Boys’ lacrosse: A more competitive outlook in Howard, Anne Arundel; Stone Bridge stays humble
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Version 0 of 1. Glenelg goalie Anthony Valenza ran around his home field Tuesday evening looking for anyone and anything to celebrate with, still trying to wrap his brain around what had happened. “We just beat Howard,” he shouted to nobody in particular after the Gladiators’ dramatic 7-6 double-overtime win against the Lions. “I never thought that was possible.” Glenelg, which won 11 region titles in 12 years between 2003 and 2014, had ceded Howard County control to defending Maryland 4A/3A state champion Howard in recent seasons. But in a season opener neither team will soon forget, Glenelg ended Howard’s 26-game win streak against county foes, which began back in 2013 — the last time the Lions lost to the Gladiators. In this year’s meeting, Glenelg tied the game with less a minute left in regulation and senior Bryan Burford scored the winning goal off a pass from sophomore Chase Collier with 48.9 seconds left in the second extra period. “I just caught it and tried to finish as fast as I could. I didn’t know where it went, but it worked out for me,” Burford said. “We treated it just like a state championship.” It seemed a fitting start to a lacrosse season that will be unlike any other, at least for the top public school teams from Howard and Anne Arundel counties. For the first time, both jurisdictions will play tiered regular-season schedules in boys’ and girls’ lacrosse, opening up slots for several high-profile non-conference matchups that previously occurred only in the state tournament, or rarely at all. By implementing a tiered system Anne Arundel County has used for several years, Howard County teams will not all play every other county team once anymore. Instead, the county is split into three groups based on teams’ records over the past few years. The top tier will replace games it would’ve had against the bottom tier with games against top Anne Arundel County schools. The middle tier teams will continue to play every Howard County school. Though it will be much harder for Howard to repeat as county champion, Lions Coach Jimmy Creighton believes the new arrangement will “set up better for teams to make those long playoff runs.” Last year, when Howard went 19-0 en route to its first state title, it won all but one game by at least seven goals. “We’re excited for more competition,” Burford said. Glenelg might have the lineup to handle the increased strength of schedule, particularly now that senior Kevin Wynne, the younger brother of Notre Dame star Mikey Wynne, transferred back to the school from St. Paul’s to play one last season with his childhood friends. His presence gives the Gladiators one of the area’s most diverse attacks, and it came through in the clutch Tuesday. Wynne sat in the stands last year when Glenelg lost to Howard and Mount Hebron, and “it’s finally good to get back on top of our turf,” he said. But Glenelg’s first win this season and Howard’s first loss in nearly three years also confirmed how wide open this spring might be. In Anne Arundel County, South River, Severna Park, Broadneck and Annapolis will all challenge for a league title. In Howard County, Mount Hebron and Marriotts Ridge have been placed in the top tier, and River Hill, a 3A/2A state finalist last year, remains a threat from the middle tier. So even in the midst of a Glenelg victory that felt like a long time coming, it knew the celebration could only last so long. “With the way things are set up with Anne Arundel County,” Coach Josh Hatmaker said moments after his team took down Howard Tuesday, “you just can’t take a day off.” Stone Bridge is coming off a historic state championship run, and the goal this spring will be exactly what it was in 2015, Noah Madgwick said. But that’s not to win another Virginia 5A title. “The goal was to get better every game,” Madgwick said. “That’s the same exact mentality we’re going to have this year. It’s not about wins or losses, it’s about if we get better each game.” The Bulldogs return about half their starters from last year’s 19-1 team that squeaked by Atlee in the Virginia 5A final to capture the school’s first state championship. While they want to make another run, they want to stay humble, Madgwick said. They’re trying not to look too far ahead knowing that they “have a target on our back, everybody’s going to be coming after us,” he said. A Binghamton commit, Madgwick is part of an experienced but revamped defensive unit that graduated Matt Nabors and goalie Logan Broadbent. Senior Jake Pehlke (Monmouth) joins Madgwick on the back line while Nick Vazquez is starting in net for the Bulldogs (1-0), who opened the season with a 16-10 win over Oakton. “We’re not focusing on what our team is going to be like come playoff time, come state championship time,” Pehlke said. “We’re focusing on getting ready for practice tomorrow. Landon dropped its first game of the year Tuesday in an 11-9 loss to MIAA A contender Loyola Blakefield. . . . Sophomore Jack Myers scored four goals when Gonzaga started off WCAC play with an 18-3 win over Bishop Ireton Tuesday. . . . After starting the season with four straight wins, Georgetown Prep suffered its first loss Tuesday to the Hun School (N.J.). . . . Seven different players scored goals when St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes improved to 5-0 with a 9-5 win over William Penn (Pa.) Tuesday. . . . Severn already has as many wins as it did last season after a 15-6 win over Anne Arundel contender Severna Park in Tuesday’s Public/Private School Challenge at Spalding. 1. Landon (20-2) Last ranked: 1 2. Gonzaga (18-3) LR: 2 3. Georgetown Prep (13-4) LR: 5 4. Bullis (14-5) LR: 6 5. St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes (15-5) LR: 7 6. Glenelg (11-5) LR: NR 7. Severn (6-9) LR: NR 8. Howard (19-0) LR: 3 9. Stone Bridge (19-1) LR: 10 10. Broadneck (12-5) LR: NR On the bubble: Northern (15-2), Churchill (17-2), Robinson (19-4) Final 2015 records. |