Bruins Enjoy Best Season In Program History

When Broadneck High School first opened its doors in January of 1982, the student enrollment consisted of a sophomore class that spent its first high school semester at nearby Severna Park High School before moving to the new school.

By the fall, when those students were juniors and joined by the next sophomore class, the newest Anne Arundel County school began a journey of success on the athletic fields, to include winning the state championship in baseball during the school’s first varsity season in 1983. During that time, Broadneck has garnered the second most team state titles of any school in the county, behind only frontrunner Severna Park.

Over the years, Broadneck has fielded multiple state championship squads, along with a long list of county and regional titles. However, the 2022-2023 campaign surpassed previous years with the level of success enjoyed across every sport, totaling 13 county championships, 10 region championships and five state championships, as well as four individual state champions.

Three teams also advanced to the state semifinals before falling short. Every varsity Broadneck team finished with a winning record this school year with a collective 211-50-4 win, loss and tie mark, respectively.

Kevin Necessary, Broadneck’s athletic director since 2019, and his predecessor, Ken Kazmarek, who served as athletic director for 28 years, both agreed that this has been the most successful year in school history.

“We talked about this at the lacrosse finals and decided it is absolutely the best year in Broadneck history,” Necessary said.

The fall season saw the football team share the regular season county championship with Arundel, finishing with an 8-1 record before making a run to the state semifinal and falling to eventual state champion Quince Orchard. Boys and girls soccer, as well as volleyball and field hockey, all participated in the county championship game, with girls soccer and field hockey bringing home titles. Girls soccer also advanced to the state semifinal before coming up short against Quince Orchard.

The field hockey team enjoyed a generational season, facing and defeating many of the top programs in the area, rolling to a 14-0 regular season mark. After winning the county championship game over Crofton, the Bruins rolled through five state tournament games, outscoring their opponents 19-3, and completing a perfect 20-0 season. The cross country teams finished second for the boys and third for the girls in the county championship meet. Both teams subsequently took second at the regional meet. Finally, the golf team finished second in the county and seventh at the state tournament.

In the winter, Broadneck teams also performed well. Wrestling dominated throughout the regular season, going undefeated in county competition and winning the county championship meet after sending nine wrestlers to the finals. At the state meet, three wrestlers advanced to the state final with Liam DeBaugh bringing home a state championship. Although the state meet no longer awards a team championship, Broadneck's points would have been enough to bring home the title. Boys and girls indoor track, and boys and girls swimming, all won county championships. Boys swimming followed up with a regional title as well, while girls swimming and boys and girls indoor track all finished second. At the indoor track state meet, Carson Boteler won the state championship in the pole vault. Boys basketball won the regular season championship and played in the county championship game. The Bruins then won their region championship before falling in a state quarterfinal tilt. Girls basketball enjoyed their most successful season in recent memory, finishing with a winning record and defeating Annapolis in the playoffs.

The Bruins’ winning ways didn’t slow down in spring.

The boys and girls lacrosse players entered with high expectations and both squads completed their seasons as the last team standing. Girls lacrosse took on a tough schedule, and some tough losses along the way prepared them for the state final. After navigating the regional playoffs, the state quarterfinals and state semifinals with relative ease, the state final came down to a last-second shot off target as the Bruins captured their third consecutive state title with a 9-8 win over Dulaney.

Meanwhile, the boys team rolled through their season with little resistance until the state semifinal when they held on to defeat Urbana 9-8. Looking to erase the memory of losing the state final in 2022, Broadneck rolled to a 16-6 victory over Sherwood, to complete a perfect 20-0 season. The baseball team set a school record for regular season victories with 17, en route to defeating North County in the county championship game for the first county title in program history. Although the season ended in heartbreak, the team broke many school records.

Since winning its last state title in 2010, the softball team has not garnered much success. However, this year’s young roster finished 14-7 and made it to the state semifinals before falling short. The girls and boys outdoor track teams each finished second at the county meet. At the regional meet, the girls finished first and the boys second. The girls then went on to finish fifth at the state meet, where Carson Boteler followed up her indoor title with the outdoor title in the pole vault.

The tennis program has long been solid but has also been unable to penetrate the dominance of Severna Park. This year’s Broadneck team managed to defeat the Falcons 5-4 during the regular season on its way to a perfect 13-0 record. Although Severna Park pulled out the county tournament title, the Bruins bounced back to win the regional title and send girls singles, girls doubles and mixed doubles competitors to the state tournament.

At the state matches, the Bruins brought home a state title in the girls singles with Olivia Mellynchuk winning after losing in the state final last year as a freshman. The mixed doubles team of Elicia Aponte and Charlie Ernst advanced to the final before being defeated. These two results were enough for the Bruins to take home a share of the state championship. Finally, the Broadneck unified bocce team sent two teams to the state tournament and brought home the school’s fifth state title of the year.