Much like the southern half of Anne Arundel County dominates the prep field hockey scene in the Baltimore area in the fall, the northern half of the county is just as successful in softball in the spring.
Class 4A finalist Chesapeake, along with Glen Burnie, Severna Park and Northeast give Anne Arundel County multiple teams capable of winning a state title this year. But, while the county might have the most depth of any in the area, there is no guarantee anymore that the Anne Arundel team that gets out of the region will be a lock for a state title.
Just ask Chesapeake, which reached the Class 4A state finals last year only to lose to C. Milton Wright of Harford County, 4-3. Still, with sophomore pitcher Lauren Gibson on the mound, the Cougars will be right there again.
“The top teams in the other counties have done a great job of catching up with us,” Glen Burnie coach Bob Broccolino said. “If we get out of the region here, we?ll be battle-tested but we still have to get past teams like C. Milton Wright.
C. M. Wright coach Joe Dunch knows it won?t be easy to get back to the finals, but with six starters back he likes his chances. Fallston (14-9 in 2006) is among the top teams in Harford County set to challenge the Mustangs.
“Replacing our three starters gone from last year will be difficult, but there are a number of players ready to step in and contribute,” Dunch said.
Western Tech, which went 15-5 last year, is among the top teams in Baltimore County. Dulaney (15-3) and Eastern Tech (13-7) are also among the teams expected to do well this year in that county while Westminster (13-5) and Francis Scott Key (13-8) are strong contenders to come out of Carroll County.
In Howard County, Centennial (16-4) returns a deep roster that includes eight starters back. While Centennial may be the team to beat there, Hammond (14-6) and Long Reach are also capable of pulling off a big win in Howard, which despite a number of competitive teams has never won a state title.
Among the area private schools, Archbishop Spalding (18-4) is still the team to beat after winning the last two Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference titles. The Institute of Notre Dame (18-7), 2006 league finalist Seton Keough (13-5) and John Carroll (9-9) are among those with the best chance of knocking off the Cavaliers from the top spot in the A Conference.
2006 State Champions
» 4A: C. Milton Wright
» 3A: Huntingtown
» 2A: Calvert
» 1A: Catoctin
» IAAM A: Archbishop Spalding
» IAAM B: Maryvale Prep
» IAAM C: St. John?s Catholic Prep
