Interstate Athletic Conference

Walt Whitman High School 2 - 0 Landon School

Walt Whitman High School 6 - 1 Landon School

Maryland hockey has recently returned to the spotlight after the 2025 NHL Draft. The Carolina Hurricanes selected center Christian Cerrato, a Fallston native, with the 49th overall pick. Cerrato could soon join another recent Maryland player, Patrick Giles, as the state’s hockey talent continues to surge. Cerrato stood out for his strong Big Ten performance as a Penn State rookie. He earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and had a case for having the best freshman season. Cerrato had the fourth most points, tied for third in assists and won the third most faceoffs across the entire conference. The Athletic ranked NHL teams' needs at center before the draft and described a Hurricanes upgrade as “sorely needed.” Carolina used their second pick in the draft on Cerrato and took him as their top center. Cerrato could make his debut as soon as this upcoming season. Patrick Giles made his start at the Landon School with two seasons of strong play. In 19 career games as a freshman and sophomore, he totalled 34 points and averaged a goal per game. Giles left Landon in 2017 and spent the remainder of his high school career playing for the U.S. National 17U and 18U teams. He played for Boston College for the following four years. Giles made his NHL debut with the Florida Panthers on Oct. 12, 2024 against the Buffalo Sabres. The 25-year-old became the first NHL player born in Maryland since Jeremy Duchesne in 2010. He played nine games for Florida before a midseason trade to the San Jose Sharks. Giles made history when the Panthers won the 2025 Stanley Cup, becoming the first player born in Maryland to play for a championship team. The future of state hockey talent looks even more promising. Archbishop Spalding High School has been a recent source for some of Maryland’s top hockey talent. The Cavaliers had an impressive 19-11-1 record, ranking as the program’s best in the regular season over the last ten years. They entered the MIAA postseason with the potential for three consecutive titles on the line. Mount Saint Joseph High School provided the most challenging test for Archbishop Spalding. The Cavaliers won the first two of four matchups before only scoring three goals in the following two games. Those regular-season struggles in scoring meant the defense would have to be at its best for a championship rematch. Archbishop Spalding goalie Evan Snyder ‘25 stepped up in the biggest game of the season. After a rocky first quarter with both teams tied at two, Snyder became impenetrable with a three-quarter shutout. Archbishop Spalding made MIAA history with a 4-2 win and became the first school to win three consecutive championships since Calvert Hall from 2008 to 2010. Snyder won the MIAA Athlete of the Year award for the A conference and joined teammates Caleb Young, Connor Sweeney and Grant Wanner as Cavalier representatives on the all-conference team. Snyder signed to play in the United States Premier Hockey League on May 21. He joined the Charleston Colonials, a member of the league’s Southeast Division. In the team’s official announcement, head coach Matt Reid described his feelings toward adding Snyder. “We are excited to get Evan into the program, he’s a big goalie and a leader. He’s been on the radar for years,” Reid said. 277 USPHL players have official commitments for the next level of hockey. Destinations range from AHCA programs, NCAA schools and even professional independent leagues. Maryland players are across the country on six different teams.

Myles Upchurch (St. Albans ‘25) is one of the most exciting DMV high school players to watch with MLB’s draft day approaching. The Maryland native stands out for his college commitment and projectable upside for major league clubs. Upchurch enjoyed a successful and acclaimed career for the Bulldogs across multiple sports. He did not fully commit to baseball until the 2024-2025 season, also playing football for his first three years. Upchurch’s arm helped earn a quarterback spot and the Bulldogs performed well in his junior year. He threw for 817 yards and had eight touchdowns with only one interception. The right-hander wields a four-pitch mix with impressive numbers. Upchurch throws a fastball, a slider, a changeup and a curveball. In a recent start on May 5, scouts recorded his velocity at over 92 MPH for the fastball and 87 MPH for the slider. Accolades are abundant for Upchurch, with his St. Albans baseball career finished. The pitcher won two MVP awards for his sophomore and junior seasons, with multiple appearances in national showcases. His final game is the most impressive of his high school career. Upchurch started on the mound in the DCSAA championship as the Bulldogs faced rival Jackson-Reed. The senior pitched a complete game shutout, which proved essential for the low-scoring game. The Bulldogs struggled to find an offensive break until Upchurch provided his run support, hitting a go-ahead two-run home run. His heroics earned the third DCSAA title in St. Albans history and their first since 2023. The University of Alabama took notice and recruited Upchurch to exclusively pitch. Alabama boasts one of the top pitching programs across NCAA baseball and Upchurch became one of four right-handed pitching recruits this cycle. Nationally, MLB Pipeline has Upchurch as the 167th best prospect among this year’s draft class. Prep Baseball is extremely bullish, ranking him as the 25th-best right-handed high school pitcher. MLB teams have only drafted 17 D.C. high schoolers, but three of them have successfully reached the major leagues. Most recently, the New York Mets drafted outfielder Nick Morabito in the second round of the 2022 draft. That pick ended an eight-year drought for D.C. talent and became the highest selection for any D.C high schooler. St. Albans has produced one player for the draft. In 2008, the Arizona Diamondbacks selected pitcher Danny Hultzen, but he opted to attend the University of Virginia instead. The lefty ultimately reached the majors in 2019 for the Chicago Cubs. Hultzen now works in the Cubs front office as a pitching performance manager. Upchurch recently attended the MLB Draft Combine in Phoenix, Arizona, from June 17 to 21. High school pitchers often require substantial signing bonuses to forgo college, so that will likely be the deciding factor for Upchurch on draft day. The MLB Draft is scheduled for July 13 and 14.

𝐊𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐉𝐫. – 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 High School: DeMatha Catholic College: Penn State NFL Team: Tennessee Titans (3rd Round, 82nd overall) 𝐊𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐨𝐧 – 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞 High School: Georgetown Preparatory School College: Rutgers NFL Team: Houston Texans (7th Round, 224th overall) 𝐃𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 – 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 High School: Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School College: Virginia Tech NFL Team: Buffalo Bills (6th Round, 177th overall) ​ 𝐊𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 – 𝐖𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 High School: Northwest High School College: Maryland NFL Team: Buffalo Bills (7th Round, 240th overall) ​ 𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐲 𝐀𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐭𝐞 – 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞 High School: Charles Herbert Flowers High School College: Maryland NFL Team: Dallas Cowboys (7th Round, 247th overall) ​ 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐉𝐫. – 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 High School: McDonogh School College: Maryland NFL Team: Miami Dolphins (5th Round, 155th overall)

On Saturday, August 10th, 2024, Quincy Wilson made USA Track and Field History. He was part of the US men’s 4x400-meter relay that took home the gold medal in Paris. With this astounding accomplishment, Quincy Wilson has become the youngest male U.S. track Olympian at just 16 years old. Quincy Wilson was the first runner for the US team in the qualifying round. Notching a split of 47.27 seconds, Wilson helped give the US a steady start to enter the finals. Wilson gets to enter his Junior year at Bullis School with an Olympic gold medal in his name. Picture Credits: www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2024/08/09/quincy-…