Family Matters: Broadneck Sibling Sets Contribute To Soccer Success

Often in high school sports, teams will have a succession of family members come through. Maybe they play different sports at the same time, or are at different levels of the same sport, or they come through one at a time.

Occasionally, you’ll get a sibling set or two in the same sport at the same time, and they end up contributing to differing degrees or are at the back end of the bench.

But between the 2026 boys and girls varsity soccer teams at Broadneck High School, five sibling sets exist, and all are contributors for teams that had a combined record of 23-3-1 heading into the county championships.

Ryan Ball has become a vital goal scorer for the Broadneck boys, while fellow seniors Hale Verrusio and Dylan Katzen have formed part of the solution to the problem left by the Bruins’ entire starting defense graduating last year. On the girls side, freshman Rory Terhune is in double figures in both goals and assists, while junior Cameron Terhune has been a mainstay in goal. Senior Avery Katzen has been a defensive stalwart, and sophomores Alexis Ball and Kate Verrusio, and freshman twins Mia and Bella Bliss, have all seen significant action this season as well.

And that’s all before mentioning four other duos where one is on varsity — Henry Cukor and Brayden Butitt for the boys, Grace Hedges and Emma Davis for the girls — and the other is on JV (Evan Cukor, Braxten Butitt, Caleb Hedges and Carly Davis).

That can lead to loosely organized chaos trying to get everyone everywhere — “nobody’s home a lot at my house,” Ryan Ball quipped — but it’s also got the benefit of another player going through the same season, with similar ups and downs, in your corner.

“Especially when we were younger and having practices in different places, it was tough,” Ryan Ball said. “Now we try to catch each other’s games, like when we played St. Mary’s (Alexis) was able to come, and after the Severna Park game I came back to watch the end. It’s not a lot of time that we have (between games), but to make that 20-, 25-minute drive to see each other play and cheer each other on, it’s really important.”

Sibling rivalry is natural, and these pairs are no exception.

Alexis Ball scored in Broadneck’s 4-0 win over Severna Park, and she let her brother know about it, as well as the fact that, at that point, she had scored more goals.

The Katzens routinely try to prank each other. The Bliss twins try to one-up each other in practice and in games. Kate Verrusio copied older brother Hale’s shot technique. Cameron Terhune pretends to begrudgingly praise Rory every time she puts a ball in the net.

But beyond the typical teenage sibling interactions, the admiration, respect and affection are clear.

“It’s nice to have motivation and competition. Both of those are fun,” Alexis Ball said. “I got to see two of his goals (against Arundel), and it’s really nice to see that he’s doing well and it motivates me to be doing more.”

Kate Verrusio said, “It feels like I have someone to talk to, and it’s easier to talk to (Hale) about sports because we’ve always done similar sports.”

Rory Terhune burst onto the scene with a goal glut at the beginning of the season. Now, as the season hits the home stretch, she is taking it in and continuing to learn from the older players, including her goalkeeper and sister.

“Cameron’s a leader for me, and it’s really easy to follow in her footsteps and do what she asks, because I know that she has the experience,” she said.

The older Terhune, for her part, has brought Rory along and views herself almost like a mother hen guiding the younger players along en masse.

“It feels great being a leader on the team and helping all the underclassmen, like I had,” Cameron Terhune said. “The seniors took me under their wing and showed me what it means to be a Bruin, and it’s great to be able to pass that on.”

One of the unseen things each player quickly highlighted was the sheer commitment involved: not only for them, but also for the families that have delivered them to so many practices and games over the years.

“Tuesdays and Thursdays are my parents’ busiest days at work, so it’s right from work to soccer and another four hours supporting us,” Avery Katzen said. “It’s family night at the soccer field for us.”

The Blisses, the newest additions to this sibling bonanza, literally bring family night to the field.

“When I’m out on the field I feel like I’m representing Bella, and then when she’s out there she’s representing me and the family, so that makes you want to do well for each other,” Mia Bliss said.

That the two came in together has helped the adjustment process from middle school soccer to high school varsity, and the jump in both skill level and the demands of playing a high school varsity sport.

“It’s nice because we both rely on each other and support each other when we play,” Bella Bliss said. “It’s really fun also because we’re both experiencing it together for the first time.”

As the Bliss twins have come in together, Avery and Dylan Katzen, also twins, will go out together. They were able to walk out together on senior night when Broadneck hosted Old Mill on October 20. It brought their athletic journeys full circle.

“It was super surreal. We had a lot of family in the crowd and a big support system, so it was a nice moment for my family to be able to do that,” Dylan Katzen said. “This might be the last year we get to play this sport, so it’s fun to be able to play with the friends and family we’ve been playing with for so long.”

Though four of the 10 will graduate this year, that family tie will keep them coming back over the next couple of years to drive that bond forward.

“I’m definitely going to try to catch games when I’m back on break,” Hale Verrusio said. “It’s awesome seeing (Kate) come up and do some of the things I did. Freshman and sophomore year it was just me, but as a senior now, it’s great to be able to see her do her thing. After games, we’re talking each other up and giving each other our opinions to help each other out, build each other up. It’s been awesome.”