Howard (4A) and Centennial (3A) were unquestionably the top two teams at the Howard County Championships. In a normal year, they could have been the first two Howard County teams to both win state titles in the same year since 2007, when Howard won the 3A title and River Hill won the 2A title. (Photo by Craig Amoss)
It's our final girls team rankings of the 2020-21 cross country season! See where the top 25 teams stacked up against each other as we put a pin in one of the most unique seasons in Maryland running history!
1. Howard High School Lions (hold)
2. Severna Park High School Falcons (hold)
The Falcons will be in regroup mode next year, as they had three seniors run under 20 minutes this year and nobody else faster than 21:33 in the 5K.
3. Urbana High School Hawks (hold)
They completed a dominant season by putting five in the top 14 at the county championships.
4. Broadneck High School Bruins (up 15)
With junior Mollie Fenn back at the helm the Bruins nearly finished the season with a win over Severna Park. With all of their top four coming back they should be considered county favorites heading into next fall.
5. Centennial High School Eagles (down 1)
6. Atholton High School Raiders (down 1)
7. Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Barons (down 1)
Varri Higgins is one of just three freshman girls to have clocked a sub-19 5K this year, along with Richard Montgomery's Grace Finnegan and Frederick's Caroline Gregory.
8. Walter Johnson High School Wildcats (down 1)
Isabelle Senfaute could be Walter Johnson's next top-ten state finisher - something they haven't lacked in the recent past - as Walter Johnson looks to reassert itself in the 4A title conversation in 2021.
9. Hereford High School Bulls (down 1)
Even without senior Caroline Benda, Hereford beat both Dulaney and Towson on its home course last Friday.
10. Northern-Calvert High School Patriots (up 6)
They were at full strength when it mattered most, and a group of three seniors (Hannah Mack, Abigail Setzfand and Anna Finn) extended their conference winning streak.
11. Leonardtown High School Raiders (down 2)
Parker O'Brien and the Raiders will be back next year with another shot at the SMAC title as the team above graduates its top three runners.
12. Oakdale High School Bruins (up 6)
Oakdale (66 points) beat out Brunswick (67) and Middletown (71) for the second spot in Frederick County in a predictably close race.
13. Brunswick High School Railroaders (down 2)
Their third-place finish, which included a 21:09 average from their top five runners, only reaffirmed the assertion that the Railroaders would have been the 1A favorites this year.
14. Middletown High School Knights (down 4)
Only four points separated the second- and fourth-place spots in the team standings, and Middletown will return two of the top seven underclassmen from the county meet (Erin McQuitty and Campbell Caldwell).
15. Huntingtown High School Hurricanes (down 3)
The senior-laden Huntingtown team finished just two points behind Leonardtown at the SMAC Championships, led by a strong finish to the season from Jane Gorman (second at both the county and conference meets).
16. Oakland Mills High School Scorpions (down 3)
17. Reservoir High School Gators (down 3)
18. Great Mills High School Hornets (down 3)
Not having Cooper Brotherton at the SMAC Championships unsurprisingly hurt Great Mills, but they return their top three runners from this year squad next fall.
19. Dulaney High School Lions (down 2)
Anna Albergo and Marissa Dailey led Dulaney to a hard-fought victory over Towson in their season finale at Hereford.
20. Towson High School Generals (previously unranked)
Led by a big performance from sophomore Isabel Aldana, the Generals were right there at the end with Hereford and Dulaney and graduate only one of their top runners.
21. Liberty High School Lions (up 4)
Last year's 2A state champions squeezed out a county title over South Carroll by just one point last Wednesday.
22. South Carroll High School Cavaliers (down 1)
An experienced South Carroll team (five seniors among the top seven) came within one point of taking down last year's champions at the county championships.
23. Marriotts Ridge High School Mustangs (down 1)
24. Chopticon High School Braves (down 1)
A third-place finish ten points behind Great Mills at the St. Mary's County Championship meant that Chopticon wouldn't compete at the conference meet, but the Braves (22:08 average time at the county meet) still put together one of their best seasons in recent history.
25. Glenelg High School Gladiators (down 1)
