Mt. Hebron boys lock down share of crown
Lacrosse team beats Glenelg for piece of Howard County title
As the final horn blared, Mt. Hebron boys lacrosse players sprinted toward the end zone, piling on one another with the student section joining in.
On a night honoring the program’s 13 seniors, the Vikings players and students joined in celebration as Mt. Hebron clinched at least a share of the Howard County championship with its 9-3 victory over Glenelg. The Vikings defense was stifling throughout and shut out the Gladiators for the final 19 minutes.
“It means everything,” senior Nick Machiran said. “I’ve been working for this since I was a freshman, and before that because I had family that went here. So it’s always kind of been there: make varsity like my uncles did. It took a little bit to get there, but I’m just really proud that we did it.”
Trailing 4-1 at the half, Glenelg climbed back in the early stages of the third quarter on goals from Nick Dalton and Rocco Buscher. However, 59 seconds after Buscher pulled the Gladiators within one, Mt. Hebron (12-1, 9-0 Howard County) began to retake control.
With a split dodge, sophomore Maverick Smith beat his defender inside and put the diving finish past Gladiators goalie Blake Hunter for his third goal of the game.
Ninety seconds later Rich Tangires scored his only goal after Hunter stopped several Vikings shots earlier in the possession. Keeping the momentum going, Gianni Karam scored with a two-man advantage as Smith delivered the perfect cross-crease feed.
In the span of six minutes Mt. Hebron scored three straight goals, extending the lead to 7-3 and taking control entering the final 12 minutes.
“The penalties came at unfortunate times, where we were on a little bit of a run,” Glenelg coach Josh Hatmaker said as his team fell to 10-4 and 7-1. “It didn’t help.
“I thought the other part about it was they did a really good job all night with contested ground balls. They were sticking their nose in there and getting them. Sometimes it was on a bad bounce.”
Leading by four entering the fourth, Mt. Hebron continued to stifle the Gladiators with several blocked shots and strong saves from senior goalie Everett Armstead. The Vikings’ communication on defense was persistent throughout.
It was the seventh consecutive game they held their opponent to five goals or fewer.
“I think that we’ve had such great mentors along the years,” Armstead said. “A lot of players like Aaron Krafft, originally he wasn’t a long pole and now he’s probably one of our best defenders. I think that everyone is making sacrifices to make the team better.
“Our defense, they want to shut people down. In prior years our coaches haven’t been able to say we can press out, we can get on your hands. He gives us a lot of trust, and that shows. When you feel trusted, it encourages you to play better.”
Offensively in the fourth, Machiran scored his second and third goals of the game. Effectively moving off the ball, the veteran found creases in the high-middle area of the Gladiators defense. With time and room, he buried both shots on feeds from Keegan Ryan and Gavin Fleck.
Both Machiran’s goals epitomized the Vikings’ selflessness as six of nine goals were assisted. It also showcased their balanced and methodical approach offensively, working the ball around to ensure the best shot possible.
The Vikings’ 13 seniors closed out their final regular-season game at Valhalla on the right note with loftier goals remaining.
“They’d be the first to tell you they did this for the Class of ’20 and ’21 who didn’t have this opportunity,” Vikings coach Michael McCarthy said. “They’re a humble group. They’re not arrogant, they’re not braggadocios. They’re just fantastic kids.
“They’re what you want your kids to grow up and be like. We’re not surprised they’re in this position because they’re just coachable, classy, hardworking kids that love each other. That’s what makes it really enjoyable.”
Arundel 13, North County 6: Senior Noah Bell had five goals and two assists in the Wildcats’ victory. Jack Schuette added two goals and two assists, while Jacob Dy had two goals. John Tonrey, who also added an assist, recorded 15 saves. Matteo Ciccarello won 19 of 20 faceoffs.
Annapolis 19, Meade 2: Jack Torney (five goals), Andrew Wasielewski (four goals, one assist) and Greg Durkin (two goals, four assists) led the Panthers on offense while Nik Antonelli and Ronan Keohan led their team at the faceoff circle, going 9-for-11 and 6-for10, respectively.
Broadneck 18, Old Mill 2: Jackson Shaw had six goals and an assist for the Bruins in a victory lap following the team’s momentous win against rival Severna Park on Friday.
Jake Schroll added two goals and three assists, while Davis Fisher had two goals and two assists. Graham Hartman went 15-for-16 at the circle, followed by Brayden Schmidt, who went 3-for-5. Matt Tettemer made eight saves.
Severna Park 19, Chesapeake 1: The Falcons overwhelmed the Cougars, led by William Morgan, James Ruppert and Andrew Meyers (three goals each).
Also contributing with two goals apiece were Nolan Zborai (four assists), Joaquin Villagomez (two assists), Ryan LaRocque and Parker Sealy. Ryan Rush had 10 saves for the Cougars in the loss.
Howard 8, Centennial 7: The Lions won in overtime for their third straight victory as Dominic Giangrosso led the way with a hat trick. Lucas Mena scored twice and Jayden Denicola added one goal and two assists.
Reservoir 17, Atholton 7: Both Joey Schinner and Graham Leary shined for the Gators (7-5, 5-5 Howard County) with seven and six goals, respectively. Schinner had five assists, while Leary had six. Nolan Baer made seven saves as the Gators built a 10-2 halftime lead before securing their fifth win in a row.
Girls lacrosse
Harford Tech 19, Patterson Mill 4: Arleah Brown and Sofia Albi each scored four goals for the Cobras. Molly Re added three, while Lauren Kunes had two goals and two assists.
For the Huskies, Caroline Gebhard scored three goals and Taylor Brown made eight saves.
Arundel 13, North County 7: The Wildcats rode a powerful opening half to triumph, led by senior Morgan Gore, who had nine goals on the day. Kylie Sharpe recorded 11 saves against the Knights (9-4), who were anchored by Maggie Blandford (three goals) and Alyssa Yost (two goals, one assist).
Centennial 18, Howard 16: The Eagles, led by Abby Cudzilo with six goals and three assists, edged the Lions. Alaina Kelly backed her with four goals and an assist. In goal, Ava and Adria Welsh each made eight saves. Sam Brothers scored six goals for Howard.
Oakland Mills 20, Long Reach 15: Sara Novak led the Scorpions (4-8, 2-6 Howard County) with 10 goals and two assists, her second consecutive game with 10 or more goals. Kaity Browne had six goals and three assists, while Katie Oliver made nine saves.
For the Lightning (3-8, 1-6), Lucy Paulhaumus had five goals and three assists, while Chiara Pompei also had five goals.
Glenelg 22, Mt. Hebron 3: Glenelg (13-0, 8-0 Howard County) completed an undefeated regular season as Lauren LaPointe scored a season-high six goals. Isa Torres had a season-high five goals, while Carleigh Callahan chipped in four goals and an assist. Jocelyn Torres made seven saves.
For Mt. Hebron (8-4, 6-2), Peyton Sims, Ellie Smith and Olivia Hoover scored.
Garrison Forest 12, Severn 10: Casey Ulehla had four goals and an assist, and Erin Hooper and Sage Whiteside had two goals each, but the host Admirals (7-8, 6-7 Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference) fell to the Grizzlies (7-8, 5-8). The win ended a four-game losing streak.
No. 7 Notre Dame Prep 15, No. 10 St. Mary’s 11
Severna Park 20, Chesapeake 0
Softball
Bel Air 7, Elkton 3: The Bobcats jumped ahead with four runs in the bottom of the fifth. Alayna LeVee homered and drove in two in the win. Winning pitcher Kyrsten
Coppage had three hits, including a double, and two RBIs.
Crofton 29, Southern 1: Sophomore Lynsie Herman was 4-for-4 with six RBIs to fuel the win. She and five other hitters piled 18 runs into the second inning. Marley Connor allowed only two hits and struck out 10.
Chesapeake 7, Old Mill 3: After the Patriots’ Danica Lease tied the game at 2 in the fourth, the Cougars broke through. Norah Hart homered in the third and fifth innings and drove in a run in the sixth.
Riley Kellner brought the game within a run, 4-3, in the fifth, but Chesapeake surged in the sixth with runs from Emilee Leone, Sophia Bianco and Hart.
Glen Burnie 3, Broadneck 2: The Gophers won their sixth in a row thanks to a go-ahead run by Olivia Bowers in the eighth inning.
Edgewood 7, Bohemia Manor 1: Miranda Badham struck out 10 as the host Rams beat the Eagles.
Baseball
Liberty 12, Manchester Valley 0: Three pitchers combined on the four-hit shutout for the Lions. Anthony Zombro led a balanced offense with a double and three RBIs. Trevor Coombs drove in two runs, while Ryan Smith, Camden Hodges, Byron Blevins and Nathan Martin also had RBIs.
Boonsboro 12, Westminster 1: The Owls surrendered seven runs in the second inning. Robbie Bouthner doubled and drove in a run for Westminster. Adam Price also doubled.
North County 9, South River 4: Andrew Myers, Evan Pollman and Aaron Wharton had three RBIs collectively in the fifth inning to energize North County’s win.
Knights pitchers Dustin Danckwerth, Riley Brister and Quinn Yellin combined over seven innings for four strikeouts.
Meade 1, Northeast 0: Noah Mitchell drove in the lone run for the victorious Mustangs. Aiden Barbour pitched a complete game for Meade, striking out 11, walking two and allowing three hits.
Broadneck 6, Glen Burnie 1: The Bruins had the upper hand from the start as Nolan Banwell hit a two-run homer in the first inning. Calvin Cook and Josh Ehrlich generated three runs in the fifth as well.
Nick Stergiou struck out three without a walk in five innings, allowing six hits.
Indian Creek 8, McDonogh 3: After the Eagles took a one-run lead early, Indian Creek broke out in the fourth.
Andrew Harris drove in two runs with a double, followed by Anders Liimatainen, who drove in a run with a single. Another three Eagles runs scored in the sixth, thanks to Chris Kokoski, Julian Butler and Patrick Smith. On the hill, Logan Frazier struck out three while permitting six hits and three runs over five innings. Butler came in relief without allowing a hit.