Carroll County’s 24 of 24: Some of the top high school boys athletes to watch this spring
Here are 24 boys high school athletes that enter the spring as top candidates for big seasons and eventual postseason honors.
As the spring high school sports season gets underway, The Carroll County Times is presenting its 24 of 24, a list of some of the top high school athletes — 24 boys and 24 girls — to watch this spring.
Here is the boys Carroll County Spring 24:
Baseball
Braden Cordey, South Carroll, senior
Cordrey will likely be one of the county’s top pitchers this season, his third year as a key member of the Cavaliers’ rotation. Last season Cordrey struck out 44 batters in 33 innings with a 1.68 ERA.
Rocco Dietz, Liberty, senior
Dietz was a back-end of the rotation pitcher for the Lions last year, but went 5-0 with a 1.36 ERA and 36 strikeouts,
Clayton Dorsey, Westminster, senior
Dorsey has the ability to be one of the county’s top hitters. He batted .379 last season for the Owls with 22 hits. He also stole 14 bases.
Gavin Larson, Gerstell, junior
Larson excelled at the plate and on the mound last season for the Falcons, batting .455 and going 5-0 pitching.
Gene Magin, Manchester Valley, senior
Magin has put together solid numbers for years with the Mavericks and should be one of the county’s best this year. Last season he batted .359 and went 4-1 on the mound with a 2.18 ERA.
Travis Smith, Gerstell, senior
Smith is a two-time first team All-County selection. Last season he hit .368 with four home runs and 26 RBIs, and had a .931 fielding percentage.
Chase Speiden, Century, junior
Speiden was a first-team All-County pick as a sophomore after hitting .392 with seven home runs and 23 RBIs. His combination of power and contact hitting should have him in the running for end-of-the-season honors.
Nate Hobbs, Francis Scott Key, senior
Hobbs is a dark horse to break through and earn All-County honors this season, his third on varsity for the Eagles. He is coming off a .300 season and will have an expanded role on the mound this year for FSK.
Lacrosse
Ethan Addison, Liberty, sophomore
Addison will be an interesting player to keep an eye on. He tied for fourth on the Lions with 11 goals last season but has a promising future ahead of him with another year of development.
Scott Domboski, Winters Mill, senior
Domboski was a first-team All-County pick a year ago as a defensive leader for the Falcons. He should again be one of, if not the, top defender in Carroll County.
Max Johnson, Westminster, senior
Johnson was the cream of the crop when it came to winning faceoffs last season,, going 171-for-232 (73.7%). With the county championship on the line, Johnson went 15-for-19 against Winters Mill.
Grant Miller, Manchester Valley, senior
Miller is an all-around athlete. In the fall he was boys soccer Player of the Year and was a key piece of the Mavericks’ county title basketball team. Last spring he finished with 57 points, scoring 31 goals while adding 26 assists.
Connor McNamara, Westminster, senior
As a junior, McNamara was a wall for the county champs, finishing with 107 saves. He had four games with double-digit saves and should again be tough to get one past this season.
Reed Postlethwait, Winters Mill, senior
The reigning county Player of the Year is back after totaling 55 goals and 17 assists, leading Winters Mill to a 13-3 record a season ago.
Cutter Stanton, South Carroll, junior
Stanton was a 20-goal scorer last season as a sophomore for the Cavaliers and will be looked upon to match or exceed those numbers this spring.
Tennis
Micah Ober, Winters Mill, senior
The county boys singles division is wide open after the top three placers at last year’s county tournament all graduated, but Ober could be the player to beat. He finished fourth and is the top returning player from last year’s tournament, and he’s coming off a regional championship and trip to the state tournament.
Hayden Speace, Liberty, senior
Speace was a doubles standout for the 2023 Lions, playing on the top line with Arjun Mistry, they produced a successful regular season that concluded with a county runner-up finish. Speace teamed with Grace Maerten for mixed doubles in the postseason and ended as a state runner-up.
Track and field
Ethan Ashburne, Century, sophomore
Ashburne is one of the county’s top returning sprinters. He finished second at last spring’s county championships in the 100 and third in the 200.
Christian Childs, Manchester Valley, senior
After winning two county indoor championships, Childs posted two top-four finishes at the state meet. His success should translate to a successful outdoor season.
Ryan Hartranft, Century, junior
The Carroll County cross country champion is a returning 2A state champion in the 1,600 meters. The distance specialist is highly capable of earning more gold this spring.
Lukas Michael, Westminster, senior
Not many vaulters in Maryland can top Michael. He’s a two-time 3A state champion in the pole vault and finished second to teammate Cameron Rucker, who’s since graduated.
Gregory Schellberg, Liberty, senior
Schellberg has already accomplished a lot during his senior season. He won the 1A cross country state title and anchored Liberty’s 4×800 team to an indoor state championship.
Jackson Steinbrenner, Winters Mill, senior
Steinbrenner has been one of the county’s top distance runners throughout his career and he’s well-positioned to make a final run at county and state titles.
Alexander Yeon, Winters Mill, junior
Yeon is coming off a third-place finish in the 2A shot put at the indoor state championships. He already set a personal record, throwing over 48 feet in his first meet of the spring.