(Enlarge) Harrison Chaires played his first two high school seasons at Mt. Hebron, but after a move to Centennial, he scored 125 goals in two seasons with the Eagles, helping Centennial reach the state championship game this year. (Staff photo by Matt Roth)

In Mike Siegert's 32 years coaching at Centennial he's helped produce six state titles and nearly a dozen high school All-Americans.

Yet thinking back through all those seasons and star players, he says he's never had one quite like Harrison Chaires.

"When you start comparing players and teams from different years it can be difficult, but Harrison very well may be the best I've ever coached," Siegert said. "His consistency and ability to change a game with or without the ball in his stick is remarkable. He really can beat you in so many ways."

This season, the Eagles' senior tied a school record with 63 goals to go along with 26 assists. Those 89 points not only helped Centennial earn a share of the county title and a spot in the state championship game, but it also earned Chaires the Columbia Flier/Howard County Times boys lacrosse Player of the Year award.

"It's been an exciting few years and I don't think it really could have ended any better for me," Chaires said. "To be a part of this team, with such a great group of guys, was a great way to go out. I feel like a lot of what I did these last couple years was because of the guys around me, especially Shane (Jaeger) and Alex (Danner)."

Centennial's trio of attackmen -- Jaeger, Danner and Chaires -- combined for 158 goals. The Eagles scored in double digits in 16 of 19 games, including each game of a 12-game winning streak in the second half of the season.

Chaires was the focal point for opposing defenses, but he had no problem deferring when the situation called for it.

"We had a great chemistry. Everyone understood what the other guys wanted to do, where they wanted the ball and how to get it to them," Chaires said. "I was pretty fortunate to have guys like them. We're great friends off the field, too."

The degree to which Chaires meshed with his Centennial teammates was remarkable considering he only suited up alongside them for two years. His first two seasons were spent in a Mt. Hebron uniform, registering 69 points and winning a county championship with the Vikings as a sophomore.

A family move midway through his junior year sent him to Centennial -- a transition from one county powerhouse to another. Despite transferring from one of the Eagles' main rivals, Chaires fit right in, Siegert said.

"He was used to being a part of a powerful attack already, having been the young guy in that Mt. Hebron group of (Justin) Martinelli and (Marc) Saxton. It was just a different two guys here and I thought, for both him and us, the transition went pretty smooth," Siegert said. "We saw pretty early that he was even better than we thought."

Chaires scored 62 goals to go along with 30 assists as a junior and led the county in scoring. He was named first team all-county and started garnering interest from Division 1 schools.

Then before this season, Chaires was named captain by his peers, which was something he said meant just as much as any of those other honors.

On the field, he had his share of big games to back up the nomination, including an early five-goal effort against Catonsville. But it was his consistency -- he registered two or more points in every game except one -- that made him stand out in his senior season.

In one of Centennial's biggest games, a 17-15 win over Marriotts Ridge to clinch a share of the county championship, Chaires scored three times and was responsible for the goal that gave the Eagles their first lead late in the third quarter.

"That was probably one of the most intense games I've ever played in during high school ... right there with the county championship game win with Mt. Hebron my sophomore year," said Chaires, who will play for the Naval Academy next year. "I can't explain what everyone was feeling before that game and then to win, with everything on the line, that was amazing."

His 63 goals this season ties the Centennial record set by Sammy Stumpf in 2004 and is tied for the most goals by a county public school player since 1997.

"He did in two years here at Centennial, what few have accomplished in four," Siegert said.

Named to the all-county first team are:

Attack

Shane Jaeger, Centennial senior. A four-year varsity starter for the Eagles, Jaeger often didn't get the spotlight, but it didn't keep him from producing 49 goals and 36 assists.

"One of the biggest things about Shane was that he always puts the team first," Centennial coach Mike Siegert said. "It can be awfully tough when you think you are going to be the go-to guy and then someone like Harrison (Chaires) transfers in, but Shane took it in stride (that year). He let it make him a better player."

Siegert also added that Jaeger, who will play for Marist next spring, is "incredibly smart and knows where he needs to be to either score himself or get the ball to someone who can."

Mike Ward, Howard senior. Just two years after Jesse Kendall set the career scoring record at Howard, Ward came along this season and shattered it. Finishing with 93 points (46 goals and 47 assists) this season, Ward had 261 career points, breaking Kendall's mark of 220.

"We knew Mike was destined for big things from day one. His creativity makes him so dangerous," coach Greg Bulger said. "The most important thing, though, was that last year he started to understand that assists were just as important as the goals."

Ward had plenty of big outings, but the best was arguably a four-goal, nine-assist effort against Chapelgate.

Kyle Williams, Marriotts Ridge senior. Nominated by the coaches as one of two high school All-Americans from the county, Williams was the driving force behind a Mustangs' attack that averaged more than 11 goals a game. Williams spent more time in the midfield this season, sacrificing offensive production (82 points this year on 42 goals and 40 assists after 88 poinst as junior) for team success. Marriotts Ridge won 13 games this year, the most in one season in school history.

"We moved him more into the midfield because that's where he projects in college," said coach Dan Sageman of Williams, who will play for St. Joseph's next year. "His stats were affected, but Kyle realized what his presence means. We needed him near the ball on both sides of the field, rather than always standing on attack and watching the play."

Zach Wynne, Glenelg junior. After playing in the midfield last season, Wynne moved up top to replace leading scorer Chris Gotschall. Wynne responded with 44 goals and 28 assists.

"To have a junior step into those kind of shoes and perform like that was huge," Glenelg coach Josh Hatmaker said. "Zach's probably the most competitive guy on our team. He loves practice, he goes hard all the time and there are a lot of similarities between him and his older brother, Josh."

Wynne's biggest games this spring included an eight-goal effort against Mt. Hebron and five goals against Howard.

Midfield

Curtis Adams, Glenelg senior. A key returner from last year's state championship team, Adams often pushed up from the midfield and drew the opposing team's best long pole this season. The extra attention still couldn't keep him off the scoreboard, though, as he finished with 41 goals and five assists despite missing five games. Some of his best outings included five-goal games against River Hill and Severna Park early in the season.

"Curtis uses his speed and his explosiveness to run through checks and run by people," Glenelg coach Josh Hatmaker said. "Then when he gets near the goal, he could finish with the best of them. He can shoot from anywhere, on the run, under pressure ... if he could see the goal he had a chance to score."

Greg Edmonds, Centennial junior. A rare combination of size, speed, intelligence and toughness, Edmonds caused fits for opponents on both sides of the field. Offensively, he had a couple huge games, including four goals in a 17-15 victory over Marriotts Ridge. But coach Mike Siegert said Edmonds was just as valuable on defense and helping out on clears.

"Our best clear was to give the ball to Greg and have him run the ball out," Siegert said. "He had the conditioning and the confidence to be effective no matter where he was on the field."

Edmonds, who has orally committed to Johns Hopkins, finished the season with 41 goals and 16 assists.

Khoa Huynh, Reservoir senior. One of the county's elite face-off specialists, Huynh finished the season having won 65.9 percent of the time he stepped into the circle. He was also a county-leader in ground balls (86) and finished with 38 points (26 goals, 12 assists).

"The number of extra possessions he got for us was huge," Reservoir coach Bryan Cole said. "He worked really hard in the off-season and I think his results reflected that. He also came into his own offensively as well, which took some pressure off our attack."

No game better showcased his ability to take over a game than against Howard, where he won 16 of 19 faceoffs in an 11-6 victory.

Jim Marlatt, River Hill junior. Having verbally committed to Notre Dame before the season, there was some pressure, both internally and externally, on Marlatt coming into this spring. And, after battling through a couple rough games early, it was evident that Marlatt was ready for center stage.

"He learned how to deal with being the guy," coach Keith Gonsouland said. "Last year we had (Eric) Van Stone and (Eric) Cates, but this year as the season progressed he learned how to play as a premier player. He saw the field well and his assist numbers went way up."

Marlatt, who Gonsouland says "understands the game as well as any guy I've coached," finished with 55 goals and 33 assists.

Defense

A.J. Brown, Atholton senior. A returning first-team defender, Brown picked up right where he left off.

"A.J. did everything he's done in the past and then some," coach Jared Albert said. "His positioning has always been his strength and once again he used that to his advantage. He rarely gets beat, but if he did he would learn from it and not let it happen again."

Atholton held Marriotts Ridge to six goals, the second lowest total this season for the Mustangs, and Brown played a big part in that. Albert also credited Brown with taking on an even bigger leadership role this season as a second-year captain.

Connor Doyle, Howard senior. Since transferring to Howard from Mount St. Joseph midway through his junior year, Doyle did wonders in terms of solidifying the Lions' defense. Averaging three to four takeaways a game, he not only took opportunities away from the opposition but often translated that into chances for Howard.

"When he picked off passes and turned up field, getting the ball to our attack, that changed games," coach Greg Bulger said. "He also was great for our younger and more inexperienced defenders. He really took them under his wing."

Doyle will play for Belmont Abbey next spring along with Howard teammate Ryan Corrigan.

Grant Evans, Glenelg senior. The Gladiators' best on-ball defender according to coach Josh Hatmaker, Evans often took on the opponent's top attacker. He boasted quickness and great footwork to go along with a solid frame.

"You look at him and you think you can run right by him, but he has a great takeaway check," Hatmaker said. "He's so quick with his hands."

Evans' success came while transitioning from long pole defense and he led a unit that held 12 opponents to five goals or less.

Alex McCoy, Atholton senior. Part of Atholton's lock-down tandem in the back, coach Jared Albert said McCoy and A.J. Brown did a great job of feeding off one another. McCoy, who started as a long pole as a sophomore, was aggressive, in great shape and capable of playing on and off the ball.

"As Alex has come into his own, we were able to do some things defensively that we never could in the past. He and A.J. developed a great relationship and knew how to work together," Albert said.

McCoy had great versatility, stepping up to help on face offs and on the wings depending on the match-up. One of his best games was against Franklin, where he registered 10 takeaways.

Goalie

Dan Schonfeld, Marriotts Ridge senior. A repeat first-team selection, Schonfeld posted eerily similar numbers to his junior season. His total saves (210) and save percentage (69.1) again put him among the top two goalies in the county in both categories, and he led a defense that allowed only four opponents to reach double digits.

A defender before high school, Schonfeld became one of the state's best goalies.

"He works harder than anyone I've been around. He gets shots from anyone he can, always looking for ways he can get better," coach Dan Sageman said. "He's the kind of player that makes up for mistakes. There's a lot less pressure on those guys in front, knowing he's back there to clean things up."

Alex Taylor, Glenelg junior. Taylor had a tall task trying to fill the void left by last year's Player of the Year Jon Selfridge, but coach Josh Hatmaker says he passed with flying colors. In the cage, out of the cage, Taylor excelled everywhere.

"His athleticism is unbelievable. He makes all the stops he should and plenty of ones he shouldn't, and then when he gets the ball he loves to turn up field and start the break," Hatmaker said. "He could end up being as good or better than any goalie we've had here and that's saying something."

He finished with a 2.7 goals against average and 79 percent save percentage in county play, both of which led the county. There were also five times this season where opponents managed one goal or less.

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