Recent layoffs at The Washington Post have sparked conversation about the future of local athletic coverage, especially long-standing traditions like the All-Met nominations. 

On Feb. 4, the newspaper announced a major newsroom restructuring that included eliminating its standalone sports department as part of layoffs affecting roughly one-third of its staff. The decision resulted in hundreds of journalists losing their jobs, including reporters who had covered professional, collegiate and high school athletics across Maryland, D.C., and Virginia. Leadership at the Post said the move was necessary to respond to financial losses, declining digital traffic and changing reader habits in the modern news industry. 

For Maryland athletes, however, the impact feels personal. The All-Met teams, which have been published annually for decades, recognize the top high school athletes in the Washington metropolitan area, including many players from Maryland schools. The honor has long been considered one of the highest local recognitions a student-athlete can receive and is often mentioned in college recruiting profiles or school celebrations. 

While each sport introduced the award at different times, the All-Met selections have been a staple of the region’s high school sports coverage for generations.  Players benefit from having their teammates being nominated for these awards as it acts as a motivator and as a goal they can strive to accomplish like their peers. “Having guys like those two around you every day definitely changes the way you see the game and pushes you to compete with them. I think it helps everyone on the team and in the program grow as players by seeing what those guys can do and knowing you can get to that point too,” BCC senior Jayson Cohen.

The 2025 fall sports All-Met players of the year were included Georgetown Prep offensive lineman Immanuel Iheanacho for football, Lincoln Bauer, Leonardtown, for boys’ soccer, Marella Virmani, River Hill, for girls’ soccer, Lily Mitchell, Leonardtown, for field hockey, and Caycee Chhum, Georgetown Day, for volleyball. 

Even though there are still nominations like Prep Baseball’s first, second, and third team nominations, all division, and all county, the end of the long-lasting tradition of All-Met honors puts an end to players being nominated by a prestigious organization like The Washington Post, which highlighted the success of players across the entire DMV area rather than just their specific region. “I think school sports award nominations are a symbol and an outcome of prior hard work that continues to motivate me, as it is an honor to earn, but it is a symbol of my prior actions to improve myself,” senior Kai Schmelzer said.

For baseball, Montgomery County has been highlighted by two coaches being nominated for the coach of the year award. In 2024, Magruder’s Josh Creighton won this award after leading the school to a state championship. In 2025, Walter Johnson’s head coach, Steve Sutherland, also won this award after leading WJ to its program’s first region championship, state championship, and county championship appearance. 

Also in 2025, Nolan Ross( WJ) and Will Adkinson (Bethesda Chevy-Chase) were nominated for first team honors. Trent Lopez (BCC), Terrion Pettus (Magruder), and Sammy Berman (Walt Whitman), were all nominated for second team All-Met. Honorable mention honors named Jacob Bagania (Sherwood), Jason Seils (Sherwood), Charlie Buckles (Walt Whitman), Josh Tseronis (Quince Orchard), Mason Walter (Damascus), Cam Wilberding (Damascus), and Sam Weston (Walter Johnson). “It was just the cherry on top of a great season with some of my closest friends. I didn’t go into the season with awards in my head, and it feels good to have my hard work be recognized.” 2025 BCC graduate and current Cornell freshman Trent Lopez 

Michael Errigo, High School Sports Editor, was responsible for these nominations. He said, “So many former All-Mets have gone on to do incredible things, making us and the rest of the DMV proud. We will miss making those selections, but that doesn’t mean the D.C. area will stop producing remarkable young athletes. We look forward to cheering them on.”