County Champs

The Severna Park boys lacrosse team entered Friday’s county championship game with Broadneck with a Ben Ruppert-sized problem: the key attack man, one of the team’s leading scorers, would miss the game due to illness. As a result, the Falcons desperately needed someone to step into the void, and an unlikely candidate answered the call.

Brady Daniels scored the first of his two goals in a man-down situation late in the first half, tying the game and allowing Severna Park to build a head of steam. From there the game remained cagey, but the Falcons were able to hold Broadneck at bay for a tense 6-4 victory to claim a third straight county title.

“We needed a goal to bring energy to the team, so I just went for it,” Daniels said. “The sideline was a big help, and without them, the game didn’t have the energy we needed to win the game. It’s the Bruins; every game against them is huge, and getting the morale up is important.”

Duke Sealey also netted twice for the Falcons.

The boys’ victory ensured a sweep of the lacrosse titles for Severna Park against Broadneck, as the Falcon girls took back the county title they relinquished last season with a statement 12-5 win.

The Falcons scored twice on a man-up advantage early in the second period, tripling their advantage over the Bruins to 4-1. They would eventually stretch that lead to as many as eight, and though Broadneck threatened to launch a rally like the one they attempted in the one-goal thriller Severna Park won earlier in the season, the Falcons didn’t stop scoring this time.

“We had that little slump in the middle of the season that I don’t even like to call a slump because we were playing well against really good teams, but we’re now performing at the highest level that we can and we’re getting better each day,” said Severna Park coach Annie Houghton. “We played Falcon lacrosse today, and that was nice to see.”

On Tuesday, the county focus shifted to the diamond, where Broadneck took center stage. The Bruins baseball team successfully defended their county championship from a year ago, racing out to a quick start to blank Severna Park 4-0 at Joe Cannon Stadium.

The Bruins’ first four batters yielded two runs as Avik Cherry and Tripp Zwerlein both doubled, then Max White and Cooper Mengel both sacrificed themselves via bunt, with White reaching on an error.

That gave Jack Miteff all the cushion he’d need, as he tossed five scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out four. He threw 58 pitches, 41 of them for strikes.

“I think the first inning, maybe I made a little bit too much of the moment, but when your guys start hitting 1 through 9, it lets you settle in and throw strikes,” Miteff said. “It’s a great opportunity to play here, and a fun night. But we also have our first playoff game against Annapolis on Thursday.”

Broadneck’s softball team also advanced to the county championship, where the Bruins fell 6-0 to Northeast, which claimed county honors for the third-straight year. Rylan Crisafulli struck out 12 and allowed two earned runs, but five errors and a four-run fifth inning derailed Broadneck’s chances.

“It was a tough loss, but I’m still very proud of what we have accomplished up to this point, and it will not define what we do in the playoffs,” Broadneck coach Stephanie Millard said.

Region Playoff Schedule

Thursday, May 7
Baseball: Annapolis at Broadneck, 4:45pm

Softball: Old Mill at Severna Park, 4:45pm

Friday, May 8
Boys lacrosse: Arundel-Crofton winner at Severna Park; Meade-Annapolis winner at Broadneck

Girls lacrosse: Crofton-Arundel winner at Severna Park; Meade-Annapolis winner at Broadneck

(Games likely at 5:00pm and 6:45pm)

Saturday, May 9
Baseball: Annapolis-Broadneck winner at Bowie; Meade-North County winner at Severna Park

Monday, May 11
Lacrosse region finals (Severna Park and Broadneck will host if they advance)

Softball: Old Mill-Severna Park winner at Stephen Decatur; Crofton-North Point winner at Broadneck

Tuesday, May 12
Baseball region finals (Severna Park will host if they advance, Broadneck may host if they advance)