On Mon. Feb. 10, the North Carroll High 2013 championship teams in girl's field hockey and boy's soccer visited the State House in Annapolis for recognition of their athletic accomplishments.

After a tour of the historical rooms in the State House, the teams were honored with resolutions presented in the House of Delegates and the Senate. The House resolution was sponsored by District 5 Delegates Justin Ready and Nancy Stocksdale.

"North Carroll is the smallest high school in Carroll County but had a banner year during the fall sports season," said Del. Ready, who also volunteers as a junior varsity football coach at North Carroll.  "We are excited to honor their accomplishments here in the Maryland House of Delegates."

Both teams were invited to stand on the Senate floor during their recognition where Sen. Joe Getty offered comments about the teams' successful seasons. The following is adapted from the presentation held on the floor of the Senate chamber:

Mr. President: The Senate will recognize the very distinguished Senator from District 5.

Senator Getty: Thank you Mr. President. It is an honor for me to welcome two championship teams from my alma mater, North Carroll High School. The first is the boy's soccer team which won the Class 1A state championship last fall.

I would like to point out to the Senators here that this is a special occasion for me because I played for this team when I attended North Carroll. In fact, I've invited my coach Ed Powelson to be on the floor with us this evening and to join in this recognition. Under Coach Powelson, North Carroll broke many records including 22 county championships. When I played, our team was in the middle of a 48 game winning streak that extended over five seasons. But even playing at that level as a perennial powerhouse, the state championship always eluded us.

The team standing before you is the first state championship boy's soccer team at North Carroll High School. All of us in the North Carroll community are extremely proud of this team and it's Coach Andrew Harrell, especially former players like me and others associated with the history of North Carroll soccer.

I request that the Clerk read the resolution.

Senate Reading Clerk: The General Assembly of Maryland offers it sincerest congratulations to NORTH CARROLL HIGH SCHOOL BOY'S SOCCER TEAM and Coach Andrew Harrell in recognition of winning the school's first-ever soccer state title by beating Pikesville 1-0.

Senator Getty: It may come as a surprise to the members to learn that I am a big fan of field hockey - but my wife played field hockey at North Carroll so I am a fantastic fan of the sport. The second North Carroll championship team tonight is the Girl's Field Hockey Class 1A State Champions.

I had the opportunity to watch several of the games leading up to the state finals and this is a very impressive group of athletes. While North Carroll has a long-standing tradition for excellent field hockey, the last field hockey state championship before this year was 1977.

Under Coach Denean Koontz, this team won the Class 1A state championship with an overtime 3-2 victory against Patterson Mill in the state final.

I request that the Clerk read the resolution.

Senate Reading Clerk: The General Assembly of Maryland offers it sincerest congratulations to NORTH CARROLL HIGH SCHOOL GIRL'S FIELD HOCKEY TEAM and Coach Denean Powelson Koontz in recognition of winning the school's first state title since 1977 with an overtime 3-2 victory against Patterson Mill.

Senator Getty: Mr. President, before this team leaves the floor, I would ask another minute's indulgence. I would like these athletes to understand that we have recognized significant sports legends - both players and coaches here on the Senate floor.

Just last year, Torrey Smith of the Baltimore Ravens stood where you are standing with the Super Bowl "Vince Lombardi" trophy in his hands.

Last month, Darryl Hill was honored on the Senate floor for recognition as the athlete who in the early 1960s broke the color barrier as a football player at the US Naval Academy and University of Maryland.

During these recognitions, many of our Senators have spoken passionately about the influences of sports and of good coaching on their lives.

Most memorable to me, Mr. President - permission to use a senator's name - is the Senator from the District 45, Senator Nathaniel McFadden has spoken about the great Baltimore City basketball traditions, especially the coaches at Dunbar such as William "Sugar" Cane, Bob Wade and Cyrus Jones.

I would like the Senators to know before you is the cream of the crop in coaching in Carroll County. In my community, Coach Koontz represents a great family tradition of teaching physical education and coaching. She is the daughter of my Coach - Ed Powelson.

I would like these athletes standing before you to know that they may have thought that their coach was only teaching them basic skills and fundamentals of their sport. However, they will learn as they move on with their careers and college that their coach has been more than that. Their coach has been a mentor teaching lessons of life that will be far more valuable than just the sports.

And while I have my coach, Ed Powelson, on the floor - I would like to say thank you. You laid a tremendous foundation at North Carroll for future athletic success, as these two teams display. More important, your influence on your students - both boys and girls - far exceeds what you could imagine. You taught us to always give 110%, to play by the rules, to respect our opponents and to enthusiastically embrace the challenges of each day.

For his many contributions to the North Carroll community, I would like to thank and offer congratulations to Coach Ed Powelson and express our gratitude on behalf of the Senate of Maryland.

Mr. President: The Senate recognizes the distinguished Senator from District 38.

Senator James N. Mathias, Jr.: Thank you Mr. President. I resisted standing to comment when the boy's soccer team was here, but now that the young ladies are here I would like to offer additional comments about North Carroll High School and the leadership of these young athletes.

My colleague Senator Getty attended North Carroll High with my wife, Kathy Petry Mathias. Kathy always enjoyed reminiscing about her days at North Carroll. She loved telling the story about one of her girlfriends who drove her tractor to school. It underscored the importance of our agricultural education programs to benefit our farming and agricultural community in Maryland.

I met my wife and we fell in love and moved to the Eastern Shore. She learned at North Carroll the importance of being a leader in one's community and she became a tremendous leader in Ocean City. I lost Kathy a couple of years ago after her valiant fight against breast cancer but her leadership lives on. Just this week, I received a phone call from the Women's Commission in Worcester County and they named her woman of the year for 2014 in the category of "women of history." After her death, legislation was passed to create an agriculture energy efficiency program named in her memory.

So to the students before me, I say that the foundation for future leadership is powerful. As you go through North Carroll High, your teachers, coaches and mentors do a great job in teaching leadership skills and encouraging community involvement. I can look at your bright eyes and your enthusiastic personalities and know that you are ready and willing to meet the challenges of Maryland's future. God bless you and congratulations.

Mr. President:  Senator, thank you very much. [Applause] 

Published in the Northern News, February 13, 2014.