Fluco Sports In Review (LongFormTest)

Boys’ Basketball

The JV boys travelled to William Monroe on Dec. 11 and played a hard-fought game, but ended up losing 38-41. “The first half we played bad, and we picked it up in the second half, but it wasn’t enough. I could tell my team really wanted to win,” said freshman Christopher Whittle. He added that he was impressed with how, despite being down the entire game, the team kept their cool and supported everyone on the bench and on the court. “We did a good job on blocking out all the negativity from the William Monroe bleachers,” said Whittle.

The next night they travelled to Charlottesville High School, only to lose to the Black Knights by a score of 57-36. Immediately afterward, the varsity Flucos tried their hand in the game, but with disappointing results, losing heavily to the Black Knights by a score of 72-37. “The team played great in the first half, I thought. We had good confidence and everything was looking good. We were playing our game, doing us, and we were getting good shots playing the way were supposed to,” said senior Michigan Reed.

That all changed at tthe beginning of the third quarter, Reed said. “The tempo, the focus was gone.  We struggled with minor mistakes,” he explained. He went on to explain that he believes these mistakes can easily be corrected in future games through practice and hard work under Jason Davis’s coaching. “Not trying to jinx us, but not only me, but everyone on the team feels like we will do great things,” Reed said. “Like Coach Davis says, ‘take this loss and flush it,’ time to pick our heads up and play hard and get ready for the next game,” he added.

Girls’ Basketball

Both the JV and varsity teams hosted Charlottesville on Dec. 12. The JV girls started off the night by defeating the Black Knights 42-29. “We didn’t play well as a team overall, but I had 14 points. We also experimented with a lot of new plays,” said sophomore Maggie Wentz.

The varsity girls team took to the court next, playing a strong game and keeping the Black Knights on their toes throughout. It was a close game, but in the dying moments of match, Charlottesville clinched the victory. “Even though we lost, I still feel confident enough to beat whoever we come up against,” said junior Kayla Campbell.

Forensics

The Forensics team traveled to Harrisonburg for their third competition of the season on Dec. 14. Twenty-two Flucos qualified for the Shenandoah Valley Forensic League Tournament of Champions in January. Among these Flucos were Corban Van Ornum (Poetry), Kyera Watkins (Prose), Madison Stafford (Hilarious Interpretation), and Alex Logan and Kate Moncure (Serious Duo) who all placed first.

The following students placed second: Delaney Hammond and Trinity Haynes (Serious Duo), Paul Nazari and Cameron Taylor (Humorous Duo), and Hollyn Pleasants (Storytelling). Meanwhile, Sydney Small (Storytelling), Emily Sprouse (HI), and Allie Hanson (Prose) placed third. In fourth place were Jordyn Palmer and Hailey Donald (Humorous Duo), and Mia Gonzalez (Original Oratory) while Ziara Pagan (Poetry) and Jason Hamshar (Prose) took fifth place. Finally, Madison Stafford (Dramatic Interpretation), Sydney Forren (Storytelling), and Sam Hagan (Impromptu) came in sixth.

Indoor Track

On Dec. 13, the indoor track team traveled to Fork Union Military Academy. The Flucos had a great performance, placing first in multiple events. “We all performed really well,” said junior Brianna Parker, “we’re always cheering each other on and hoping for the best.”

Seniors Kristen Cabrera and Alexis Kesterson, sophomore Kieri Hart, and freshman Emily Smeds placed first in the 4×400 meter relay. Smeds also placed first in the 1000 meter run. Cabrera placed first in the 500 meter run, while senior Jack Rice took first in the 1600 meter run.

Their next meet will be Jan. 6 at Liberty.