After making the trip to Glen Burnie and taking care of business, Manchester Valley coach Denean Koontz tried to find the words to describe her team’s performance after what appeared to be a dominant win.

Surprisingly, the veteran coach was still locked in.

“We did well, but there were some things we could have taken advantage of. We should have taken advantage of more scoring opportunities,” she said with a grin. “It was still a great effort from everyone and I’m proud of them all.”

Koontz’s mindset that there’s always room to improve, always something to get better at has clearly trickled down to her players. Even while taking a celebratory team photo, some Mavericks had side conversations with each other and with assistant coaches on how they could play even better next time.

Luckily for the hungry Mavericks, they earned that next time out, defeating Easton, 3-0, on Wednesday night and earning a trip to the Class 2A state final.

“I’m pretty excited,” Lily Brookhart said. “We have one more game to go to finish the job.”

Brookhart made her mark in her first state semifinal game, scoring two goals against a stingy Easton defense. Both the freshman’s goals came on corner opportunities as the Mavericks took advantage and executed with precision and efficiency in the first half.

“We talk about capitalizing on every opportunity we have in the circle and on the corners,” Koontz said. “It was nice to see them execute the things we’ve been working on.”

Glenelg field hockey advances to 4th straight state title game: Gladiators coach Martie Dyer found herself getting emotional during a fourth-quarter timeout. No. 2 seed Glenelg maintained a one-goal lead inside of eight minutes remaining over No. 3 Queen Anne’s in Wednesday’s Class 2A state semifinal at Glen Burnie.

Choking up, Dyer told her girls, “Girls, you’ve got seven minutes left. You’ve got to get out there and give it everything you have.” Several Gladiators responded to her plea saying, “We got this, coach.”

In a critical moment, Glenelg turned to its leading scorer — senior Brinkley Eyre. She meandered around several defenders and was awarded a penalty stroke with 4:15 remaining. The four-year varsity starter buried the shot past a diving Cassidy Alexander. That insurance goal boosted Glenelg’s confidence as sophomore Meghan Walker added another goal less than three minutes later, sealing the Gladiators’ 4-1 win.

Glenelg (16-0) advances to Saturday’s 2A state championship game for a fourth straight season. The three-time defending 2A champs will face top-seed Manchester Valley at 11 a.m. at Stevenson University.

“The culture is that we constantly talk about wanting to get there and working hard to get there,” Dyer said of the state final. “We have a great group of girls on the bench cheering us on. There’s a lot of pressure.”

— Jacob Steinberg

Francis Scott Key field hockey loses state semifinal in OT, 2-1, to Patuxent: Francis Scott Key field hockey viewed this season as its revenge tour. And up a goal against No. 1-seed Patuxent, the fifth-seeded Eagles were seconds away from advancing to the Class 1A state final for the first time since 2017.

However, Francis Scott Key coach Becky Bachtel knew her team was in trouble.

With zeros on the clock, Patuxent was awarded a penalty corner and one final chance to save its season. Junior midfielder Hannah Bruno stepped up to the plate and delivered a shot that soared into the back of the Eagles’ cage to force overtime.

Less than two minutes into the extra period, it was Bruno again who delivered for the Panthers, scoring off another corner to send the Eagles home. Bruno’s two goals hoisted Patuxent over Francis Scott Key, 2-1, Wednesday night in an overtime thriller at Crofton.

“We had some games taken away from us. We had some things happen out of our control and the girls were fired up to get here,” Bachtel said with tears in her eyes. “They were upset that their record didn’t truly reflect the talent that we have … and we just came one game short.”

— Colin McNamara, for The Baltimore Sun

Fallston field hockey falls to Pocomoke in Class 1A state semifinal, 4-1: Beating Pocomoke has required near perfection in recent years. The Warriors have played for state titles the past three seasons with few slowing them down.

Fallston, the lone Harford County field hockey team remaining, tried Wednesday in the Class 1A state semifinals. However, the Cougars struggled from the start in a 4-1 loss, unable to keep up with Pocomoke’s speed on offense or penetrate its stifling back line. And for the second consecutive season, Fallston’s season ended courtesy of the Eastern Shore power.

“We knew what to expect,” coach Jackie Cummings said. “They’re always strong and they’re fast. At the end of the day, they outhustled us.”

Pocomoke will play in its fourth consecutive state title game at 5 p.m. Saturday at Stevenson University.

— Taylor Lyons

Volleyball regional finals

Old Mill upsets Glenelg in Class 3A: Old Mill knows its magical season will come to an end at some point. For the senior-dominated Patriots, holding a trophy after the Class 3A state championship would be a fine way for that to happen.

The Patriots made sure they took care of business Wednesday night, defeating host Glenelg, 25-23, 25-21, 25-23 to win the Class 3A South Region I title. The Gladiators were Class 3A state semifinalists last season.

Old Mill (11-3) rallied from deficits in all three sets to win the match. The Patriots, who are the lowest remaining team in Class 3A, will travel to unbeaten Northern Calvert for the state quarterfinals on Friday.

“I knew at the beginning of the season that we’d be here,” said Old Mill’s Brianna Hale (four aces, 24 assists), one of 10 seniors on the team. “We’ve been building toward this for four years and all our hard work is paying off.”

Old Mill had a strange path to get to this position. The school competed in Class 4A last year but lost a huge chunk of its enrollment when nearby Severn Run opened this year. This allowed the Patriots to drop to Class 3A, generally regarded as the toughest classification in Maryland volleyball.

“I feel like it is tougher,” Patriots coach Bethany Hayden said of the class change. “I also feel like my girls are better than ever before, and they can beat the best. We have all the pieces; we just need to put them together every day.”

— Mike Frainie, for The Baltimore Sun

Crofton sweeps Meade for state quarterfinal berth: Crofton coach Greg LeGrand mulled over his incoming roster during the summer and compared it to his schedule. It was clear the Cardinals, restocked with freshmen and sophomores, would “take some lumps early,” and his prediction proved right. Crofton lost early matches to Severna Park, Arundel, Broadneck and Old Mill.

“But if we could go 7-7, 8-6, that would be a pretty good indicator we were going to be pretty good at the end,” LeGrand said. “I kept preaching to them: ‘Keep grinding. Don’t worry about the wins and losses. We’re treating these games like scrimmages trying to get better and better.’ And I think we’re starting to get pretty good.”

Seasoned by a strong schedule and a general incline toward more and more success against top teams, the Cardinals walked into Meade’s gym on Wednesday and swept the Mustangs, 25-14, 25-17, 24-12, to win the Class 4A East Region I crown. They will face a familiar opponent in the state quarterfinals — Broadneck.

— Katherine Fominykh

Arundel tops Severna Park for 6th straight region title: Earlier this season, Arundel needed four sets to defeat Severna Park. The Wildcats required only three on Wednesday to beat the Falcons and claim the Class 3A East Region I title.

On match point, sophomore Dakota Pentorn lofted the ball to a leaping Bailey Swinton on the left side of the net. The junior fired it to the tip of the edge line, landing just inside, to secure their sixth straight region championship. Arundel will face undefeated Howard in a state quarterfinal.

“We have been working so hard to put the puzzle pieces in place,” coach Ashley Yuscavage said. “I’m proud of them for working through challenges and then being able to put them in place today.

Arundel returned a younger roster in 2024. After having nine seniors on last season’s state runner-up team, the Wildcats have five this year. It took time for the team to mesh together with new players in new roles, the coach said.

Mishaps from earlier in the fall weren’t apparent on Wednesday night on their home floor. After Severna Park scored the first point of the match, the Wildcats scored the next six and cruised to a 25-15 set win.

Arundel carried the momentum into the second set and opened with eight straight points, prompting a Falcons’ timeout. The break, though, couldn’t slow the Wildcats who rattled off 10 more points before another timeout. The Falcons scored their first points following the pause but Arundel still captured a 25-6 win.

“When we start off strong like that, it’s really hard to end our momentum and that’s what guided us,” Swinton said.

— Michael Howes, for The Baltimore Sun

South Carroll suffers first loss in five sets: The South Carroll gymnasium was filled to the brim with boisterous Cavalier fans as they took on visiting Boonsboro for the Class 1A West Region II championship. South Carroll put its undefeated record on the line, looking to right the wrongs of last season when Boonsboro knocked it out in the regional semifinals.

However, history repeated itself as Boonsboro again eliminated the Cavaliers, by the same 3-2 score it won by a year ago.

The final set couldn’t have been more tight early on; neither team could claim more than a one-point lead through the first 10 points. The Warriors called timeout down 10-9, but that seemed to be the final talking the visiting team needed. From there, Boonsboro would slowly take control and pull away, taking the set 15-12, and the match.

This loss marked the first loss for the Cavaliers this season, the only loss in coach Kristine Keck’s first season. Though this was not the lone defeat she wanted on the season, there was a lot to take away from the run this Cavaliers squad had.

“They’re a scrappy team, they always have been. They’re very emotionally strong,” she said reflecting on the team and season. “Just super proud of them, super proud of their season and their fight.”

— Antonio Chaurand, for The Baltimore Sun

Bel Air defeats Poly in 3A: In 2023, Bel Air defeated Poly in the Class 3A North Region II semifinals, ultimately winning that region and advancing to the state quarterfinals. A little more than a year later, the same two programs met on Poly’s home court, this time for the regional championship.

The match featured the region’s two top seeds with a combined one loss between them, but it was the visiting Bobcats who looked the part on Wednesday evening and, for the second straight season, knocked off the Engineers, 25-21, 25-13, 25-11, to advance to the Class 3A state quarterfinals.

“We know Poly is a great program. They have a great history of success and they always play us tough,” Bel Air coach David Simon said. “We just reminded our players of all the work, the effort they’ve put in, and asked them to use that to propel them forward. They were ready to swing today.”

It’s Bel Air’s third straight appearance in the state quarterfinals, and they’ll be looking to advance to the semifinals after falling short the past two seasons. It will face North Hagerstown in the round of eight.

“We believed that we could be a final four team this year,” Simon said. “The last two years, we haven’t made it past the [state quarterfinals]. This team feels different … they have a special bond, a special belief that I think can help us when we have to face a really good team. We’re going to have the belief ‘why not us’, play loose and free no matter who we go up against.”

— Aidan Thomas, for The Baltimore Sun

C. Milton Wright 3, Fallston 0: The Mustangs swept the Cougars in the Class 2A East Region I final, 25-21, 25-13, 25-11. C. Milton Wright was led by Maddie Duffalo with 13 kills. Ana Mioduski backed her with seven kills and four aces. Olivia Kobb added six kills and five aces. Grace Boseck chipped in four kills. Jenna Ritz set up the offense with 28 assists to go with three aces. Also, Addyson Bradley had five digs and three aces. The Mustangs will play Calvert in a state quarterfinal.

Carver A&T 3, Western Tech 1: The Wildcats beat the Wolverines in the Class 1A North Region I final, 25-19, 25-22, 12-25, 25-14. They will play Patterson Mill in the state quarterfinals.

Howard 3, River Hill 1: The host Lions beat the Hawks in Class 3A, 25-10, 25-12, 21-25, 25-20. Howard was led by Kaleigh Williams (9 kills, 5 blocks), Mariska Ordonez (8 kills, 2 blocks), McKenna Brown (8 kills, 3 aces, 4 blocks), Miranda Ball (20 digs, 3 aces) and Imagine Peltier (27 assists, 17 digs). The Lions will face Arundel in a state quarterfinal.

Reservoir 3, Montgomery Blair 0: The Gators advanced to the 4A state quarterfinals with the 25-18, 25-18, 25-19 win. Nina Amani-Dove and Tiana Copp spearheaded the attack with 10 kills each while both Celina Johnson and Marin Esch added nine kills. Riley Ko finished with a team-high five aces and added 13 digs, while Chloe Chau had a team-high 15 digs. Reservoir will take on Winston Churchill in a state quarterfinal.

Patterson Mill 3, Bohemia Manor 0: The Huskies won the 1A East Region I championship, 25-11, 25-19, 25-14. Harlon Jones led the win with 14 kills to go with seven digs. Rylie Madsen added 11 kills and Samiyah Hubbard chipped in eight. Zoe Valan handed out 41 assists while serving three aces. Angela Kim led the defense with 40 digs. Patterson Mill will see Carver A&T in a state quarterfinal.

Broadneck 3, Leonardtown 0: The visiting Bruins beat the Raiders in Class 4A. Broadneck won, 25-13, 25-19, 25-15. The Bruins were led by Sydney Lawrence (17 service points, 5 aces, 3 kills, 1 block, 16 assists, 4 digs), Julia Rubino (19 service points, 3 aces, 6 digs), Amanda Protzman (17 service points, 4 aces, 4 kills, 1 block), Anna Graves (5 service points, 1 ace, 10 kills, 4 digs), Addie Sladky (3 kills, 3 blocks) and Addison Britton (4 kills, 1 block). Broadneck will play Crofton in the state quarterfinals.

Eastern Tech 3, Hereford 1: The Mavericks rallied from dropping the first set to take the next three from the Bulls and win the 2A North Region II title, 23-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-14. Lailia Hartley slammed 21 kills to go with four blocks. Shawna Dyer backed her with 18 kills. Tessa Long set up the offense with 45 assists. Eastern Tech will play Frederick in a state quarterfinal.