Vince Ahearn, New Thomas Johnson High Football Coach

As he steps back into a head coaching job on familiar terrain, new Thomas Johnson High football coach Vince Ahearn is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

Ahearn was hired back in late January to take over the Patriots' program, which has fallen on hard times over the last decade. Previously, he was the longtime football coach at rival Frederick High, but had not had a head-coaching position since he left Smithsburg High School in 2021.

He tells host Greg Swatek why he decided to be a head coach again and why the TJ job was such a good fit for him. 

What are some of the biggest challenges he faces? What is the state of TJ's feeder program, which folded and is in the process of being restored? What is he most excited about?

Ahearn answers all of these questions and more over the course of the conversation.

Prior to that discussion, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to talk about another buzzer beater,  the upcoming high school boys and girls basketball playoffs, the state indoor track meet and the state wrestling duals.

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Mike Franklin, Former Catoctin Baseball Coach

After recently stepping down as Catoctin High's baseball coach, stunning many around the Frederick County sports community, Mike Franklin is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

Franklin reflects on his 28 years as a baseball coach at Catoctin, including 25 spent as a head coach, with host Greg Swatek. He talks about why he made his decision, the difficulty that was involved in making it and what reaction he has gotten from others across the county since making it.

He also talks about why he loved coaching at Catoctin so much and stayed with the school for so long, even when he had opportunities to go elsewhere.

Franklin discusses the impact his family had on his decision and some of his initial plans for the next phase of his life. Can he see himself getting back into coaching one day?

Prior to that conversation, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to review the Frederick County Public Schools swimming and diving championships from last weekend and the Monocacy Valley Hockey League championship game between Middletown Valley and Oakdale.

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J.R. Pinnock, Frederick High Girls Basketball Coach

In his first season covering the Frederick High girls basketball team, J.R. Pinnock is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

Pinnock chats with host Greg Swatek about his team, the successful season its having, why he wanted the job and his adjustment to coaching girls when his background is working with boys.

He also talks about his extensive playing career and how that shaped him as a person and a coach. Pinnock grew up in a military family, played college basketball at George Washington University, where he was the team's leading scorer for the 2006-2006 season and led the team to the NCAA tournament out of the Atlantic 10.

Pinnock was drafted into the NBA by the Dallas Mavericks with the 58th overall (second round) selection of the 2006 draft and then later traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he was very briefly teammates with Kobe Bryant. After his very short NBA stint ended, he went on to have a long and expansive professional playing career internationally. 

He talks about all of this and more.

Prior to that conversation, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to talk about a buzzer beater involving the Mount St. Mary's men and look ahead to the high school basketball playoffs here in Frederick County for boys and girls teams.

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Oakdale High Girls Basketball

Fresh off another win over their chief regional rival, Linganore, longtime Oakdale High girls basketball coach Rob Healy, senior forward Jane Rape and junior forward Layla McFarland are this week's guests on The Final Score podcast.

The win over Linganore this week improved the Bears record to 15-1 this season. Healy and his players chat with host Greg Swatek, not just about the big win over the Lancers and why they seem to have their number in big games, but why they have played so well this season in general.

The Oakdale girls are coming off an appearance in the Class 3A state championship game last March. Healy and his players talked about having that experience and how it could pay dividends for them later this season.

Jane Rape talks about her four years at Oakdale and her decision to play for Army, West Point in college as the Bears' first Division I girls basketball player. McFarland talks about her 30 points against Linganore, which matched a single-game school record, and how she has developed as a player over the course of her winding basketball journey. And Healy talks about how he motivates the team, often through the use of impactful quotes, and keeps it sharp and playing well throughout the season.

Prior to that conversation, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to discuss the high school basketball scene in Frederick County and how the tragic plane crash in Washington hit close to home.

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Bill Swaney, Linganore Wrestling Coach

With his team bidding to win a third consecutive state duals championship, Linganore High wrestling coach Bill Swaney is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

Swaney talks with host Greg Swatek about his long career as a wrestling coach in Frederick County that has almost spanned almost two decades. He discusses taking over the head coaching job at Linganore this season from longtime friend and colleague Ben Arneson and some of the challenges the Lancers have faced as they go after another state title.

He also talks about how the sport has changed over the years and the need to evolve with the times and adapt to what's happening now. And he talks about his beloved Washington Commanders and Capitals having terrific seasons and being squarely in a championship chase.

Prior to that conversation, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to discuss a Frederick County girls flag football commitment at Mount St. Mary's, a profile he is working on about longtime Tuscarora coach Mike O'Brien and the local high school basketball scene.

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Dean Swink, Former Urbana High Football Coach

A few days after officially stepping down as the varsity football coach at Urbana High School, Dean Swink is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

Swink explains in detail his decision to step down to host Greg Swatek. What were the biggest factors that drove it? How long had he been wrestling with it? And why was now the right time?

He was the head coach at Urbana for two seasons, going 10-13 overall over that span. Previously, he was the head coach at Tuscorora High School from 2009-11. Is there a future for him coaching football in some capacity, even if he is not the head coach? And what will he miss the most about the job.

Prior to that conversation, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to discuss the boys and girls basketball pecking order this season in Frederick County.

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Jordan Addison's Mother, Keisha Jackson

With her son having another terrific season and set to play in his first playoff game for the Minnesota Vikings, Jordan Addison's mother, Keisha Jackson, is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

Jackson chats with host Greg Swatek about watching her son develop into one of the best young receivers in the NFL in his second season with the Vikings. She talks about how she feels when she watches him play and the reactions she gets from fans who may or may not realize that she is Addison's mother.

She also addresses some of the off-the-field challenges her son has faced, including an excessive speeding charge and DUI, how she reacted to those incidents and how Jordan has learned and grown from them.

Prior to that conversation, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to talk about the local sports scene in a week plagued by weather postponements and how sports are impacted by the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles and the role they play as the city tries to recover.

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Linganore High Girls Basketball

After taking down reigning Class 4A state champion Clarksburg on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to win the holiday tournament at Thomas Johnson High School last week, coach Rachael Easterday, senior forward Kayleigh Lake and senior guard Taylor Moran of the Linganore High girls basketball team are this week's guests on The Final Score podcast.

The trio chats with host Greg Swatek about the Lancers' 6-1 start to the season despite coming into it with a largely new cast of players. The big win over Clarksburg is discussed at length, and Taylor Moran shares what it was like to make the game-winning 3 to win that game at the buzzer. Did the sequence unfold in slow motion for her and the team, like it was a movie?

Meanwhile, Kayleigh Lake talks about being the only returning starter on the team and the challenges and rewards that has presented.

The group also talks about why the Lancers have exceeded expectations so far this season and how the fast start might have changed the outlook for the rest of this season. How far do they think the team can go?

Prior to that conversation, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to talk about his holiday travel and holiday-tournament basketball. What teams looked the best and have the best outlook going forward?

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Andre Jackson, Walkersville High Wrestling Coach

With his team off to its best start in more than a decade, Walkersville High School wrestling coach Andre Jackson is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

After years of futility, the Lions came into the week with a 14-1 record and thoughts of contending for the Class 2A state duals championship this season.

Jackson talks with host Greg Swatek about why his team is wrestling so well, what has fueled the turnaround and realistic expectations for a team and group of wrestlers that seems to improve by the match.

He talks about coaching wrestling for almost 40 years in Frederick County after wrestling for Frederick High. How did he come into the job? Why does he enjoy the job so much? What keeps him going? And how much longer might he do it?

Jackson discusses what coaching Frederick High to a state team championship in 1996 was like and what this season's Walkersville team must do to achieve it's ultimate goals.

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Chris Jenkins, General Manager, The Frederick Flying Cows Professional Basketball Team

As the Frederick Flying Cows prepare for their second season of professional basketball in The Basketball League (TBL), the team's general manager, Chris Jenkins, is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

Jenkins, a Frederick native, chats with host Greg Swatek about the remarkable amount of success the Flying Cows experienced in their first season of existence. The team went 20-6, playing before good crowds on the campus of Hood College, and was the top seed in the Atlantic Northeastern conference playoffs. 

Jenkins tells the story of how the team came to be, the sort of happenstance way of how they landed the winningest coach in TBL history, how they acquire players and the type of living they are able to make, the role it seeks to play in the Frederick County sports community and expectations for Season 2 from an operational and basketball standpoint.

For the last seven years, Jenkins has run the largest high school basketball tournament in the country, the Governor's Challenge, at this time of year in Salisbury. He talks about the rewards and logistical challenges of staging such a tournament, which will feature 144 teams this year.

Prior to that conversation, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to discuss the upcoming holidays and the overall basketball scene in Frederick County, including the Flying Cows and the top boys and girls high school teams.

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John Manley, Thomas Johnson Boys Basketball Coach

As a new boys basketball season begins across Frederick County, Thomas Johnson head coach John Manley is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

Manley is the longest-tenured boys basketball coach in the county, having been the head coach at TJ for 17 years and on staff there for 22. He chats with host Greg Swatek about his longevity, what keeps him going in the job, how he has evolved and become a better coach over the years and how much longer he might keep doing it.

He also talks about his team at TJ this season and whether he feels it can make a run deep into the playoffs. The Patriots share the same region (Class 4A West, Section I) with the reigning state champs in 4A, Frederick High. TJ nearly ended the Cadets' quest for a state title last season. The Patriots led by 14 points early in the fourth quarter before eventually falling in a regional final, 49-45.

Plus, with the holidays approaching, how does a veteran coach handle all of interruptions of routine and habits that this time of year typically presents.

Prior to that conversation, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to discuss Linganore's 35-7 loss to Arundel in the Class 3A football state final last Saturday in Annapolis and offer a bit of a winter sports preview for county teams, particularly when it comes to boys and girls basketball.

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Scott Willett and Herman King, Longtime Linganore Football Assistants

With the Linganore High football team preparing to play in another state final, assistant coaches Scott Willett and Herman King are this week's guests on The Final Score podcast.

Willett and King chat with host Greg Swatek about their own experiences with Linganore football, but also the remarkable career of head coach Rick Conner, who is wrapping up his 23rd season as the Lancers' head coach with  yet another appearance in a state title game, his sixth in the last eight years and 15th overall as a coach.

Linganore faces Arundel High School at for the Class 3A state championship at 7 p.m. Saturday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.

What makes Conner the coach and the person that he is? How has he been able to have this much success?

Willett has been with Conner for more than 20 years at Linganore, while King has coached with him for more than 30, dating back to their time together on the coaching staff at Thomas Johnson High School.

Not only did Willett play for Linganore and win a state title in 1989, he and his wife, Susie, have raised three sons who have played football and appeared in a state final for the Lancers. What were the odds?

King, meanwhile, shares Conner's passion for football, physicality and weight lifting. Why did he decide to leave TJ to join Conner's staff at Linganore?

The Lancers are trying to snap a four-game slide in state championship games. What would it mean to Willett and King if they were able to claim a seventh state championship to extend their Frederick County record?

Prior to this conversation, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to look at the Linganore-Arundel state final and what some of the keys to the game might be.

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Collin Delauter, Middletown High Football Coach

With his team set to play in a Class 2A-1A state semifinal, Middletown High Football coach Collin Delauter is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

Delauter chats with host Greg Swatek about the Knights season so far and the formidable challenge that lies ahead. They are 10-2 and will travel to southern Maryland to unbeaten Patuxent (12-0), which knocked them out in the state quarterfinal round last season, 42-7. How is Middletown approaching this year's game, and what will it need to do to win and advance to its first state final since its 2A championship season in 2019?

This is Delauter's eighth season on the job. He previously played for and won a state title at Middletown. How has he grown both as a coach and as a person over that time period? What has he learned? And how much fun is it to still be practicing football on Thanksgiving?

Prior to that conversation, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to talk about Thanksgiving traditions, favorite foods and, yes, the state football semifinals featuring Linganore and Middletown this week.

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Rick Conner, Linganore High Football Coach

As his team prepares to host Bel Air in a Class 3A state quarterfinal, longtime Linganore High football coach is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

Conner chats with host Greg Swatek about a season that has exceeded just about everyone's expectations around the program. The Lancers graduated more than 30 seniors from last year's team that faced Oakdale for the Class 3A state championship. The group includes Frederick County's all-time leader in rushing yards and touchdowns, Ethan Arneson, and a Division I college quarterback, Christian Petruzzello (Bucknell). Only six starters returned out of 22 on both sides of the ball.

How have the Lancers maintained such a high level with so many new players in key positions? Who or what has been the biggest surprise? What is the team's outlook heading into Friday's state quarterfinal against Bel Air? Conner answers all of those questions and more.

Prior to that discussion, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to talk about Brunswick's state final in boys soccer last Saturday and to preview the Frederick County state quarterfinal football matchups, which also involve Frederick High, Middletown and Walkersville.

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State Finalist Brunswick Boys Soccer

As they prepare for their third state final in four years, Brunswick High boys soccer coach Shawn Baker and two of his top players, Chase Malone and Graham Putnam, are this week's guests on The Final Score podcast.

The Railroaders (14-2-2) will face Liberty (15-1) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday (November 16) at Loyola University in Baltimore for the Class 1A championship.  If they win, it will mark their sixth state championship and fifth since 2012. 

Baker and his players chat with host Greg Swatek about how the program has been able to create such sustained success. Putnam shares his unique perspective, as he was essentially born into the Brunswick soccer program since his father, Kenny, served as the team's coach. Malone, meanwhile, is the leading scorer in the county his season, and his older brother, Logan, scored game-winning goals for the Railroaders in overtime of the 2021 and '22 state-championship games.

The guys talk about their season, their overtime win over previously unbeaten Mountain Ridge in the state semifinals and what they expect against Liberty in Saturday's championship game.

Prior to that discussion, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to wrap up the end of the girls flag football and cross country seasons, including an excruciatingly close call for Frederick High girls cross country, and look ahead to the second week of the high school football playoffs.

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Chad Dickman, Hood College Men's Basketball Coach

With its team preparing to host its annual tip-off tournament this weekend, Hood College men's basketball coach Chad Dickman is this week's guest on The FInal Score podcast.

Dickman chats with host Greg Swatek about the tip-off tournament, which features Randolph-Macon, nationally ranked in Division III, and its coach Josh Merkel, a Frederick County native, as well as Salisbury and Notre Dame of Maryland.

What are Dickman's expectations for the coming season? The Blazers are coming off their second NCAA tournament appearance in three seasons and return two of their best players in Garrison Linton and Garrett Cox. Is it good enough just to get back to the tournament this season or do the Blazers need to win a game this time to feel satisfied?

Plus, what does Dickman expect from his new players, including freshman like Ivan Quejada and Gage Linton who played their high school basketball in Frederick County?

Prior to that conversation, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to talk about the fall sports playoffs in Frederick County, including girls flag football championships, state soccer semifinals and the first round of the traditional football playoffs.

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Antoine White, Mount St. Mary's Women's Basketball Coach

With the start of the season about a week away, Mount St. Mary's women's basketball coach Antoine White is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

White chats with host Greg Swatek about his young team. Nine of the Mountaineers 14 players are either freshmen or sophomores, an intentional move during the recruiting process that will allow the team to grow together. He also talks about the shakeup on his coaching staff and the new people advising him as he begins his fourth season as the head coach of the Mountaineers.

With so much new swirling around the team, has he had to adjust his expectations for the season? The Mount was recently picked to finish seventh in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in a preseason coaches poll. How does he think his team will fare in its third season of MAAC play?

Prior to this conversation, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to discuss the state golf championships and the overall state of the falls sports playoffs for the Frederick County teams that are still alive.

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Donny Lind, Mount. St. Mary's Men's Basketball Coach

With his first season as the men's basketball coach at Mount St. Mary's about to begin, Donny Lind is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

Lind chats with host Greg Swatek about his expectations for the coming season. What have his first six months on the job been like? What style of basketball will the Mountaineers look to play on both ends of the floor? Who will the players to watch be? And how will the team fare in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference? 

The Mountaineers were recently picked to finish 11th out of 13 teams in the MAAC in a preseason coaches poll. Does Lind put much stock into that?

He also discusses the renovations going on at Knott Arena right now and how that might impact the team, particularly when it comes to the new court.

Prior to that conversation, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to talk about Jerry Smith being removed as Brunswick High's football coach and the impact that might have on the team. They also recap Week 7 of the high school football season, look ahead to Week 8 and set the playoff scene for county teams in the other fall sports.

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Kyle Grimm, Retiring Urbana Boys Track and Field Coach

After recently announcing that he was stepping down following eight years as Urbana's boys track and field coach, Kyle Grimm is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

Grimm chats with host Greg Swatek about the difficulty of the decision and why not was the right time to step away from the program. He discusses how he came into the job and why he loved it so much. And he talks about the future of the program under coach Jackie Suarez, a good friend and the Urbana boys cross country head coach who worked closely alongside him during the track and field season.

The discussion then turns to Grimm's influences growing up, his musical inclinations and how he met his wife, as they both work as music teachers. Would Grimm ever return to coaching? He entertains that question as he discusses his future.

Prior to that conversation, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to discuss Brunswick's momentous victory over Walkersville in football, the tenuous status of Railroaders coach Jerry Smith and how that might affect the team and Linganore's talented girls flag football team. The guys review Week 6 of the traditional high school football season and look forward to Week 7.

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Emily Sexton, Urbana High Volleyball Coach

Coming off a couple of important matches against Linganore and North Hagerstown, Urbana High volleyball coach Emily Sexton is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

Sexton chats with host Greg Swatek about her background playing volleyball at Urbana and later coaching there. How did the opportunity come about for her? What has she learned about coaching since she has taken the job?

She also discusses her team and how it fits into the great volleyball tradition that Urbana has established. Who are the players that make the team go? What sort of expectations did she have for the team?

In the last week, the Hawks have pulled out a close win over Linganore and dropped a tough one to perennial state power North Hagerstown. What does she hope her team took from those experiences?

Prior to that conversation, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to share his thoughts, among other things, on the Urbana volleyball team and its match with Linganore and the Hawks' out-of-state victory in girls flag football over a team from Athens, Georgia.

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