There are some changes on the field hockey scene this fall.
Howard County is adopting a tiered system of play that includes crossover games with Anne Arundel County.
The long hit is longer.
River Hill finally has artificial turf on its stadium.
Glenelg's long-time coach Ginger Kincaid is now at Wilde Lake.
And yet, the more things change, the more they seem to stay the same. This year's county championship appears to once again go through the same three teams — Glenelg, Marriotts Ridge or Atholton — that it has for the last seven years. And with the right set of circumstances, similar to what happened two years ago in 2014, the trio could potentially even share the title.
Leveling the field
The disparity between the teams at the top of the standings and those on the other end has become an issue.
Racking up a win by double digits, or losing by the same margin for that matter, is beneficial to no one. The solution seems to be the tiered system that Howard County piloted in boys and girls lacrosse with Anne Arundel County in the spring and is now implementing for field hockey this fall.
Roughly, this is how it works:
Each county's teams are divided into three groups, based on the standings from recent seasons.
Within the county, each team plays the others in their tier. The top and bottom tiers also play the middle tier.
The top and bottom tiers cross over to play the four corresponding teams in Anne Arundel.
Howard County's middle tier gets one Anne Arundel County game and one other non-league game.
"Even though it does not impact Centennial, I think it is a great idea," said Eagles coach Tara Carr. "I think it improves the competition across the board."
Centennial is a middle tier team, as is Howard, River Hill and Reservoir.
Lauren Harrison, Hammond's coach, is happy with the crossover play.
"We feel that it gives us more opportunities to grow as a team," she said.
"I love that the county recognized the difference in teams," said Long Reach coach Kate Boettcher. "This makes the games more competitive and enjoyable for all players."
The lower-tier teams are Long Reach, Wilde Lake, Oakland Mills and Hammond.
There are advantages and disadvantages for the top squads — Marriotts Ridge, Glenelg, Mt. Hebron and Atholton.
The better competition will help prepare those teams for postseason play.
On the down side, a close game might keep a coach from making too many substitutions.
And there is also the chance that the county title, which will be determined on win percentage of county games, could go to a team that is not in the top tier.
Turf's up
River Hill finally got an artificial turf stadium field. The Clarksville school is the last of the county's schools to get it.
The field hockey team will continue to play most of its home games on its Bermuda grass field, although coach Shelly Chamness assures that Senior Day will be played on the stadium field.
Change of perspective
The most significant rule change involves the long hit, which is awarded when a defender unintentionally sends the ball out of bounds over the end line.
Instead of hitting the ball in from the sideline, the new restart procedure is a 25-yard free hit for the attacking team.
The change of ball placement increases options for the attack.
The new "kids"
Five varsity teams have new head coaches. Lauren Harrison (Hammond), Alexis Briscoe (Long Reach) and Kate Boettcher (Oakland Mills) are first-year coaches.
After a year as an assistant, former Oakland Mills coach Nikki Trunzo has taken over for Ginger Kincaid at Glenelg.
Kincaid, who won her 400th game at Glenelg last fall, is keeping her hand in coaching by leading the Wilde Lake varsity.
Harrison, heading up the Hammond program, is a graduate of Reservoir where she played for Martie Dyer, who now coaches at Atholton.
Boettcher and Briscoe are both Long Reach graduates.
The front-runners
Marriotts Ridge and Glenelg shared last year's county title. The year before, Atholton made it a three-way split.
Those are the three teams favored to be atop the standings when the season ends. In what order is up for debate.
Marriotts Ridge reached the 2A state championship last fall. The Mustangs won the region championship by edging Glenelg, 1-0.
In Caroline Blalock, Sarah Blalock, Lily Kennedy and Katie Garman, Marriotts Ridge returns key pieces of that state finalist team. To repeat their success, the Mustangs will have to rebuild their midfield.
Glenelg graduated Noelle Frost, an All-American goalkeeper and the 2015 Howard County Player of the Year, and said goodbye to its long-time coach Ginger Kincaid.
That doesn't necessarily mean that the Gladiators will make a drop in the standings. With Leanne Duncan, Lindsey LeTellier, Grace Olson, Laney Treacy and Paige Reese, among others, the 2016 team is very, very talented.
Atholton brings back Tori Raulin, the county's top scorer last year (28 goals, 12 assists). A lineup tweak has turned Raulin and Stephanie Gotwalls into a powerful combination.
Rachel Foster will anchor the midfield for the Raiders and Adira Colton provides the goal-line protection.
Glenelg Country plays in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland B Conference. Julia Sheehan will be the center point of the Dragons' team; she is a two-time all-conference player.
Glenelg Country will need to beat John Carroll and Maryvale to reach the top of the conference.
Around the league
Playday is over and just a few scrimmages are left. Here's how the teams look as the "real" season starts Sept. 2 (For expanded capsules visit howardcountytimes.com):
Atholton
Coach: Martie Dyer (11th overall)
2015 record: 9-2 county, 11-3 overall
Top players: Seniors Adira Colton (GK), Erin Dabney (MF), Maddy DeCelles (D), Faryn Katz (F), Rachel Foster (MF) and Ashley Martin (D); junior Tori Raulin (F); sophomore Stephanie Gotwalls (F).
The scoop: After earning a share of the 2014 county title, the Raiders fell a game short last fall, finishing in a tie for third. With eight returning starters and 13 seniors, the Raiders are poised to rise to the top.
Atholton not only has numbers, it has talent.
Raulin and Gotwalls are both Junior Olympians and will be keys to the Raiders' offensive production. Raulin is the county's top returning scorer (28 goals, 12 assists).
Foster is dominant at midfield and Colton looks better than ever in goal.
Ignacia Alonzo, a foreign exchange student from Chile, has never played field hockey before but she brings a great attitude to the team.
"Her amazing happiness and desire to play are exemplary and contagious," said coach Martie Dyer.
The Atholton team is continuing its involvement in social causes. Two years ago, the Raiders participated in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. This year the team has accepted the 22 Pushups Challenge to raise awareness of veterans' suicide.
Centennial
Coach: Tara Carr (ninth)
2015 record: 5-6, 6-9
Top players: Seniors Mary Margaret Baldy (MF), Bella Brillante (D), Jenna Dietrich (GK), Mary Monroe (F/MF), Olivia O'Connell (MF) and Maggie Sullivan (F/MF).
The scoop: Nine starters return for the Eagles, who with 24 players have a larger-than-usual squad. The team has 10 seniors and 11 juniors so the playing experience is there.
Individual talent is one of Centennial's assets.
"I have a greater number of girls than in years past who are interested in playing in college and play year-round field hockey," said coach Tara Carr.
The team dynamic is strong and the players get along and mesh well together, she said.
Sullivan, Monroe, O'Connell and Zahraa Hotait are expected to be the team's top scorers.
Annabel Baldy (MF/D), Marissa Lagera (MF) and Hotait are predicted to also make an impact this season.
Glenelg
Coach: Nikki Trunzo (sixth overall)
2015 record: 10-1 (co-county champs), 13-2
Top players: Seniors Leanne Duncan (F), Lindsey LeTellier (F), Grace Olson (MF) and Laney Treacy (D); junior Paige Reese (MF).
The scoop: Expect Glenelg to be in the thick of things in determining this year's county champion. The team has won or shared every county field hockey title since the 2008 season.
Can the 10 seniors make it nine in a row?
It's quite possible because the Gladiators have loads of talent.
Sophomore Jenny Giampalmo and freshman Kathryn Hoffman are expected to make an impact.
"The team this year has a great group of athletes. They are very positive, keeping up the intensity in practice," said coach Nikki Trunzo, who is in her first year as varsity coach at Glenelg. She spent five years teaching and coaching at Oakland Mills before coming to Glenelg last fall.
Glenelg's top three scorers are back — Duncan (28 goals, 2 assists), Treacy (8-15) and Gabby Rachuba (13-4). Olson will also contribute to the scoring.
Working on communication and getting adjusted to different playing surfaces are top priorities, but so will be finding a replacement for goalie Noelle Frost, last year's Player of the Year, who graduated.
Hammond
Coach: Lauren Harrison (first)
2015 record: 1-10, 1-14
Top players: Seniors Rachel McClanahan (F), Sam Mesol (MF) and Claudia Rodriguez (F); juniors Aidan Borsh (F) and Caitlin Pettingill (MF).
The scoop: First-year coach Lauren Harrison assisted with Hammond's team a year ago when the Golden Bears won only one game. It was the team's first win in 36 games.
All season long, Hammond struggled to keep the ball on attack. Its defense was overwhelmed. Seven teams scored in double digits against the Bears.
Hammond always seemed to be playing uphill and instead of games being competitive, they were often foregone conclusions.
Harrison wants to change that attitude. "I am trying to change their thinking that they are going to lose," she said.
She is also trying to build team spirit.
Hammond has nine returning starters, which is a plus. The squad is good at moving the ball down the field and communicating.
The new crossover tiered schedule with Anne Arundel County should result in more competitive games for Hammond.
"The team is starting to grow and build in numbers," Harrison said. "The girls are working hard to turn their reputation around."
Howard
Coach: Kristen Vance (seventh)
2015 record: 6-5, 9-6
Top players: Senior Annette Jarosz (MF); juniors Zoe Summa (D) and Abby Williams (F).
The scoop: Is this the year Howard moves up a notch in the standings? The Lions have one senior (Jarosz) and 13 juniors, but return eight starters from last year's squad.
"The majority of them also play on club teams year round so they are strong players who know each other well," said coach Kristen Vance.
Look to Emily Taylor, Williams and Jarosz to lead the Lions on attack.
Vance is excited to see what the four sophomores being pulled up to varsity will do.
Returning starting defender Maddie Land had knee surgery and isn't expected to be ready to play until midway through the season.
Long Reach
Coach: Alexis Briscoe (first)
2015 record: 3-8, 6-9
Top players: Seniors Juliann Garcia (F), Jane Huh (D) and Taylor Novotny (GK); sophomore Cassidy Trojan (MF).
The scoop: Seven returning starters and a solid group of upperclassmen give the Lightning a starting point for the season.
"We have a wide range of talented girls on the team," said coach Lexi Briscoe. As a former Long Reach field hockey player, she knows the program.
Backed by Novotny in goal, Long Reach is a defensively sound team.
"We have a strong midfield and defense," Briscoe said. "We plan on using our defense and midfield to push the ball towards the offensive end."
The longer the Lightning can keep the ball in its offensive end of the field, the better the chances of scoring.
Garcia, one of the team's scoring leaders last fall, and sophomore Jasmin Jones will figure prominently in the Long Reach offense.
Rebecca Tu, a sophomore midfielder, will help with transitioning the ball up the field.
Marriotts Ridge
Coach: Stacie Gado (11th)
2015 record: 10-1 (co-county champs), 17-2
Top players: Seniors Caroline Blalock (F), Sarah Blalock (MF) and Lily Kennedy (MF); juniors Katie Garman (GK) and Emy Nelson (D).
The scoop: The Mustangs made it all the way to the state finals last fall. A repeat trip depends on many things, including who ups their game to replace the four all-county players that graduated last spring.
Marriotts Ridge was a scoring machine last fall, recording 117 goals. Caroline Blalock (23 goals) and Sarah Bengermino (18) are the top returning scorers. Sarah Blalock will also contribute goals.
Sophomores Erin Ko and Lauren McAuley are also expected to make an impact.
At the defensive end of the field, Marriotts Ridge is down right stingy forging 12 shutouts in 2015 and 10 the year before that.
The Mustangs' strengths are speed, teamwork, communication and passing. The team has earned a share of the county title the past two years.
Coach Stacie Gado enters the season with 101 career victories.
Mt. Hebron
Coach: Jeannette Ireland (27th)
2015 record: 9-2, 13-4
Top players: Seniors Denise Linn (MF) and Shay Stewart (D); junior Annie Ryan (MF).
The scoop: This isn't quite a rebuilding season for the Vikings, but more of remodeling season. The team lost key players from last year's squad, including its leading scorer and a key midfielder, but six starters return as the basic framework for 2016.
Ten juniors, two sophomores and two freshmen to complement six seniors, but youth is both Mt. Hebron's strength and its liability.
"We have a very young team so it is hard to tell who will make an impact," said coach Jeannette Ireland. "I am hopeful that our freshmen and sophomores will learn quickly."
The Vikings are a work in progress. Know that the team that takes the field at the beginning of the season will be vastly different from the team that steps on the turf in October.
During the learning curve, Mt. Hebron's midfield will be its strength.
Oakland Mills
Coach: Kate Boettcher (first)
2015 record: 1-10, 1-11-1
Top players: Seniors Lizzie Yu (GK) and Leah Roberts (MF); sophomore Peyton Gomes (MF).
The scoop: Overall, numbers aren't on Oakland Mills' side quite yet. With 14 players, the squad is small and young. The Scorpions aren't able to field a junior varsity team again this year, which makes building a program more difficult.
There are bright spots, however. Turning back shot after shot, Yu is an outstanding goalkeeper and exciting to watch.
First-year coach Kate Boettcher has installed a new playing formation. She expects Roberts, Gomes, Erin Crotty and freshman Kenzie Marcin to be the team's leading scorers.
Boettcher said that her team's strengths include communicating with each other, hustle, working the ball up the field and keeping possession of the ball.
Reservoir
Coach: Lindsay Beil (fifth)
2015 record: 4-7, 8-8
Top players: Seniors Haley Tiller (F) and Greta Schuster (D); junior Jillian Weinman (A/MF).
The scoop: With eight returning starters, 14 upper classmen and its leading scorer, Haley Tiller, returning Reservoir is poised for a breakthrough season.
The team's assets include speed on the front line, an aggressive offense and overall cohesiveness.
Sophomore Zara Ameli (F) and freshman Sarah Nam (F) are expected to make an impact.
While there is experience on the team, there is also some work to be done.
Coach Lindsay Beil said that her squad needs to work on "transitioning from a small/tight stickwork game to a big game (using a big ball) quickly."
It's mastering that ability to change speed and playing style that will help open up scoring opportunities.
River Hill
Coach: Shelly Chamness (17th)
2015 record: 7-4, 11-6
Top players: Senior Hannah Dietrich (MF); juniors Maddy Campbell (D), Gaby Hamburger (F) and Bailey Schwab (MF); sophomore Caroline Kral (GK); freshman Quinn Kindbom (MF).
The scoop: River Hill heads the mid pack of the county. The Hawks have a very respectable team that is on the cusp of moving up in the standings. To make that happen, though, it is necessary to win some games you aren't expected to win.
Gaby Hamburger (23 goals) is the team's top scorer. In order to keep the opposing defense from concentrating on Hamburger, it's necessary for other Hawks to becoming scoring threats too.
Coach Shelly Chamness thinks Kindbom, Miriam Sheetz (up from JV), Cristina Scolaro, Hamburger and Dietrich will lead the team in scoring.
Chamness likes her team's chemistry. She is also impressed by her players' stick skills and some of the new talent on the team.
Wilde Lake
Coach: Ginger Kincaid (40th overall)
2015 record: 1-10, 2-13
Top players: Senior Gabby Christopher (F); junior Kate Loughlin (F); sophomore Abi Morakinyo (B).
The scoop: After 39 years at Glenelg, it's hard to imagine Ginger Kincaid standing on a different sideline. But mid-summer she traded her Gladiator red and grey for Wilde Lake's green and gold.
The coaching switch has brought a different perspective to both Kincaid and the Wilde Lake players who are now playing for their third coach in four years.
There are 17 players on the varsity — six seniors, five juniors, four sophomores and two freshmen — and there is much to learn.
Kincaid said her team's strength is its enthusiasm and she enjoys working with them.
"We're working hard," Kincaid said. "We have a lot of work to do."
Christopher is expected to be the team's scoring leader.
Glenelg Country
Coach: Jessica Dolan (14th)
2015 record: 5-5 (IAAM B), 8-7
Top players: Seniors Ally Brown (D), Tokunbo Olaniyan (MF/D) and Julia Sheehan (MF); juniors Sarah Ayer (MF) and Bobbie Haney (MF).
The scoop: Glenelg Country, an Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland B Conference school, started its fall practice Aug, 22, several weeks after the public schools. At preview time, that means there are some unknowns.
One question mark is will the Dragons be able to field a JV team, even a 7v7 team? Another is: who is going to replace Megan Hooper who was the squad's top attack playmaker? Hooper graduated last June.
How many returning starters?
Sheehan, a two-time IAAM All-Conference selection, and Olaniyan are the Dragons' captains.
There are some newcomers who will make an impact. Ayer is a transfer from St. Paul's School for Girls, sophomore Ishika Kathuria (GK) returns to Glenelg Country after a year at Mt. Hebron and freshman Samantha Wollman (F) is a product of the Glenelg Country middle school program.
"We have a very talented foursome at midfield with Sheehan, Haney, Olaniyan and Ayer. They are versatile attackers and defenders," said coach Jessica Dolan.