Mount Hebron's viselike grip on the county girls lacrosse title appears to be tighter than ever.
The Vikings have won three of the four titles since the county initiated the sport, and their prospects for a fourth are looking good.
Of course, Centennial and Glenelg will refute any claim that Mount Hebron is a shoo-in. And Hammond and Atholton will be close behind,each hoping to make a breakthrough this year.
Howard, Oakland Mills and Wilde Lake will bring up the rear.
The new regional playoffformat means the top four teams in each region now qualify. Previously, a team had to win its region to be assured a spot. The remaining spots were given on a statewide at-large basis.
Here is a look at each county team:
ATHOLTON
The Raiders return 11 players including five of their top six scorers from last year.
Leading scorer Allison Valentino tallied 46 goals as a sophomore and will draw constant double coverage. Senior Ali Auclair also is back after scoring 30 goals last season.
Senior goalie Kirsten Kruhm, in her fourth varsity season, is among the team's top players and is being recruited byMaryland.
The Raiders have some speed with senior attackman Jen Brock, junior midfielder Christy Seagerson and sophomore midfielder Lara Dustin.
Atholton also has good height with 6-foot senior defenseman Dana McGraw and 5-foot-11 senior attackman Auclair. Senior Kristen Murphy is a top defensive player.
"Our strength will be our experience, and our weakness so far has been our transitional midfield play," said second-year coach Carolann Stevens.
Atholton, 3-10 lastyear, lost its opening game to Liberty, 9-6.
CENTENNIAL
Coach Gail Purcell calls this her most solid team since 1990, when the Eagles upset Mount Hebron for the county title.
The Eagles are strong in goal with returnee Renee Svehla and newcomer Laure Kaylor.
And the defense is intact from last year, with the addition of sophomore newcomer Jamie Fontaine, a fine athlete whose quickness and aggressiveness could set the tone for the team.
Centennial returns two skilled scorers -- senior attackmen Heather Saunders (19 goals) and Lauren Mooney (21 goals).
The Eagles also have plenty of quickness on offense with junior midfielder Alison Lages, and junior attackmen Lilly Hahm and Paige Nettelbladt.
"I think the attack will do its part, but defense will be the key," Purcell said.
Senior Amy Morrison will anchor the defense.
The Eagles are coming off a 9-4 season and are still relatively young, with only six seniors. The team took iton the chin from top-ranked Loch Raven on Tuesday, 20-4. But the Eagles should be tough the rest of the way.
GLENELG
The Gladiatorsreturn 11 players from a 5-7 team that failed for the first time to make the playoffs last year. They were a hard-luck squad that lost five times by a single goal.
This year, Glenelg should return as oneof the dominant teams.
Glenelg has speed with senior midfielders Alex Sellner, Sarah Jones and Michelle Hooker, and junior midfieldersHeather Shumake and Tricia Slater.
Senior attackman Katie Stermerhas the best stickwork on the squad, but Coach Ginger Kincaid looks for balanced scoring and more passing than last year.
Junior newcomer Heather Inkman will bolster the scoring.
Jennifer Soule will play the cover-point position on defense, and Jennifer Anderson will be at point.
"We are a small team and a little weak on physical strength at attack," Kincaid said. "That hurts our one-on-one ability. But we'll hold our own among the top three teams."
Glenelg toughened its schedule this season by picking up Loch Raven.
HAMMOND
The Golden Bears are hoping for a honey of a season. They return 11 players, including Autumn Barbosa who scored a school-record 36 goals last year.
Senior attackman Natasha Lasonsky should join Barbosa as potent offensive forces. Each scored five times in a 13-12 win over Spalding.
Hammond's offense will work best if it stays with a deliberate passing game, instead of a run and gun. They lost to Keough, 15-8, when the pace turned torrid.
"We are looking for our best yearever," Coach Gay Petrlik said. The Bears, 4-8 last season, never have won more than five games.
Petrlik expects five or six players tobe able to score and thinks her defense is strong.
Despite the advantage of 10 seniors, two sophomores are expected to make their mark. Jennifer Brown is a speedy, aggressive midfielder with good game sense and a knack for capturing ground balls. And Natalie Serianni willstart at attack wing.
Senior midfielders Lauren Choate and Erin Beerman provide some much-needed speed.
"This is the first year we didn't have to start on basics like catching and throwing," Petrlik said. "There's great enthusiasm, and I see progress."
HOWARD
TheLions return eight players from a team that went 1-11.
The numberof returnees is encouraging news for first-year coach Terry Flaig.
It's also nice to return the second-leading scorer in the state, Emily Petrlik. The senior midfielder's 70 goals earned her a first-teamAll-County position. Petrlik is headed to the University of Marylandat Baltimore County next fall on a lacrosse scholarship.
Sophomore attackman Amy Shourds, a speedy player with good skills, should help the offense. So should senior Cindy Yi.
But the Lions' success or lack of it hinges on defense.
"I think defense and our goalie will be our strengths," Flaig said.
Kara Gontgovic is a stand-out defensive player along with Laura Seastrum. The goalie is sophomore newcomer Kim Shupe.
"Where we are weak is on field sense and depth," said Flaig, who is Howard's third varsity coach in as many seasons.
She sees a lot of team potential and is aiming for a .500 record.
MOUNT HEBRON
The Vikings are 27-1 against the rest of the leaguein four seasons since the girls lacrosse program began. Another unbeaten league season appears a strong possibility.
Mount Hebron returns four first-team All-County players, as well as four of its top five scorers.
The All-County players include senior midfielder Andrea Cuzmanes, senior attackman Megan Drake, junior attackman Lori Pasquantonio and goalie Beth Streagle. A fifth All-County player, senior defenseman Kate Mallon, is injured and will miss most or all of the season.
Cuzmanes and Drake both have college lacrosse scholarship offers. Cuzmanes has decided to attend William & Mary.
Sophomore attackman Cathy Nelson is the fourth high scorer. She scored 21 goals asa freshman.
Junior midfielder Amy Fine also is expected to score a lot this season.
Mount Hebron scored 235 goals last season in 14games while compiling an 11-3 record.
"We'll be much stronger offensively this season," Coach P.J. Kesmodel said. "This is our best offensive team ever."
The Vikings return nine starters and have several outstanding newcomers, including goalie Ali True from Mount de Sales. True started for the Sailors, who went 14-3.
The team features three new defensive starters, junior Stacia Hepburn, sophomore SaraCho and freshman Erin McGinnis.
Freshman attackman Lynette Chastant also will start.
"She's the fastest (female) athlete in the school," Kesmodel said.
The Vikings, who have won four regional titles and three county titles in four seasons, will start just three seniors.
"So we're actually a pretty young team," Kesmodel said.
OAKLAND MILLS
The Scorpions had a season to remember last year, going 7-4 overall and 6-1 in the league. They return six players from that team, including three seniors.
But new coach Sarah Snyder, a 1987 Oakland Mills graduate, has only 15 players and may lack the depth needed for another successful season.
"We have the potential to dowell, but this is a young team and our goal is to build for next year," she said.
The Scorpions had their first two games and lone scrimmage rained out, so Snyder still has a lot of questions about the team.
"I can't really say so-and-so is going to be our high-scorer or best defensive player, because I haven't seen them play in game situations," Snyder said.
However, she is enthusiastic about sophomore midfielder Kelly Naylor.
"She is a great athlete with excellentspeed."
And Snyder is happy about the team's spirited, self-motivated attitude.
"They work well together, love the sport and have agood attitude," Snyder said.
WILDE LAKE
A completely new offense that is not strong on ground ball pickups could make Wilde Lake's season even longer than last year's 3-11 campaign.
Sophomore Carrie Chao, who played defense last year, has switched to attack and could emerge into a star scorer, however. She handles ground balls well.
Sophomore midfielder Kim Driessen has speed and handles the stick well.
The Wildecats' main hope for winning rests with its defense,led by seniors Michelle Venable and Kathy Keller.
"We lost eight players from last year, most of them offensive," Coach Tammy Goldeisen said. "So this looks like a growing year."
Wilde Lake has never posted a .500 league season, going 3-4 last year. But Goldeisen said that is always the team's goal.