Junior forward Ousman Touray made a splash in his first varsity season, leading the No. 5 Wildecats (12-3-1) to the Class 3A state title with a flair for the dramatic.

Touray led Howard County in scoring with 23 goals and five assists, but his consistency was overshadowed by his clutch performances in the team’s biggest games.

In the state championship game, he scored in overtime to knock off two-time defending champion C. Milton Wright 1-0 for the program’s eighth state crown and first since 1997.

In the semifinal round, Touray brought the Wildecats back from a one-goal deficit against county rival Mount Hebron by scoring twice in the final 15 minutes for a 2-1 victory.

During the regular season, Touray produced two goals for the Wildecats to beat then-No. 1 River Hill, which had been 18-0-1.

A big presence with a pure knack for finishing, Touray quickly started to draw double-teams but wasn’t denied as he finished with eight multi-goal games. In addition, he played an important role on defense, often marking the opponent’s top scoring threat on set pieces.