The field hockey regular season is rapidly heading toward a conclusion over the next several weeks and things are heating up.

Severna Park, 6-0, is back in a familiar position at No. 1, and undefeated as it goes in to Monday night's game at Broadneck. The Bruins, ranked No.6 in last week's poll, are also undefeated with a 7-0 record.

Boardneck coach Jen Parks said her team faces a "doozy" of a week as it follows up the Severna Park game with one at Annapolis (4-1) Tuesday and another with No. 2 South River (5-1) Thursday.

Annapolis coach Angela Carpita said she is so excited about this season she plans to stay in daily contact with her assistant Lisa Moylan even after she has her baby — who is now four-days overdue.

Out in Carroll County No. 4 Century, 6-0, with a roster full of upper classmen, and No. 7 Westminster, 9-0, are the two teams battling for supremacy. They will meet in a showdown at Westminster Tuesday, Oct. 12.

No. 5 Bryn Mawr (5-2) was stung last week by a 1-0 loss to unranked rival Garrison Forest (7-2-1) and Notre Dame Prep (7-0-1), slowly building a successful program under coach Maggie Huether, has yet to lose.

"We keep waiting to play Bryn Mawr because we know how good they are," said Huether, who — because of rain last week — will have to wait until Oct. 20 to face the Mawrtians and get a measure of her team. "We've got a little talent this year and I'm a nervous wreck."

NDP beat the improving Garrison Forrest squad, 1-0, early in the season. The closest Huether's squad has come to losing was in a 1-1 tie with Patterson Mill, a 6-1-1 squad that is, like NDP, climbing the charts.

"Patterson Mill — their goalie [Gabby Brooks] is fantastic," said Huether. "I think they had three shots on our net all afternoon and we had about 36 on theirs, but could not get the ball past her."

In Howard County No. 3 Glenelg, 7-1, has done nothing but prove the promise it had at the start of the season, while in Harford County No. 9 Bel Air has surprised a few teams with its strong play, sprinting to an 8-0 start.

No. 11 Hereford (5-2) and No. 14 Dulaney (4-3) have been strong in Baltimore County and will face each other Friday.

Meanwhile, No. 10 North Harford (5-2) and No. 12 C.Milton Wright (6-4) have been fighting it out with No. 13 Patterson Mill for supremacy in Harford. During the past week Patterson Mill took a big step forward beating North Harford and C. Milton Wright stumbled against Bel Air.

Playoffs begin for the public schools Oct. 26 and for the privates Oct. 29. By then we'll all know who had the best regular seasons. But, as we know from past experience, the post-season can be a whole different story.