It’s officially everyone’s favorite time of year… PLAYOFFS! Now that we’ve entered the postseason, CSZ continues to hard to get you the high school sports info you are looking for, faster and easier. This weekly newsletter brings the latest scores, updates, and highlights straight to your inbox. If you love it, share it so others can subscribe too. If it is not for you, feel free to unsubscribe and visit us anytime at CountySports.Zone. Most of the content below is image based, so depending on how you are viewing, you may need to download the images to see everything.

Flag football playoffs are officially underway throughout Maryland, and for Baltimore County specifically, six teams remain alive heading into the regional championships!

Starting with the 1A/2A class, top-seeded Pikesville and two-seed Randallstown will face off for the North I title. Both teams earned first round byes before the Panthers took down No. 4 Hereford 38-0 and the Rams beat No. 3 Loch Raven 32-8.

In the 2A/3A class, top-seeded Milford Mill is set to host three-seed Towson for their North I title. Milford Mill has played just one postseason game so far, beating No. 4 New Town 12-0, while the Generals have won a pair, beating No. 6 Lansdowne 33-12 before shutting out No. 2 Catonsville 10-0 on the road.

Lastly, the 3A/4A North I bracket comes down to No. 3 Perry Hall and No. 5 Kenwood. The Bluebirds have been the upset story of the playoffs, winning road games against No. 4 Dulaney 18-12, and No. 1 Dundalk 12-6, handing the Owls their first loss of the season and eliminating them from contention. Meanwhile, the Gators are yet to allow a postseason point, beating No. 6 Woodlawn by 36 and No. 2 Parkville by 19 away.

We’ll have the latest developments from the regional championships and the beginning of state bracket play right here on County Sports Zone in the coming weeks.

Two years ago, the Chesapeake Bayhawks added an athlete to their roster who moved to the United States, in large part, to continue his athletic career. Now, he leads the team heading into the postseason. Click this link or scroll down to read more about Kuareng Dau Manyang and his journey to playing in Baltimore County!

As of 2025, the United States Census reports that almost 850,000 people live in Baltimore County. Of those, 14.3%, or just over 120,000, were born outside of the United States. One of those 120,000 is Kuareng Dau Manyang.

Manyang was born and raised in Kenya, moving to the states towards the beginning of 2024 at 16 years old. He explained that the reason for his and his family’s move was the opportunity for a better future, and to be closer to family.

“I moved… to join my older brother, for better education opportunities, and to have the chance to pursue my soccer career,” he explained. After transferring from Prince George’s County, Manyang immediately joined the Chesapeake High boys soccer team in Essex, registering before the semester even began.

Bayhawks’ coach Brandon Rodriguez noticed Manyang’s skill right from the jump. “Standing at 6’3, he’s quite a bit larger than most high school players,” Rodriguez said. “But he also is very skilled on the ball which is not common for players his size, and that was immediately noticeable.”

Rodriguez wanted to work on Manyang’s conditioning and his understanding of his role in that team entering last fall. Throughout 2025, Manyang was mostly an attacking midfielder, recording 12 goals and four assists across ten games, helping the Bayhawks to a regional championship win.

Manyang still recalls his first goal for the Bayhawks, describing it as his favorite memory from his time at Chesapeake. “I had just transferred from Prince George’s County and didn't know anyone in Baltimore County yet but scoring and having the whole team run over, that made me feel like I belonged,” he said.

Over the summer between his junior and senior seasons, Manyang played with Barusa FC, with the hope of getting as many minutes as possible and working on his finishing, per Coach Rodriguez. Now in his senior season with the Bayhawks, Rodriguez shared that his goal was to transition Manyang into a striker.

“[This fall], we were able to advance him to his more natural position as a No. 9 striker and he thrived,” Rodriguez said. Manyang went from scoring 12 goals and four assists in 2025 to 20 goals and six assists this fall, accounting for 46 total points.

Now heading into the postseason at 7-2-2, the Bayhawks are currently slated to be a two-seed in their region, potentially hosting several playoff games in Essex. Coach Rodriguez looks ahead, hoping for the same play from Manyang as he’s delivered all season.

“We want to see the same teeth from Kuareng and our team that we’ve shown all season. If they can do that, we’ve got a fighting chance which is what the playoffs are about,” he said.

Regardless of how this season ends, Manyang has committed to playing for Coppermine SC with MLS Next after the completion of his time with the Bayhawks program. Without any official collegiate offers, the future beyond Coppermine is still to be determined, but Rodriguez knows what his striker would look like playing in college.

“Kuareng is a pretty reserved kid off the pitch, which is to be expected given his background. But on the pitch is a different story. He shows his leadership through action and expresses his emotion through play. I think any coach at the next level would be lucky to have him.”

Boys soccer brackets are out now! Click the link below to see what’s coming in the postseason, and take a look at the final BCPS regular season standings. Despite a loss to the Comets, Franklin finishes atop the BCPS standings by half a game over Catonsville. Congratulations!

Last Thursday saw Baltimore County runners compete at the Baltimore County Agriculture Resource Center in Cockeysville in the Baltimore County Championship meet. 

The boys’ varsity race got underway at 2:45 p.m., and Hereford junior Eli Aitken was the first to cross the line, finishing in 17:00.9 to win gold. Dulaney’s squad also dominated, claiming six spots in the top 15. Senior Christopher Martin was seven seconds behind Aitken to claim silver, while juniors Bryce Mikles and Luke Sailes finished two and a half seconds apart to claim fifth and sixth places. 

Towson also had a dominant afternoon, claiming five of the top 13 spots. Senior Jack Dobrosielski was the Generals’ best finisher, placing fourth in 17:26.7, followed by Henry Navyac in seventh, and Isaac Abed and Andrew Robinson going back-to-back in 11th and 12th places respectively. 

The Catonsville Comets had a trio of runners finish in the top twelve including junior Matthew Foster in third, senior Ever Fielding in ninth, and junior Connor Bateman in 12th. Franklin senior Zane Wehye was the next highest finisher from a school not previously mentioned, placing 18th in 18:36.1. Kenwood’s Tenbit Gebremedhin was the lone runner in the top 50 to set a personal best, finishing in 31st in 19:19.6. 

Moving to the girls’ side, Hereford’s squad was undeniably the story of this race with the girls team claiming each of the top two spots as well as six of the top ten. Juniors Dempsey Nelson and Kylie Jacobson claimed gold and silver, finishing in 20:11.4 and 20:34.3. Rounding out Hereford’s top ten finishers was Charlie Brill (4th), Addison Abraskin (6th), Clara Schreiber-Stahl (8th), and Paige Gallup (10th). 

Rounding out the ton ten was Dulaney senior Nicole Lin in third, Carver senior Anna Bibo in fifth, Towson freshman Genevieve Keier in seventh, and another Lion senor, Alya Chawaf, in ninth. 

Towson’s girls were in control of 10th through 20th place. Catherine Van Lierop started the Generals’ streak in 14th, followed by junior Carolina Deffaa in 16th, freshman Eliza Slocum in 18th, sophomore Emmalee Houston in 19th, and junior Anna Scheffy in 20th. Out of 73 athletes competing, Towson did not have anyone finish outside the top 35. 

Two athletes inside the top fifty set their personal bests at the county championship. Woodlawn freshman Madison Polk placed 24th, setting a PB of 24:03.5. Milford Mill senior Leah Woodson also had the best finish of her career, crossing the line in 27:18.6.

MPSSAA cross country regional championship meets are set to get underway on Wednesday, wrapping up on Thursday afternoon. For a full list of times and locations for various meets, as well as live results on meet day, head to Athletic.Net for the latest. 

The U.S. Army Impact Player of the Month recognizes student-athletes who go above and beyond for their team, school, and community through their leadership, character, and impact on those around them. Click here to nominate a student-athlete today!

Baltimore County girls’ soccer teams have completed their regular season! Franklin has been crowned the county champion at 10-1, holding on to a 2-1 lead to beat Carver in their most recent game on Oct. 15 and making them the only 10-win girls soccer team in BCPS. Playoff brackets are OUT NOW! Click the link below to see where your team lies in the brackets.

Towson remains undefeated through eight weeks, earning their eighth win in a dominant 45-6 road win over Pikesville. Franklin and Milford Mill remain just a game behind as the Indians earned a 28-18 win over New Town while the Millers earned their seventh straight victory, beating Randallstown 35-24.

Entering the final week of the regular season, there is still opportunity for a shake up at the top of the county standings. The No. 2 Indians hit the road to face the No. 10 Rams who look to bounce back after the loss to Milford Mill. Towson’s last game of the regular season is no easy feat as they’ll play away against No. 4 Sparrows Point. No. 5 Hereford and No. 8 Dundalk are also set to play on Friday while the No. 6 Eastern Tech Mavericks will round out their season against No. 12 Chesapeake.

With just a week left in the volleyball regular season, Pikesville has finished their schedule, currently leading the county at 12-1, finishing the campaign on a three-game winning streak. Hereford also has no regular season games left, capping off their run just half a game back at 11-1.

Three days of action remain in the regular season, with the biggest game of the week set to be between No. 3 Dundalk and No. 11 Kenwood. Playoff brackets for Maryland high school volleyball are set to come out early next week!