With the new high school sports season approaching, there are several area athletes who are expected to turn heads and establish themselves as the county’s best.
Star athletes return after earning All-County recognition as season ago, while many others will emerge as the season goes on.
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 season.
Here is the boys Carroll County Fall 24:
Cross country
Logan Amis, Manchester Valley, senior
Amis’ second place finish at last season’s county championships led his Mavericks to the team title. He finished fourth at the Class 3A North Region race and 18th at the state meet.
Gavin Boer, Manchester Valley, senior
Boer was sixth at the county championships, the No. 2 runner on the Mavericks’ county championship team. He was eighth at regionals and 26th at states.
Ryan Hartranft, Century, senior
Hartranft was the 2023 Carroll County Times Runner of the Year after winning the county championship by 26 seconds over Amis. He’s a two-time track state champion and finished fourth at last season’s Class 2A cross country state meet.
Gregory Schellberg, Liberty, senior
Schellberg blitzed the Hereford course to win the Class 1A state championship in 16:35 while also leading the Lions to the team title. He finished fourth at last year’s county championships.
Thomas Sewell, Century, junior
In this sophomore year, Sewell finished eighth at the county championships, fifth at the 2A West Region championships and seventh at the 2A state championships.
Football
Sam Andrews, Francis Scott Key, senior
Andrews was one of only two underclassmen picked as a first team All-County offensive lineman. He led the way for an Eagles rushing attack that ran for more than 1,400 yards and 4.9 yards per carry in 2023.
Braden Fritz, Manchester Valley, senior
Fritz’s leg will be a weapon for the Mavericks. Last season, he made six field goals and all 24 of his extra point attempts.
James Graham, South Carroll, senior
The first team All-County defensive lineman finished 2023 with 71 tackles and five sacks for the Cavaliers and will likely be in the running for top defender in the county in 2024.
Chase Miller, Liberty, senior,
Liberty has had a strong lineage of producing quarterbacks, and Miller is the latest. Last season, his first as a varsity starter, he threw for 1,710 yards and 17 touchdowns while adding five rushing touchdowns.
Anthony Rodrigues, South Carroll, junior
Last year, Rodrigues took over the starting running back job midseason and finished with 604 yards and six touchdowns for the Cavaliers, earning first team All-County honors.
Victor Tejada, Winters Mill, junior
Tejada burst on the scene during his sophomore year with the Falcons. The defensive lineman and first team All-County pick finished with nine sacks for a stingy Winters Mill defense.
Rakim Warfield, Westminster, senior
Teams shied away from Warfield in crucial moments. When they didn’t, the junior burned them for four interceptions and 12 pass breakups.
Raquan Warfield, Westminster, senior
Warfield ran for 623 yards and seven touchdowns for the county champion Owls last year. His production will likely increase as Westminster looks to fill the void of graduated Player of the Year Kyrece Walker.
Tristian West, Liberty, senior
The 6-foot-4 West was a force for the Lions as Miller’s top receiver in 2023. He lead the team with 34 receptions for 815 yards and eight touchdowns.
Golf
Patrick Carl, South Carroll, senior
Carl led the Cavaliers to the Class 2A/1A state championship last year. He finished tied for fifth individually at states and was county runner-up. He shot a 72 to share top honors at this year’s season-opening county tournament.
Luke DiDio, Westminster, junior
DiDio finished tied for 26th at last season’s Class 4A/3A state tournament but sent an early message that he’s ready to rocket up the leaderboards after tying Carl with a 72 at the season-opening tournament.
Jack Laur, South Carroll, senior
Laur is coming off a 13th-place finish as last year’s state tournament. He finished fifth at last year’s county tournament and opened 2024 with a 74 to finish third at the season-opening tournament.
Michael Valerio, South Carroll, senior
Valerio has been one of the top golfers in the county since he emerged on the scene, finishing third at both the county and state tournaments his freshman year. He tied for fifth at states last year, and any round he plays, he’s capable of breaking par.
Soccer
Jackson Barioto, Century, senior
Barioto was a key piece of Century’s run to last season’s Class 2A state final, finishing with five goals and three assists.
Cannon Hunter, South Carroll, senior
Hunter was a first team All-County defender who scored three goals and four assists last season while helping South Carroll post four shutouts. He was also a kicker for the football team.
Nick McGhin, Century, senior
McGhin played his best soccer toward the end of last season, leading the Knights to their state runner-up finish. He finished with 26 goals and four assists, including a hat trick in the state semifinals.
Anthony McPeak, Westminster, junior
McPeak was named second team All-County goalkeeper a season ago. Another year of growth can make him one of the best defensive players in the county.
Maddox Shuman, Winters Mill, senior
Shuman, a midfielder for the Falcons, scored eight goals and added seven assists last season. With some key graduation losses, he will be counted on to be an offensive leader for this year’s group.
Austen Veach, Liberty, senior
Veach is a two-time first team All-County selection and is expected to be among the county’s most prolific scorers once again. Last year, he scored eight goals and added three assists for the Lions after scoring 13 goals as a sophomore.
