Monday, August 25, 2008

Player to Watch

Brooke Griffin

South River,

Midfielder, Junior

With 16 goals and 18 assists as a sophomore, Griffin was instrumental in last year's undefeated regular season. Her primary sport is lacrosse, but natural athletic ability and a strong work ethic have allowed her to develop field hockey skills on par with the area's top players. That talent, along with an unselfish approach, is why she's already been named a captain for the Seahawks, who are seeking their first state championship since 2005.

KEY DATES

Sept. 2: Oakton at W.T. Woodson, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 18: St. Stephen's/St. Agnes at Georgetown Visitation, 4:15 p.m.

Sept. 29: Broadneck at Severna Park, 5 p.m.

Oct. 1: Centennial at Glenelg, 3:30 p.m.

Oct. 3: Good Counsel at Holy Cross, 4 p.m.

Oct. 14: Mountain View at Stafford, 4 p.m.

Oct. 16: Bethesda-Chevy Chase at Quince Orchard, 3:30 p.m.

Bethesda-Chevy Chase, which lost last season's Maryland 3A title game in overtime, might be even deeper this year with a talented junior class that includes Sunny Cobb and Paige Donnelly, the latter a state indoor track champion. . . . Junior Courtney Tomchick, one of Broadneck's leading scorers last season, stars on an Anne Arundel County contender. . . .

Centennial lost 11 seniors, including standout Sarah Parks, but the Eagles bring back senior forward Kate Heineman and senior goalie Liz Snyder to defend their Howard County title. . . . Chancellor, Virginia A/AA champion in 2006 and a state semifinalist last season, should remain a title contender with eight returning starters, including senior Meaghan Neylon. . . .

After winning the WCAC last season, Good Counsel looks like the league front-runner again behind standout senior midfielder Monica Baumgartner and junior forward Shannon Lechner. . . . Holy Cross, the 2006 WCAC champ and last year's runner-up, has 10 seniors, 9 juniors and 1 important freshman, goalie Jill Genovese. . . .

Second-team All-Met Katie Klatt headlines a 12-girl senior class trying to lead defending Patriot District champion Lake Braddock to its first state title. . . . Senior Alexis Gay and junior Heather Hartman, who combined for 20 goals and 20 assists last season, are at the forefront of a strong Mountain View team, which won the Commonwealth District last season and made the Virginia AAA semifinals. . . . Fresh off the team's first-ever appearance in the Virginia AAA tournament, Oakton goes for two in a row behind senior tri-captains Danielle Filipponi, Christina Nugent and Erin McGartland. . . .

Senior midfielder Kate Nolan and junior goalie Becca Portillo are two reasons why Patuxent is the SMAC favorite again. . . . Poolesville, a 1A finalist last season, graduated All-Met Rachel Stream. But the Falcons have seven seniors, including goalie Megan Foy, and 10 juniors. . . . Quince Orchard, last season's 4A runner-up, has a new coach, Laura Williams, and talented freshman Kelly Baick to go along with senior leaders Brooke Lee and Alissa Peterson. . . .

Severn junior midfielder Avery Burns and Spalding senior goalkeeper Ciarra Delost will lead their teams in the competitive IAAM. . . . Senior Lelan Bailey and juniors Casey Pohlmeyer and Hannah Balleza will try to help Maryland 4A champion Severna Park prove that last year's three regular season losses were a one-year aberration. . . . It will remain difficult to score on St. Stephen's/St. Agnes, last year's ISL and VISAA champion, which returns senior goalie Paula Trahos. . . .

Perennial power Stafford lacks the experience of some area teams, but sophomore Taylor Bailey -- last season's second-leading scorer for the state finalist -- is representative of the Indians' young talent. . . . W.T. Woodson, the defending Liberty District and Northern Region champion, has two big holes to fill after graduating All-Met Lyndsey Butler and the program's all-time leading scorer, Meg Thaxton. The two most likely replacements for those leadership roles are junior midfielder Shelly Montgomery and senior midfielder Mary Beth Barham.

-- Jeff Nelson