Mount St. Joseph

Last season: 8-4, ranked No. 9

Facing a tough early-season schedule, coach Jay Braunstein still has his alma mater prepared to dominate.

2. Chesapeake-AA

Last season: 14-2, No. 4

If disciplined, the defending Class 4A-3A champion Cougars should repeat on the strength of six returning state place-winners and eight state qualifiers.

3. McDonogh

Last season: 11-4, No. 2

The Holmes brothers, state champ Travis (152 pounds) and junior-league champ Bryn (130), join a talented bunch of veterans.

4. River Hill

Last season: 16-4, No. 6

Among its nine starters, eight county place-winners return for the defending Howard champ.

5. Owings Mills

Last season: 23-1, No. 5

State qualifiers Jason Jacovsky, Sasha Binder, Mike Kessler and Eric Fischel lead the defending 2A-1A state duals and Baltimore County champion.

6. Boys' Latin

Last season: 11-3, No. 10

State champion Brian Saval, Jerome Featherstone and finisher Paul Marchese lead a team that is strong in both duals and tournament formats.

7. Harford Tech

Last season: 10-3, unranked

Facing a difficult schedule, the Cobras could strike more fiercely than ever with county champions Erik King and Mike Taylor.

8. Severna Park

Last season: 9-5, unranked

Four returning state qualifiers - twins Shawn and Steve Smith, Nick Eisenbeiser and Brian Payer - are the Falcons' backbone.

9. Perry Hall

Last season: 12-4, unranked

Two-time state qualifiers Jim Van Daniker and Nick Ramsel give coach Bobby Kucharski a long-awaited shot at top teams in Baltimore County.

10. Kenwood

Last season: 14-2, unranked

Seven starters are back, including former state runner-up Kyle Krumholtz (119), in a lineup that will pose difficulty for any Baltimore County team.

11. Francis Scott Key

Last season: 8-5, unranked

With Josh Kelleman (140) and Carroll County champ Lee Crowl (145) back, coach Bill Hyson is staring at a league title shot.

12. Centennial

Last season: 6-8, unranked

Twins Dave (a state champ) and Mark (third at states) Nakasone are among six starters back for a contender in Howard County.

13. North Carroll

Last season: 14-4, No. 8

The Panthers have some young talent to replace the loss of three-time state champion Fran Jackson.

14. Archbishop Curley

Last season: 10-0, No. 1

The defending MIAA duals and tournament champion lost plenty to graduation, but the team is still formidable.

15. Dulaney

Last season: 22-5, No. 12

State runner-up Andrew Schlaffer and county place-winners James Knox and Steve Turner lead a group that will challenge in Baltimore County.