Built on Love:
Remembering Catoctin’s Championship Season
Alisha Yocum
Twenty years ago, the Catoctin Girls Basketball team was finishing its regular season and preparing for the postseason. It was a team with no expectations to make a deep run. Coach Amy (Murray) Entwistle, just 22 years old at the time, was still finding her way.
That season, Catoctin captured the regional title before advancing all the way to the state championship, where the Cougars defeated Southside 61–45 to claim the program’s first state championship, finishing with an impressive 22–3 record.
On January 23, players reunited as they celebrated the 20th anniversary of the feat during a halftime celebration, where the current 2026 team beat Clear Spring 83-29.
“It is a huge blessing in my life,” Entwistle said of her time coaching the team. “It has helped shape me into the person I have become.”
Entwistle reflected on how much life has come full circle since the championship run. At the time, she was dating her now-husband. Today, she is married, and her sons attend the games and cheer on the team.
She also credited former Athletic Director Tom Sherald for giving her the opportunity to coach at such a young age, along with her assistant coach at the time, Mike Valentine. Valentine still attends every Catoctin girls basketball game and runs the scoreboard in continued support of Entwistle and the program.
As Valentine reminisced about the championship season, he recalled their season loss to Winters Mill is likely what fueled their success in winning a state championship. Following the defeat, Sherald cleared the gym so that Entwistle could hold an hour-and-a-half practice. Valentine believes that loss changed their course and made them re-focus as they headed into the postseason.
Hanna (Dubois) Thomas, who played on the 2006 team, is now in her first year of coaching at Catoctin, where she serves as head coach of the junior varsity team.
“She was always positive while still holding us accountable,” Thomas said. “In my first year of coaching, I’m learning so much. Having Coach (Murray) Entwistle here—the energy, positivity, and high expectations—those are incredible qualities to pass on.”
So, what made the 2006 season so special? “It was a season built on love,” Entwistle said. “The players genuinely cared about each other, and they had a competitive fire. They never settled for ‘fine’ or ‘OK’—it was a relentless pursuit to get better.”
As the players and families gathered for refreshments in celebration of the 20th anniversary, it was clear that love was still strong. Conversations were easy, laughter was shared, and the genuine feeling of love was evident. Entwistle even stepped aside to take a phone call from a former player who was celebrating from Hawaii and unable to attend in person.
“I get the best seat in the house every night,” Entwistle said, smiling as she reflected on being part of the Cougar family for more than two decades.
The 2006 Catoctin Lady Cougars after capturing the program’s first State Championship.
The 2006 Catoctin Lady Cougars celebrate the 20th Anniversary of their State Championship during a recent ceremony.
