When the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association announced last year that changes to the state tennis tournament were coming this spring, Marriotts Ridge’s Veronica Cuellar knew her road to winning a state title was about to become much easier. She placed fourth last year in girls...
During the months leading up to her freshman year of high school, Taylor Liguori sat down with her dad and set out a road map for what she hoped to get out of her four years at Hammond High. It was a lengthy list — filled with a wide array of goals — but for Liguori it was a constant reminder of...
Everything Centennial senior Jason Kraisser does when he laces up his wrestling shoes is business like. His practice habits that include staying beyond the required hours or trekking across the region on holidays, weekends or off days to find quality opponents are unlike almost anyone else. His...
Atholton senior Sean Billups versus Leonardtown's John Podsednik in the MPSSAA 4A/3A 170-pound state championship match on March 2, 2019.
Centennial senior Jason Kraisser versus Huntingtown's Josh Stokes in the MPSSAA 4A/3A 152-pound state championship match on March 2, 2019.
Mike Smelkinson has always held his hometown close to his heart. That’s why, even after making the decision to leave his position as head men’s basketball coach at Howard Community College for a similar role at Harford Community College in 2014, the Long Reach High grad (2004) never closed the...
Throughout her time coaching at Long Reach, Kelli Cofield has stated many times that her leadership role has never gotten in the way of her being a fan of the game. She likes to think she’s had a front row seat to watch some of the best high school girls basketball in the state over the last decade....
During her coaching career, one that has produced 547 victories over the course of 38 seasons, River Hill’s Teresa Waters has learned that individual talent is only part of the equation. Sometimes having a group that fits together and feeds off one another is the most important ingredient to success....
For the first five minutes of its 2A state semifinal match-up against Hereford on Friday at Towson University’s SECU Arena, River Hill looked every bit like a program that hadn’t appeared in the state final four since 2013. The Hawks committed six turnovers, made just one shot from the field and...
Long Reach ran into a familiar foe and suffered a familiar fate on Thursday night against Frederick in the 3A state semifinals at Towson University’s SECU Arena. The Lightning, which lost against the two-time defending state-champion Cadets in last year’s title game, were outscored 15-3 over the...
When you start from the bottom, as Long Reach coach Kelli Cofield did when she took over a three-win Lightning program nine years ago, it gives you a greater appreciation for the top. So as Cofield clutched the 3A East region championship plaque Saturday evening moments after securing a 67-48 win...
All season long, River Hill has prided itself on its defense. The Hawks have allowed fewer than 40 points per game to its opponents this winter, and as a result coach Teresa Waters’ young team has found ways to win despite not having a lights-out shooter or a particularly high-scoring offense. ...
Howard track and field runner Max Myers spent much of his time last winter trying to catch his middle distance teammates, both during workouts and in competition. Sure, Myers took third in the 500-meter dash at the county championships, but he did not compete in an individual event at the 4A state...
Sprinter Sierrah Matthews has been chasing a singular goal since entering high school in September 2017. “Being able to go to the college I want to,” Matthews said. And what college would that be? “Any,” she added. “I haven’t really chosen yet, but Division I is the range I’m looking in right now.”...
Mt. Hebron indoor track and field coach Teyarnte Carter has rarely talked about a team championship with her athletes this winter. The topic was not a point of emphasis ahead of the Howard County championships on Jan. 15, when the Vikings placed third, and it did not come up before they secured...
Rarely does an individual athlete win a state title from the second-to-last heat of an event final, but River Hill senior Chase McGeehan gave himself a decent chance to accomplish that feat with his 500-meter dash performance at the 2A state championships on Monday afternoon. McGeehan only ended...