Page 46 The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch June 7, 2013 Sports In The News Beach Girls Win Lax Splash Title 17th Annual Mako Mania Underway By SHAWN J. SOPER SPORTS EDITOR OCEAN CITY – The 17th Annual Mako Mania shark tournament gets underway next weekend with dozens of boats and teams of anglers expected to compete in the first significant offshore tournament of the summer-long series of events in Ocean City. With warm water starting to show up in the canyons off the coast of the resort, the early offshore fishing season is starting to heat up just in time for the annual Mako Mania tournament hosted by Bahia Marina. Sharks of all sizes and species are typically the first game fish to arrive off the coast of the resort and this year should be no different. Over a couple of weeks, a significant number of makos, threshers and other shark species have been caught in the waters off the coast of the resort, signaling the fish are arriving just in time for the annual Mako Mania tournament. While the event is all about fishing, and particularly sharks, as its name implies, the activity on land is no less exciting. Curiosity-seekers will cram into Bahia Marina each afternoon during the tournament for a chance to see a potential winning shark raised at the scale in what has become a festival of sorts celebrating the arrival of another summer offshore fishing season. The event gets underway next Thursday with a captains’ meeting with the first of three official fishing days starting early next Friday. Other fishing days include Saturday and Sunday, and the boats and their captains must choose to fish two of the three fishing days. Mako sharks are the featured species in the tournament although there are also divisions for threshers and bluefish, for example. Like most tournaments in the area, the conservation of the various species is paramount to success, and to that end, an award and a check for $1,000 is given out for the most shark releases called the W.W. Harman Award. The Beach Lacrosse program’s 9-10 girls team last week swept six games to win the championship in their division at the prestigious Lax Splash Tournament in Baltimore. Pictured from left, above, back row: Coach Gary Dutton, C.C. Lizas, Mary Mergott, Maddy Shanahan, Katie Mitchell, Ava Vandornick, Bridget Buxbaum, Summer Vorsteg, Aly Matha, Brittyn Lyra Leonard, Alyssa Romano, Sarah Engle and Coach Denny Leonard. Pictured front row, from left: Ellie Dutton, Madison Van Orden, Allison Marx, Victoria Mueller, Zoe Hargrove, Lexie Rakow, Carly Hoffman, Julianna Fohner, Gabby Izzett and Meredith Eitel. Submitted Photo By SHAWN J. SOPER SPORTS EDITOR 33rd OCShark Tourney Next Week By SHAWN J. SOPER SPORTS EDITOR OCEAN CITY – The 33rd Annual Ocean City Shark Tournament gets underway next week, and with the action off the coast of the resort off to a remarkable start, there should be no shortage of excitement at the docks. Hundreds of offshore anglers will chug out to the canyons off the coast next week in search of sharks of all species and sizes. A decent number of big sharks have been caught and weighed and even a few more released including a great white by the “Muff Diver” last weekend, setting the stage for what should be a strong Ocean City Shark Tournament again this year. From modest beginnings back in 1981, when just 11 boats and 33 anglers competed in the inaugural event, the tournament has grown over the years to become one of the premiere shark tournaments on the east coast. Most of sharks caught during the tournament are safely returned to the sea with just a small percentage actually weighed at the scales. The Ocean City Fishing Center just across the Route 50 Bridge in West Ocean City is the host of the annual shark tournament and the marina will be turned into headquarters for the event with weigh-ins each day from 3:30-7 p.m. Crowds of fishing enthusiasts and curiosity seekers will cram into the marina each day for the chance to see a big shark weighed at the scales, and the entire facility is turned a celebration of fishing, food, music and fun with activities for children included. While the primary goal of the tournament is to bring the largest shark in several categories into the scales for a shot at the thousands of dollars in prize money at stake, most of the sharks caught during the annual event are tagged and released so their movements can be studied and a greater understanding of the magnificent creatures can be ascertained. Marine biologists often set up shop at the marina during the event to take samples and further study the small percentage of sharks that actually make it to the scales. Much of the drama surrounding the event includes the weighing of large sharks at the scales at the host Ocean City Fishing Center, from the beginning the tournament has been rooted in a strong conservation effort. BERLIN – The Beach Lacrosse program made a great showing at the Lax Splash tournament in Baltimore last weekend with the girls’ 9-10 team winning the championship in its division and several others reaching the semifinals and quarterfinals. The Beach Lacrosse 9-10 girls’ team, coached by Gary Dutton and Denny Leonard, swept six games to win the championship. The 9-10 girls’ team, made up of 4th and 5th graders, rode an imposing offense that averaged 12.5 goals per game and a stellar defense, which allowed just 16 goals in six games, to earn the championship trophy. The 9-10 girls beat Charm City, 10-0, in its opener, followed by a 15-3 win over HFG and an 11-2 win over Carroll Manor. In the quarterfinals, the girls beat Cockeysville, 12-5, and knocked of Towsontowne, 15-5, in the semifinals to reach the championship game. In the title game, the 9-10 girls cruised by St. James, 12-1. The Beach Lacrosse 13-14 girls’ team also put together a big run before falling in the semifinals. The 13-14 girls beat Pittsburgh, 11-3; beat Bay Area 2017, 9-6 and beat Open, 4-2, to qualify for the finals. In the quarterfinals, the Beach girls beat the Charles County Knights, 14-3, but fell to LTRC, 6-5, in the semifinals. The Beach Lacrosse boys’ 78B team beat Towsontowne, 13-1; beat Hereford, 10-7 and beat LTRC, 8-4, before falling to BLC Orange, 10-5, in the quarterfinals. The boys’ 9-10C team beat Charm City, 14-3; beat Perry Hall, 5-2; and lost to Bel Air, 4-1, before falling in the quarterfinals to the Bethesda Outlaws, 6-2. The Beach Lacrosse 11-12B team beat Performance Lacrosse, 101; beat Cobra Central East, 10-5; and beat Towsontowne, 5-1, before falling to Dark Horse Black, 75, in the quarterfinals. Resort Area Hosting Lax Tourneys By SHAWN J. SOPER SPORTS EDITOR OCEAN CITY – The resort area will become ground zero of the youth lacrosse world this weekend with hundreds of teams from all over the mid-Atlantic region descending on Ocean City and Berlin for a pair of simultaneous tournaments. Hosted by the Beach Lacrosse program and the Ocean City Recreation and Parks Department, the 2013 Beach Lacrosse Festival will take place at Northside Park all weekend starting today. Games will be played practically around the clock all weekend featuring many of the best girls’ youth lacrosse programs in the country and will culminate with championship games in each division on Sunday. Northside Park will become the center of the youth lacrosse universe all weekend with tournament games, music, food and drink and vendors. Meanwhile, the Brine Beach Lacrosse tournament featuring some of the top boys’ youth programs in the country will be going on simultaneously on fields all over the Berlin area including the Northern Worcester Athletic Complex, Buckingham Elementary, Berlin Intermediate School, Most Blessed Sacrament School and the Seaside Christian Academy. The tournament is also a Dick’s Tournament of Champions qualifying event, meaning to top teams in the 11-12A and 13-14A divisions will be invited to participate in the national championship tournament hosted by Dick’s Sporting Goods later this year.