Earl Blake, Urbana High Wrestling Coach

For the first podcast of 2026, former three-time state champion and first-year Urbana High wrestling coach Earl Blake is this week's guest on The Final Score.

Blake, who wrestled for Linganore, chats with host Greg Swatek and FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy about his recent foray into coaching and how it feels to now be working for the arch rival school of his alma mater. 

During the discussion, he reveals the incredibly philosophical side of his personality and life that drove his wrestling career to incredible heights, 156 wins and three-state titles in high school and a full scholarship to compete at Kent State University.

He also talks about how he was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and losing that scholarship, which forced him to grapple for the first time with a life without wrestling. 

Just 25 years old, Blake talks very candidly about his struggles with depression and self-identity and reveals some seldom-shared details about his life, including being completely abandoned roadside in Idaho and his car catching fire on the return trip home.

Dave Crawmer, Urbana High Boys Basketball Coach, Top Frederick County Sports Stories of 2025

For the last Final Score podcast of 2025, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy and host Greg Swatek offer up their lists for the top 10 Frederick County sports stories in 2025. 

How similar or different are their lists? Is there any consensus on what they felt were the county's biggest stories of the past year?

Then, Urbana High boys basketball coach Dave Crawmer joins Greg to talk about his young team this season and its big win over Frederick High School on Dec. 19.

What are the keys for the Hawks this season? How does this season compare to some recent ones? And what are Crawmer's expectations for them?

Plus, Crawmer talks about his involvement with the Shoot 360 basketball training facility on Ballenger Center Drive, next to the News-Post building, and life as a golf pro at Lakewood Country Club in Rockville.

Trey Coates, Tuscarora High Wrestling Coach

After hosting a coed duals tournament and an individual girls tournament last weekend, Tuscarora High wrestling coach Trey Coates is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

Coates chats with host Greg Swatek about Tuscarora's Clash at the Creek tournament, which is in its third season for the boys and its second season for the girls.

After being one of the leading champions for girls wrestling on the local scene, what was it like for Coates to see close to 300 girls wrestling in his gym at Clash at the Creek? How does he look at the progress and the impact that girls wrestling has made in recent years?

Also, what goes into hosting not just one wrestling tournament, but two in the span of a few days? And how does Coates look at the wrestling scene in Frederick County overall?

Prior to that, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to discuss holiday plans and the high school basketball scene in the county, including a big victory for the Urbana boys over Frederick High, as well as momentous wins for the Linganore boys and girls over Oakdale.

John Keimig, Middletown High Boys Basketball Coach

With the Middletown boys looking like the county's top basketball team and poised to make a run at a potential state championship, Knights coach John Keimig is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

Keimig chats with host Greg Swatek about how the Knights are handling the lofty expectations with most of their team back from a season ago when they took eventual Class 2A runner-up New Town to double overtime in the state semifinals.

What are Keimig's fondest memories from that playoff run? What does he like the most about this current team? Who are the key players? And what will it take for Middletown to win its first state title in boys basketball in March?

Prior to that conversation, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to discuss the boys and girls basketball scenes in Frederick County and what lies ahead during the holiday weeks.

State Champion Linganore High Football

After Linganore High football rolled to a 56-17 victory over Oakdale in the Class 3A championship game last Saturday in Annapolis to claim its seventh state championship, coach Rick Conner, senior running back Bradly Matthews and senior receiver/defensive back Chase Perry are this week's guests on The Final Score podcast.

The guys chat with host Greg Swatek about the season, which will certainly be considered among the best in Frederick County history. The Lancers finished 13-0. They pulled out a close win at Mervo, the eventual 4A-3A state champion, in Week 1 and were hardly challenged the rest of the way. 

What made this team so special? How did it come together so well? And what is it's future after reaching the state mountaintop once again?

Matthews, Frederick County's all-time touchdown leader (80), and Perry, the team's leading receiver, discuss what playing football at Linganore meant to them, as well as their futures. Matthews will play football next year at Georgetown University, while Perry will play baseball at the University of North Carolina-Asheville. 

Prior to this conversation, FNP sports reporter Alexander Dacy joins Greg to recap Linganore's big win over Oakdale in the second state football final between Frederick County teams and look ahead to the high school basketball season.

State Champion Linganore Field Hockey

After ending a 32-year state championship drought for Frederick County field hockey teams, Linganore High School is featured on this week's Final Score podcast, as head coach McKenzie Ridgely, star goalie Allena Jaworski and junior midfielder Addison Ridgely join the program.

The trio chats with host Greg Swatek about the Lancers' 4-3 victory over Westminster in double overtime back on Nov. 8 in the Class 3A championship game at Stevenson University in Owings Mills and the dramatic way it unfolded.

Jaworkski recalls stopping a Westminster penalty stroke in the first quarter that flipped the momentum in her team's favor. Addison Ridgely describes how the game-winning sequence, involving an almost accidental goal from senior forward Jordan Zimmerman, evolved. And McKenzie Ridgely talks about the overall resilience of her team, after Westminster produced the tying goal with roughly 20 seconds to play in regulation, and why it was able to play its best when it mattered the most.

The discussion also covers the very unusual way the Jaworski became a goalie, as well as her future in the sport and the future of the team.

Prior to that conversation, FNP sports reporter Alexander Dacy joins Greg to discuss Linganore and Oakdale meeting in an All-Frederick County state football final for the second time in three years. Is this the Linganore team that finally breaks the recent string of losses in state football finals? And can Oakdale find a way to keep it competitive after being blown out by the Lancers during the regular season?

State Champion Urbana High Boys Cross Country

After leading Urbana to the Class 4A team championship in boys cross country on Nov. 8 at Hereford High School, coach Jackie Suarez and senior runner Josh Rothery are this week's guests on the Final Score podcast.

Suarez and Rothery chat with host Greg Swatek and winning the championship, which was Urbana's first in boys cross country since 2003 and fourth overall. What made the Hawks such a tight pack of runners? How did they react to winning the championship?

Rothery, who finished sixth overall in 16:47.51, talks about growing up in England and how he got into running. And Suarez talks about the future of the team and looks ahead to the indoor track and field season at Urbana.

Prior to that conversation, FNP sports reporter Alexander Dacy joins Greg to recap the state quarterfinal in high school football and look ahead to Linganore and Oakdale playing in the Class 3A state semifinals this week.

State Champion Lingnanore Girls Flag Football

After Linganore became Frederick County's first state champion in girls flag football, coach Brian Sweene, senior quarterback Lexi Petrie and sophomore receiver/defensive back Makenna Roberts are this week's guests on The Final Score podcast.

The trio chats with host Greg Swatek about the Lancers 26-6 victory over Calvert in the state final at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. What was it like for them to play on that type of stage? What was the significance to them of being the first state champs in county history for girls flag football?

Petrie and Roberts also talk about why they decided to play girls flag football, and Sweene explains why he decided to coach it. How far has the team and the sport come in the three years it has been played on the high-school level in Frederick County? What does the future look like for the team and the players?

Prior to that conversation, FNP sports reporter Alexander Dacy joins Greg to discuss soccer state finals for the Brunswick boys and the Oakdale girls, a state volleyball final for Urbana and Middletown's shocking forfeit out of the high school football playoffs. They also look ahead to this week's state football quarterfinals for Linganore, Oakdale, Urbana and Walkersville.

Ben Arneson, Linganore, National Wrestling Hall of Famer

After being inducted into the Maryland Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum last weekend in Annapolis, Linganore High graduate Ben Arneson, a former state-championship coach for the Lancers and Urbana High School, is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

Arneson chats with host Greg Swatek about the induction ceremony and what it meant to him to be selected for the Hall of Fame. They talk about how and why he wanted to become a wrestling coach and how awkward it was for him initially to be coaching at the chief rival of his alma mater, Urbana.

They talk about his fondest memories and what his future plans are not that he has stepped away entirely from coaching wrestling. They also discuss the Linganore football team and its prospects of winning another state title this season, as Arneson is an assistant coach for the Lancers.

Prior to that conversation, FNP sports reporter Alexander Dacy joins Greg to recap a momentous weekend for Frederick County teams in the state playoffs. 

They discuss state championships for Linganore field hockey — which ended a 32-year drought for county teams — Linganore girls flag football, a first for the county, and the Urbana High boys cross country team — which won one for the first time in 22 years. They also look ahead to state soccer finals for the Brunswick boys and Oakdale girls, a state volleyball final for Urbana and preview the second round of the high school football playoffs for six county teams.

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

With the season underway and armed with a contract extension, 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 contract extension, which was just announced by the school this week and keeps him as the coach through the 2030-31 season. He talks about coming to the Mount as a coaching intern from the College of Southern Vermont, where he played for former Mount men's coach Dan Engelstad.

Coach White moved quickly up the ranks to the top assistant coach and then became head coach prior to the 2021-22 season. He promptly led the Mount women to a Northeast Conference championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

What were his first impressions of the place? Why was now the right time to extend his contract?

The Mountaineers opened their season Tuesday night with a 83-49 loss to Richmond, which is ranked No. 24 in the country. What were his impressions of that game? What are the keys for the Mount women this season as they try to win their first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship?

Prior to that conversation, FNP sports reporter Alexander Dacy joins Greg to discuss the fall sports playoffs for Frederick County teams, which include state semifinals for field hockey, soccer and girls flag football, state cross championships this weekend at Hereford High School in Parkton and the first round of the regional football playoffs.

Chad Dickman, Hood College Men's Basketball Coach

With the season-opening tournament a week away and a big exhibition game this week, 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 Blazers hosting an exhibition game this week against Mount St. Mary's. It's incredibly rare for a Division III team to host a Division I team in men's basketball. And Mount St. Mary's hasn't played a basketball game in Frederick since 1936.

So how did the game come about? And how thrilled is Dickman to be hosting the game?

He also talks about the upcoming season at Hood. The Blazers were picked in the preseason coaches poll to finish second in the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth behind Alvernia. What are the keys to success for them? Who are the players to watch? And how many 3-pointers does Dickman want them to attempt per game?

Prior to that conversation, FNP sports reporter Alexander Dacy joins Greg to look at the high school regional playoffs for fall sports in Frederick County and preview the final week of the high school football regular season.

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

As the start of another season approaches, Mount St. Mary's men's basketball coach Donny Lind is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

The Mount opens the season Nov. 4 at West Virginia. Prior to that, the Mountaineers play an exhibition game at Hood College, which marks both the rare visit of a Division I team to a Division III school and Mount St. Mary's first game in Frederick in its 117-year history of playing basketball.

Lind chats with host Greg Swatek about how the Hood game came about and why they chose to play it in Frederick. He also talks about the Mount players being financially compensated for the first time through revenue sharing and how Name, Image and Likeness initiatives have impacted the program.

And Lind discusses how reaching the NCAA Tournament and winning a game in the tournament last March boosted the program and its fortunes heading into this season.  

Who will be the players to watch this season? And what are the coach's expectations?

Prior to that discussion, News-Post sports reporter Alexander Dacy joins Greg to preview the upcoming fall sports playoffs in Frederick County, review Week 7 of the high school football season and look ahead to Week 8.

Joe Benton, Oakdale High Boys Soccer Coach

As his teams gears up for the upcoming playoffs, Oakdale High boys soccer coach Joe Benton is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

Benton chats with host Greg Swatek about how he got his start coaching soccer. The coach talks about why he is so passionate about the sport and how he wound up at Oakdale after playing at Hood College and serving as an assistant in the Tuscarora High boys soccer program.

He also talks about his team at Oakdale this season, it's strengths and how it expects it to fare in the Class 3A West bracket once the regional playoffs get underway.

Prior to that conversation, FNP sports reporter Alexander Dacy joins Greg to review Week 6 of the Frederick County high school football season, preview Week 7 and set the stage for next week's Central Maryland Conference championship games in multiple sports.

Rob Havenstein, Linganore Graduate, L.A. Rams Right Tackle

With his Los Angeles Rams set to play the Ravens in Baltimore on Sunday, Linganore graduate Rob Havenstein is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

Havenstein chats with host Greg Swatek about the significance of playing once again in the NFL version of his back yard. Although, a nagging ankle injury may get in the way of him doing so.

The Mount Airy native is now in his 11th NFL, which almost quadruples the length of the average playing career in the league. What has been the secret to his longevity? How does he train differently now than what he used to?

After undergoing offseason surgery on both shoulders and dealing with some injuries in recent years, how often does Havenstein think about life after football and has the R word (retirement) begun to creep into his mind?

Prior to that conversation, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to review Week 5 of the Frederick County high school football season, look ahead to Week 6, including the Oakdale-Linganore showdown, and discuss some other notable fall sports results.

Mike Heller, Linganore High Girls Soccer Coach

With his team seemingly getting better with each passing game, Linganore High girls soccer coach Mike Heller is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

Heller reflects with host Greg Swatek on the Lancers' big showdown with Oakdale over the past week. Linganore did not get the result it wanted, falling to the Bears 3-2 in overtime. But the Lancers did push the Bears more than any team had so far this season. They not only scored the first goals of the season against Oakdale this season, they held a one-goal lead on two different occasions.

The coach talks about what that result might do for his team going forward and why it has improved so much since the start of the season.

Heller also talks about his background in soccer and how he got his start in coaching. He talks about what it means to him to be coaching at Linganore and why he enjoys coaching this group so much.

Prior to that conversation, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to review Week 4 of the high school football season in Frederick County and look ahead to Week 5.

Jackie Suarez, Urbana High Boys Cross Country Coach

Following her team's big win at the Berkeley Springs Invitational in West Virginia, Urbana High boys cross country coach Jackie Suarez is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

Suarez chats with host Greg Swatek about how far the Hawks' program has come over the last four years, from a team that couldn't qualify for states to one that is a top contender for the Class 4A team championship this fall.

She discusses what makes this such a close-knit group and why her runners are so anxious to take on an extremely challenging course, like the one in Berkeley Springs. 

Suarez also talks about her upbringing in New York City, her own success as a heptathlete for Hood College and why she enjoys coaching so much.

Prior to that conversation, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to talk about recent happenings on the Frederick County sports scene, including a complete review of Week 3 of the high school football season.

Chantal Thacker, Middletown High Girls Flag Football Coach

Early in her first season coaching girls flag football at Middletown High School, Chantal Thacker is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

Thacker chats with host Greg Swatek about her interesting background with football. From playing with boys on the playground at recess, she went on to play women's tackle football for the CT Wreckers of the Independent Women's Football League and the DC Divas of the Women's Football Alliance Pro Division, in addition to a stint on Team USA for the International Federation of American Football Women’s Tackle World Championship in Vantaa, Finland during the summer of 2022.

She talks about those experiences, as well as meeting her wife, Sara, on the women's tackle football circuit, and coaching the junior-varsity boys team at Wilde Lake High School, where she currently works. How was she received there by the players, administration and other coaches?

Thacker also talks about her team at Middletown this season, adjusting to coaching flag football and what would constitute a successful season for the Knights.

Prior to that discussion, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to review Week 2 of the high school football season, look ahead to Week 3 and look over the rest of the fall sports landscape in Frederick County.

Zach Shoemaker, Urbana High Football Coach

With his team off to a good start following a blowout road win last week, Urbana High football coach Zach Shoemaker is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

Shoemaker chats with host Greg Swatek about being a head coach for the first time and what that means to him. His father, Roy, was a high school football coach, and Zach has been dreaming about the job and preparing for it for a long time.

With 19 returning starters, Shoemaker also talks about why the Hawks are further along than some people might think. They opened the season with a blowout road win (42-6) at Owings Mills last week.

What does Shoemaker really like about the team? How has he adjusted to the job? And what will constitute a successful season for the Hawks?

Prior to that conversation, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg for a complete review of Week 1 of the high school football season in Frederick County.

High School Football Preview/Thomas Johnson football coach Vince Ahearn

Week 1 of the high school football season across Frederick County is here, and Thomas Johnson High football coach Vince Ahearn is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

Prior to that interview, host Greg Swatek and FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy provide a comprehensive, team-by-team breakdown of all 12 Frederick County high school football teams, highlighting the storylines, things to watch and outlook for every team.

Then, Ahearn chats with Swatek about his task at hand in rebuilding the TJ football program. Why did he want the job? What challenges do the Patriots face? What is he the most optimistic about? And what will constitute a successful season for the TJ football program?

The conversation answers all of those questions and covers a lot of other territory about Ahearn's team, his career and his life.

Ryan Hines, Tuscarora High Football Coach

With his third season as the head football coach at Tuscarora High School set to begin, Ryan Hines is this week's guest on The Final Score podcast.

Hines chats with host Greg Swatek about all of the optimism swirling around the Titans' program. The team feels it has the athletes, talent and the culture in place to have a winning season and earn the first playoff win in school history.

The discussion centers on how all of this has come together for Hines and Tuscarora and how far along he is in Year 3 compared to Year 1.

Hines talks about what will constitute a successful season for the Titans and how they go about achieving it.

Prior to that conversation, FNP sports writer Alexander Dacy joins Greg to outline what would constitute a successful season for all 12 Frederick County football teams this fall.

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