step along the road to the State Championships on March 3^rd and 4^th in College Park.

     Seven Cecil wrestlers claimed first place and earned trips to next week’s Regional Tournament in Easton, Maryland. Rising Sun was also awarded a trophy for claiming the regular season UCBAC title.

106 – Tyear Castle, Bohemia Manor, lost by a score of 5-0 to finish in 2^nd Place.

113 – Chris Brown, Perryville, won by fall to win his weight class.

120 – Weston Lynn, Rising Sun, defeated A.J. Jourdan, Bohemia Manor 9-6 to win his weight class.

126 – Andrew Brown, Perryville, won by fall to win his weight class.

138 – Amos “Buddy” Harlan, Perryville, defeated Paul Keeley, North East, 6-5 to win his weight class.

152 – Anthony Cimorosi, Rising Sun, won by fall to win his weight class.

160 – Lance Eveland, Rising Sun, won by a score of 4-2 to win his weight class.

170 – Msema Msacki, Elkton, lost by fall to finish in 2^nd Place.

182 – Jake Ritter, Perryville, lost by a score of 8-0 to finish in 2^nd Place.

195 – Jake Brown, Rising Sun, lost by a score of 8-1 to finish in 2^nd Place.

285 – Ty McGee, Rising Sun, won by a score of 3-2 to win his weight class.

02-18-12 UCBAC Wrestling Tournament - Images by Eclipse Sportswire

Keep These North East Girls Basketball Players In Your Thoughts

Many Cecil County athletes are gearing us for tournament season.  If you know them, supports them. But, sometimes real life intervenes and reminds us of the things that are important.  Not much else needs to be said beyond the Facebook post by North East girls basketball coach Alan Foskey:

Facebook friends, as many of you know, I coach High School basketball and baseball, and I have two basketball players who could sure use your thoughts and prayers. Heniyah Cannady has been suffering from an as yet unknown malady, and she is experiencing loss of sight from the medications. Hopefully, it is temporary, but there is a possibility it may not be. Please lift her up. Lexie Stevens was in an auto accident Wednesday night and suffered a broken vertebrae in her neck and has diminished vision from glass in her eye. By all accounts, she should be dead or paralyzed, but God has shown an abundance of miracles in her case so far. Both girls are Juniors- I so appreciate all the prayers I know you will send their way!

Please keep these young ladies in your thoughts.

Bo Manor Spoils Senior Night For North East

     Three minutes into North East's game tonight they had opened a 13-point lead and appeared well on the way to sending their seniors out on a winning note. But, Bohemia Manor came into North East High School hoping to spoil Senor Night for the host Indians.

     By the end of the first period, the visiting Eagles had cut the lead down to four points and clawed their way back into the game. The Indian lead continued to slowly slip away with turnovers and six missed free throws in the second period. Bohemia Manor added three three-pointers to pull even with the Indians tied 36-36 at halftime.

     Bohemia Manor came out for the second half with a different strategy, pressing the Indians more frequently on both ends of the court.  The aggressive play led to a 10-point lead for the Eagles, as the Indians only managed four buckets in the third frame.

     Senior Maurice Dickey buried two of his five three-pointers in the final period, as the Indians mounted a charge. Dickey led all scorers with 30 points for the evening. Indian Senior Kendall Danglade added 24 points.

     The Eagles countered with four players in double-digits, led by Dominique Holmes’ two three-pointers and 24 points.

     The late run by the Indians fell four points short as Bohemia Manor defeated North East 73-69.

02-17-12 Bohemia Manor v North East Boys Basketball - Images by Eclipse Sportswire

Reprints Of Cecil Scene Images Now Available (Please Read Carefully)

     The mission of Cecil Scene is to deliver editorial news coverage of sports, recreation and the arts related to Cecil County. We recognize, from time to time, we might take a photo you would like to purchase. We are now offering this service.
     Please keep in mind, none of our photos are immediately available for purchase. To purchase prints or online usage rights, you must email us at cecilscene@gmail.com and follow the below procedures. All requests shall be for images displayed on www.cecilscene.com - images that have been published. Images are only sold upon request.


1. If you see an image you want to purchase, you can "click" that image in the gallery and it will take you directly to the photo's page on our sister site www.eclipsesportswire.com.


2. Note the filename/ID of the image(s)

3. Email us at cecilscene@gmail.com and let us know the image(s) you want to purchase

4. We will go into www.eclipsesportswire.com and activate only those requested images for sale
(NOTE: If you would like to purchase a specialty product, like a Fathead, from one of our affiliate advertisers, we will facilitate that for you.)



5. You also must let us know in the email you are the person in the photo, a parent of the subject or a relative of the subject. Since many of these photos are of minors, we are asking you to go through this verification process to protect the privacy and property rights of those minors (e.g. If we have a photo of your child dunking a basketball, we don't want an ad company purchasing it without your knowledge)


6. Once we activate the image(s) for purchase, we will notify you by email

*Notes-Cecil Scene, and the ability to purchase reprints, is in no way affiliated with the Cecil County Public School System. If you want to purchase an image for commercial use, that image will be cleared through the parents for approval, if it is a minor. At this time, only those requested images for personal use will be sold. This service is ancillary to our general news coverage, we will not take requests to photograph specific athletes at events. We would like to remain impartial in our coverage of events.

Lady Elks Pounce Host Perryville 61-18

     Elkton’s Lady Golden Elks wasted no time letting host Perryville know who would be in control of tonight’s matchup.  The Lady Elks sprinted out to a 10-0 lead, held the Lady Panthers without a basket until the three minute mark in the first frame, extended to a 29-2 lead and closed out the half ahead 36-9.

     The Lady Panthers were outrebounded, committed several turnovers that led to baskets and were generally outmatched in tonight’s tilt against Elkton. Leading the Elks in scoring with 19 points was Desiree Foye, followed by Lena Hicks with 16 points. Amber Wood led the Panthers with eights points.

     The Elks finished the game by not allowing a Panther basket in the fourth quarter and winning by a final score of 61-18.

02-15-12 Elkton v Perryville Girls Basketball - Images by Eclipse Sportswire

10,000 Hits and going strong...and other informational updates

     The good news is that Cecil Scene hit 10,000 webhits tonight since our first article was published. We are quite pleased by the support the community has shown us so far.

     We need your help to keep growing in several areas. Much of the schedule information for high school and college sports is published, but if there is an event you want us to cover, we need to know about it. Email us with your suggestions for coverage of sports, recreation and the arts in Cecil County at cecilscene@gmail.com.

     We also looking for community contributors. If you want to contribute information and/or photos from an event we are unable to attend, you are welcome to submit a story and/or photos to Cecil Scene for consideration.

     

     The final area of concern regards the purchase of photographs published in Cecil Scene by parents or students. Cecil Scene would love to be able to sell you these images upon request, but at this time that does not seem possible. We made an inquiry today to Cecil County Public Schools and this is the response we received, " Thank you for your email and suggestions.  As we discussed previously this is an issue the school system is continuing to look at and study since you brought it to our attention in November.  At this time no change has been made." So the answer is clear. The school system is still considering their course of action. Based on the emails we have received, we know many of you are looking into purchasing prints. It is up to you to voice your opinion to the Cecil County Public School System. Here is the direct link to the Contact Us page on the CCPS website to voice your opinion - http://www.ccps.org/contact_us/contact_us.asp

     Again, THANK YOU for all your support. Cecil Scene looks forward to serving the community well into the future. Keep the feedback coming...

Rising Sun Ladies Rout Havre de Grace At Home

Senior Heather Lesniowski pulls down one of her farewell posters after the Lady Tigers 52-24 win against Havre de Grace.

     Senior night at Rising Sun High School meant the final home game for six varsity players. The Lady Tigers made the most of the evening, routing the visiting squad from Havre de Grace 52-24.

     Cecil Scene Player of the Week and starting guard Heather Lesniowski didn’t make a quiet departure on her last night before a home crowd. Knocking down 4 three-pointers, she led all scorers with 24 points. Senior Alyssa Henry also made it into double-digits with 11 points.

02-13-12 Rising Sun v Havre De Grace Girls Basketball - Images by Eclipse Sportswire

Cecil Scene Player of the Week - Heather Lesniowski

      Hopefully it is a sign of things to come for Cecil Scene, but the voting for the most recent Cecil Scene Player of the Week (sponsored by WXCY Radio) was intense.
     Throughout the voting period, both Rising Sun's Heather Lesniowski and North East's Lexi Stevens held leads in the voting. In the end, Lesniowski garnered 605 votes to Stevens' 512.
     Congratulations to Heather Lesniowski, who played her final home game at Rising Sun tonight.

Putting Together The Elements Of Modern Dance

     Think fast. If your preference tonight was to go see great modern dance, where would you end up? New York? Paris? The last place you would think to go is North East, Maryland. Christi Manion Janney is trying to change that by bringing high-quality, cutting-edge dance to Cecil County with her show “Storm”.

     Janney says she looked around for the opportunities out there for dancers from the area after they graduated from high school. She said, “Unless you are majoring in dance, there was nothing out there for you to keep dancing if you were over 18 (years old), and even then you might not perform.”

     So Janney, the veteran choreographer of numerous full-length dance productions formulated the plan to transform a passion into action with Eclipse Performing Dance Company. “Right now this is more a labor of love,” she said, “we don’t really have money or backing yet, but we have dancers.”

     Her resume is impressive. Janney has choreographed and taught dance for 14 years. She received extensive instruction at Goucher College, Towson University, the Koresh Dance Company in Philadelphia, PA, and with Finis Jhung in Gainesville, FL.

      Janney's teaching and choreography produced a loyal group of former students. When starting this project, she reached out to them to build the core that would become Eclipse PDC.

     One of those former students, and now company member, is Towson University freshman dance major Kaitlyn Glenn. “Eclipse is important for me because dancing at college I only have technique classes,” she said, “Coming from a studio where I did three performances a year, I want to keep performing.”

     The company is not comprised of all former students, but many are. In addition to Glenn, fifteen other women are working with Janney to bring her vision to life.

     “Storm” will be a stage show incorporating the four elements – air, fire, earth and water. And by incorporate, Janney intends to use, on stage live. “It will be intense, they will be dancing IN the elements.”

     The women of Eclipse PDC are in the first stages of building the show slated to open at Cecil College’s Milburn Stone Theater on July 27^th with a three-night run.

     Janney hopes to package up this show featuring local talent and take it on the road, but that opening night in July is the priority for Eclipse Performing Dance Company.

(NOTE: This is the first installment of Cecil Scene's coverage as the women of Eclipse Performing Dance Company put together their production of "Storm". We hope you follow along.)