Earl Lauer - River Hill Cross Country

River Hill cross country coach Earl Lauer, who has patrolled sidelines in Howard County for 44 years, is the inaugural County Sports Zone/Buffalo Wild Wings Coach of the Month for August, 2014.

Coach Lauer was nominated by the parent of one of his senior athletes.

"Coach Lauer is an amazing coach is communicative with parents and student athletes," the parent said in an email to County Sports Zone. "He cuts based only on time even though he carries more than 90 kids on his roster. He does an amazing job. My child is a senior this year and he loves Cross Country because of Coach Lauer! Coach has helped to make my child's four years at high school positive."

Coach Lauer said before practice Tuesday that he is most proud of the more than 100 county, regional and state titles that he has won, and being named coach of the year by the National Federation of State High School Associations in 2012. His teams have won 13 state championships in four different sports.

A 1966 graduate of Montgomery County's Springbrook High School, Coach Lauer began his coaching career at Glenelg High School, where he started Howard County's first girls track team in 1977. He then coached at Atholton High School for 23 years before coming to River Hill High School when it opened in 1996. He retired from teaching eight years ago, but has continued to coach.

For being named County Sports Zone/Buffalo Wild Wings Coach of the Month, Coach Lauer received a gift certificate, a box of sauces and a hat from Buffalo Wild Wings, and a County Sports Zone Under Armour t-shirt.

If you'd like to make a nomination for next month's County Sports Zone/Buffalo Wild Wings Coach of The Month, click here.

Congratulations to Coach Earl Lauer!