MoCo Wrestler Qualifies For Her 2nd Olympics

Rockville native Helen Maroulis qualified for her 2nd Olympics games this past Saturday night with a victory over Jenna Burkert in Fort Worth, Texas.

Maroulis is the first Olympic gold medal winner for the United States in women’s wrestling and is looking to repeat at this summer’s games in Tokyo.

Maroulis attended Magruder High School for three years before moving to Michigan for her senior year. Video of this Saturday’s win is below.

Kyle Snyder, who also won Olympic gold in wrestling at the 2016 Olympics, qualified for the Tokyo Olympics as well on Saturday with a win over Kollin Moore.

Snyder attended High School at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Olney.

The match and the celebration that follows… 🙌@helen_maroulis x #WrestlingTrials21 pic.twitter.com/o6Hh15Z4RE

— Team USA (@TeamUSA) April 4, 2021

Sky Zone in Gaithersburg Has Reopened

Sky Zone, an indoor trampoline park located at 15813 Gaither Dr. in Gaithersburg has reopened today, Friday March 26th.

The park, which had been closed the past year due to the pandemic, has updated safety protocols, including social distancing and temperature checks. Representatives from Sky Zone tell us they are in full compliance with all state and county mandates.

Sky Zone is open Monday-Thursday 9AM-9PM, Friday-Saturday 9AM-11PM, and Sunday 11AM-7PM.
They are currently offering discounts on their family elite memberships.

For more information, visit skyzone.com/gaithersburg

Below you’ll see a portion of their updated waiver:

PLEASE ONLY VISIT THE PARK IF THE FOLLOWING APPLY: (1) You are willing to practice social distancing and maintaining at least six feet between individuals in all areas of the park; (2)You are healthy enough to participate, and do not have symptoms of COVID 19 such as feeling sick, coughing, sneezing, shortness of breath, fever or are not feeling well; (3)You do not live with or visited a person or family member that has been diagnosed with or suspected of having COVID-19; (4) you consent to having you (or your minor child’s) temperature checked upon entering the park.

Montgomery County Council to Meet Friday to Reconsider Sports Plans

The Montgomery County Council will meet Friday at 1PM to vote on a new health order that would allow certain youth sports to resume.  This includes football, which would be on a three game schedule, and cheerleading.

On Sunday over one hundred students, coaches, and parents from various schools gathered at 100 Maryland Ave in Rockville in support of allowing the season to start.

WTOP reports that the decision was based on community pushback.

Montgomery County Council member Evan Glass tweeted this morning that the order would require masks and additional protocals.

I’m working with colleagues on a new health order allowing youth sports to safely resume. By requiring masks and establishing additional protocols, we can let students get the physical and mental exercise they desperately need. https://t.co/UIigkjAuPd

— Evan Glass (@EvanMGlass) March 18, 2021

We will post an update tomorrow as soon as a decision is made.

Taylor Heinicke to Start Tonight’s Playoff Game for Washington

Not many people are giving Washington much of a shot in tonight’s playoff game against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and now the team has named Taylor Heinicke the starting quarterback for tonight’s game with Alex Smith inactive.

Heinicke came into the league as an undrafted free agent out of Old Dominion for the Minnesota Vikings in 2015, where he spent two seasons. He was then on the main roster for the Houston Texans in 2017 and the Carolina Panthers, with current Washington Head Coach Ron Rivera, in 2018. He spent the 2020 XFL season as a backup for St. Louis BattleHawks.

He started one game in his NFL career, as a member of the Carolina Panthers, back in 2018. During that game he suffered a hyperextension of his left arm (non-throwing arm) in the second quarter, but played through it for most of the game before being replaced by currently injured Washington quarterback, Kyle Allen. Heinicke landed on injured reserve for the rest of the season following the game.

In the game he started, a 10-24 loss against the Falcons, he went 33 of 53 for 274 yards, 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions.

Two weeks ago, he relieved Dwayne Haskins in the fourth quarter and fared well, completing 12 of 19 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown in a 13-20 loss against the Panthers.

The stage is set for Heinicke’s second start of his NFL career…a playoff game going head to head against Tom Brady. Undrafted free agent Steven Montez will back him up and tight end Logan Thomas, who played quarterback at Virginia Tech and earlier in his pro career, will be the emergency quarterback.

The game can be watched on NBC tonight at 8:15pm.

Highlights of Heinicke’s game against the Panthers can be seen here.

Washington Game Pushed to 4pm, Could Become “Win and In”

The Washington Football Team game this Sunday against head coach Ron Rivera’s former team, the Carolina Panthers, has been pushed to 4:05pm.

While many might groan at the thought of having to wait an extra few hours for kickoff, the later start time can create a scenario that makes this game a “win and in” for the playoffs.

Washington currently sits atop the NFC East with a 6-8 record, ahead of the 5-9 Cowboys, 5-9 Giants, and 4-9-1 Eagles and controls its own destiny (they’d be in the playoffs if they won this weekend’s matchup against the Panthers and next week’s game against the Eagles).

The Giants play the Ravens in Baltimore at 1pm and are currently a 10 point underdog. If they lose that game, the Washington/Carolina turns into a win and in scenario for Washington, as the Giants would be eliminated from contention.

Since Washington has defeated the Cowboys twice this year, they would hold the tiebreaker if the teams ended with an identical record, so a win would also eliminate the Cowboys from contention.

The Eagles would be eliminated with a Washington win as well since the best record they can end up with is 6-9-1.

Earlier this year we wrote a fun opinion piece on why the Ravens aren’t a home team, but this weekend we are all rooting for Baltimore.

It is currently unclear whether starting quarterback Alex Smith will be able to play or if Dwayne Haskins will fill in again after playing poorly in the first three quarters of last week’s loss against the Seahawks before showing some flashes in the 4th quarter.

Haskins is in jeopardy if not getting the nod even if Smith is unable to go, due to photos that have circulated throughout social media of the quarterback massless at a strip club on Sunday night.

Haskins has since tweeted an apology, stating he spoke with coach Ron Rivera on Monday and “took full responsibility for putting the team at risk. It was irresponsible and immature and I accept responsibility for my action.” He also apologized to his teammates for “creating a distraction during our playoff push.”