Howard County Times high school sports Team of the Week and game balls for Oct. 23-28
Oct. 30—Each week, the Howard County Times will pick a Team of the Week and hand out five game balls to the top five performers through all sports across the county.
Co-Teams of the Week
Howard boys cross country: The Lions boys won the Howard County title with 45 points, outpacing second-place Centennial by one. Howard had four top-10 finishers, headlined by senior Joey Ensor who finished the 3-mile race in 15 minutes, 29.63 seconds. Junior Rayyan Dheini (16:15.61) finished fourth, while Amadeus Davis and Max vom Saal finished seventh and 10th, respectively.
Centennial girls cross country: The Eagles girls separated themselves from the rest of the field, winning the Howard County title with 43 points. Junior Riley Herdson played a pivotal role in the win with a third-place finish (19:14.61), while Emily Graff and Allison Crumley also had strong races, finishing eighth and 12th, respectively.
Honorable mention
Mt. Hebron field hockey: The Vikings defeated Marriotts Ridge, 6-0, in a Class 3A South Region I semifinal on Thursday and will face top-seed Long Reach in the regional final on Tuesday.
Glenelg fall cheerleading: The Gladiators won a second consecutive county title at Wednesday night's Howard County cheer championships.
Game Ball No. 1
Jordan Tate, Reservoir, football, senior
The senior led the Gators on a go-ahead scoring drive inside of the final minute of Friday night's county championship win over Mt. Hebron. He used his legs to extend plays multiple times on the final drive and connected with Destin Hill for a 15-yard score. Tate also showcased his speed on the opening play of the second half with a 72-yard touchdown run on a zone read.
Game Ball No. 2
Natalie Machiran, Mt. Hebron, field hockey, senior
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Machiran sparked the Vikings offense in their regional semifinal win over the Mustangs. She scored the game's opening goal off a rebound in the first quarter, then added her second goal of the evening on a penalty stroke early in the third.
Game Ball No. 3
Mila Cho, Reservoir, volleyball, senior
Cho excelled both defensively and at the service line in the Gators' two matches against Broadneck and Arundel. She finished with a team-high 28 digs and also a team-high five aces in a four-set win over the Bruins on Tuesday. The senior then also put together a strong performance in a four-set loss against Arundel with a team-leading 11 digs to go with three aces.
Game Ball No. 4
Hannah Lindberg, Glenelg, girls soccer, sophomore, forward
The young forward has developed into a key part of Glenelg's attack alongside senior Stephanie Lathrop. She scored a goal and added a team-high two assists in the No. 2-seed Gladiators' 4-0 2A West Region I playoff win over Hammond. Glenelg defeated Wilde Lake 2-0 in the regional semifinal and now faces top-seed Southern-AA in the regional final.
Game Ball No. 5
Miles Reinders, Reservoir, football, senior
The senior made his impact felt all over the field on both special teams and defense. He silenced the home crowd on Friday night at Mt. Hebron with a 77-yard kickoff return to put Reservoir back in front. The senior also delivered the game-sealing interception on Mt. Hebron's final drive as the Gators captured their first county championship in program history.
