The Future of Centennial Boys’ Lacrosse

Words: Shawn Kruhm

On January 15, Centennial boys’ lacrosse coach Nick Kellinger officially stepped down from his head coaching position. Kellinger learned earlier this year that his chances of returning to the team were slim due to his immense commitment to his job.

Although Kellinger’s coaching career at Centennial started just nine years ago, his love and commitment for the school dates back to 2002 as a student. After attending Loyola Blakefield as a freshman, he transferred to Centennial for his sophomore year. Kellinger won two state championships during his three years. 

“To me, the Centennial lacrosse program is like a family,” said Kellinger. “I learned to love the game of lacrosse as a player at Centennial.” 

The news of his departure left countless players confused and irritated. For many, the 2020 season would have been their third or fourth straight year playing under Kellinger. It is exceptionally difficult to experience a change in the head coaching position as a player, especially when the decision was made with the season only weeks away. 

Four year Varsity athlete and Centennial senior Ty Sams struggled hearing the news during the team’s final meeting with Kellinger. He is thankful for their shared time with a lacrosse program that means so much to both of them. 

“Coach Kellinger has had a tremendous impact on the lacrosse program and I believe the greatest accomplishment of his coaching was helping mold boys into young men through the sport,” said Sams. “Centennial lacrosse means brotherhood. I have some of my closest friends because of this team.” 

Despite the challenges the team has faced following the departure of head coach Nick Kellinger, the Centennial boys’ lacrosse program is making tremendous progress. No more than a week after Kellinger announced his leaving, former Centennial football and lacrosse coach Ken Senisi took the head coaching position. 

“When I heard that [Kellinger] had resigned, I felt this program needed some experience and stability,” stated Senisi. “In addition, the program has such a strong tradition and I wanted to return to build upon that tradition.”  

Senisi began coaching at Centennial High School in 1999. He coached the Junior Varsity lacrosse team for eight years prior to joining the Marriott’s Ridge coaching staff. Senisi later returned to Centennial to assist Kellinger with coaching operations. After just a few years, Senisi joined the Marriotts Ridge Varsity staff yet again, just prior to the 2017 season. 

“I am so proud to be apart of this program and it means so much to me,” said Senisi. “My vision is to build a program that is competitive and striving for county, regional, and state championships. I am passionate about developing our student athletes into hard-working, committed, responsible, and strong young men.” 

js/nk/th/dt/pb

For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.

Flying Through Centennial: Midterm 2020 Edition

Video by: Casper Ambrose, Julia Stitely, Noelle Deal, Keith Hitzelberger, Camryn Desai, Josh Kim

The Wingspan Media Team asked the most important questions to teachers during the midterm week: “Is your midterm hard?”

Click here to view the video!

For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.

A Successful Season for Centennial’s Allied Bowling Team

Words: Zach Grable

Photos: Melissa Notti

Centennial’s Allied Bowling team had a productive winter, finishing the season with a 6-3 record. Averaging 96.5 points per game, the Eagles came out of every match with high spirits.

Although there were a few close games, the Eagles kept a positive mindset. Against Glenelg, they won by 3.3 early in the season, but only fell short half a point three weeks later. 

They battled Mount Hebron twice, losing to them by less than 1 during week two, but finishing strong and beating them by 2.3 to close out the season. 

After a successful season, Centennial’s Allied Bowling team finishes with a sense of friendship and Eagle Pride. 

ks/pb/nkg/nk/zg/mn/dt

For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan. 

Howard County Indoor Track and Field Championships Recap

Words: Joey Sedlacko

Photo contributed by: Thomas Altman

On Tuesday, January 15, the Centennial boys’ and girls’ indoor track and field teams competed in the Howard County Championships at Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex in Landover, Maryland. Overall, the boys’ team finished in fifth place with 64 total points, while the girls’ team finished in sixth place after scoring 54 points. However, numerous Centennial athletes were able to finish in the top three of their respective events.

In the girls 1,600 meter race, junior Katerina Talanova finished first with a time of 5:18. Also, senior Thomas Altman placed first in the boys 500 meter dash with a time of 1:06.70.

“I feel great about the way I performed at counties, it was a major step up from what I did a couple weeks ago the first time I ran the 500,” Altman said. “I managed to PR by about three seconds and put myself in the number one spot going into regionals as well as top four in Maryland and top 15 in the U.S.”

At the meet, Centennial shined in the field events. Junior Cherakie Pierre came in third in the girls’ triple jump, sophomore Liv Ragonese finished second in the girls’ shot put, junior Atharv Ananth placed second in the boys pole vault, and senior Jack Ragonese earned third place in the boys’ shot put.

ks/nk/dt/pb

For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.

Recap: Centennial Girls’ Varsity Basketball Takes Down Long Reach

Words: Shawn Kruhm

On Friday, January 10, the Centennial Varsity girls’ basketball team defeated Long Reach by a final score of 51-21.

Centennial came out hot, scoring 14 points in the first quarter, allowing Long Reach to score just two points.

By halftime, the Eagles were winning by 19 points. Their strong defense carried them to victory as the girls ended the game with six total steals and one block.

Junior Tori Pearson led Centennial in both points and rebounds, as she finished with 15 points and six boards.

Seniors Olivia Reese and Brook Anderson combined for a total of 23 points and led Centennial to victory.

js/th/ks/nk/pb

For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.

Centennial Boys’ Varsity Basketball Suffers Heart-Breaking Loss to River Hill

Words: Shawn Kruhm

Photos: Sara Ferrara & Melissa Notti

On Wednesday, January 15, the Centennial Varsity boys’ basketball team lost a tough game against River Hill by a final score of 45-41. 

Going into the game, Centennial was ranked first in the county, as they won seven straight games leading up to Wednesday night. 

Unfortunately, the Eagles struggled to knock down shots and play defense. 

Senior Jeong Hwang led the team in scoring as he finished the game with 10 points. Centennial hopes to improve their 9-3 record on Friday at 7:00pm when they host Howard High School. 

th/nk/dt/js/pb

For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan. 

Visitors From Korea

Words: Mariam Abd El-Shafy

Photos: Ellie Zoller-Gritz

Video by: Alexandra Valerio

On Tuesday, January 14, 12 students from Korea visited Centennial High School to experience the American school system.

Centennial has a very strong relationship with foreign exchange agencies; it has accepted many different guests from all around the world seeking cultural enrichment.

These students are attendees of the Kyeongbuk Science High School in Pohang, South Korea. For most of them, it was their first time visiting the country. Kim Tae-Hyung, a senior at his school, says although they’ve only been here for a short time, he is “very excited to be here.”

Staying for the ten days of their winter break, these students visited Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Montgomery County before they came to Centennial. For the next few days they will be joining the Johns Hopkins Cognitive Psychology Research Program before leaving for New York and Boston.

Jihyang Cheon, a senior exchange student says, “I really like it here.” She is learning a lot about the American public school system through the many differences.
“We stay in our own classroom, and the teachers come… we also stay in a dormitory,” she says.

Cheon explains that through this experience of visiting Centennial and other American schools, she is hoping to learn more about the culture before applying to American colleges. “This [trip] is to learn about the science programs here, but my big goal in America is to attend MIT.”

The students say they have been given a great opportunity and are very excited to see what it leads to.

Click here to view a video of the students visiting Centennial!

 

ks/pb/nk/th

For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan. 

Centennial Wrestling Takes Down Out-of-County Opponent

Words: Joey Sedlacko

Photos: Delanie Tucker

The Centennial Varsity wrestling team defeated their opponent Eastern Technical High School on Thursday, January 9, with a score of 46 to 32. 

ks/dt/pb/nk

For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.

Muslim Student Association Holds India Awareness Day

Words: Caleb McClatchey

Photos: Adithi Soogoor

Centennial’s Muslim Student Association (MSA) held an India Awareness Day on Wednesday, January 8, to raise awareness for a new Indian citizenship law which excludes Muslims.

MSA hosted a face painting and information session in the morning. Students were encouraged to wear orange and green to show their support.

th/nk/pb

For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan. 

Track and Field Breaks Records At Hispanic Games in New York

Words: Ellie Zoller-Gritz

Photo Contributed by: Jess Staar

On January 3, Centennial High School’s girls’ and boys’ indoor track and field teams traveled to New York to compete in the U.S. Air Force Hispanic Games.

Overall, Coach Kevin McCoy estimates that his team broke three of the recorded school records.

According to Athletic.net, which maintains records from the last 25 years, Thomas Altman, Jake Muma, Tyler Dan, and Ian Maclver now hold the record for the fastest 4×400 relay with a time of 3:32.11. They won first place at the Hispanic Games and beat the previous school record of 3:37.67, established in 2018.

Coach McCoy stated, “I think that [record] is the overall school record… I’d be shocked if anybody in previous years had run faster than 3:32.”

Senior Thomas Altman moved to first place in the 400 meter race, with a time of 50.11. “I worked extremely hard the last year and a half to get to where I am right now,” explained Altman, who took home two gold medals at the Hispanic Games.

Another record was broken in the boys 4×200 relay. Dan, Maclver, Altman, and Zachary Garwacki, beat the previous record by 4.43 seconds, with a time of 1:33.92.

Several other athletes were also able to represent Centennial in the games, taking home gold in their own event. Liv Ragonese placed first in the girls sophomore shot put, throwing 9.86m. Senior Anthony Matthews placed first in the boys triple jump, jumping 12.96m, just shy of the current Centennial record, which he holds.

“Track and field [is] really cut and dry. It’s really easy to figure out who’s at what level… Track is the most transparent sport in the world, time never lies,” Coach McCoy said about his team’s performance against other Howard County teams.

On January 14, the Centennial team will be participating in the county championship meet. Following counties, the team will move on to regionals, and if the team qualifies, they will move on to the state meet.

“My goal for the rest of the season is to take first place in counties for the 500 and the 4×400 and potentially do the exact same thing at both regionals and states,” Altman commented.

th/nk/js/pb

For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.