In 47 years of high school football in Anne Arundel County, only once has there been a three-way tie for the county championship. This year could be No. 2.

Arundel, North County and Old Mill each boast 7-1 county records heading into Week 9. Should all three teams win out, the county championship will be dividied three ways for the first time since 1994.

"Football is the one unique beast because there is not a county championship game," Anne Arundel County coordinator of athletics Greg LeGrand said.

Because there's no championship game or meet, like there is with every other team sport, football's title-winner comes down to the teams' county records.

"They don't play as many games as they do in other sports," North County athletic director Mike Baker said.

There has been co-champions nine times, the most recent in 2006 (Broadneck and Arundel).

Even if a head-to-head tie-breaker were instituted, it wouldn't mean anything this season. North County beat Old Mill; Arundel beat North County; and Old Mill beat Arundel.

A similar thing happened in 1994. North County, Arundel and Severna Park each finished the regular season 8-2 (6-1 county). And, like this season, Arundel beat North County; Severna Park beat Arundel; and North County beat Severna Park.

"I don't want to be a jerk or anything, but I couldn't honestly care less about a county championship," Arundel coach Chuck Markiewicz said. "If we win it, we win it, and that's great. But we've got five more weeks of football to play."

Markiewicz speaks from experience. He was at North County 14 year ago - the third of three consecutive county championships. Markiewicz led the Knights to an 11-2 record and topped the season with a state championship.

It could happen again this year, only Markiewicz is on a different sideline.

Arundel appears to have easier roads to a 9-1 finish. The Wildcats close the season with Glen Burnie (0-8) and Southern (3-5).

Old Mill has to get through Annapolis (5-3) and South River (3-5), while North County plays Northeast (2-6) and closes with Broadneck (5-3).

The Panthers and Bruins, both of whom could be fighting for fourth seeds in their respective classes, have strong chances at spoiling some county aspirations.

"If you were a betting man," LeGrand said, "you'd at least have a two-way tie."

MILESTONE: Old Mill boys soccer coach Jeff Martin picked up win Nos. 100 and 101 with victories against Glen Burnie last week.

In nine years as head coach, Martin has led the Patriots to a 101-43-5 record (.695) and two county championships (2002 and 2004).

Though Old Mill has had only four coaches in its boys program, Martin's rank of second - behind Don Hobbs - as well as the milestone - doesn't diminish his mark. Dobbs, 147-92-11 from 1978 to 1996, averaged an 8-5-1 record over 18 seasons. Martin averages an 11-2-1 finish.

Martin's taken Old Mill to the state finals twice (2003 and 2004), setting single-season win records in each season. The Patriots went 18-1-1 in 2004; their only loss came to Sherwood in the state finals.

DRIVING ON A HIGH: Not long after South River's Josh Eure won his second state title Thursday, he and his dad, Ron, drove to Pinehurst, N.C., to take part in the Golfweek Junior Invitational. On Sunday - after shooting a 2-over 73 to finish a two-day, tournament-low 8-under 205 - the two left with yet another trophy for the case.

Eure beat Anthony Aicher, from Wausau, Wis., by two strokes to win his last tournament of the fall. He shot rounds of 65 and 67 on Saturday to build an eight-stroke lead, which allowed him enough space to hold Aicher at bay Sunday.

"He started draining a lot of putts," Eure told Golfweek. "I knew how close he was. But I just stuck to my game and made him beat me."

DESTINATIONS: St. Mary's football and lacrosse standouts Mark McNeill and Neill Lewnes will be taking their games to the next level after graduation.

McNeill, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound, All-County receiver last year, has committed to the University of North Carolina for lacrosse and could play football, too, Lewnes said.

"He's a great athlete," Lewnes said.

Lewnes, the Saints' starting running back and an All-County midfielder last spring, will take his stick skills to the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.

Arundel's All-County attackman Sean Fitzgerald has committed to Towson for lacrosse. Fitzgerald, the football team's third-leading receiver, led the Wildcats in scoring last season with 33 goals, 14 assists for 47 points.

REUNION: The first North County, Andover and Brooklyn Park All Class "Roast & Reunion" will be held at from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie.

Admission is $35 per person, and tickets can be ordered by e-mailing NCBoosters@cablespeed.com or purchased at the North County-Northeast football game on Friday.

For more information, contact Shelly Thiess (443-838-2175), Barb McGee (410-913-4012) or Jim Stracke (410-766-6597).

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mpeters@capitalgazettte.com