Over the course of my four years at this school, I’ve had the great fortune of sharing the field with some of the best teams in our school’s history. These teams not only won, but were victorious at the highest levels, inspired crowds and secured their places in the history books.

2015 Girls’ Field Hockey- Already accustomed to years of playoff success, the field hockey team made a thrilling run to the state championship game in the final year for coaches Kearney Blandamer and Leslie Stroot. Senior duo Rachel Maizel and Marisa Morakis led the team’s prolific offensive attack, while freshman defender Chloe Perel and sophomore goalkeeper Amanda Jordan directed a stingy defense. Despite a 2-0 defeat to Severna Park in the final, the girls proved they were a Montgomery County dynasty.

2015 Boys’ Cross Country- The boys made history with the school’s first-ever county championship and did so in dominant fashion. The Patriots placed three boys in the top nine in the county meet and won by over 20 places, one of the largest margins in recent history. A regional title, also the school’s first, proved the team’s talent once again before the team finished fifth in the state meet.

2015-16 Girls’ Tennis- Picking one team from this sport is a difficult task, as the Patriots have consistently racked up county championships for over a decade. I’ll go with 2015-16, which included then-junior Miranda Deng winning her third consecutive state championship in the spring of 2016. During the fall (when the team competed in their regular season matches), the Patriots rolled to their third straight county title.

2016 Girls’ Cross Country- If not for the invincible dynasty that was Walter Johnson cross country from 2014 to 2017, the girls could have walked away with a year for the ages. Headlined by sophomores Jessica Trzeciak, Adna Trakic and Erin Chelf, the girls finished second in all of their postseason meets and earned silver medals for their stunning performance in the state championships.

2016-17 Bocce- Our school’s bocce team remains the only one over the past four years to win a team state championship, and it sure didn’t come easy. The Patriots edged Tuscarora by the slimmest of margins, winning on a perfect shot from captain Derrick Doust to take a thrilling 4-3 victory.

2018 Boys’ Tennis- In his senior season, Joseph Brailovsky battled for his third straight state title and came away with a win in two sets, capping off the most accomplished career of any Patriots’ boys’ tennis player. The team also found success at the county level, winning the school’s second county championship in three years earlier that spring.

2018-19 Ice Hockey- A lot of teams talk about aspirations to win states, but the ice hockey team backed it up with a run for the ages. The Patriots dominated the regular season, including an 8-3 rout of rival Churchill. The Patriots rode their momentum to the state championship and entered the game’s final period tied 3-3 with Churchill, but the boys were unable to close a late deficit and lost 5-4. The result didn’t detract from the impact of the team, as their run attracted legions of fellow students to games across the state and generated excitement that will be remembered for years to come.