Boys Runners To Watch

Varsity -- Cross Country

Graham Bazell

Atholton

* The senior might be the area's top runner, and he has motivation. After a standout regular season last year, Bazell stumbled a bit at the end and took third in the Class 3A state meet.

Andrew Finlayson

Severna Park

* Finlayson will be an anchor for the Falcons. Always consistent in the big races, the senior finished seventh in the Class 4A state meet last year.

Mike Glassman

Loch Raven

* His strong performance at the Baltimore County meet helped the Raiders shock everyone by winning the team title. Glassman then finished seventh in the Class 2A state meet.

Sean Kirby

River Hill

* Kirby was solid all last year. The senior finished ninth in a tough Howard County championship run and did even better at the state meet - taking sixth in the Class 2A division.

Craig Morgan

River Hill

* He has flown under the radar a bit because of some of the bigger names in Howard County, but Morgan is among the best. The senior took second in the Class 2A state meet last year and helped the Hawks take the title.

Nick Rowe

Calvert Hall

* The junior will help lead the Cardinals this year after winning the MIAA junior varsity title last year. He followed that title with a victory at the private schools state meet.

Jonathan Sham

Wilde Lake

* He will be a big part of a strong Wilde Lake team. The senior took sixth in the Class 3A state meet as the Wildecats finished second and came within a point of the state title.

Christian Smooth

Annapolis

* Smooth won the Anne Arundel County championship and then finished 11th in the state Class 3A race. The senior again will battle with Severna Park's Finlayson to be the county's top runner.

Zach Sullivan

Archbishop Spalding

* The senior won the MIAA championship last year, helping Archbishop Spalding finish second. With Sullivan as the catalyst, the Cavaliers should be tough again.

Chris Swisko

Calvert Hall

* Swisko was part of a strong lineup that helped Calvert Hall take the MIAA championship and the state private schools title. He finished fifth at the MIAA championships, and coach Randy Fowler again expects big things from the senior.

OTHER NOTABLES: Phil August, Mount St. Joseph; Sean Caskey, Calvert Hall; Ryan Chelton, Hereford; Chris Chitterling, Annapolis Area Christian School; Nick Cook, Bel Air; T.J. Cowing, Severna Park; Mike Evans, Bel Air; Kyle Fairchild, Chesapeake-AA; Corey Hancock, Dulaney; Ethan Haswell, Park; Alex Haufler, Francis Scott Key; Matt Jablonski, Loyola; Bill King, Dulaney; Constantine Matsakis, Mount Hebron; Demetrios Pagonis, McDonogh; Connor Pencek, Glenelg; J.P. Reddinger, Severna Park; John Riemer, Hereford; Joe Rosenthal, Northeast; Dominic Rubino, Loch Raven; Tim Souders, Liberty; J.R. Spencer, Archbishop Spalding; Kyle Stanton, Hammond; Dan Swain, Calvert Hall; Brandon Sweeney, Loch Raven; Ryan Topita, Archbishop Spalding, Eric Tringali, Winters Mill; Nic Walsh, South River; Zach Weinstein, Mount Hebron; Jake Zamastony, South Carroll; Avior Zynda, Century

BOYS POLL

1. Calvert Hall (Last season: ranked No. 1)

2. River Hill (2)

3. Severna Park (5)

4. Wilde Lake (3)

5. Loch Raven (9)

6. Mount Hebron (8)

7. Atholton (unranked)

8. Archbishop Spalding (unranked)

9. Dulaney (unranked)

10. Glenelg (10)

OTHERS CONSIDERED: Bel Air (unranked), C. Milton Wright (No. 6), Hereford (unranked), Oakland Mills (No. 7), South Carroll (unranked)