The Final Score - FNP Podcasts

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Coming off an important victory over arch rival Frederick High, Thomas Johnson boys soccer coach Jonathan Thayil is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

Thayil chats with host Greg Swatek about a momentous week for the Patriots soccer program, during which they honored the man that started it 50 years ago, Fred Dayton, and then went out and pulled out a 3-2 victory over the Cadets on a late goal by junior midfielder Jordan Tema to even their record at 2-2-2 on the season.

The coach talked about why his team is so good on set pieces and how they determine playing time for two capable goalies.

Thayil also talks about how he got his starts in soccer and coaching, why he was so bad a traditional American football and how that shaped his future and the professional team overseas that he supports.

Prior to that conversation, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to discuss the Urbana girls flag football team's upcoming game this weekend against a team from Georgia, his thoughts on the week that was in traditional football in Frederick County and this week's county golf championships at Clustered Spires.

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Now enjoying retired life after 31 years of coaching in Frederick County, former Walkersville golf and basketball coach Bruce Zimmerman is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

Zimmerman chats with host Greg Swatek about his lifelong passion for sports and how he got into coaching. Zimmerman recounts how he didn't play golf and knew very little about the sport when he joined Tom Dickman's basketball staff at Thomas Johnson High School, which was contingent on him being willing to take over the Patriots' golf program.

He talks about what it was like coaching those great basketball teams at TJ under Dickman, which won state titles and had some national acclaim, and what the adjustment was like when he took over the boys basketball program at Walkersville.

Zimmerman also talks about how he's always stayed true to the local teams, the Baltimore Colts and then the Washington Redskins/Commanders after the Colts left town, the Orioles, the Capitals, the Wizards/Bullets and the University of Maryland, how much he misses coaching, if at all, and the time he spends refereeing local basketball games.

Prior to this conversation, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg for a power-rankings session of the all the fall sports in Frederick County. Who is No. 1 in each sport? Does your team make the cut?

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Taking time out of his busy schedule to talk sports, not politics, Michael O'Connor, the Mayor of the City of Frederick, is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

O'Connor chats with Greg Swatek about his love of sports, particularly his love for the Baltimore Orioles. He talks about his favorite Orioles and his favorite Orioles teams, as well as his hatred for the New York Yankees. He also recounts his experience attending Cal Ripken's record-breaking game for consecutive games played and getting to shake Cal's hand as he made his way along the outfield wall.

The mayor also talks about his background as a radio and television journalist prior to ever getting into politics and his initial desire to be a sports reporter/broadcaster upon realizing that he was never going to be able to play sports on a high level.

The discussion then turns to the Frederick Keys and the stadium renovations the city hopes will eventually bring an affiliated minor league team back to Frederick. What will the new stadium look like? When might another affiliated team be here? And how would the mayor react if it was a Yankees affiliate?

Prior to that conversation, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to talk about the week that was in Frederick County sports, discuss Week 2 of the high school football season and look ahead to Week 3.

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