Howard County's top five performers and game balls for Sept. 19-23

Jacob Steinberg, Howard County Times, Columbia, Md.
·3 min read

Sep. 26—Each week, the Howard County Times will be awarding five game balls to the top individual performances across the county.

Here's the first edition of game balls, featuring athletes from four different sports.

Game ball No. 1

Giavana Liberto, Marriotts Ridge, girls soccer, senior, forward

Coming off a 16-goal junior season, Liberto has spearheaded Marriotts Ridge's offense through six games. She has a county-leading 31 points (12 goals and seven assists) for the undefeated Mustangs, tallying at least a goal and an assist in each game. Liberto scored her second hat trick of the season in a 5-0 victory over Howard on Monday while also adding two assists. In a matchup between two of the county's top teams, she scored twice to pace the Mustangs in a 3-1 victory over River Hill on Thursday. Liberto and Marriotts Ridge host Mt. Hebron (5-0) Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Game ball No. 2

Maddie Vasilios, River Hill, field hockey, senior, midfielder

The University of Maryland commit has built on a strong junior season. Through seven games, she leads the Hawks with 18 goals and nine assists. Vasilios scored a season-high five goals last week, also adding two assists in an 8-2 victory over Roland Park Country on Monday. She extended that success in Thursday's 6-3 victory over Marriotts Ridge with four goals and an assist. Vasilios has at least a goal or an assist in each game this season. River Hill (5-2 overall, 3-0 Howard County) travels to face Centennial on Wednesday.

Game ball No. 3

Daniel Ogordi, Atholton, football, junior, wide receiver-safety

Ogordi played an integral part in the Raiders' 16-6 victory over Oakland Mills Friday night. He had three tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery in a strong performance by Atholton's defense. Ogordi intercepted Oakland Mills quarterback Cyrus Thomas-Ray on the Scorpions opening drive and then recovered a fumble inside of the 10 yard-line late in the third quarter. For his efforts, Ogordi was awarded the defensive player of the game by the Raiders' coaching staff for the second time this season.

Game ball No. 4

Addy Van Oosten, Long Reach, volleyball, sophomore, outside hitter

Van Oosten has been critical for the Lightning (3-2, 1-2) during their three-game winning streak. She finished with a team-high 11 kills in Long Reach's sweep of Meade on Tuesday. The sophomore parlayed that success with 12 kills in the Lightning's three-set victory over Oakland Mills on Thursday. Van Oosten also excelled serving in both matches with eight aces against Meade and three against Oakland Mills. Long Reach hosts North County on Tuesday.

Game ball No. 5

Mayah Tucker, Reservoir, volleyball, senior, outside hitter

Tucker led the Gators in kills during both of last week's matches. She finished with 11 in No. 3 Reservoir's sweep of Howard last Monday. The veteran extended that success in Thursday's 3-0 win over Mt. Hebron, finishing with 13 kills and an efficient .455 hitting percentage. Tucker also played a vital part in Reservoir's serving success in both matches with three aces in each, as the Gators (5-1, 4-0) have won three matches in a row. Reservoir travels to Centennial on Wednesday.

Editor's note: Stats are provided by coaches.