As the youngest of four boys, Casey Crawford knew growing up that he would have to do something pretty outstanding if he wanted to stand out athletically.
It's safe to say, though — after leading the Howard High School football team to the state finals as quarterback last fall and now earning Howard County Times/Columbia Flier baseball Player of the Year honors this spring — he's more than made his mark.
"You don't see many guys who not only play two sports like Casey did, but who have as much success as he did," Howard baseball coach Nick Hoffner said.
Crawford was blessed with an athletic lineage. His parents met at Penn State, where his father had an offer to play football before a torn ACL, and his mother was on the soccer team.
He and his three older brothers grew up in Ellicott City, aside from a four-year stint in Germany in the mid-2000s for their father's job with the National Security Agency, and all of them played sports. As a youngster in Germany, Crawford grew to love schnitzel and the seeds of his passion for football and baseball were planted.
Alex, Tim, Sean and Casey were always throwing footballs, basketballs and baseballs around. Even when his older brothers were too tired to play with their kid brother, Casey found ways to improve his skills.
"I would go in the street no matter what season it was and throw the ball at the curb and pick up ground balls as they rolled back to me," he said. "I'd also go in the backyard and toss wiffle balls up to myself and hit for hours at a time."
By the time Crawford reached Howard, the years of preparation had turned him into a polished athlete, and he was on the fast track to becoming an integral part of the Lions' varsity football and baseball teams.
After dominating at the JV level for two years, Crawford showed what he was capable of as a junior. He showed promise as backup quarterback during the Lions' breakout football season, and then earned first-team all-county honors on the baseball diamond as the Lions' workhorse pitcher and clean-up hitter for a squad that won 15 games for the first time since 2007.
"After I realized the potential that I had, I was hoping that my senior year would be this successful," said Crawford, who added that he learned how to be a mature leader under Player of the Year Jimmy Cain last season. "Last year we had a really strong lineup and Jimmy was the leader of that team. I saw myself as taking over that spot coming into this year … (becoming Player of the Year) was actually my goal for this year."
Crawford's memorable senior year began with him leading the Lions football team to the county championship and the state finals at M&T Bank Stadium. That experience set the tone for baseball season.
"That gave me a lot of confidence. I felt like I had a lot of pressure on my shoulders, but I stepped up and started being a leader on both the football and baseball field, and tried to keep things light in the dugout. It's kind of like pitching: you just fall into a groove," said Crawford, who was 7-2 this season with a .60 ERA, both career bests.
Although the baseball team fell just short of its goal of a county championship, missing out on a chance to catch River Hill because of a rain-shortened regular season, there were plenty of highlights for Crawford and his team.
After battling for first place until the final day of the regular season, the Lions went on a successful playoff run, culminating with a win over rival Sherwood in the sectional finals. Sherwood had knocked Howard out of the playoffs each of the past two seasons, including an 8-1 loss last year when Crawford took the loss. But this time Crawford ensured a different result, pitching a complete-game shutout in a 5-0 win over the previously undefeated Warriors.
When he wasn't pitching, Crawford could play any infield position, and as the Lions' clean-up hitter, he posted career highs in batting average (.415) and RBIs (21).
Although Howard lost in the regional finals to Bel Air, Crawford's legacy was cemented. Now he turns his focus to college, where he will attend Bridgewater College next year to play baseball and study nutrition.
Named to the all-county first team are:
Pitcher
Conner Atkins, Centennial. The senior left hander developed into an ace this spring thanks to a new approach honed under the guidance of assistant coach Brad Loveless.
"This was the year Conner finally learned to be a pitcher and not just someone who could throw hard," coach Denis Ahearn said. "He really polished all the aspects of his craft and paid special attention to the mental elements of commanding a game on the mound … there is a lot more to pitching than just trying to strike every guy out."
Rather than painting the corners, Atkins relied on his arsenal and his defense, pitching to contact to a 1.51 ERA over 37 innings. He struck out 37 batters — exactly one per inning — and yielded only seven walks and 25 hits. Atkins will pitch for the Community College of Baltimore County next spring.
Kieran Garner, River Hill. With a full high school season still ahead of him, Garner made big strides with his control this spring and garnered Pitcher of the Year honors. The tall right-hander has perhaps the most electric stuff in the league, and he used it to strike out 91 batters in 55 innings, almost 30 more than any other player in the league.
"He was great all season, but especially the second half," coach Wes McCoy said. "Over his last four starts he gave up only two earned runs in 24 innings and threw a perfect game. He was an ace at the top of the rotation."
Garner won five games and earned four saves, and he lowered his ERA from last year (3.90) by more than two and a half runs, to 1.27. He was also an outstanding batter, leading the Hawks in RBIs and ¿ hitting a grand slam during his perfect game. Garner has already committed to pitch for the University of Maryland after graduating next spring.
David Hutchison, Hammond. The veteran lefty came into this season as one of the most experienced pitchers in the league after starting on varsity since he was a freshman. Growing steadily in stature and presence on the mound each season, Hutchison ascended to the upper echelon of the league this spring. He struck out 62 batters in 52 innings and posted a 2.14 ERA.