Harford County is one of the few in Maryland that offers boys volleyball as a varsity sport. And last year, Harford Tech dominated the circuit with a perfect 13-0 regular season and emphatic county championship victory.

The Cobras only dropped six sets, swept eight of their opponents and were only taken to a fifth set once all year. “It definitely did feel like we had a lot of pressure knowing that we are supposed to win,” Aegis Player of the Year Saxon Fuller said then.

But Fuller and his star-studded class are gone. And as the sport grows elsewhere, it continues to expand in Harford County. Several schools have added boys volleyball teams in recent years, while existing teams improve at attracting and developing talent. North Harford, last year’s runner-up, and Bel Air, the 2023 county champion, are the most popular picks to dethrone Harford Tech this fall, according to area coaches surveyed by The Aegis.

Here’s what to watch for this season in Harford County boys volleyball. (Editor’s note: not all teams responded to requests for information.)

Aberdeen

Coach: Mac Placzankis, third season

Last season: 1-11

Top returners: Seniors Phillip Johnson (OH) and Louis Lim (DS); sophomore Samuel Boyer (OH).

Newcomers to watch: Senior Jaytom Paris (M); junior Aiden Walters (S).

What must happen for your team to succeed? “Our team needs to get out of their own heads. Too often are we competitive in a set only to have a streak of lost points really do a number on the athletes’ mental game. Due to the increased camaraderie present in the team that I’ve witnessed these first few weeks, I think this will be the year we break that mental funk. All of the players on the team have a drive to improve both individually and as a team. You can ask any team we’ve played in the last three years — we’ve had moments of greatness throughout all of the losses. We just need to string more of those great moments together.” — Placzankis

Bel Air

Coach: Larry Tsomos, 31st season

Last season: 4-9

Top returners: Seniors Willie Lam (S), Jackson McCray (M) and Kaleb Osei-Boateng (OH).

Newcomers to watch: Juniors Owen Kirk (S), Ben Lukas (OHR) and Charlie Svoboda (M).

What must happen for your team to succeed? “Perfect our skills and pursue every point.” — Tsomos

C. Milton Wright

Coach: Shawn Duffalo, fifth season

Last season: 9-5

Top returners: Seniors Mason Crouch (M), Brody Hichkad (OH) and Ben Silcox (OH).

Newcomers to watch: Juniors Nick Morse (L), Rylan Smith (M) and Drew Spigler (L).

What must happen for your team to succeed? “We have a strong returning core of hitters, but we have some new faces on defense and setting. The hitters will only be able to score points if the defense can get the ball up and the setters can get the ball to them. Our success will hinge on our ability to bring defense, setting and hitting together to create an effective offense. To do this, we will also need leadership on the court from our experienced players to get everybody involved and to jell as a team.” — Duffalo

Edgewood

Coach: Mazon Dickerson, first season

Last season: 5-9

Top returning players: Seniors Cody Galbreath and Jordan Partlow; junior Eli Vogelpohl.

What must happen for your team to succeed? “Keep a high morale, 3.0 team GPA, and health and safety comes first.” — Dickerson

Fallston

Coach: Bill Stewart, fourth season

Last season: 5-7

Top returners: Senior Joey Gross (OPP); juniors Jackson DeNichilo (M) and Shaughn Kelly (OH).

Newcomers to watch: Senior Aiden Robinson (M); juniors Christian Kane (OPP) and Tyler Smith (S).

What must happen for your team to succeed? “It boils down to — we must pass better to make this offense click.” — Stewart

Harford Tech

Coach: Gary Clement, fifth season

Last season: 16-0, county champions

Top returners: Senior Austin Almony (OPP); juniors Philip Kozlowski (S) and Peter Kozlowski (OH).

Newcomers to watch: Junior Trevor Birchfield (OH); sophomores Gavin Bomert (M) and Alexander Necker (DS).

What must happen for your team to succeed? “We will have to get that hitting consistency that we had last year. Losing Saxon Fuller to graduation will be a hole that we need to fill.” — Clement

Havre de Grace

Coach: Bob Reider, seventh season

Last season: 1-11

Top returners: Juniors Hayden Byrns (OH), Sam Jensen (L) and Julius Scales (S).

Newcomers to watch: Senior Nathan Roy (MB); junior Aimen Delos Santos (OH).

What must happen for your team to succeed? “We need to continue developing stronger attacks to be more effective on offense.” — Reider

John Carroll

Coach: Tim Kutcher, first season

Last season: 4-14

Top returners: Seniors Rob Gaines (MH) and Matt Wilson (MH); junior Mason Proctor (S).

Newcomers to watch: Sophomores Sam Butler, Jackson DeReamer and Peyton Williams.

What must happen for your team to succeed? “We have a lot of solid all-around depth, but we will be relying on some key contributions from our younger players. I am sure it will take some time to get comfortable with the speed of the game at the varsity level, but I am confident we have the skills and character for the newcomers to mesh well. We will also be looking for some players to step up as more vocal leaders and improve our in-game communication to build stronger team chemistry and tactical execution.” — Kutcher

Joppatowne

Coach: Nicholas Sulzbach, fourth season

Last season: 5-7

Top returners: Seniors Alex Cantor (S), Khamari Draughn (OH) and Kishann Smith (OH).

What must happen for your team to succeed? “Combine our limited experience with new athletic ability.” — Sulzbach

Have a news tip? Contact Taylor Lyons at tlyons@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/TaylorJLyons.