West II

Quince Orchard High School 1 - 3 Walt Whitman High School

Seneca Valley High School 0 - 3 Damascus High School

Sherwood High School 6 - 0 Gaithersburg High School

Clarksburg High School 0 - 1 Northwest High School

Gaithersburg High School 0 - 5 Springbrook High School

Richard Montgomery High School 0 - 1 Quince Orchard High School

Northwest High School 1 - 2 Seneca Valley High School

Wheaton High School 0 - 6 Gaithersburg High School

Seneca Valley High School 2 - 3 Thomas S. Wootton High

Quince Orchard High School 3 - 0 Seneca Valley High School

Gaithersburg High School 1 - 5 Clarksburg High School

Seneca Valley High School 0 - 2 Poolesville High School

Northwest High School 8 - 0 Gaithersburg High School

John F. Kennedy High School 1 - 7 Seneca Valley High School

Damascus High School 2 - 1 Quince Orchard High School

Northwood High School 0 - 9 Seneca Valley High School

Photo courtesy of Victor O'Neill Studios After six games, Damascus field hockey remains atop the North division in Montgomery County with a 3-0 record, and has assumed a 5-1 record overall. On Saturday, the Hornets only added onto that dominant resume, defeating division opponent Northwest in controlling fashion, 8-0. It didn’t take long for Damascus to assert its presence. Quickly establishing possession in their attacking end, the Hornets drew a penalty and capitalized on the ensuing shot just under two minutes into the action. But things had only just gotten started. A turnover on the following faceoff granted Damascus a prime counterattacking opportunity, and it had numbers to show for. Though the possession resulted in a giveaway deep in Jaguars territory, it set up a long sequence of attacking events in the offensive zone. Eventually, the Hornets’ sheer power and technique with the ball proved too much for Northwest to handle. A Damascus attacker charged right through the teeth of the defense before spinning with the ball in her possession and unleashing a point-blank shot on net. Though the attempt was saved, it was quickly corralled by another Damascus attacker and shoved into the back of the cage. By the end of the first quarter, the Hornets had already stacked together four goals, and looked to be the dominant force it was made out to be. It was clear that Northwest needed a response, and quickly, if it wanted to salvage any hope of a comeback. Instead, things turned more sour. The Jaguars struggled to make inroads in the offensive end. Any time a pass was attempted to the flanks to spark an attack, a Hornet midfielder was there to swipe the ball away and head in the other direction. Meanwhile, multiple Jaguar defensive fouls gave Damascus repeated looks at the cage, and it continued to pepper the outmatched Northwest goalkeeper with shots on penalty corners. Almost four minutes into the second frame, the Hornets finally broke through for its first score of the quarter. By halftime, the game was already 7-0 and out of the reach of Northwest, who has only captured a win over Gaithersburg this season — an 8-0 victory on opening night. Meanwhile, looking ahead for Damascus, contests against Whitman and Einstein in three and four weeks time, respectively, should serve as massive measuring sticks heading into what should be a tightly contested postseason landscape in Montgomery County.

Photo courtesy of Lifetouch. Wootton high school field hockey is still undefeated, and its dominance is convincing. On Friday, the Patriots routed Seneca Valley, 7-0, to mark its third straight shutout win. Wootton has also already earned wins over Northwood and Clarksburg, 7-0 and 6-0, respectively. The Patriots won just five games total in 2024, but the team has seemed to turn over a new leaf. Saturday’s game was a demolition from start to finish. At just the 10-minute mark of the first quarter, Wootton struck gold. Seven of the Patriots’ field players crowded within 20 feet of Seneca Valley’s goal, suffocating any chance of a Screaming Eagles breakout. A drive into the shooting circle by a Wootton midfielder found one of the four attacking Patriots players, who immediately redirected the pass on goal. Seneca Valley’s two defenders and goalie were both outnumbered and caught off guard by the sudden attack, and could not react fast enough to stop the sizzling shot from entering the net. The Patriots continued to apply consistent pressure throughout the first frame. Just minutes later, eight Wootton players stood at the ready as a penalty corner was taken and buried. A penalty stroke put the Patriots up by three scores with six minutes still to play in the first quarter, and by the time the frame was over, Wootton led by four goals. Needing to forge a comeback, and promptly, the Screaming Eagles instead were outnumbered at nearly every 50-50 battle for possession. They struggled mightily to transition the ball up the flanks, with the Patriots’ central midfielders often shifting over to assist and shut down any potential counterattack. The little attacking time the Screaming Eagles had fizzled out quickly either due to misdirected passes, or simply not enough support. On multiple occasions, a Seneca Valley attacker streaked up the field without any fallback options on either side. This essentially forced them to dump and chase the ball into Patriots territory. Wootton’s fifth score came with just under six minutes to play in the half. A Patriot midfielder shielded herself with the ball nicely before sending a shot into a flock of players in the shooting circle. The rebound popped to an open Patriot attacker, who buried the shot. Just minutes later, an impressive solo effort, in which a Patriot player marched from the 25-yard line to just past the 20-yard line before unleashing a rocket, yielded a sixth goal. No goals were scored in the third quarter at all. The frame was characterized by strong midfield play and principled defensive positioning, in which Seneca Valley did well to keep Patriot attackers at bay. The Screaming Eagles were able to muster some well-executed breakouts, which featured some speedy sideline runs that ultimately came up empty. Even when Seneca Valley was able to have time to get numbers behind its attack, a foul or turnover would reverse possession. The final score of the day was netted with just under two minutes to play in the game, as yet another ricocheted save ended up on the stick of one of the ready-to-pounce Patriot attackers. Wootton will look to maintain its winning ways as it takes on Whitman Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Wrong score, it was SV 7-0

Field Hockey is just around the corner, and its a sport that can be very exciting and intense. Which teams in MCPS will have the most success this season? In this preseason power rankings, I rank the top ten field hockey teams in the county. The top two teams were one win away from facing each other in the state finals last year, so the midseason matchup between the two will be a must-watch! Now let’s get to the list: Churchill (14-2) - The Bulldogs made it all the way to the Class 4A State semi finals before losing to Broadneck. It started the season 5-0 before dropping its first game. After that, the Bulldogs won eight straight games, securing five shutouts in the process. Five players received All-County recognition including seniors Jenna Pigott and Claire Gallagher. They return the other three All-County players in midfielders Junia Whang and Callie Lee, and defender Leah Offutt. They have the pieces in place to make another run to the semifinals and hopefully beyond. Whitman (14-2) - The Vikings have won four straight county championships. And it too made it to the 4A State semifinals before losing to eventual champion Crofton. Before losing to Crofton however, they were in the midst of a nine game winning streak that saw the Vikings shutout every opponent - including a dominant 10-0 win over Clarksburg in the first round of states. They lose seven seniors, including five who received All-County accolades - Kelsey Allen, Maya Raphael, Sophia Cheng, Mia Kanczuker, and Nisha Chakravarty - and Sadie Bastianelli, who was an All-Division member. They do however return rising junior Emma Foscarini; a midfielder who was a first team All-County select. The spotlight will be on Foscarini this fall as she tries to lead the Vikings to another run in the postseason. Damascus (12-2) - The Swarmin’ Hornets hope to go farther than it did last season (loss in the regional final), especially considering the strong start that they had (9-0). Their defense was one of the best in the county allowing less than a goal per game (before their defeat in regionals) and recorded eight shutouts. They lose nine seniors total, including first team All-County forward Madison Slayton and All-Divison members Sarah Jankowski and Marlene Nusraty. The good news however, is that three All-Division players are back for this fall season - forward Mary Miller, midfielder Maddie Powell, and defenseman Katie Miller. Despite the losses of nine seniors, the Swarmin’ Hornets are still in excellent position to reach states. Blair (10-4) - After a first game loss to Whitman, the Blazers won 9 out of its next 11 games, including a seven game win streak that were all shutouts. It won the regional title over Einstein before losing to Broadneck in the state quarterfinals. Seven players received accolades including three seniors - forward Carmella Beach, midfielder Eloisa Somodevilla, and goalie Keelin Pegg were All-County members. The rest of the four were all juniors and are coming back for their senior seasons. Forward Eva Schwartz, midfielder Ruth Wajda-Gotwals, and defenders Lilah Coleman and Juliet Craig will look to lead the Blazers to another successful campaign. Rockville (10-4) - The Rams rode a successful campaign all the way to the Class 3A state quarterfinals. The 3A regional champions were led by 11 seniors including captains Erin Kelly, McKenzie Chavez, and Grace Litzenberg - who was a first team All-County select. Not only will their leadership be missed, but also their experience, as they each played all four years. Finding the next group of leaders will be one of the stories to watch for this Rams team. Walter Johnson (9-5) - WJ had a nice end to its regular season, winning four out of its last five matches. It defeated Richard Montgomery in the first round of regionals, but ultimately fell to Whitman in the regional final. Ten seniors depart including four All-County/All-Division players in Gillian Rosenstock, Hidi Altman, Jackie Fuller, and Fran Sabbioni-Blanc. Defender Abby Bruskin is back for her senior season and will look to lead the Wildcats past the regionals this year. Quince Orchard (9-5) - After having a tough beginning to the season (1-2), the Cougars hardly skipped a beat after. Over its final nine regular season games, QO went an impressive 9-2, scoring 4 goals per game and allowing 1 per game (five shutouts). They lose six seniors, including four who were selected to the All-County Team - Hannah Wagner, Gabbie Spano, Ellie Wonnacott, and Faith Pleisse. All-County second team goalie Natalie Goury and Sophia Fenzel returns for her senior season. Having a returning veteran is always a welcome, especially when it provides insurance in goal. Goury recorded seven shutouts during the season. And despite having a new coach in Antonio Velasquez, and with players having to adjust to a new system, QO was able to have a winning season. Heading into year 2, it should be another successful campaign. Richard Montgomery (9-3) - The Rockets began the season 4-0 before hitting a road block that saw it lose three out of its next four. But, it was only a small bump, as they ended the regular season on a four game win streak. Unfortunately, the season came to an abrupt end when it lost to Walter Johnson in the first round of regionals. The Rockets were led by a group of veterans that included 12 seniors. Seniors Emma Pryor, Shelby Roth, and Catherine Nguyen were selected to the All-County team. And seniors Tara Amin, Abby Grandin, Pryor, Roth, and Nguyen received All-Division honors. All twelve departures will surely be missed, and it will be interesting to see who steps up in terms of leadership. Einstein (8-6) - The Titans made it to the regional final before losing to Blair. After starting the year 1-2, Einstein rallied to four straight victories and recording three shutouts in the process. They hit a road block during the final stretch, but finished with a winning record and was one game short of making states. Four seniors depart including defenders Cady Emerson (1st Team All-Division) and Maya Gutierrez-Flores (1st Team All-County. Gutierrez-Flores’s efforts on the defensive side earned her MCPS Defensive Player of the Year. Goalie Lena Fleschner and defender Lucy Stenger return for their senior seasons. Both were awarded first and second team All-Divison, respectively. B-CC (7-6) - The Barons had a nice run in the middle and end of the season, going 6-2 in its final eight games. Its season did come to an unfortunate end in the first round of regionals, losing to Whitman. They lose a total of thirteen seniors, including four who received All-County and All-Division honors - Jamie Lee, Abby Schrader, Roxana Stayeas, and Elisha Robinson. How to replace a loaded group of veterans and leaders will be a major challenge, but it will be both interesting and exciting to see who that next group will be down the road.