Falcons

Even with her team down one, Good Counsel senior Caroline Peters was calm during halftime of Monday's Washington Catholic Athletic Conference girls' lacrosse championship game. The Falcons had trailed Bishop Ireton for much of a back-and-forth first half, but Peters knew her team had an extra gear for the second. Once play got back underway, the Falcons didn't take long to shift into overdrive on their way to a 16-9 victory over the Cardinals and a ninth WCAC title in 10 years.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons have signed cornerback Robert Alford, a second-round pick from Southeastern Louisiana. Alford was the second of two cornerbacks selected by the Falcons in the draft. First-round pick Desmond Trufant remains unsigned. Alford had 10 interceptions and started 31 games at Southeastern Louisiana. He also returned punts and kickoffs in 2012, taking advantage of his 4.39 speed in the 40-yard dash. He impressed the Falcons with his performance...

Even if Chloe Lassman hadn't won an event she was competing in for only the third time Monday, she still would have enjoyed splendid all-around day for The Field School at the Potomac Valley Athletic Conference championships. But Lassman went 4 for 4 anyway. She won the 100 (13.12), 200, (27.04), long jump (16-6.25, a school record) and, in only her third time doing it, the triple jump (32-6.50, also a school record) to lead the Falcons to victory in Rockville with 151 overall points.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said Wednesday he likes what he has seen of his team through offseason workouts. Even so, Dimitroff isn't ruling out the possibility of adding another free agent to the roster to join two veteran newcomers, running back Steven Jackson and defensive end Osi Umenyiora. As the Falcons prepare to end offseason training activities ending on Friday and hold a mandatory minicamp next week, Dimitroff said he and coach...

When: Sunday, 1 p.m. Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta. TV: WTTG-5, WBFF-45.

The Falcons were the NFL's biggest surprise last season, emerging from the doldrums of Michael Vick's suspension with a franchise quarterback and a new identity. Matt Ryan exceeded expectations as a rookie. He led the Falcons to the playoffs and provided a stabilizing force to a franchise badly in need of continuity. Now, the Falcons must prove 2008 was not an anomaly. An offseason trade for veteran tight end Tony Gonzalez will help the offense, which includes Michael Turner, one of the NFL's most productive running backs.

During the moments yesterday afternoon when Good Counsel standout Katie Sheahin struggled to find her shooting touch, the talented senior guard did not fret. Sheahin knew she had plenty of help. Good Counsel's complementary players had come through big in the second quarter, making timely baskets to keep Georgetown Visitation at bay. And the supporting cast had been there again in the third quarter to provide the hounding, full-court pressure that disrupted the Cubs. So it was no surprise that down the stretch the seventh-ranked...

In his three years on the Park View varsity basketball team, senior Jordan Owens has developed into the quintessential role player. He has stepped up to fill the roles assigned to him, whether it is coming off the bench as a defensive specialist as a sophomore or cleaning up on the offensive boards and picking spots for his jumper as a junior. But heading into a key early season Dulles District matchup with Briar Woods on Friday night, the team captain chose his role for a change.

He has 10 siblings, including a twin brother, and plays middle linebacker alongside the Washington area's most coveted high school football recruit. And yet, somehow, Chris Pitsenberger has carved a niche for himself -- at home and on the field for top-ranked Good Counsel. "Everybody knows about him," Good Counsel assistant coach Kevin McFadden said, leafing through some of the letters that college coaches have sent to Pitsenberger, a junior with plenty of time before he needs to make his college choice.

Before the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference began its volleyball tournament this week, Good Counsel senior Becky West had to return the Falcons' championship trophy. It's the first time the WCAC has ever had a traveling trophy, but West still didn't like the feeling of letting it go, so yesterday she made sure the Falcons got to keep it for at least another year. West posted a team-high 13 kills as Good Counsel swept Paul VI, 25-15, 25-8, 25-12, at Trinity College for the Falcons' third-straight WCAC Championship.

SUFFOLK, Va. — Nine peregrine falcons have been removed from nesting sites at Hampton Roads bridges. The Virginia Department of Transportation says employees with VDOT and the Williamsburg-based Center for Conservation Biology removed the falcons recently from the Berkley Bridge along Interstate 264, and the James River and Godwin bridges along U.S. Route 17. VDOT says the birds were later released in the Shenandoah Valley. The biology center's staff monitors known nesting sites...

TAMPA, Fla. — Busch Gardens in Tampa is getting a 335-foot drop-tower ride. Park officials said Tuesday that Falcon's Fury is scheduled to open next spring in the park's Timbuktu area. It is replacing the Sandstorm ride. Planned as the tallest free-standing drop tower in North America, Falcon's Fury will take riders 300 feet into the air, tilt their seats 90 degrees forward and then drop them for about five seconds of free fall. The experience is meant to...

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Matt Ryan said Tuesday his focus is on his new teammates and a new season and he's not fretting about the status of his new contract. Cornerback Desmond Trufant, the Falcons' first-round pick, made his offseason training activities debut Tuesday after completing his classes at the University of Washington. Ryan said Trufant made a good first impression. Ryan said another newcomer, three-time Pro Bowl running back Steven Jackson, has...

Even if Chloe Lassman hadn't won an event she was competing in for only the third time Monday, she still would have enjoyed splendid all-around day for The Field School at the Potomac Valley Athletic Conference championships. But Lassman went 4 for 4 anyway. She won the 100 (13.12), 200, (27.04), long jump (16-6.25, a school record) and, in only her third time doing it, the triple jump (32-6.50, also a school record) to lead the Falcons to victory in Rockville with 151 overall points.

Even with her team down one, Good Counsel senior Caroline Peters was calm during halftime of Monday's Washington Catholic Athletic Conference girls' lacrosse championship game. The Falcons had trailed Bishop Ireton for much of a back-and-forth first half, but Peters knew her team had an extra gear for the second. Once play got back underway, the Falcons didn't take long to shift into overdrive on their way to a 16-9 victory over the Cardinals and a ninth WCAC title in 10 years.

Billionaire Philip Falcone has reached a preliminary settlement with federal regulators that effectively bans him from financial activities for two years, a rapid fall for a man once seen as the hedge-fund industry's savviest mind. In a public disclosure Thursday, Falcone's firm, Harbinger Group, said that the hedge fund Harbinger Capital Partners had agreed to pay $18 million to settle two civil suits brought last year by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The agency accused Falcone of leading a "lavish...

ATLANTA -- The Falcons saved their season. For now. Backup quarterback Chris Redman threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Roddy White with 23 seconds remaining Sunday, and Atlanta pulled out a 20-17 victory over the woeful Tampa Bay Buccaneers after offensive stars Matt Ryan and Michael Turner went down with injuries. "We couldn't afford to lose this one," White said. "It's a good thing Chris came in there and did what he had to do to win this game. " Will it last? That likely depends on how long Ryan, Turner and...

Stone Bridge forwards Murielle Tiernan and Ashley Herndon made one of their signature pushes toward the net midway through the first half of their soccer match Wednesday night against Briar Woods , the type of push that had given both senior players 11 goals apiece headed into the game. After Tiernan hit a cross from the right sideline, intended for Herndon, the textbook play was foiled momentarily. But Stone Bridge senior Emily Person was in front of the net, too. Herndon didn't have a look, and the ball...

In her first three varsity seasons, Severn midfielder Kelly Reese could afford to sit back and focus on setting up teammates around the net. The Admirals always had enough proven offensive firepower that there was no pressure for the Virginia recruit to do the finishing. Now a senior, Reese knows she'll get an earful from Coach Irene Sotiropoulos if she doesn't force the issue and attack the goal herself at least a few times per game. "I'm better at feeding, so I'm...