In Dana Dobbs' mind, the "B" on the uniforms worn by his Broadneck girls cross country team might as well have stood for "bull's-eye."
That was what the coach told the top-ranked Bruins before they captured the program's first Class 4A state championship on the state meet's 3-mile course yesterday at Hereford High in Parkton.
"When you're the favorite, everyone wants to be the one to take you down," said Dobbs, whose squad swept the triple crown of the Anne Arundel County, East Region and state titles. "Everybody in that race knew who Broadneck was. You have to rise above that, and I think they did it pretty well."
The Bruins, who were the only team in the metropolitan area to win a state crown yesterday, came closest to winning a title in 1998 when they were second.
They also never had an individual champion in states until junior Lauren Centrowitz crossed the finish line in 19 minutes, 9.39 seconds -- more than 11 seconds faster than runner-up and sophomore Kelli Buck of C. Milton Wright.
"I knew from experience that I could get [Buck] on the hills," said Centrowitz, the reigning county and regional titlist who has defeated Buck in four races this fall. "But even with the lead, I knew it wasn't good enough."
Besides Centrowitz, top-30 finishes from sophomore Emily Nagle (sixth in 20:36.34), senior Sophie Thibodeau (16th, 21:07.38), freshman Kasey Jamison (24th, 21:34.15) and junior Susan St. Cyr (30th, 21:54.45) powered Broadneck to a 67-78 victory over No. 3 C. Milton Wright.
In the 3A division, No. 4 Severna Park, No. 5 Dulaney and No. 6 Mount Hebron took their best shots, but neither could knock off Northwest, which grabbed its first state crown with 99 points.
Dulaney finished third with 115 points, but Lions coach Chad Boyle was visibly unhappy with his team's performance on a course that it had run twice before yesterday's state meet.
"We ran better here at the [Baltimore] county championships," he said of the Oct. 23 event. "I don't have any answers right now. We just didn't have it today, I guess."
Mount Hebron (133 points) and Severna Park (170) were fifth and seventh, respectively.
Walter Johnson junior Ashley St. Denis won her second consecutive state championship in 20:04.00.
Senior Katie Mason of Mount Hebron was the area's top finisher as she placed third in 20:21.40.
The 2A race belonged to Bethesda-Chevy Chase, which claimed its first state title since 1978.
Eighth-ranked Hereford finished second despite tying Fort Hill with 94 points. The Bulls won the tiebreaker because freshman Megan Guild, the team's No. 6 runner, placed 29th in 22:18.95, while Fort Hill's No. 6 runner, senior Elizabeth Tichnell, was 78th in 25:09.59.
Although Hereford coach Elena Basignani was slightly disappointed by the 20-point gap between her squad and B-CC, she was pleased with the effort.
"They've been getting better and better," Basignani said of a team that will graduate just one runner, senior Jessica Harris, among its top seven. "They aren't even close to their potential."
Sophomore Rachel Hawes of Century placed second in 20:24.92, which was more than 26 seconds slower than winner Beth Catherwood, a senior from B-CC.
Tenth-ranked Glenelg finished sixth with 143 points, while Century (190) and North Harford (198) were seventh and eighth, respectively.
Williamsport ran away with the 1A crown for the first time since 1982 with 53 points.
Oakland Mills was fourth with 113 points.
Senior Britta Nelson of Havre de Grace placed second in 20:20.58 -- nearly 17 seconds behind winner Rachel Armstrong, a junior from Beall.