Before the season, South River junior Kathleen Sullivan expected this Seahawks team to be special. With talent at each position and camaraderie off the field, Sullivan said the Falcons had designs on a deep postseason run.
The No. 6 Seahawks, who hadn’t played in a state semifinal since they won the 4A/3A championship in 2010, will face the winner of Saturday’s Whitman-Delaney semifinal.
“We knew this was a great team and we had a really good chance if we worked together and our hardest,” Sullivan said. “We all just click.”
Sullivan had two goals and two assists to tie for the team lead with four points despite playing limited minutes after South River built a double-digit lead in the first half.
Senior Madeline Cloyd (two goals, two assists), sophomore Alexis Grant (two goals, two assists), junior Kelsey Winters (one goal, three assists) and freshman Kara Hunt (three goals, one assist) matched Sullivan’s offense and helped the Seahawks open a 10-goal lead, prompting a running clock nine minutes into the game.
South River (17-2) settled its attack after that, opting to run set plays but often not taking immediate shots, while Eleanor Roosevelt (14-1) countered with several looks in the second half. The Raiders kept their energy high but couldn’t crack the scoreboard.
“Almost everyone got a goal, which is a great feeling for the coaching staff,” South River Coach Caroline Cochran said. “It really gets us excited to go into the finals.”
Severna Park boys advance
The Severna Park boys faced uncertainty after the Falcons lost two of their first five games. The two-time defending Maryland 4A/3A state champions were struggling, and a mix of injuries and tough competition left many wondering whether the Anne Arundel County power had taken a step back.
Since then, the Falcons have won 13 straight, including Friday night’s 17-1 victory over Eleanor Roosevelt in the 4A state semifinals, which advances them to familiar territory: the state championship next week against the winner of Saturday’s semifinal between Howard and Churchill.
“We have a system,” Coach Dave Earl said. “When they execute that, we do good things.”
Amid a driving rain and blustery winds in Gaithersburg, the Falcons triumphed behind goals from 13 players. Seniors Jack Thomas and Hans Hansen, sophomore Gavin Mullervy and freshman Kyle Griffith led Severna Park (15-2) with two goals apiece.
The Falcons led 8-0 after the first quarter, but scoring slowed in the second as Eleanor Roosevelt (15-1) found a defensive rhythm. Sophomore Chandler Grimes fed senior Elias Kallon for the Raiders’ score in the period.
The Falcons now turn their attention to next week’s championship at Stevenson University. Severna Park, Howard and Churchill have combined for every state title matchup since 2015. Severna Park defeated Churchill, 7-6, in the final seconds of last year’s final and beat Howard, 9-3, in 2016. Howard topped Churchill, 14-6, for the 2015 trophy.
In other Maryland state semifinals, the Mount Hebron girls beat Huntingtown, 12-7, to advance to the 3A final. The Centennial boys lost to Northern, 12-11, in 3A, while the Damascus boys fell to Hereford, 13-3, in 2A.
