West II

Glenelg High School 7 - 0 Centennial High School

River Hill High School 1 - 0 Howard High School

Long Reach High School 0 - 8 Glenelg High School

Atholton High School 0 - 2 River Hill High School

Mount Hebron High School 1 - 0 Francis Scott Key High School

Glenelg High School 10 - 0 Howard High School

Centennial High School 1 - 2 Long Reach High School

River Hill High School 3 - 2 Centennial High School

River Hill High School 1 - 3 Marriotts Ridge High School

Mount Hebron High School 1 - 0 River Hill High School

Howard High School 2 - 4 Centennial High School

Mount de Sales Academy 2 - 4 Glenelg High School

Reservoir High School 1 - 0 Mount Hebron High School

Mount Hebron High School 0 - 7 Crofton High School

Reservoir High School 0 - 9 Glenelg High School

River Hill High School 0 - 5 Severna Park High School

Howard County boasted another field hockey state championship and three regional winners this year. Glenelg went all the way again this year and two others, Long Reach and Marriotts Ridge, made it to the state bracket. The Gladiators and Lightning raced all season to take the county crown, making for a thrilling rivalry. The title came all the way down to the last game of the season. Facing then 8-5 Mt. Hebron, Glenelg needed a win to outright secure first place in the county. They took the Vikings down 6-0 and have now finished first in each of the last three seasons. Here are CSZ's awards for the best of the county this season: Team of the Year - Glenelg Gladiators Glenelg fired on all cylinders throughout the regular season and the postseason. The Gladiators finished the regular season with a +88 goal differential and played elite defense across five playoff games. They won their last three games by one goal and saved their best for last in the championship. In the last three seasons, including each postseason, Manchester Valley has only allowed 16 goals in 49 games. Glenelg has been their defense’s kryptonite in that stretch as the Gladiators scored seven of those goals in only three games. In overtime and tied 1-1, Glenelg found its hero in Lakshmi Almli ‘28, who scored the game-winning goal. Most Improved Team - Atholton Atholton boosted its record by two wins this year and finished the regular season at 7-5. The Raiders won their first three games of the season in a start that got the county’s attention. Atholton finished above .500 for the first time since 2021. They battled through a mid-season stretch against the county’s best teams and earned a playoff win against Guilford Park. The offense helped the team finish undefeated after scoring two goals. Best Game of the Season - Long Reach (1) vs. Glenelg (2), Quarterfinals on Oct. 31 The highly anticipated rematch of Howard County’s two best teams did not disappoint. After Glenelg won their regular season game 2-1 on Sept. 22, the two faced off again with the county championship on the line. Samantha Legge ‘26 scored Long Reach’s only goal, ending a historic campaign for the Lightning midfielder. The Gladiators powered their way to the end with shutdown second-half defense and two critical goals. Kareena Blackwell ‘27 provided the game-winner late in the second quarter. Glenelg did not look back after this game and took down Kent Island and Manchester Valley as Howard County’s top team.

A thrilling 2–1 overtime victory over Manchester Valley secured the Gladiators another championship moment. 🏑✨

Glenelg and Long Reach faced off in one of the most intense games of the fall sports season. The Gladiators secured a 2-1 win at home against the Lightning, advancing past the 2A state quarterfinal round. Long Reach entered the game on a thrilling offensive showcase. The Lightning scored 66 goals in their prior six games and allowed just one in that span. That momentum carried over into the playoffs. The Lightning scored a season high 16 goals against Oakland Mills in the first round and took care of 5-7 Howard with another double digit win. Samantha Legge ‘26 emptied the tank in her final game for Long Reach, scoring their lone goal and leading the team as she had done all season. The Gladiators powered their way to the end with shutdown second half defense and two critical goals. Kareena Blackwell ‘27 provided the game winner late in the second quarter. The Gladiators and Lightning played a near-identical game to their previous matchup this season. Glenelg secured a close 2-1 win this time, matching their 2-1 win over Long Reach back on Sept. 22. Glenelg has not lost a game against a county opponent since Oct. 2022, when they dropped two games to River Hill in one week. Glenelg allowed 10 goals at home in the last three seasons, including playoff games. Their one allowed to Long Reach was only the fourth home goal allowed all year. The Gladiators allowed three goals during the regular season against county rivals, equal to the number of former players they have on the University of Maryland’s roster this year. Glenelg’s next test is a meeting with Kent Island this week. They will have to avoid repeating their relative struggles against non-conference opponents on the road, after losing two of those three games this season. The Buccaneers are undefeated this season and enter this week with considerable momentum. Through three playoff games, they have scored 34 goals and allowed none. Kent Island has not allowed more than one goal at home in a game since Sept. 11, 2023. Glenelg will travel to Kent Island on Thursday at a currently unannounced time as of Nov. 3.

The Field Hockey County Championship game is set for Oct. 21. The game pits Glenelg and Mt. Hebron against each other for the second time in the last two weeks. That last meeting ended in a 3-0 win for Glenelg. The Gladiators finished their season at the top of the county standings. Their 10-2 record continued a dominant stretch since 2023, posting a 22-2 record in that span. In their last six games of the season, Glenelg scored 50 goals and allowed none. They led the county in shutouts with eight, including five at home. The Gladiators have not lost at home since Oct. 12, 2022. They have a three season winning streak against Mt. Hebron, also since 2022. 13 Glenelg seniors will have one last playoff run to make it four consecutive seasons with a county championship win. Mt. Hebron aims to pull off the biggest upset in the county this year. The Vikings lost two county games all season, dropping both games against Glenelg and Long Reach, the 10-2 teams ahead of them in the standings. Each of those matchups came on the road. Facing Glenelg on the road will challenge the Vikings to change a season-long trend. Mt. Hebron won all of their home matchups but struggled on the road to a 3-5 record this year. The Vikings played like a .500 team on the road with a +2 goal differential. At home, they resembled their 2024 team’s output at an elite +23 goal differential. Mt. Hebron had the biggest performance swing by venue in the county. Some of those road struggles could represent bad luck this season. Three of the five losses came in one goal losses. However, all five saw the Vikings score one goal or fewer, putting pressure on the team’s defense to be flawless. The defense did excel at home, allowing two goals in five games. That level of dominance could not be sustained when the team traveled. Opposing teams scored 13 goals on the road and seven from Glenelg and Long Reach. The championship starts at 7:00 p.m. and will be the lone field hockey game of the day.