To say that Glenelg goalie Jon Selfridge's season was defined by 48 minutes on the field at UMBC Stadium in late May would be unfair -- he was simply too good and too consistent during the other 17 games this spring.
But Selfridge's performance against Southern in this year's state final certainly provided a nice exclamation point.
The Gladiators' senior made 16 stops, allowed only four goals and helped his team capture its second consecutive state championship May 20 to cap off an undefeated season where he stopped 69 percent of the shots fired his way. And that complete package has now helped Selfridge to be named the Columbia Flier/Howard County Times boys lacrosse Player of the Year.
Selfridge's performance on the state's biggest stage this year mirrored his performance in the same game as a junior, where he made 15 stops and allowed only three goals in a 6-3 victory that turned out to be his coming out party.
"There's just something about the state final that gets you really pumped up," Selfridge said after this year's championship. "My defense steps up and it carries over. They don't let them get a lot of shots and it's my job to stop the ones they do get. I just feel really comfortable out there."
Part of that comfort level, according to coach Josh Hatmaker, comes from experience.
"Last year, him making 10 saves in the fourth quarter in the final against Fallston, that bred confidence. Being a third-year starter helped too," Hatmaker said. "He had gone out and worked twice as hard during the offseason as he did the previous one because he realized how good he could be. And he was awfully good all year."
There were plenty of saves, 170 on 247 shots to be exact, this season. With two first-team all-county defenders in front of him, Selfridge didn't always face a ton of shots, but in games where he did, like the team's 7-6 win over Centennial, he shined.
He made 17 saves in that game against the Eagles and also made another 12 stops in an overtime, 9-8, victory over Archbishop Spalding that helped keep the team unbeaten.
Just as important to the success of the Gladiators, though, was Selfridge's proficiency in clearing situations.
With pinpoint accuracy on his outlets to the midfield, paired with the ability to leave the goal and advance the ball himself, Selfridge sparked more than a few offensive transition opportunities.
"It's something that we work on a lot in practice and coach gives me the opportunity to then use my judgment in games," said Selfridge, who will play for Division III, Lynchburg College next spring. "There are times where we struggle to clear and I'll be a little more aggressive and take it all the way up."
His versatility was on display in this year's championship against Southern, where he not only pushed into the attack a handful of times, but even fired a shot on goal. In practice, Hatmaker says he would move Selfridge around the field and have him spend time as a long pole and even an attack on occasion.
"People don't realize that Jon was actually one of the best athletes on the team," he said. "He could run around and keep up with our field guys."
Selfridge finishes his career as a three-time all-county player, making second team as both a sophomore and a junior. He also helped guide Glenelg to a combined 45-5 record in his three years as a starter.
Named to the all-county first team are:
Attack
Harrison Chaires, Centennial junior. A transfer from Mt. Hebron that had produced 69 points as a sophomore, Chaires stepped right in as the Eagles' go-to-guy this spring and was even better. With an ability to take his guy one-on-one and find a way to score in the big situations, Chaires put up several gaudy point totals, including 10 points (6 goals and 4 assists) in a 17-14 playoff victory over River Hill.
When the final whistle blew on Centennial's season, Chaires had produced a county-best 62 goals to go along with 30 assists. The 92 total points were tops in the county as well.
"When we needed a goal, we gave him the ball," Eagles' coach Mike Siegert said. "He faced every kind of defense that there was and he took a pounding, but he would just stick the ball in the goal, get up off the ground and then do it again."
Chris Gotschall, Glenelg senior. The numbers don't tell the entire story for Gotschall this spring, although they were still awfully impressive for the Gladiators' leading scorer. After putting up 73 points as a junior, Gotschall notched 77 (43 goals and 34 assists) this season. That total was fourth best in the county, yet his impact was just as visible in the production of those around him, according to coach Josh Hatmaker.
"There was such an emphasis on stopping Chris that it helped out everyone else," Hatmaker said. "There were times earlier in his career where Chris would force things, but he did a great job this season of realizing that he had three other 30 plus goal scorers on the field with him. He would get them involved and then things eventually started opening back up for him."
Gotschall's biggest game was arguably his three-goal and one-assist effort in the Gladiators' state championship victory over Southern.
Marc Saxton, Mt. Hebron senior. With his entire supporting cast up top gone from last year's county championship squad, Saxton's role this season was just as much to be a teacher as it was to be a scorer. His numbers were down, registering 56 points (38 goals, 18 assists) after putting up 70 as a first-team member as a junior, but coach Mike McCarthy said Saxton's presence on the field was invaluable.
"Marc had been on some very good teams the previous few years, so to go through a rebuilding season like this and handle it the way he did says a lot," McCarthy said. "Teams made a point of completely shutting him off, yet he still was one of the most dangerous guys in the county with the ball in his stick. And he took (his teammates) and really worked with them. He made us better in so many ways."
Saxton, who will attend Catholic University next year, scored three goals in each of his final three high school games.
Kyle Williams, Marriotts Ridge junior. The numbers were improved across the board for the Mustangs' leading scorer, who started to see the field a lot better this spring according to coach Dan Sageman. Williams' improved passing led to his county-leading 39 assists and also opened things up for him to score 49 goals. The 88 points were third best in the county and came after a sophomore year where he had 73 points.
"In terms of all-around players, you aren't going to find many better than Kyle," Sageman said. "He was our main point man on attack, in that we wanted to run everything through him because it seemed the more touches he got the more goals we scored."
Williams had his share of big games, including seven goals and two assists in a second round playoff victory over Catoctin and five goals and two assists in a regular season win over River Hill.
Midfield
Ryan Dougherty, Glenelg senior. Dougherty literally did a little of everything for the Gladiators this season, serving as one of the team's best defensive short sticks, taking over 60 percent of face offs and registering 54 points (37 goals and 17 assists) when he pushed up into the attack. Physically and mentally stronger than previous years, he rarely left the field and managed to win 60 percent of his faceoffs.
As balanced as he was, though, his coach said he was most dangerous on offense.
"If you give him time and room he can literally put it anywhere he wants. He has that good of a shot," Josh Hatmaker said. "High, low, you name it, he can place the ball and he can do it real quick too."
Dan Incontrera, Marriotts Ridge senior. A season-ending torn ACL in the Mustangs' final regular season game was the only thing that could keep the do-everything midfielder off the field this spring. He was one of the team leaders in groundballs (91), defensive takeaways (15), face offs and scoring (49 points).
"He was the type of kid that may not have done it pretty all the time, but he simply did not want to lose," coach Dan Sageman said. "He dives for balls, does all the dirty work and that's what you want from your senior leaders. He literally left it all out there."
Among the highlights for Incontrera, who will attend St. Mary's next year, was scoring three goals and notching two assists in the second half of a comeback, 14-11, win over Howard during the regular season.
Jimmy Marlatt, River Hill sophomore. The only sophomore to make first team, Marlatt took a big step toward being one of the Hawks' leaders this season according to coach Keith Gonsouland.
"He started realizing as the season went on that he could be 'the guy' for us and that he really can be dominant when he wants to be," Gonsouland said. "He shoots the ball exactly how you would try and teach someone, and it's incredibly accurate."
Marlatt finished the season tied for third in the county in goals scored (50) and added 12 assists to go along with it. His steady progression as a player showed in the Hawks' playoff loss to Centennial, where he scored a team-high six goals in a 17-14 defeat. Earlier in the year he had scored five times in a win over Mt. Hebron.
Eric Vanstone, River Hill senior. Just as valuable to the Hawks on offense as he was on defense, Vanstone finished the season with 33 points (18 goals and 15 assists) to go along with 58 ground balls. A lot of his success was attributed to hard work and hustle.
"He makes a lot of plays just with his legs," coach Keith Gonsouland said. "A good midfielder has to be able to run and Eric plays between the lines as well as anybody."
A second-team all-county selection last year, Vanstone seemed to play his best in the big games. In River Hill's season-ending loss to Centennial, he scored a season-high four times, including twice early in the fourth quarter to give his team what turned out to be its final lead.
Defense
A.J. Brown, Atholton junior. A varsity player since midway through his freshman year, Brown really blossomed this spring as one of the Raiders' captains. He was always matched up with the opposing team's best players and thrived in one-on-one situations.
"He really worked on his footwork and the timing of his checks," Atholton coach Jared Albert said. "He understands the position and where he wants to force his offensive player. He was our shut down guy and has developed a great relationship with Alex McCoy in the back."
Brown also provided the Raiders with a boost in man-up situations, where he pushed forward and contributed four goals and three assists.
Kyle Hofstetter, Glenelg senior. A "physical specimen" according to coach Josh Hatmaker, Hofstetter used a nice balance of athleticism and mental toughness to excel for the Gladiators this season.
"Kyle methodically breaks you down and he's not going to let you outwork him," Hatmaker said. "He's a thinker and a reactor, which really helped him as a close defender."
Hofstetter, who will attend Virginia Military Institute next year, had a great game in the state championship by holding Southern's leading scorer, Jimmy Gibbons, to only one goal. On the season, he was second on the team in groundballs with 62.
Mike McCabe, Glenelg senior. On a Glenelg defense that allowed a county-best 81 goals against, McCabe was the team's physical, in-your-face guy. Slightly faster than Kyle Hofstetter, McCabe was also capable of guarding the opponent's top attackman. Against Archbishop Spalding, he held one of their top players, Kevin Cooper, without a goal.
"Mike can run with anybody and he smothers you," coach Josh Hatmaker said. "When you try to run away, he stays right in your hip pocket. He doesn't let you breathe and that wears on you."
McCabe finished with 48 ground balls and 57 take aways on the season.
Kyle Virtue, Centennial senior. "A cerebral player on and off the field," according to his coach Mike Siegert, Virtue was the Eagles' quarterback on defense this season. He could provide a physical presence when needed, but it was his versatility of having a really good stick and being great at scooping up groundballs (48) that really provided a boost.
"Being a three-year starter, he really understood the system," Siegert said. "He would talk to the guys, direct traffic and really make some nice adjustments on the fly. We asked a lot of him, especially when Scott (Grosskopf) went down with mono, and he always seemed to exceed expectations."
Virtue played a big role in helping Centennial hold Glenelg to a regular-season-low seven goals in mid-April.
Dan Schonfeld, Marriotts Ridge junior. Schonfeld demonstrated a knack for making the highlight reel save this season as he developed into a leader for the Mustangs' inexperienced back line. His 223 stops were the most of any goalie in the county and his save percentage of 69 percent tied Glenelg's Jon Selfridge for top honors.
Even better, he did all of it despite pulling a muscle in his back during the first week of March.
"He played the entire season at 70-80 percent and during March he was playing but not practicing," coach Dan Sageman said. "He's a competitor and he went out there and kept us in games. When you factor in how important he was to our clear and the number of clutch saves he made, he was one of the biggest reasons for our turnaround this year."
user comments (2)
user hocolax says...
Harrison Chaires - Centennial Attack, selected to Under Armour Baltimore all-star team.
Posted 8:23 PM, 06.21.08
user hocolax says...
Under Armour Baltimore all-star attack - Emala (Gilman), Dnko (gilman), Fanshaw (Calvert Hall), McFadden (Calvert Hall), D'Ambrosi (Severn), Chaires (Centennial).
Posted 8:25 PM, 06.21.08
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