With the 2025-2026 school year approaching, here are our rankings of all 13 Howard County Varsity Field Hockey squads for this season. Each team's 2024 record is included inside the parentheses. 1. Glenelg High School (12-0) Gleneg had no peer in the county with a dominant season. The Gladiators won a regional and a county championship again, marking their third consecutive season with both. They scored fewer than seven goals twice. The defense allowed eight goals in 12 games. All-County Player of the Year Brinkley Eyre broke school and state records, leading one of the best units in county history. Glenelg is arguably the most well-positioned team in the near future. They had the most All-County representatives who played in their freshman or sophomore years. Another state championship could be on the way this year. 2. Long Reach High School (9-3) The Lightning pulled off the upset of the season in a memorable playoff run. Facing 12-1 Mt. Hebron again, Long Reach flipped the script from a 2-1 midseason loss to get their own 2-1 win, snapping an 11 game win streak for the Vikings. The Lightning midfield brought in high praise all year with All-State second team and All-County spots for Samantha Legge ‘26 and Leilani Stewart ‘27. Those two are set to lead the way in 2025 as Long Reach aims for consecutive championships. 3. Mt. Hebron High School (12-1) Mt. Hebron enters 2025 as the strongest program in recent years. Since 2023, the Vikings are 23-2 in the regular season. No Howard County team has a better record in that span. Mt. Hebron took a step back in the playoffs last season with a regional finals loss to Long Reach. Tylar Fleck ‘26 and Kaelyn Cisna ‘26 placed on the All-County teams and will lead a push for a third consecutive double digit win season and a return to the state championship. 4. Centennial High School (9-3) The Eagles stood at the top of the league last season with signs of a dynasty emerging. Beating River Hill secured consecutive regional finals wins with a clutch defense to thank. The Field Hockey Coaches Association selected goalkeeper Jane Baldy ‘26 to the All-State first team. The goalkeeper is committed to play field hockey at the University of Delaware and their fans should be excited about Centennial’s defense this season. Their nine shutouts led all of Howard County. 5. Reservoir High School (7-5) Reservoir powered its way to a deep playoff push with a lockdown defense. That unit had eight games with one or zero goals allowed. The Gators performed well against all but the county’s two top teams. The team went back and forth with wins and losses until the last games of the season. The Gators entered a hot streak in time for the playoffs and powered their way to a regional finals win against Atholton. Reservoir should be a top contender again in 2025. 6. River Hill High School (7-5) The Hawks made a strong run to the regional finals after a consistent season. River Hill did not lose by more than one goal, except against 12 win Glenelg and Mt. Hebron. They had an unlucky 0-3 record in one goal margin games. The Hawks' rivalry with the Centennial Eagles only grew this year after Centennial won the regional finals 2-1. Younger players will need to step up for River Hill to remain a top contender after their four All-County representatives graduated 7. Atholton High School (5-6) Atholton took care of business when they entered as the stronger team. They won all four games against county teams lower in the standings. The Raiders finished the season 4-2 after a 1-4 start, including two games against 12 win teams. Sophia Honrad, Reagan Law and Emily Dubbs all earned spots on the All-County second team and honorable mentions. Each will return this season as Atholton continues trending up. 8. Marriotts Ridge High School (3-7) The Mustangs pushed through a 0-2 start last season to tread water at 3-3 by the middle of the fall. Matchups against some of the county’s best teams sunk hopes of a playoff spot with a 0-4 finish despite three home games. The Mustangs JV team had an undefeated season, leading the county. That amount of talent will be critical as Marriotts Ridge looks to replace ten seniors from 2024. 9. Howard High School (3-9) Howard saved their best for the Den last season. At home, the Lions played to a 3-3 record and scored 80% of their goals on the season. The team struggled to generate a similar level of play on the road. Howard is slated to open the 2025 season with a three game homestand, giving ample opportunity to start off strong. 10. Hammond High School (4-8) Hammond has positive momentum after improving last year from 2023. They can raise their win ceiling by improving defensively and how they face county rivals. Last season, the Golden Bears suffered six losses with over eight goals allowed. They lost to 1-10 Oakland Mills and scored one goal across nine county games. Hammond did impress in the clutch, winning every matchup decided by one goal. 11. Wilde Lake High School (3-10) The Wildecats played the 2024 season in three parts. The team opened the year with an unlucky 0-4 stretch, including two games decided by one goal. The offense heated up in the next four games to post a 3-1 record. That momentum did not last as their season ended 0-5 with two double-digit losses. The Wildecats had a 3-2 record when they scored at least once. Improving the offense will be key to Wilde Lake rising in the standings. 12. Oakland Mills High School (1-10) Oakland Mills had a strong opener to the season with a 1-0 win against Glen Burnie High School. The rest of the season did not match that promising start. The Scorpions will look for defensive improvement this year after leading the county in games with seven or more goals allowed last year. N/A: Guilford Park