It was another memorable year on the local sports scene.
Anne Arundel County programs and individuals captured state championships in a wide range of sports during the 2019 calendar year.
Navy authored one of the greatest turnarounds in Football Bowl Subdivision history, rebounding from a dismal 3-10 record in 2018 to finish 11-2 with a victory in the Liberty Bowl.
The Chesapeake Bayhawks captured the sixth Major League Lacrosse championship in franchise history.
There was sad news as Navy football had one of the greatest players in program history (Joe Bellino) along with three former head coaches (George Welsh, Rick Forzano and George Chaump) pass away.
Mike Busch, a legendary athletic figure in Anne Arundel County, also died last year.
The Baltimore Ravens and Washington Nationals highlighted the year among the area’s professional teams. The Nationals captured the first Major League Baseball World Series in franchise history, while the Ravens finished with the best regular season record in the National Football League.
Here is a month-by-month look at the year in sports from a mostly local perspective.
JANUARY
Legendary former Navy football coach George Welsh died on January 3. Welsh led the Midshipmen to 55 wins and three bowl berths from 1974 through 1981.
Navy went 9-3 and beat BYU in the Holiday Bowl in 1978, starting a four-year stretch that produced a 33-15-1 record and berths in the Garden State Bowl and Liberty Bowl in 1980 and 1981.
Welsh was also one of Navy’s all-time great players, a two-year starter at quarterback who led the fabled “Team Named Desire” to an upset of SEC champion Mississippi in the Sugar Bowl.
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Rick Forzano, another former Navy football coach, died on January 10. Forzano, who was an assistant at Navy from 1959 through 1963 under Wayne Hardin, was hired to replace Bill Elias as head coach and served from 1969 through 1972.
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On January 12, Navy announced that Brian Newberry had been hired as defensive coordinator. Newberry was hired away from Kennesaw State. Navy also announced the hiring of defensive assistants Brian Norwood, Kevin Downing and P.J. Volker that same day.
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On January 24, the Chesapeake Chapter of US Lacrosse welcomed six new members into its Hall of Fame. Kate Graw Lamond, Andrea Holthaus Whiteford, Jack Schofield, Charley Toomey, Josh Sims and Megan Riley Clark were inducted during a ceremony at the Elks Lodge in Annapolis.
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FEBRUARY
St. Mary’s High boys swimming captured its fifth straight MIAA B Conference championship. Sophomore Patrick Hayburn led the way for the Saints, who claimed six individual titles and all three relay crowns.
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Archbishop Spalding wrestler Rick Couch captured the MIAA Championship. The top-seeded Couch defeated third-seeded Matthew Jun in the 138-pound final.
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Old Mill and South River tied for the team title at the Anne Arundel County Wrestling Championships. Mason Smith (106), Trent Puccinelli (160) and Ka’Ron Lewis (heavyweight) earned individual titles for the Seahawks, while Ryheam Tull (120) and Levi Garren (170) were champs for the Patriots.
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Chuck Markiewicz, the all-time winningest football coach in Anne Arundel County history with 243 career wins, was presented with the prestigious Steve Belichick Coach’s Award by the Touchdown Club of Annapolis.
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Anne Arundel County showed well at the Maryland Indoor State Track and Field Championships.
South River’s Bronwyn Patterson became state champ in the 800- and 1,600-meter runs, while Annapolis’ Anna Coffin captured the 3,200-meter crown. Broadneck’s girls won the 3,200-meter relay, while Severna Park’s boys took the title in the same event.
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Daevone Johnson and Avion Robinson led the way as Old Mill captured its third straight county championship in boys’ basketball. Deja Atkinson’s three-point play with 4.3 seconds lifted Old Mill to the county championship in girls’ basketball.
MARCH
Old Mill lost to C.H. Flowers in the Class 4A state championship game for girls’ basketball. The Patriots (22-5) were seeking their first state title since 1993.
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Broadneck was beaten by Eleanor Roosevelt, 77-48, in the Class 4A state championship game for boys’ basketball. It marked the first appearance in the state final for the Bruins (22-6).
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South River heavyweight Ka’Ron Lewis captured his second straight state championship. Lewis finished his senior season with a 47-1 record and went 84-7 with 51 pins in two varsity seasons.
Broadneck’s Michael Garlington (35-6) was a state champion at 138 pounds. South River’s Trenton Puccinelli (39-5) was the state runner-up at 160 pounds.
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Navy football lost one of its legends on March 27 when Joe Bellino died in his home state of Massachusetts at the age of 81. Bellino, the 1960 Heisman Trophy winner as a standout halfback for the Midshipmen, had battled an aggressive form of cancer for several months.
Bellino starred at Navy from 1958-1960 under head coach Wayne Hardin, rushing for 1,664 yards on 330 carries and scoring 31 touchdowns during his three-year career.
In 1960, Bellino rushed for 834 yards and 17 touchdowns and added 17 receptions for another 280 yards while leading Navy to a 9-2 record.
A unanimous All-America selection, Bellino was awarded the Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Trophy in 1960.
APRIL
It was no April Fool’s joke when Major League Lacrosse announced on April 1 that three franchises would be disbanded. The Charlotte Hounds, Florida Launch and Ohio Machine all ceased operations in advance of the 2019 season.
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Anne Arundel County lost one of its legendary athletes when Mike Busch died of pneumonia on April 6. Busch was the 1963 recipient of the Jim Rhodes Memorial Trophy as the Most Outstanding Football Player in Anne Arundel County.
Busch returned to Anne Arundel County and became a teacher and coach at St. Mary’s. He spent four decades as an administrator with the Anne Arundel County Department of Recreation and Parks.
In his role as Speaker of the House of Delegates, Busch was instrumental in providing funding for 23 artificial turf fields in Anne Arundel County with at least one at all 12 public high schools.
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Odenton resident Jason O’Neill played in the Frozen Four as a key player for Providence. The sophomore, who graduated from Arundel High in 2015, was the team’s third line center.
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Navy football named four team captains for the first time in program history. Following spring practice, head coach Ken Niumatalolo announced that inside linebacker Paul Carothers and outside linebacker Nizaire Cromartie would serve as defensive captains, while quarterback Malcolm Perry and center Ford Higgins would serve as offensive captains.
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Navy track and field won an event at the prestigious Penn Relays for the first time in 73 years. Kordell Williams, Cameron Hurd, Hunter Wargo and Clayton Thompson teamed to capture the men’s shuttle-hurdle relay with a collective time of 56.96 at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.
MAY
On May 1, Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk fired men’s lacrosse head coach Rick Sowell, stating the program needed a change of leadership. Sowell compiled a 54-56 record in eight seasons at the helm, leading the Midshipmen to a share of three Patriot League regular season championships.
![College Park, MD -- 04/19/2016 -- Navy Midshipmen head coach Rick Sowell at Maryland Stadium. Maryland sank the Midshipmen, 10-5. (Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun Staff) [LAX NAVY MARYLAND (DSC_1940.JPG)]](/wp-content/uploads/migration/2020/01/12/ANLWLP222VD63CBXT52C7H3JIM.jpg "College Park, MD -- 04/19/2016 -- Navy Midshipmen head coach Rick Sowell at Maryland Stadium. Maryland sank the Midshipmen, 10-5. (Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun Staff) [LAX NAVY MARYLAND (DSC_1940.JPG)]")
Sowell was fired after Navy finished the 2019 campaign with a 6-7 overall record and 4-4 mark in the Patriot League. The Midshipmen did not qualify for the Patriot League Tournament.
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No. 1 singles player Andrew Ton was the catalyst as Navy edged arch-rival Army 4-3 to capture the Patriot League Tournament championship and earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
It was the ninth trip to the NCAA Tournament for Navy (31-14), which lost to ninth-seeded North Carolina in the first round.
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Navy women’s lacrosse fell to Loyola, 21-9, in the Patriot League Tournament final. However, the Midshipmen earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament and promptly beat High Point in the first round before falling to host Virginia in the second round.
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Mikie Harmeyer scored five goals to lead Severna Park past Broadneck, 12-9, in the county championship game for boys’ lacrosse. Morgan Carter and Kathleen Sullivan both had hat tricks as South River defeated Severna Park, 9-6, for the girls’ lacrosse county title.
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Pitcher Haley Downin was dominant as Chesapeake beat Severna Park, 6-1, in the softball county championship game. Gavin Umphries used his arm and bat to lead South River past Broadneck, 8-1, in the baseball county championship game.
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Abby Moghtader and Morgan Gonyeau captured the girls doubles crown to lead Severna Park tennis to its seventh straight county championship.
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Emily Knight won the 800- and 1,600-meter runs as Severna Park’s girls claimed their second consecutive county championship in outdoor track and field. Tanner Piotrowski won the 1,600 run and anchored the 1,600 relay to victory as Arundel’s boys earned their first title since 2014 at the Anne Arundel County Outdoor Track & Field Championship meet.
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Jayla Neal smashed an early home run to spark Archbishop Spalding to a 7-1 victory over John Carroll in the IAAM A Conference championship for softball. Freshman pitcher Amaya Carroll limited the Patriots to one run on five hits. It was the first conference championship in three years for the Cavaliers, who captured consecutive crowns in 2015 and 2016.
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The Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association announced that its Board of Control voted overwhelmingly to shorten the football regular season from 10 to nine games. The MPSSAA touted the move for doubling the number of schools (32 instead of 16) that would qualify for the playoffs.
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Dylin Borden scored six goals and assisted on four others to carry Annapolis Area Christian School past fellow Anne Arundel County private school Indian Creek in the MIAA C Conference championship game for boys’ lacrosse.
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St. Mary’s boys’ lacrosse saw its spirited postseason run come to a disappointing end as it lost to Calvert Hall, 15-7, in the MIAA A Conference championship game. The Saints reached the final for the first time since 2015 and three years after winning only one game.
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Natalie Sonntag scored four goals and captured 15 draw controls, but the Anne Arundel Community College women’s lacrosse squad was defeated 22-12 by Harford in the National Junior College Athletic Association national championship game.
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Former Navy football coach George Chaump died at age 83 in his home state of Pennsylvania. Chaump was head coach at Navy from 1990 through 1994, finishing with a disappointing 14-41 record.
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Hero’s Lacrosse announced that it would no longer operate a summer lacrosse league, ending an Anne Arundel County tradition that dated back to 1972. During its glory days from the late 1970s through the 1990s, Hero’s featured 16 teams and more than 400 players in its popular high school summer league.
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Karen Boyle announced her retirement after 32 seasons as head coach of Navy women’s cross country. Boyle was a four-time Patriot League Coach of the Year and led the Midshipmen to top-three placements at the Patriot League Championship meet in 12 of 16 years.
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Alex Miller and Hunter Chadwick led the way as Severna Park beat Dulaney, 10-5, in the Class 4A state final for girls’ lacrosse. It was the 14th state championship for the Falcons, but their first since 2015.
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Mikie Harmeyer and Connor Panebianco combined to score seven goals to carry Severna Park to a 9-6 victory over Howard in the Class 4A state final for boys’ lacrosse. The Falcons finished 19-1 on the season and tied Hereford for the most championships in Maryland boys’ lacrosse history with nine.
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It was the fourth state title for the Patriots (17-8), who won 12 straight games to close the season. It was Old Mill’s first state crown since 2003 and first under head coach Charlie Chaffin.
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Annapolis native Charlie Coker was selected for induction into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame. The Annapolis High graduate was a three-time All-American midfielder at Johns Hopkins.
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A failure to advance runners and some shaky defense proved costly as Chesapeake softball fell 2-0 to Huntingtown in the Class 3A state championship. The Cougars (20-4) loaded the bases in the top of the third inning and failed to score.
Meanwhile, Glen Burnie’s “coronary kids” lost 8-7 to Sherwood in the Class 4A softball state final. The Gophers (19-4) were seeking their fourth state title and first in the 21st century.
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Severna Park swept the 3,200 relays on both the boys’ and girls’ sides. The Falcons also had an individual champ as Emily Knight won the 1,600 run by diving over the finish line.
Severna Park’s Sarah Adams won the pole vault by clearing 11 feet, while Broadneck’s Mollie Fenn was victorious in the 3,200-meter run.
Meade’s Preston Duffield was the state champ in the shot put with a throw of 55-feet, 1-inch. South River’s Corey Troxler took the pole vault title at a height of 14-6.
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Sisters Abby and Miriam Moghtader teamed up to win the state championship in girls doubles. The Moghtaders beat the Northwest duo of Radha and Jhanvee Patel, 6-2, 7-6 in the Class 4A final.
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Goalie Megan Taylor notched 10 saves to anchor a strong defensive effort as top-seeded Maryland beat No. 2 Boston College, 12-10, to capture the Division I national championship in women’s lacrosse. Junior attacker Brindi Griffin, an Edgewater resident, was named to the All-Tournament team for the Terrapins, who captured their 14th national title.
JUNE
Loyola-Maryland attackman Patrick Spencer was presented with the prestigious Tewaaraton Award as the most outstanding player in men’s college lacrosse. The Davidsonville resident was the first Loyola winner since the award’s inception in 2001.
Spencer concluded his spectacular career as the NCAA all-time leader in assists with 231 and finished second in points with 380. He was Loyola’s first four-time All-American and the first player in Patriot League history to be named Offensive Player of the Year four times.
Spencer announced in June that he would play basketball for Northwestern of the Big Ten as a graduate student. The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder is the starting point guard for the Wildcats and is averaging 10.8 points per game and leads the team with 39 assists.
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Clay White retired after compiling a phenomenal 408-146 record during a 33-year tenure as Broadneck High boys’ lacrosse coach. White led the Bruins to four state championships, which came consecutively in 1992-93 and 1996-97. The Pasadena resident’s overall career record as a head coach was 455-198 and included five years at Southern.
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Naval Academy ace pitcher Noah Song was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the fourth round of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound right-hander became the highest drafted player in Navy baseball history.
Song, who became the first Navy baseball player named first team All-American, spent the summer with the Lowell Spinners – Boston’s affiliate in the New York-Penn League. The California native, who also excelled for the United States National team this year, is still waiting to find out if he will be allowed to remain with the Red Sox or must start flight school.
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Navy announced that Joe Amplo had been hired away from Marquette to become the eighth head coach in the 112-year history of its men’s lacrosse program. Amplo spent seven seasons as head coach at Marquette and compiled a 52-53 overall record.
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Skipper Laurent Givry and crew Sidney Gavignet became the first double-handed team to capture line honors in the Annapolis-to-Newport Race. They were presented with the C. Gaither Scott Trophy for Corinthian Spirit after sailing La Defonce, a Beneteau-designed Figaro 3, to the elapsed time victory in the 37th edition of the 475-nautical mile biennial race.
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A pair of longtime Anne Arundel County athletic directors announced their retirements. Dave Gehrdes stepped down after 21 years at Annapolis, while Ken Kazmarek departed Broadneck High after 28 years.
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Chesapeake three-sport standout Haley Downin was named Capital Gazette Newspapers Female Athlete of the Year for the second straight year, while South River football and wrestling star Ka’Ron Lewis was selected as Male Athlete of the Year.
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Keith Mills, who grew up in Brooklyn Park and now lives in Linthicum, announced his retirement after 40 years in the Baltimore broadcasting business. The Brooklyn Park High graduate was a sports anchor with WMAR Television and WBAL Radio.
JULY
Navy football, coming off a dismal 3-10 record in 2018, was picked to finish fifth out of six teams in the West Division of the American Athletic Conference when a preseason poll of media members was announced in Newport, R.I.
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Archbishop Spalding’s Jayon Venerable became the first Class of 2021 commitment to the Maryland football program. The Pasadena resident, a running back and cornerback, gave head coach Mike Locksley a verbal pledge on July 27 after attending a recruiting event.
AUGUST
Justin Drummond was named Most Valuable Player after leading Shake-N-Go to a 57-47 victory over Harris & Sons in the Annapolis Summer League Basketball championship game. It was the third tournament title for Shake-N-Go, which is led by head coach Kyle Warner.
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The Anne Arundel County Sports Hall of Fame announced its 2019 induction class, which featured a pair of former professional baseball standouts Derek Hasselhoff and Craig Wilson.
Former Meade High and Temple football star Tanardo Sharps and legendary Glen Burnie and South River High football coach Joe Papetti completed the class, which was formally enshrined during a banquet in October.
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Dan Meteer of Washington, D.C. was the men’s champion with a time of 52:52, while Julia Roman-Duval of Columbia repeated as women’s champ in 57:50 during the 44th annual Annapolis 10-Mile Run.
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Brothers David and Peter Askew sailed Wizard to overall victory in the Rolex Fastnet Race. David Askew, an Annapolis resident, served as primary helmsman as the Volvo 70 completed the renowned race in 1 day and 27 hours.
SEPTEMBER
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Mason Jones fired a 73 to capture the individual title to lead South River to the county championship in golf. Angelina Hwang was the girls’ individual champ in helping Arundel to a runner-up finish.
OCTOBER
Veteran attackman Steele Stanwick scored the tying goal then assisted Andrew Kew on the game-winner as the Chesapeake Bayhawks beat the host Denver Outlaws, 10-9, to capture the Major League Lacrosse championship.
Attackman Lyle Thompson was named MLL Most Valuable Player as Chesapeake (12-6) extended its record for most championships to six. It was the fourth title for the Bayhawks under the ownership of Annapolis resident Brendan Kelly.
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Kat Esposito scored off a penalty stroke to lift Severna Park past Arundel, 2-1, in the field hockey county championship game.
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Anderson Iriarte Herrera scored the game-winning goal to give Annapolis edged Meade, 2-1, in the boys soccer county championship contest.
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It was a sweep of the individual titles for Arundel as Tanner Piotrowski finished first among the boys and Niya Torres topped the girls field at the Anne Arundel Cross Country championships.
Severna Park swept the team titles.
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Chesapeake claimed its 18th county championship in cheerleading.
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Seniors Alli Cherry and Marielle McAteer led the way as St. Mary’s captured its first IAAM B Conference championship in volleyball, beating St. John’s Catholic Prep in five sets. Brooke Heary also played a key role for the Saints.
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Emma Quandt led the way with 10 kills and four aces as Broadneck avenged a regular season loss by beating Arundel in four sets for the county championship in volleyball.
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Key School’s Storrie Kulynych-Irvin captured the IAAM cross country championship on the girls side.
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Starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg was named Most Valuable Player as the Washington Nationals defeated the Houston Astros 6-2 in Game 7 to win the franchise’s first World Series. The Nats, who began the season 19-31, won all four games on the road in bringing a baseball championship to the nation’s capital for the first time in 95 years.
NOVEMBER
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South River football completed the first unbeaten season in program history, finishing 9-0 to capture the regular season county championship.
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Indian Creek defeated Key School on penalty kicks to capture the MIAA C Conference championship in boys soccer.
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Kat Esposito’s goal off a penalty stroke gave Severna Park field hockey a 1-0 victory over Dulaney in the Class 4A state championship. It was a state-record 24th title for the Falcons.
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Carolyn Mang was named Most Valuable Player as Navy women’s soccer beat archrival Army, 2-1, to capture the Patriot League Tournament title and earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournaent.
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Brooke Watts led the way with 16 kills, while middle blocker Zaria Ragler added 13 as Arundel volleyball captured its first state championship. Setter Abby Niles had 19 assists for the Wildcats, who beat Broadneck in five sets in the Class 4A final.
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Andrea Chamblee completed the book that chronicles D.C. area high school basketball on behalf of her late husband, who was killed in the Capital Gazette shooting on June 28, 2018.
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Old Mill was the last Anne Arundel County football team left standing, advancing to the Class 4A state semifinals. However, the Patriots were no match for perennial powerhouse Wise, falling 44-0.
DECEMBER
Stevenson runner Patrick Watson, a South River High graduate, captured the NCAA Division III national championship in cross country.
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Perry set an Army-Navy game record by rushing for 304 yards as the Midshipmen reclaimed the coveted Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.
A few weeks later, Perry ran for 213 yards to help Navy knock off Kansas State, 20-17, in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. A trick play in which slotback C.J. Williams tossed a 41-yard pass to wide receiver Chance Warren set up the game-winning field goal by freshman Bijan Nichols.
Navy completed a remarkable turnaround season by finishing 11-2, tying the program record for wins in a season. Perry, who was named Liberty Bowl Most Valuable Player, finished with 2,017 rushing yards — a single-season school record and the most by a quarterback in FBS history.
