Boys Soccer: Bruins, Falcons Hoping To Get Over Hump

Broadneck Enters The Year With Seasoned Roster

Every season, a handful of 4A teams prove they have the mettle to realistically compete for a state championship.

Year in and year out, Broadneck is on that list. The last three years, the Bruins have run into the team that eventually won it all. This fall, they look poised for another crack at the program’s first championship.

Broadneck said goodbye to all-time leading scorer Braeden Kelly, do-everything midfielder T.J. Remson, and a solid defensive unit anchored by Brady Miller, but the Bruins hope to continue their free-scoring ways on the backs of a healthy returning contingent.

Led by senior forward Wilson Banwell and midfielder Erik Akhtar, Broadneck returns 15 players from last season’s county championship squad. Of those, eight remain from the region title-winning team of 2024, including Banwell, Akhtar, senior winger Ryan Ball and senior goalkeeper Dalton Bashore.

In total, 10 seniors will be looked at to set the tone for the Bruins in 2026.

The first four games for Broadneck won’t define the season, but it could tell the team’s early trajectory: they play River Hill and Mount Hebron in Bowie, followed by road trips to St. Mary’s and Severna Park.

Falcons Hope to Go One Step Further

After winning a playoff game last season to erase a two-year deficit, the Falcons saw their season end on penalty kicks at Stephen Decatur, who went on to win the 3A championship.

Severna Park graduated leadership and goals in midfielders Garrett Moden and Jacob Broadwater, as well as forwards Aiden Min and Stephen Bacho.

But they will build out from a strong returning rearguard, headlined by senior goalkeeper Henry Bauer and defenders Liam Kinslow and Caden Morris, who’s also a scoring threat on set pieces.

Senior forwards Alvaro Dominguez-Calix and Gianfranco Gonzalez Caceres figure to get first crack at leading the line, but there are others waiting in the wings to support as well.

Head coach Ryan Parisi said the team looks to lean on its 11 seniors for “leadership, composure and consistency” as the season progresses.