Football

On Oct. 28, the varsity football team had a home game against Powhatan. “We started off a bit slow in the first half, but we turned it around in the second half and went toe-to-toe with them. Take away a few of the mistakes and a few missed tackles, and we would’ve been right there with them,” said quarterback Ethan Graves.

Despite those mistakes and the fact that many team members are either out for the season or coping with injuries, the Flucos made a comeback. In the third quarter, Dylan Walker pass the ball to quarterback Jordan Melton and helped him score their first touchdown of the game, while senior Craig Russo also scored another touchdown. Each touchdown, the Flucos tried but failed to make a two-point conversion.

Still, said Graves, “We didn’t give up. Despite being down 24-0 at halftime, we were resilient and we didn’t quit. As long as we keep a no quit attitude, we’ll be alright.” Ultimately, the Flucos lost their last home game by a final score of 43-12.

As for JV, they took on Orange on Oct. 31 for their last game of the season and emerged with a solid win of 46-34. “They had a good start with a lead of 14-0, but we rallied and played a good game, probably our best effort of the year,” said outside linebacker Kent Snoddy. This gave the team an overall record of 4-6 for the season. “It’s a better step forward than last year by a whole lot,” said Snoddy.

Volleyball

The Lady Flucos played Fort Defiance away on Oct. 31 for their first game in the conference.  “I don’t think everyone gave 100%, and in the end that’s why they came out on the top,” said setter and outside hitter Amanda Harris.  The Lady Flucos lost 3-0, an unexpected loss for the team.

“Our attitudes were high going into the game and we felt pretty confident. But mid-way through each set, things changed. I think we played pretty well, but then they would get a run on us and our scores would drop. We didn’t play cohesively. I’m hoping the juniors and underclassmen can learn from that experience so they can improve the outcome for next season,” said middle hitter Sophie Kershner. Defensive specialist Toria Belew added, “I definitely don’t think we should have lost in three. For the skill level of the team, we should at least have gone to five.”

This defeat marks their last game and the end of the Flucos’ volleyball season. “ But we never gave up on each other as a team,” said Harris.

ACE

On Nov. 1, the team started their season with their annual “Battle of the Brains” competition which is filmed by CBS 6 in Richmond and will air in early February. On Nov. 2, the Academic (ACE) team participated in their second VHSL competition. “They won three out of three decisively,” said ACE Coach Jimmy Small, noting that they defeated Louisa, Charlottesville, and Western Albemarle high schools. “It’s good to know that we have a strong team going into our season,” said Small.

The ACE team does not have a particular subject of study, so a wide variety of knowledge is essential, as competition questions can range from “history, to math, to… Norse mythology,” said Senior Sophie Kershner.

Cross Country

In the Cross Country season’s penultimate race, Jackie Rodriguez and Saige Haney finished 21st and 16th respectively with times of 20:27 and 20:06. Jack Rice, unfortunately, finished just outside of the time required to progress to States. Rice said that he was “hunting the guy down by the end.”

As she prepares for her final race of the season, Rodriguez said she is “trying to find the perfect pace.”  She and Hayney perform what are called “thousand repeats” which have the participants running a number of kilometers, with one minute breaks every kilometer. “It really teaches you how to pace yourself,” Rodriguez said. She said that she runs for about 12 hours per week, including practice. Another activity they do to prepare for races is “tapering,” which is where the athlete lessens their activity in anticipation of a race, in order to be less fatigued and sore when the race actually commences.

The Cross-Country State Championship race will be held on Nov. 11 on the Great Meadow course in The Plains, Virginia. “It’s a really nice course,” said Rodriguez, who noted that it is a fast course with few hills.