Each week, the Carroll County Times highlights a Team of the Week and names five standout players.
Team of the Week
Westminster boys lacrosse
The Owls hold a share of first place in the county at 3-0 after a pair of comeback wins. Against previously unbeaten Manchester Valley on Thursday, the Owls trailed by one at halftime before rallying for a 9-8 victory behind their balanced offense and strong goaltending.
That came after overcoming a three-goal third-quarter deficit on April 5 against South Carroll, which Westminster won, 10-9.
Honorable mentions
Century boys lacrosse: The Knights share the county lead with Westminster after a win over Winters Mill on Tuesday moved them to 3-0 in the county. They are on a three-game winning streak after a 1-3 start.
Westminster boys tennis: The Owls (6-1, 6-0 ) are in first place in the county after going unbeaten through the first half of the league schedule. On Tuesday, they handed Liberty its first loss of the season.
Liberty girls tennis: The Lions are undefeated at 8-0 and in first place in the county at 7-0. They made it a split Tuesday when they beat Westminster, 3-2. They added a win over Manchester Valley on Wednesday.
5-star players
Arjun Mistry, Liberty, boys tennis: The Lions’ No. 1 singles player is not only undefeated, but he’s only dropped a total of four games and hasn’t lost more than one in any match this season. Four of his eight wins have come by 6-0, 6-0 sweeps.
Brylee Sims, Manchester Valley, softball: The Mavericks scored 13 and 15 runs, respectively, in wins over Winters Mill and Liberty, with Sims a big part of the offensive eruption. On Wednesday against the Lions, she went 3-for-4 with a double, four RBIs and two runs scored. This came one day after going 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored against the Falcons.
Nate Martin, Liberty, baseball: In wins over Manchester Valley and Century last week, Martin went a combined 4-for-7 with three RBIs. Against the rival Knights, Martin hit a pair of home runs in the 9-2 victory.
Emily Mitroka, Century, girls track and field: Mitroka won the 800-meter run at Saturday’s Don Boyer Invitational at Middletown, finishing in 2 minutes, 22.44 seconds. She also took second in the 1,600 in 5:30.43. This came three days after she ran a season-best 5:26.05 in the 1,600 to win at Century’s own Knights Invitational.
Wes Zengraft, Westminster, boys lacrosse: The Owls’ goalie has been a key piece of the team’s 3-0 county start, including a 15-save performance in a one-goal win over Manchester Valley. He’s totaled 36 saves through the first three county games with a save percentage of 62.
Quotable
“We’re on a very high horse right now. If we keep this energy up, we should be able to win tomorrow.” — Liberty baseball’s Logan Garey after beating Manchester Valley on Tuesday.
“We’re a seven-person offense. You can’t just take one of us out. Everyone can make a play and it makes us a versatile offense.” — Manchester Valley girls lacrosse’s Emma Penczek after a 14-5 win Tuesday over Liberty.
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