A look at the top storylines and players to watch for Anne Arundel County boys soccer teams heading into the fall 2021 season.

Playing in front of friends and family at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Severna Park’s Jackson Merrill, Gilman’s Casey Bishop and Atholton’s Branden Brown ended their high school careers with award-winning performances during an 8-8 tie.

After enduring back-to-back gut-wrenching losses to Howard in the Class 4A state semifinals in 2017 and again in the 2018 championship game, Severna Park stranded a runner each in the sixth and seventh innings before falling 5-4 in eight innings to undefeated Sherwood in the state championship game at Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf.

Severna Park (16-0) crushed visiting Laurel, 20-0, in five innings while Sherwood (13-0) slipped by previously undefeated Dulaney, 3-1, during state semifinal play Wednesday.

Severna Park baseball took care of eighth-seeded Howard, 8-3, in a Class 4A state quarterfinal game on Tuesday. The Falcons will play either Laurel or Eleanor Roosevelt on Wednesday with a trip to the state final on the line.

Nathan Dawes pitched a near complete-game as Howard defeated Arundel, 5-2, to capture the 4A East Region I championship on Saturday. It’s the third region title since 2017 for the Lions, who won the 4A state title in 2018.

Arundel's Corbin Warner threw 2 ⅔ shutout innings in relief and started the rally that led to game-winning, bases-loaded walk by Tyler Pelletreau in the bottom of the 10th inning as the Wildcats beat Old Mill, 2-1, on Wednesday to advance to the 4A East Region I championship.

Broadneck junior Nolan Banwell limited visiting Annapolis to a run on two hits in a complete-game effort to propel the Bruins to a 9-1 victory and a spot in Wednesday’s Class 4A East Region II semifinals.

Michael Taylor, whose only loss on the mound came against Severna Park in another solid effort, faced four batters or fewer in six of the seven innings of his complete-game effort. Arundel has now won four consecutive games.