Howard County top five performers and game balls for Oct. 31-Nov. 4

Jacob Steinberg, Howard County Times, Columbia, Md.
·3 min read

Nov. 7—The Howard County Times awards five game balls to the top individual performances across the county throughout the last week.

Here is this week's edition of game balls, featuring athletes from three different sports.

Game ball No. 1

Jaylen Etheridge, Long Reach, football, junior, wide receiver-defensive back

Etheridge made his impact in multiple ways during the Lightning's 22-8 opening-round win over Crofton Friday night. In the second quarter, Etheridge showed his explosiveness on special teams with an 85-yard kickoff return, which set Long Reach up at the 1-yard line. He extended that success in the third quarter, hauling in a 65-yard touchdown pass from Brice Koontz to extend the Lightning's lead. No. 3 seed Long Reach travels to No. 2 seed Chesapeake-AA in the second round of the Class 3A East Region on Friday night.

Game ball No. 2

Ginny Sung, Glenelg, girls soccer, senior, midfield

Sung played an integral part in the Gladiators reaching their second straight Class 2A semifinal. In Glenelg's 1-0 regional final win over Oakland Mills, Sung assisted the Gladiators' lone goal. She parlayed that strong play into Friday's 4-1 state quarterfinal win over North Harford. The senior scored a goal and also added a pair of assists for the Gladiators, who have won 10 games in a row. No. 3 seed Glenelg faces No. 7 seed Hereford in the Class 2A semifinals at Gaithersburg Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Game ball No. 3

Kodee Karcher, Centennial, boys soccer, senior, midfield

One of Howard County's leading scorers during the regular season, Karcher has maintained that success in the playoffs. He scored on a header to put the Eagles ahead in the second half of Wednesday's 3-2 Class 3A East Region I final victory over Marriotts Ridge. Karcher continued that prolific goal-scoring prowess with a pair of goals in Centennial's 4-0 Class 3A quarterfinal win over Franklin on Friday. No. 3 seed Centennial faces No. 2 seed J.M. Bennett at Crofton Friday at 5 p.m.

Game ball No. 4

Sebastian Martinez, Centennial, senior, cross country

Martinez won the boys race during Thursday's Class 3A East Region meet. He finished the race in 15 minutes, 58.42 seconds, edging out teammate and defending state champion Antonio Camacho-Bucks. The senior also won the Howard County championship and has been one of the top runners in Howard County throughout the season. He'll next race at the state championships on Saturday at Hereford.

Game ball No. 5

Kiley Mann, Howard, junior, cross country

After being unable to compete at the Howard County championships, Mann excelled during Thursday's Class 3A East Region meet. She finished second, crossing in 19 minutes, 58.65 seconds, about 37 seconds behind Hannah Toth of Westminster. Mann was the top finisher from Howard County. She'll next race at the state championships on Saturday at Hereford.