It had to be tough the last few years for Severna Park’s sports teams.
The construction of the new school and athletic facilities forced the Falcons to play home games at various sites across the county, especially the teams that used the outdoor facilities. This year was a year of transition for the school’s athletic program, as most teams have been playing true home games since the winter.
The Falcons’ spring sports teams celebrated their homecoming by having banner seasons. All seven teams either won the in-season county championship or were victorious in the county championship game.
“It’s pretty special. It’s a testament to the hard work the student-athletes and our coaches put in,” athletic director Dave Lanham said. “They all know each other very well and are willing to help each other out. We’re building a nice, tight group of people here.”
One team — boys lacrosse — won both the in-season county championship and the county championship game. The girls lacrosse team won the regular-season title, but fell in the championship game. The baseball and softball teams both won their championship games after finishing second in the regular season.
The boys and girls track teams both won county titles, while the tennis team continued its long winning streak in the regular season and won its sixth straight county title. Even the Unified bocce team got in the act with a county championship.
“It’s a really great experience for the kids partaking in a Unified sport,” Unified bocce coach Matt Rogers said. “To have success at counties was a great experience for our players.”
Some teams weren’t satisfied with just winning a county title. The softball team broke the county’s unusually long drought without a state title by winning it all. The Falcons became the first county team to go all the way since Broadneck in 2010. The Falcons fell to Chesapeake in the regular season for their only county loss, but turned the tables on the Cougars in the county championship game before rolling through the playoffs.
“I personally think it’s great. You see all the kids taking that work ethic and determination and they’re all in the weight room and doing individual work,” softball coach Meredith McAlister said. “They’re doing everything they can to be the best athletes and it just becomes a great positive culture.”
Though the boys lacrosse team had its 39-game winning streak snapped early in the season, it rolled through the county unbeaten for the third straight year. There were a few tight games, none tighter than the overtime thriller in the Class 4A state final, won by the Falcons on a goal from Michael Harmeyer.
“This just shows how much character we have at this school,” said Falcons’ goalie Shane Carr, who played a large role in his team’s county and state titles. “Just the legacy and the history we have at this school, we were able to keep that up here.”
Like the softball team, the baseball team finished second in the county in the regular season and qualified for the county championship game against regular-season champion Arundel. The Falcons battled back from an early two-run deficit, but their bats came alive in a 12-9 victory for a fourth straight county title. They went on to win the Class 4A East Region title and eventually advanced to the state final, where they fell to Howard.
“I think it says a lot. This is a class organization and a class school,” baseball coach Eric Milton said. “I think it says a lot about Severna Park High School.”
The girls lacrosse team got off to a 1-3 start, all against out-of-county competition, but ran through the county unbeaten to win the regular-season county championship. The Falcons fell to South River in the county championship game, then after a pair of playoff victories, fell to the Seahawks in the region final. The Seahawks went on to capture the state title.
“I think it’s really cool. It brings a lot of energy to all the sports and everyone rallies around each other,” said Rachel Spilker, who finished with 37 goals and four assists. “Winning is awesome, but we focus more on the playoffs. South River is a great team and great competition and we love playing them. It was really great to see someone from the county win.”
The tennis and track teams will have to wait until next year to use the Falcons’ new athletic facilities. Still competing on the road this year, both performed at the highest level in the county.
The outdoor track team was hoping to send longtime assistant coach Elmer McPhail, who is retiring at the end of the season, off with a victory for both the boys and girls teams. After watching the girls title slip away late last year, the Falcons closed it out in this year’s county championship and joined the boys as champions.
“This was quite an accomplishment,” said Izzy Kintzley, a standout on the Falcons’ cross country and indoor and outdoor track teams. “It was a longtime goal of his (McPhail), so it was really great to see him achieve that with kids he really loved.”
It was business as usual for the tennis team. The Falcons reached a milestone this season with their 150th straight victory and continued adding to it and finished unbeaten in the regular season. They won county and region titles and advanced a singles player and two doubles teams to the state semifinals. Abby Moghtader (girls singles) and the mixed doubles team of Miriam Moghtader and Matthew Kilchenstein reached the finals.
“Athletics at Severna Park has always had a tradition of excellence,” tennis coach Jessica deGraffenreid-Goodman said. “There are high expectations here and we do everything we can to fulfill athletic potential. This has been a particularly awesome season to be a part of and we’re really proud.”
Severna Park was well-represented once again in The Capital’s postseason honors. McAlister, Josh Alcombright (outdoor track), Dave Earl (boys lacrosse) and Goodman were all named coaches of the year in their respective sports. Campbell Kline was the softball player of the year, Cameron Clark was the baseball player of the year and McAlister was awarded the overall coach of the year for the just-completed school year.
“For some seniors, these were their first home games,” Lanham said. “Over the last four-and-a-half years, there were never any excuses from anyone for why they didn’t perform. It was a barrier we knew was here and I think everyone handled it the best they could.”
