When buttercup toughens up

MIKE BURKE Allegany Communications Sports As Maryland head basketball coach Kevin Willard noted about 10 days ago, the Terps were forced to navigate a brutal January schedule filled with nationally-ranked opponents, inconsistent starting times and coast-to-coast travel. As Maryland athletic director Damon Evans publicly noted the following day, every team in the Big Ten must…

A Philadelphia story; another D.C. tale

MIKE BURKE Allegany Communications Sports Though the rivalry has never been Redskins-Cowboys from the day, or Eagles-Giants or even 76ers-Celtics, Washington vs. Philadelphia has always been a hotly-contested and oftentimes heated sports rivalry between two cities going back to 1964 when the Eagles traded quarterback Sonny Jurgensen to the Redskins for quarterback Norm Snead and…

Requiem for a middleweight

MIKE BURKE Allegany Communications Sports The season began with tight end Isaiah Likely being out of bounds by a toe on a two-point conversion try that would have tied the season-opener in Kansas City against the Chiefs. The season ended with tight end Mark Andrews dropping a pass going into the end zone on a…