Melissa Page and her Chesapeake-AA Cougars (9-5-1 and the No.2 seed in the Class 4A North region) will have their sticks at the ready Monday evening in their 5:30 game against Perry Hall (7-6, No. 3 seed), but as she assessed the 4A regional matchups in the Maryland Public Secondary School Athletic Association State Field Hockey Tournament, she had no doubt about where the toughest competition would be playing.

“I can just say when the state realigned a couple years ago, we celebrated,” said Page, who plays the regular season in Anne Arundel County, where Severna Park has reigned as state champion 19 out of the past 30 years, including the past five. “We celebrated getting out of the East and into the North region.

“Severna Park, I went through that program, and in a way it’s like getting brainwashed. They always have a mental edge.”

Until last week in the District V Title game between Severna Park and Glenelg -- the top teams in Anne Arundel and Howard Counties, respectively -- the No. 1 Severna Park Falcons had been unbeaten. But No. 3 Glenelg changed that, winning, 2-1.

The loss did several things.

In Tuesday’s Baltimore Sun poll, there will be a new No. 1. Glenelg’s victory pushed No. 2 South River, which had beaten Glenelg, 3-2, earlier this season, into first place. Glenelg, meanwhile, moves up to No. 2 and Severna Park falls to No. 3.

At South River on Monday, coach Katie Corcoran said: “It’s hard for me to wrap my head around the idea we’re No. 1. We have a huge game against Broadneck [on Monday night], and I feel we have to beat them before the No. 1 ranking and the Glenelg win really mean anything. This game with Broadneck will let us know where we stand.”

Broadneck, the No. 3 seed, plays at No. 2 seed South River on Monday night at 7, while top seed Severna Park will be on its home field against Leonardtown, the fourth seed.

In Anne Arundel County, Severna Park is Big Foot, but South River (14-1), whose only loss was to Severna Park, and Broadneck (13-2), who lost only to Severna Park and South River, are A and B entries on the same card. Those three teams always seem to be at one another's throats.

“It’s always tough playing all three of them,” said Page, the Chesapeake coach. “You never know who is going to come out on top. My girls always try to get up for those games, and though we lost to Severna Park, we scored three goals against their very tough defense. It was our best game of the season.”

The fact that Glenelg beat the Falcons, the fact that Severna Park’s crosstown rival Severn tied them, and the fact that her own Cougars were able to make an impression on them makes Page and a number of other coaches believe someone other than Severna Park might come out of the tough 4A East region for the first time in seven years.

“My prediction is I don’t think Severna Park will get to states this year,” Page said. “I know Lil [Falcons coach Lil Shelton] is trying for her [20th] title, but I think it is going to be the winner of the South River/Broadneck game who will advance to the regional championship and go to the state final.”

At South River, Corcoran wasn’t willing to look past Broadneck, but she did allow one thing.

“It would be wonderful to have a new regional champion, no matter who it is,” she said.