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Anne Arundel County teams captured no fewer than 12 championships in the fall of 2022.
Severn School nabbed three, winning the MIAA C Conference football title, the MIAA B Conference cross country crown and the MIAA B Conference soccer championship.
The county swept the MIAA football honors, with Archbishop Spalding winning its first MIAA A Conference championship and St. Mary’s winning the MIAA B Conference title.
County schools won two state field hockey titles, with Broadneck prevailing in Class 4A and Crofton in Class 3A. Back to cross country, Severna Park swept the Class 4A boys and girls titles, while Key School picked up a championship in the MIAA C Conference.
South River won the Anne Arundel County boys soccer title and finished as the 4A state runner-up. On the girls side, Broadneck won the county title and Crofton the Class 3A state championship.
Broadneck prevailed in the Anne Arundel County volleyball championship match, but Arundel came back to win the Class 4A state title.
More high school awards
Our Anne Arundel County Fall Athletes of the Year are Archbishop Spalding football player Malik Washington and Broadneck girls soccer player Kyleigh Bland.
Anne Arundel County Fall Sports Male Athlete of the Year: Malik Washington, Archbishop Spalding Football
Malik Washington, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound quarterback from Archbishop Spalding, completed 221 of 370 pass attempts for 2,979 yards and 29 touchdowns, leading Spalding to its first MIAA A Conference championship and a second-place finish in the final Baltimore Banner/VSN Football Top 15. After being a backup in 2021, Washington was ready to take the reins. He proved it in his first start at Don Bosco Prep (New Jersey), throwing for 248 yards and a touchdown in a 48-28 loss. In his next game, he threw an 87-yard pass to Max Moss in the final minute to lift Spalding to a 20-13 win over Imhotep Charter (Pennsylvania).
Washington threw 19 touchdown passes against MIAA A competition, and he went 39-of-58 for 457 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions in the postseason. He was an All-MIAA selection and MIAA A Player of the Year. He has received early scholarship offers from the University of Maryland, Penn State and Virginia Tech. Washington became the first sophomore to win the Baltimore Banner/VSN Football Player of the Year award, and he was named Anne Arundel County’s top player, receiving the Mears Trophy.
Anne Arundel County Fall Sports Female Athlete of the Year: Kyleigh Bland, Broadneck Soccer
Kyleigh Bland led Broadneck to the Anne Arundel County championship by recording 13 shutouts and allowing just 0.3 goals per game in a spectacular junior season for the Bruins. Among her many standout performances was an eight-save effort in a 3-0 win over Mercy, which went on to win the IAAM A Conference championship and finish as the top-ranked team in the final Baltimore Banner/VSN Girls Soccer Top 15.
With Bland in the nets, Broadneck went 16-1-4. The only loss was a 1-0 setback to Quince Orchard in the Class 4A state semifinals. The lone goal was a blast from point-blank range. With Bland set to return for her senior season in 2023, the Bruins figure to be highly ranked as they contend for Anne Arundel County and Class 4A crowns.
Gary Adornato is the founder and original publisher of Varsity Sports Network, a high school sports news network that became part of The Baltimore Banner in August 2022.
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