Early tomorrow morning, I will make the long trek to Chestertown to watch five local teams go after state field hockey championships at Washington College.

The season's final day will tell a tale of two kinds of teams – perennial powerhouses and those with first-time title hopes.

No. 1 Severna Park and No. 2 Fallston are regulars in the state finals and together have collected 27 state championship trophies. No team has more than Severna Park with 17.

Pocomoke, from the Eastern Shore, has a similar story with 15 state crowns. While many teams move up and down in classification over the years, Pocomoke has remained in Class 1A and, if the Warriors win tomorrow, they will own exactly half of the 1A titles ever contested.

Severna Park's 17 championships have come in Class 4A and Class 3A. Fallston has 10 from Class 3A and 2A. Bethesda-Chevy Chase, which Fallston beat in Wednesday’s semifinal, has won 13 titles and the Barons have won in 4A, 3A and 2A.

The local first-time hopefuls all have been to the state tournament before. They just haven’t taken home the trophy yet. No. 9 Glenelg, No. 11 Winters Mill and Atholton each face a tough opponent, but upsets certainly happen. That’s why they play the game.

One team after its first title is actually favored: Kent Island in Class 2A. The Buccaneers proved to Baltimore-area hockey fans that they are a force to be reckoned with when they beat No. 10 Archbishop Spalding and tied No. 4 Broadneck at Broadneck's early-season tournament.

Glenelg and Pocomoke kick off action at 11 a.m. in Class 1A, followed by Winters Mill-Kent Island in Class 2A at 1:30, Fallston-Atholton in 3A at 4 and Severna Park-Quince Orchard in the finale, 4A at 6:30.

--Katherine Dunn