The Challenge: 10 Available Maryland 2026 Guards to Watch

This weekend, The Challenge invades York, Pa as the event will feature over 120 teams from the boys' varsity, junior varsity, and girls' varsity levels. A handful of states will be represented as well as a couple of programs from Canada as high school teams gear up for their 2025-26 season. For this article, we'll highlight 10 guards belonging to the 2026 class who should be on radars heading into the event.    Moultrie comes into his senior campaign expected to be one of the leaders for a Spalding team that boasts a roster capable of making a run at both the BCL and MIAA crowns. The 6-foot-3 strong-framed guard is garnering interest from various levels thanks to his effectiveness on the ball getting downhill and attacking the rim. He spent much of his summer as an initiator, but should have more of a balanced approach offensively getting back into the groove with his scholastic team. Moultrie's two-way impact will be key not only in furthering his recruitment, but also the overall success of his team.     Lyons was one of the bigger stock risers in the 2026 DMV class thanks to his play throughout the June scholastic live period. His dynamism and ability to play either on or off the ball elevated his name onto the radars of Division I programs. He shares the backcourt duties with his brother, J'Lon, a highly-sought after 2027 point guard with national interest, but does so with efficiency and productivity in a multitude of ways. Lyons' crafty, high-level processing ability on the ball alongside the athletic, talented names on the Clinton Grace roster should result in plenty of highlight reel material for those on the baseline.     Johnson enters his senior season with momentum coming off last year's state title run led by current Michigan State freshman Cam Ward. The 6-foot-2 southpaw combo guard brings tremendous toughness as a slasher who can finish through contact on drives to the rim. In space, his athleticism emerges in the form of one-handed throwdowns and if he's left open on the catch from beyond the arc, he can make the defense pay with a cool, confident trigger. While the void left behind by Ward will be impossible to fill, Largo's success should be a direct reflection on the play that head coach Rodney Ward gets from Johnson.     Robinson made the move to Riverdale to finish out his high school career and it should end up benefitting him when all is said and done. At 6-foot-2, he brings a bigger presence thanks to his athletic pop, competitive motor, and plus length. He's proven throughout his various stops in high school or with different grassroots programs that his slashing ability can translate within any system. Robinson's production doesn't depend on his time spent with the ball. He's a good off-ball mover who makes timely backdoor or baseline cuts and gets involved with his mindset of crashing the offensive boards for second-chance points. His physical makeup also equates to an effective, versatile defensive option at the high school level and should bode well at his new home.     Harvey's name started to be the topic of conversations this summer as well between his showing throughout the June live weekends and his production with [program_tooltip program_id='2078456' first='DC' last='Premier']. A lanky, 6-foot-3 guard with three-level scoring ability, Harvey emerges as a primary option for head coach Mike Glasby this season. Severn has proven to be a consistent force in the MIAA B Conference and Harvey has plenty of experience in helping with those efforts. Now as one of the main focal points, the Admirals will depend heavily on his improvements over the last six months to put them in a position to contend once again for the conference hardware come early 2026.     Mount St. Joe has had great success over the years with transfers out of the WCAC going back to Amani Hansberry (Va Tech) and Jordan Brathwaite (Yale). Simley looks to be next in line as he'll bring size and scoring to a Gaels' starting lineup that was in need of such services. Mount St. Joe's intentions are never to just compete. With their rich history, anything less than a league title is short of their goals and along with [player_tooltip player_id='2252277' first='BJ' last='Ranson'] (St. Joe's) and a handful of talented 2027 and 2028 prospects, Simley will look to step in as a leader and continue to live up to those standards.     Another name that should be starred on Clinton Grace's roster is Owinje. A wing hovering around 6-foot-6, Owinje brings tremendous floor-spacing with his long-range shooting ability that extends a few feet beyond the high school line. He's the type of microwave shooter that can quickly bury 3-to-4 in a row and completely change the course of a game in a few possessions. He's grown as a creator when attacking closeouts and can be used in a variety of ways defensively due to his size and length.     Martin is another name out of the DMV area that has made waves within the LM/LM+ community. He's a 6-foot-2 sharpshooter who, similar to Owinje, can fill it up from beyond the arc in a hurry. Where he improved the most this summer was his ability to create off the bounce both for himself and as a processor for others. Baba Oladotun won't be with Blake this weekend as he sets off for his official visit to Georgetown, which means there will be even more opportunity to Martin to showcase the improvements within his entire skill set.     McLaughlin remains one of the more underrated point guards in the DMV. When you consider the amount of games he has under his belt against high-level competition and his ability to not only perform, but create the thrive playing under pressure, it's something that any coach needs from their floor general. He prides himself with his tenacious defense where his lightning quick lateral movement combined with active hands and anticipation skills make it a nightmare for his matchups throughout the course of a 32-minute game. Offensively he's looking to make the right read in various scenarios. In ball screens, he has patience to await response from the backline of the defense dissect the floor based off those movements as a passer, but also keeps the coverage honest with his ability to finish floaters with soft touch. McLaughlin will be the lifeline for Riverdale this season and The Challenge will be a good event to establish that.     Similar to McLaughlin above, Saint Pierre is going to be the bell cow for his scholastic team this winter. The Lakers are one of the younger teams in the MIAA A Conference, so they'll depend heavily on the experience that Saint Pierre brings as the point guard. It'll be critical that he shows the steady progression of controlling the pace of games and being assertive as a scorer while understanding the importance of remaining efficient and unselfish when the moment calls in order to instill confidence in the underclassmen around him. Not only will all of those traits bring good results to the Lakers' record, but it'll also simultaneously uplift momentum having to do with his recruiting picture.

This weekend, The Challenge invades York, Pa as the event will feature over 120 teams from the boys' varsity, junior varsity, and girls' varsity levels. A handful of states will be represented as well as a couple of programs from Canada as high school teams gear up for their 2025-26 season. For this article, we'll highlight 10 guards belonging to the 2026 class who should be on radars heading into the event.