Players of the year shone bright this fall sports season
Girls cross country
Great Mills High School senior Cooper Brotherton is the SMAC Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year. Brotherton captured the SMAC girls cross country championship and capped her season by finishing eighth in the 3A state championship meet at Hereford High School. Northern freshman Ella Meccia finished second at the SMAC championships and second in the 3A state meet and will be among the favorites to garner this title next fall.
Boys cross country
Huntingtown High School senior Thomas Foulkes captured the SMAC boys cross country championship, finished second in the 3A south region title and then 10th at the 3A state meet en route to being named the SMAC Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year in 2021.
Field hockey
Patuxent High School senior
Abby Alderman is the SMAC Field Hockey Player of the Year for 2021. Alderman played a key role for the Panthers as they captured the SMAC and region titles en route to being 1A state finalists. A two-sport star at the school, Alderman scored nine goals and added 10 assists and edged out senior teammates Rylie Borgholthaus, Rylie Eells and Kayleigh Haines and Huntingtown senior Hannah Schiemer and Northern senior Mackenzie Blackwell for the honor. Alderman signed with Eastern Michigan University for women’s lacrosse and she will play girls’ lacrosse for the Panthers in the spring.
Football (offensive)
Northern High School senior quarterback Zach Crounse is the SMAC Football Offensive Player of the Year. Crounse led the Patriots to the 3A state title by completing 231 of 366 passes for 3,374 yards and 34 touchdowns. In Northern’s 28-23 victory over Linganore in the 3A state championship game, Crounse completed 24 of 41 passes for 368 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Patriots to their first football title in school history.
Football (defensive)
Huntingtown High School senior Chad Connolly is the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference Football Defensive Player of the Year. Connolly played a key role for the Hurricanes’ stingy defense, compiling 101 total tackles, including 18 for loss and four quarterback sacks. He also caught
PLAYERS
seven passes for 90 yards as a tight end. Connolly signed his National Letter of Intent
last month to play men’s lacrosse at Navy and he will be one of the starters for the Huntingtown boys’ lacrosse team in the spring.