Josie Bianco won an Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland B Conference championship her freshman year at John Carroll. She was one of two freshmen on the Patriots’ varsity roster that year, Leah Foltyn the other. Entering their senior years, they hoped to bookend their high school careers with another title.
Bianco, The Aegis 2025 high school field hockey player of the year, did just that. The senior goalkeeper led the Patriots to an IAAM B Conference championship, holding Severn scoreless in the 1-0 title game victory. In fact, John Carroll, anchored by Bianco in the cage, didn’t allow a goal all postseason.
“It was really the end goal for everybody,” Bianco said. “But I don’t think many people expected us to win just because we had a new coach and we lost a lot of good seniors.”
Bianco led John Carroll to a 10-8-2 regular season record and the No. 3 seed in the IAAM B Conference tournament. There, the Patriots beat Park, 8-0, in the opening round, topped No. 2 seed McDonogh, 1-0, in the semifinal before taking down the top seed in the title game.
“I think just going into it with a good mindset and having fun while I’m playing really helps me,” Bianco said. “Our team this year was really close. Being able to celebrate with my team was great.”
The Princeton commit is one of the top ranked goaltenders nationally in her class. She settled on the position on a whim.
Bianco’s club team in fifth grade needed a volunteer to don the heavy pads, stand in front of the net and deflect shots that came their way. It’s not a desirable position. Most would prefer to be scoring the goals themselves. But Bianco stepped up “because I like being a part of a team,” she said.
That selfless mindset has driven Bianco to becoming a two-time champion at John Carroll – and one of the nation’s top players.
Coach of the year
Kelsey Lovelace, C. Milton Wright
Lovelace’s Mustangs team dominated Harford County in 2025, toppling perennial power Fallston to highlight an undefeated regular season and winning the Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference title before reaching the Class 2A state semifinal.
Lovelace engineered one of the best turnarounds in the area this fall. C. Milton Wright finished with a 14-1 overall record after winning just six games in 2024. The Mustangs were led by four All-County team members, the second most of any school, and posted 10 shutout victories, allowed just four goals all year and didn’t allow a goal in the state playoffs until their semifinal defeat, a 4-0 loss to Manchester Valley to match the number of goals they had given up all season. It was the program’s fifth state semifinal appearance of the past two decades and its first in seven seasons.
All-County field hockey team
Avery Frank, Bel Air, senior, forward
Paityn Gossman, C. Milton Wright, senior, forward
Ava Moffett, Fallston, sophomore, forward
Reese Rizzi, C. Milton Wright, junior, forward
Emily Thomas, Harford Tech, freshman, forward
Leah Foltyn, John Carroll, senior, midfield
Layla King, Fallston, junior, midfield
Amelia Mason, Bel Air, senior, midfield
Olivia Parker, Fallston, senior, midfield
Tressa Will, C. Milton Wright, sophomore, midfield
Anna Donahue, Bel Air, senior, defense
Kaylee Dillard, Fallston, senior, defense
Sadie Larkins, Harford Tech, junior, defense
Autumn Rutkowski, C. Milton Wright, sophomore, defense
Lily Welling, John Carroll, junior, defense
Peyton Dawson, North Harford, senior, goalkeeper
Auggie McCarthy, Fallston, senior, goalkeeper
Josie Smith, Patterson Mill, senior, goalkeeper
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