Trey Lipscomb, Washington Nationals Draft Pick, Urbana graduate

After getting selected by the Washington Nationals in the third round (No. 84 overall) of last week's Major League Baseball draft, Urbana High graduate Trey Lipscomb is the guest this week on The Final Score podcast.

Lipscomb chats with host Greg Swatek about the moment he got drafted and what it meant to him and his family. He also talks about the significance to him and his family about getting drafted by a team that's less than an hour's drive from where they live.

He also talks about moving from shortstop to third base at the University of Tennessee, sitting behind two All-Americans with the Volunteers and what that did to his mindset, what his first purchase might be after signing a lucrative first contract with the Nats and what he's up to these days training at the team facility in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Plus, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy weighs in on Lipscomb's future with the Nationals, plus Francis Scott Key Post 11's state legion baseball championship.

Recently Retired Athletic Directors Mike DeSimone (Middletown) and Mike Mummert (Walkersville)

Upon their recent retirement from the long-time careers as athletic directors for Frederick County Public Schools, Mike DeSimone (Middletown High) and Mike Mummert (Walkersville High) are the guests this week on The Final Score podcast.

Mummert served for 39 years at Walkersville High, including 20 as the school's athletic director, while DeSimone worked for 26 years at Middletown High, including nine as the school's A.D.

Together, they chat with host Greg Swatek about their long careers, how they came into their jobs, some of their fondest memories and why Frederick County has become such a hotbed for high school sports.

They also share their concerns about school's being able to attract quality coaching candidates going forward and if they will be able to stay away from the high-school sports scene in the county.

Gareth Kwok, Frederick Keys Broadcaster

As the draft approaches in the Frederick Keys' second season in the Major League Baseball Draft League, the team's broadcaster, Gareth Kwok, is the guest this week on The Final Score podcast.

Kwok chats with host Greg Swatek about the challenge of bringing the stories of the teams players, many from obscure towns and little-heard-of colleges, to the listeners of his broadcasts.

He talks about his initial impressions of his team — what players have been making their mark so far? — and the caliber of baseball in the Draft League.

The Arizona State graduate also charts his own path as a young baseball fan growing up in the Bay Area in California to a small broadcast booth in Frederick, Maryland.

Luke Pryor and Jake Plastiak of the Frederick Keys

With the Major League Baseball Draft approaching in mid-July, Frederick Keys pitcher Luke Pryor and infielder Jake Plastiak are the guests this week on The Final Score podcast.

Pryor, a Middletown High School graduate who now pitches for Mount St. Mary's, and Plastiak, a University of Kentucky product who hails from Chicago, chat with host Greg Swatek about their experiences in the Major League Baseball Draft League.

Pryor talks about what it means to be wearing a Keys uniform, having grown up watching the team, playing close to home and how he has evolved as a right-handed pitcher.

Plastiak, meanwhile, discusses playing a second season for the Keys this year, going to college instead of turning pro after he was drafted by the San Diego Padres out of college in 2018, and how he learned to juggle.

The two players also share what it would mean to hear their names called in the MLB Draft on July 11-13 in Denver, Colorado, just prior to the MLB All-Star Game in the same city.

Girls Flag Football in Frederick County

With hopes of making girls flag football a varsity sport in Frederick County high schools, the founder of and participants in the first all girls flag football team for Frederick County Parks and Recreation are the guests this week on The Final Score podcast.

The originator of and the coach of that first team, Nick Damoulakis, explains to host Greg Swatek how the concept came to fruition during the height of the coronavirus pandemic and his vision for bringing girls flag football into the local high schools and expanding it across the state.

Two of the players on that first team, Damoulakis' daughter, Dana, and McKenna Patterson, also share their experience of why they wanted to play flag football, beating up on some boys teams in the rec league and getting to play at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore during halftime of a Ravens' preseason game last August.

Joe Oliver, Frederick Keys Manager

In his first season as manger of the Frederick Keys, Joe Oliver is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

Oliver was a catcher for seven Major League teams over the course of a 19-year professional career. He chats with Greg Swatek about his time with the Cincinnati Reds, which included winning a World Series in 1990.

He recounts his game-winning hit in Game 2 of that World Series off of Dennis Eckersley, the Hall of Fame closer for the Oakland Athletics, the toll of playing a grueling position like catcher took on his body and what it was like to play for an eccentric owner like Marge Schott of the Reds.

Oliver also share why he wanted to get into managing after a lengthy absence away from the game to be with his family and what he likes about this current Keys team.

Prior to that, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to talk about his love of baseball.

Kevin Kendro, FCPS Supervisor of Athletics and Extracurricular Activities

With high school sports in the 2022-23 school year now concluded, Frederick County Public School's supervisor of athletics and extracurricular activities Kevin Kendro makes his annual appearance on the Final Score podcast this week to discuss the various happenings over the last year.

Kendro chats with host Greg Swatek about the school system's handling of COVID-19 and why this past year felt the most normal since the pandemic began. He also addresses the tremendous success of FCPS athletes and teams on the state level, the loss of the county tennis tournament this spring, recent changes to the regional and state playoff formats and the recent retirements of Middletown athletic director Mike DeSimone and Walkersville athletic director Mike Mummert.

Prior to that, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy chats with Greg about covering Linganore softball's remarkable come-from-behind victory over Chopticon in the Class 3A state championship game.

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Brody Buffington, Dave Lillard, Catoctin Boys Track and Field

On the heels of Catoctin High School winnings its first state team championship for outdoor track and field, Dave Lillard, the boys coach for the Cougars, and Brody Buffington, the team’s star sprinter and jumper, are the guests this week on The Final Score podcast.

Lillard and Buffington chat with host Greg Swatek about how Catoctin was able to break through and win the Class 1A team championship for the boys. Buffington, who accounted for 30 of the team’s 73 points, talks about his jaw dropping times in the 100 - and 200-meter dashes and what it feels like to be able to run that fast. He also talks about giving up playing lacrosse in high school to focus strictly on his blossoming track-and-field career.

How is his summer shaping up in terms of training and competing in the outdoor national meet? How shocked is he by the times that he runs? And how much faster might he get next season with more experience and better health? Those topics are addressed as well.

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Billy Gross, Baseball Coach, Thomas Johnson High School

Following his team’s third state semifinal appearance in the last four seasons, Thomas Johnson baseball coach Billy Gross is this week’s guest on The Final Score podcast.

Gross chats with host Greg Swatek about his team’s remarkable ability to play its best baseball at the most important time of the season. He also talks about coaching at TJ as a Frederick High graduate, the special qualities of his team this season and why it was the last team standing in a region and a county with tremendous pitching talent and depth.

Later in the conversation, Gross chats about stepping away from coaching after nine seasons at TJ to accept an administrative position as the school’s assistant principal and what the next chapter of his career and life will entail.

Also, FNP sports writers Alexander Dacy and John Cannon join Greg to talk about Linganore’s remarkable run to the Class 3A state final in softball, as well as the rest of the state playoffs involving Frederick County teams.

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Andrew Klein, Frederick Keys General Manager

With the start of the Frederick Keys’ second season in the MLB Draft League approaching, the team’s general manager, Andrew Klein, is the guest this week on The Final Score podcast.

Klein chats with host Greg Swatek about the crazy year of 2020 that saw the Keys lose their entire season due to the pandemic as well as their long-time affiliation with the Baltimore Orioles. Klein answers questions about the MLB Draft League and how its been received in Frederick so far, the team’s new ownership group, the stadium situation and the team’s desire to become an MLB affiliate again.

He also talks about how he got his start in the business, scraping gum off the bottom of stadium seats, how he fooled in daughter in a Baby Shark costume, the rejection letter he received and still has from a custodial job and how he managed the long and tedious days as a toll taker.

Prior to that, FNP sports writer John Cannon joins Greg to review the high school spring sports playoffs for Frederick County teams, which is full of teams in the state quarterfinals and semifinals for baseball, softball and boys and girls lacrosse.

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Andrea Poffinberger, Linganore Softball Coach

One of the longest-tenured high school coaches in Frederick County, Andrea Poffinberger of the Linganore softball team, is this week’s guest on the Final Score podcast.

Poffinberger chats with host Greg Swatek about her two decades at the helm of the Lancers’ softball team. She talks about how she got the job, what she enjoys the most about it, how much longer she might do it and why Linganore always seems to put itself in contention for a state title. Plus, she talks about coaching the Lancers’ volleyball team and the learning curve she endured in her early days of doing that job.

Prior to that, though, FNP sports writers John Cannon and Alexander Dacy drop in to discuss the recent Central Maryland Conference championship games, as well as the upcoming playoffs for baseball softball and lacrosse.

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Brendan Yagesh, Keegan Johnson, Mike Frownfelter, Urbana Baseball

Pitching depth for high school baseball in Frederick County is about as good, if not better, than it has ever been before.

There are nine Division I recruits from five different county schools taking the mound this season, and each have had their moments of dominance.

On this week’s episode of the Final Score podcast, two of the nine pitchers, Brendan Yagesh and Keegan Johnson of Urbana, as well as their coach, Mike Frownfelter, join host Greg Swatek to talk about this golden era of pitching in the county.

Yagesh and Johnson, both tall, left-handed pitchers, discuss their journeys to this point of their baseball careers and how they keep pushing each other to get better. They explain why they chose the colleges they will pitch for. Yagesh will stay nearby and attend Mount St. Mary’s, while Johnson will maintain a family connection with Ball State in Muncie, Indiana.

Meanwhile, Frownfelter talks about what makes them both special pitchers and when he realized what potential they had.

Plus, News-Post sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to discuss pitching, a team that is flying under the radar with its stud pitchers and the latest power rankings for Frederick County spring sports.

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Brooke Wilson, Linganore girls lacrosse coach

With the Linganore girls lacrosse team having its best season in years, Lancers coach Brooke Wilson is this week’s guest on The Final Score podcast.

Wilson chats with host Greg Swatek about the growth of the program in her five seasons on the job and why the team is playing so well this season. She also talks about growing up playing the sport in Frederick County, the expectations she has for her players, working for the Washington Nationals and why giving back to others is so important.

First, though, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to talk about all of the elite pitching in Frederick County this spring.

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Dale Kowatch, Oakdale boys lacrosse coach

With his young team off to a good start this season, Oakdale boys lacrosse coach Dale Kowatch is this week’s guest on The Final Score podcast.

Kowatch chats with host Greg Swatek about managing expectations for a team with nine sophomores, including many holding down prominent positions.

He talks about his love of helping other people and how that led him into coaching, racing BMX bikes with his brother and riding motorcycles with his father, why he turned down numerous Division I offers to play at a Division III school in college and his fondest memories from his playing days at Thomas Johnson High School.

Plus, FNP sports writers John Cannon and Alexander Dacy join Greg to discuss power rankings for the various spring sports in Frederick County.

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Oakdale Boys Basketball's Alex Hawkins, Cameron Dorner, Coach Brandon Long

On March 10, Oakdale High School became the first boys basketball team from Frederick County to win a state title in 23 years.

On this episode of The Final Score podcast, hear from coach Brandon Long and two of the star players on the team, seniors Alex Hawkins and Cameron Dorner, as they chat with host Greg Swatek about their run to the title, capped by a wire-to-wire 61-40 victory over Huntingtown in the Class 3A championship game at the University of Maryland's Xfinity Center.

Learn what it meant to end such a lengthy drought for boys basketball teams from the county, how the Bears overcame adversity over the course of the season, how they were able to pull out so many last-second wins in the playoffs and the other players that helped make it all possible.

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Geoff Arnold, Baltimore Orioles Broadcaster

With Opening Day in Major League Baseball upon us, the radio voice of the Baltimore Orioles, Geoff Arnold, is this week’s guest on The Final Score podcast.

Entering his third season on the job, Arnold chats with host Greg Swatek about the strangeness of his first two seasons at Major League broadcaster due to the coronavirus pandemic. He shares the moment he felt he belonged as a big-league broadcaster and how he deals with the grind of a 162-game season.

Plus, the guys discuss the MLB lockout, some of the new rule changes, expectations for the Orioles and their top prospects and how the American League East might shake out.

Prior to that, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to share his second installment of Frederick County high school baseball power rankings and the story of a wonderful person tragically lost in Urbana’s Kayley Milor.

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Gavin Donahue, Urbana boys lacrosse coach

With his team vying to defend its state title, Urbana High boys lacrosse coach Gavin Donahue is this week’s guest on The Final Score podcast.

Donahue chats with host Greg Swatek about his team’s dominant run to the Class 3A championship last season, which capped an unbeaten season and marked the program’s first state championship. He also talks about managing expectations this season with a much different team and new cast of scorers on offense.

Donahue also discusses how he fell in love with the sport and with coaching, growing up on Long Island in New York and why he isn’t always the easiest coach to play for.

Prior to that, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy stops in to unveil his initial power rankings for high school baseball in Frederick County.

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Start of spring sports, with FNP sports writers John Cannon and Alexander Dacy

As spring sports get underway across Frederick County, FNP sports writers John Cannon and Alexander Dacy join host Greg Swatek to discuss their initial impressions from the first week of the season and some of the teams to watch in baseball and softball, as well as boys and girls lacrosse. Dacy talks about settling into his new job and his first impressions of the county sports scene.

With Opening Day in Major League Baseball right around the corner, the guys launch into a discussion about their favorite teams, uniforms and their general expectations for the season.

Cara Consuegra, Linganore graduate, UNC-Charlotte Women’s Basketball Coach

With March Madness getting into full swing, Linganore graduate and UNC-Charlotte women’s basketball coach Cara Consuegra is this week’s guest on The Final Score podcast.

The 49ers won the Conference USA Tournament championship to earn their first bid to the NCAA tournament since 2009. They are the 14th seed in the Bridgeport Region and will take on No. 3 seed Indiana on the Hoosiers’ home court at 1:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2.

Consuegra chats with host Greg Swatek about UNC-Charlotte’s run to the Big Dance, how the program has progressed in her 11 seasons on the job and the all-consuming nature of it.

Prior to that, new FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy stops in to talk about his first days on the job and life as a Washington sports fan for the Silver Spring native.

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Mason and Evan Wang, Hood College Men’s Basketball

After leading their team to the NCAA Division III tournament, Mason and Evan Wang are this week’s guest on The Final Score podcast.

The identical twins chat with host Greg Swatek about the Blazers’ 74-71 victory at Eastern University last Sunday in the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth championship game and how they turned the tide on the Eagles after they lost to them twice during the regular season.

They talk about the celebratory moments after the win and how the team had to cut down the nets back at Hood since Eastern wouldn’t allow them to do it on site. They also talk about their time at Hood, where they will be remembered as two of the best players to play at the school, and their lives as identical twins. In what ways are they different, if at all?

Hood plays Oswego State of New York at 3 p.m. Friday in the first round of the NCAA tournament. It will be the Blazers first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 2007. How do they think they will feel when they take the court? What type of game do they expect?

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