Glenelg senior attackman Tim Iannarino fought off repeated ferocious checks from desperate Hereford defenders. While many would have crumbled under intense pressure in the waning seconds of the Class 2A state championship, Iannarino found the situation hilarious.
Iannarino easily fended off double teams before finding his twin brother Chris, who helped cement Glenelg’s 10-7 state championship victory, the program’s first since 2019.
With four brothers — two older, a twin and one younger — Iannarino had endured worse,making him nearly impervious to those thunderous checks. Growing up, the Iannarino brothers competed in everything. They would play two-on-two with their youngest brother Jack rotating between both teams.
Those battles developed a toughness and fearlessness that shaped them. Their dad, Jeff, helped instill that mindset, encouraging them to always leave everything on the field.
“Growing up with four brothers, everything is a war and a competition,” Tim said. “Who could eat the most food? Who could shoot the fastest? Who’s the best at basketball and football? Competition has been in my blood forever. I feel like competition is so unique and allows you to meet new people. It also allows you to show off what you’re able to do and how much work you’ve put into whatever you’re doing.”
Tim’s fearlessness immediately stood out as a freshman. While he never shied away from contact, he was sometimes overpowered by bigger and stronger defenders as an underclassman. However, that was far from the case during his senior season. Iannarino routinely beat larger defenders on his way to a Howard County-leading 83 points (57 goals, 26 assists).
He played his best in the season’s biggest moments, with five goals each in the state semifinal and state championship. Closing his career in style, Iannarino is the 2024 Howard County Times boys lacrosse Player of the Year.
“We used to joke with him sophom*ore and junior year that he was always on the ground,” Glenelg coach Josh Hatmaker said. “I think he just learned how to take hits from bigger defenders and say, ‘I’m coming right back at you.’ That mentality you could tell especially going through the playoffs. He didn’t care what defenseman you put in front of him. He was going to the rack and he was going to put the ball in the back of the net. Defenses tried a lot of ways to pin him down in the playoffs and none of them worked. That’s a testament to him. He’s got that mentality of, ‘You’re not stopping me.'”
Jeff, a former attackman who played at Centennial and then Drexel University, coached the brothers growing up. He also was a smaller attackman in high school and taught Tim the nuance of utilizing his size to his advantage, including absorbing contact on a loose groundball to get automatic possession.
He also taught Tim unique ways to separate from defenders, always harping on a hockey stop, using two feet to settle, and then quickly changing direction. That became a cornerstone move in Iannarino’s dodging repertoire.
After watching his older brothers play for the program dating back to 2016, Tim dreamt of being a Gladiators captain. With that responsibility, he knew hard work was essential in achieving the team’s ultimate goal.
He emphasized a heightened practice intensity, wanting practices to be harder than the games. Tim and Chris leaned into their brotherly competitiveness, setting the practice tone by chirping one another and their teammates.
That raised their level of play and trickled down to the rest of the team. Led by the Iannarino brothers, the Gladiators dominated Howard County competition en route to the county title, winning seven of eight county games by at least six goals. They then outscored their first four playoff opponents by an average of 11.75 goals.
“As coaches, we talk to our captains about that we have to be competitive to get better every single day,” Hatmaker said. “There’s got to be that competitive aspect. A lot of that is in jest and fun, but it’s unbelievable to see Tim bring his level up, Chris bring his level up and they bring the entire team up. It’s a dream come true for a kid who puts so much time in and deserves everything that he gets.”
Iannarino quickly made his mark in the 2024 title game. He scored in the opening two minutes and netted a first-quarter hat trick, before adding two pivotal second-half goals.
Fittingly, Tim Iannarino’s final sequence in a Gladiators uniform was right alongside his twin brother, both shrugging off repeated checks and embodying the fearlessness that originated many years ago.
“I would describe when we were running around at the end of the game like a fever dream,” Iannarino said. “Chris is known to do that. He can run for days. I loved ending it that way. I thought it was really fun. I really love contact … I thought that was a great way to end it because that’s what I went through a lot when I was younger. Being smaller and undersized you take all the hits that you can get.”
All-County first team
Doug Cohen, Mt. Hebron, junior, faceoff
Cohen won 61.2% of his faceoffs, scoring seven goals and adding three assists in 11 games.
Chase Buscher, Glenelg, sophom*ore, attack
Buscher added great speed to the Gladiators attack unit. In his first year starting, he finished with 31 goals and 10 assists, included a pair of goals in the state championship.
Aidan Krawczyk, Centennial, senior, attack
Krawczyk spearheaded the Eagles offense as a capable goal scorer and facilitator. He scored a team-leading 45 goals and was second on the team with 29 assists.
Mason Machiran, Marriotts Ridge, sophom*ore, attack
Machrian thrived in an increased role for the Mustangs. He tied for second on the team with 29 goals and dished out a team-leading 30 assists, also causing nine turnovers on the ride.
Keegan Ryan, Mt. Hebron, senior, attack
The 2023 Howard County Times Player of the Year was limited to just seven games due to injury. However, he still dominated when on the field with 39 points (26 goals, 13 assists) and is continuing his lacrosse career at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Josh Davis, River Hill, senior, midfield
Davis was a swiss-army knife for the Hawks and never came off the field. He won 62% of his faceoffs, scored a team-leading 40 goals and added 10 assists with 12 caused turnovers.
Chris Iannarino, Glenelg, senior, midfield
Iannarino did it all for the Gladiators, scoring, assisting and taking a majority of the faceoffs. He won 63% of his faceoffs and was second on the team with 62 points (43 goals, 19 assists). Iannarino, a two-time first team All-County selection, scored the game-winning goal in the regular season win over Mt. Hebron.
Quinn Jenkins, Marriotts Ridge, senior, midfield
Named first team All-County for a second straight season, Jenkins spearheaded the Mustangs offense. He finished with a team-high 64 points (47 goals, 17 assists) and was also disruptive defensively causing 10 turnovers.
Maverick Smith, Mt. Hebron, senior, midfield
A University of Delaware commit, Smith once again guided the Vikings offense. He finished with a team leading 56 points (34 goals, 22 assists), often facing a bulk of the attention from opposing defenses. The veteran totaled 111 goals and 58 assists and is now a three-time first team All-County selection.
Drew LaPointe, Glenelg, junior, short stick defensive midfielder
LaPointe was a versatile defensive option for the Gladiators, causing 48 turnovers. He was a force in the middle of the field scooping up 83 ground balls, also capable offensively with four goals and 10 assists.
Kevin Sisk, Reservoir, senior, long-stick midfielder
Sisk served in a multitude of roles for the Gators, winning 54.1% of his faceoffs and scooping 151 groundballs. He finished his career with 104 total points, with 40 points (33 goals, seven assists) this year.
Kiran Blackwell, Glenelg, senior, defense
Blackwell used his size to disrupt opposing offensive players. He finished with 43 caused turnovers and 58 groundballs for a Gladiators defense that held opponents to 5.9 goals per game.
Zach Goodwin, Mt. Hebron, senior, defense
Goodwin was one of several veteran defenders for the Vikings. He caused seven turnovers and scooped up 31 ground balls, often igniting offense in transition.
Will Holland, Centennial, senior, defense
Holland was a nightmare for opposing offensive players, causing an average of more than five turnovers per game. He scooped up 195 groundballs and also showcased his offensive capability with three goals and three assists.
Bryce Pistorio, Marriotts Ridge, senior, defense
Pistorio was the anchor of an experienced Mustangs defensive unit. The veteran caused a team-leading 29 turnovers and also added two goals and three assists offensively.
Zach Coughlin, Glenelg, junior, goalie
Coughlin finished the season with 168 saves and a 69.4% save percentage. He held county opponents to 4.6 goals per game and allowed just 4.2 goals per game in the playoffs. The junior capped off his stellar season with nine saves in the state championship, including four in the fourth quarter.
Ian Murphy, Marriotts Ridge, senior, goalie
First team All-County for a second straight season, Murphy finished with 169 saves and a 61% save percentage. He saved his best for the postseason with 16 saves in the state semifinals against Severna Park, 16 in the regional final against Howard and 10 in the regional semifinal against Mt. Hebron.
All-County second team
Cirian Brighton, Centennial, senior, goalie
Eric Bush, Centennial, senior, defense
Shane DuBois, Glenelg, junior, long-stick midfield
Ryan Fowler, River Hill, senior, attack
Daniel Harrington, Mt. Hebron, senior, defense
Zach Hirsch, Wilde Lake, senior, attack
Jonas Hulbert, Mt. Hebron, senior, short stick defensive midfield
Connor Hunter, Howard, senior, defense
Dylan Kimmel, Howard, junior, attack
Luca LeClaire, Mt. Hebron, junior, goalie
Michael Machiran, Marriotts Ridge, senior, midfield
Joe McConaghy, Oakland Mills, junior, attack
Robert Page, Marriotts Ridge, senior, defense
Kyle Ratta, Mt. Hebron, senior, midfield
Aidan Ro, Marriotts Ridge, senior, faceoff
Collin Szczepanski, Glenelg, junior, midfield
Cam Westlake, Centennial, senior, midfield
Final Standings
1. Glenelg (15-3, 8-0, Howard County Champion, 2A State Champions); 2. Marriotts Ridge (11-6, 6-2, 3A State semifinalist); 3. Mt. Hebron (8-7, 6-2); 4. Howard (11-4, 6-2, 3A South Region I finalist); 5. Centennial (10-5, 5-4, 2A West Region I finalist); 6. Wilde Lake (7-6, 5-3); 7. Atholton (4-8, 4-5); 8. Reservoir (4-10, 4-5); 9. River Hill (7-7, 3-5); 10. Oakland Mills (3-11, 2-6); 11. Long Reach (3-9, 1-7); 12. Hammond (3-9, 1-7).
MIAA C ConferenceGlenelg Country (7-4, 6-3); Chapelgate Christian (2-7, 2-8).
