Cross Country

Hard work and determination is what comes deep from within when doubts begin to set in and you have nothing left in the race, but know the finish line is right around the corner.  The Fluvanna boys’ and girls’ cross country teams endure long runs and gruesome cramps, but having full determination is what makes them so successful.  They had a very impressive meet on Sept. 17 as both teams visited Powhatan High School with high hopes to come out on top.

The boys finished third in their quad-meet, beating Orange but trailing Louisa and Powhatan.  Keeping the Fluvanna tradition going strong, senior Travis Moe finished first overall, while junior Jonathan Corbin finished third overall.  An up-coming star on the cross country team, freshman Jack Rice ran his way into the top seven with an outstanding time of 20:10 on the 5k run. “It’s my first time being in the top seven and I think that’s good being a freshman,” he said.  Rice hopes to someday replace the top runners on the team. “I will watch the guys in front of me and stick with them,” he said.

The girls’ Cross Country team also knows a lot about winning as they took first place over Louisa, Powhatan, and Orange at the Sept. 17 meet where they placed six runners into the top ten.  Kristen Cabrera placed first, Hayley Kline third, Saige Haney fourth, Jackie Rodriguez fifth, Haley Kennedy seventh, and Peyton Olinger in tenth.  This was the second race in a row where Cabrera came first. “It wasn’t a course where you could get your personal best time, but everyone did well.  We almost had a perfect score even though we were missing two runners,” Cabrera said.

The JV girls also won fairly easily with Julie Fahy placing first, Niva Hoffman second, and Renee Milligan in third.  “It’s exciting. I feel like I pushed myself well. Everyone who was in the race did really well.  The course was really slow with lots of hills, but it was a good race,” said Fahy, who is in her second season on the JV team.

Freshman Camryn Frederick, who is also on the JV girls’ team and finished tenth at the meet, improved her time and place over the previous races. “I run 30-50 miles per week but I take Sundays off.  We run in the morning several days a week and in the afternoons on the other days,” she said. Both the boys’ and girls’ teams will host a home meet on Sept. 24 at Pleasant Grove.

Volleyball

Getting into the heart of their season, the Fluvanna volleyball team took on one of the best teams in the state, the Albemarle Patriots, on Sept. 16.  This game started their district play, and what better way to start districts off than beating the best, which they did.  The Flucos entered the game with a winning attitude. “We were so hype and had a lot of confidence in ourselves and knew we could do it,” said junior Ashley Cordes.  The teams went back and forth all night going match for match and point for point and playing all five sets.

Finally, the Flucos gained a lead and didn’t look back, cruising to a 15-11 win against Albemarle.  Anyone who knows the kind of tension and pressure it takes to beat a top-ranked team knows that it’s a huge game, but that makes winning that much sweeter. “We felt amazing and accomplished because we haven’t beaten them in such a long time [but] we knew we were capable of beating them,” said Cordes.  The Flucos have high expectations to make a run at a state title. “We know we can beat anyone no matter what if we have the right mindset, so our focus is to keep working as a team and communicate,” said Cordes.  The Lady Flucos also beat Orange in three sets on Sept. 18, improving their record to 7-1 and 2-0 (in the Jefferson District).

As for the JV team, the girls lost against Albemarle, but picked up a win against Orange as they continue to work and follow in the varsity team’s footsteps.  Both teams played away at Monticello on Sept. 23 and will come back home to host Louisa on Sept. 25.

Golf

The golf team placed 3rd out of four teams at Waynesboro on Sept. 15. Jack Stanke shot a 43, Nick Yancey shot a 45, Brennan Baber shot a 47, Tyler Marshall shot a 49, and Christian Baber and Kaitlin Presley both shot 57’s, all for an impressive total of 241. It was their lowest score as a team this year. “I was number one scorer, but it was more everyone else who made this possible. They all had great rounds too,” said Stanke.

The Flucos’ next challenge was Sept. 16 at Meadow Creek against Charlottesville in a district match. The Flucos fell to Charlottesville with Stanke scoring a 46, Yancey scoring a 45, Presley scoring a 59, Christian Baber scoring a 51, Brennan Baber scoring a 53, and Marshall scoring a 56. Finally, in what marked a very busy week, the Flucos faced off against Western Albemarle on Sept. 18 at Lake Monticello. Despite a home course advantage, the team had a stroke of bad luck and lost the match. On a brighter note, Stanke once again took his place as the team’s lead scorer with a 39.

The team began District championship matches on Sept. 22 at Powhatan.

Football

The Varsity team had a rocky start to their season this year with a loss against William Fleming. However, things seemed promising at their Sept. 19 game against the Culpeper Blue Devils, especially after sophomore Mark Grooms scored the first touchdown of the game with a 10 yard run. But the game soon slowed down for the Flucos, with only three points scored in the second quarter. During the third quarter, Grooms scored a second touchdown, but then the luck seemed to dry up for the Flucos, as they scored no points in the fourth quarter.

As for Culpepper, they quickly responded to the Fluco’s first touchdown and put points on the board. Ultimately, the Blue Devils won the game 41-16, capitalizing on the Flucos’ fumbles and scoring six touchdowns, five of which were running plays.  “Their running game was pretty good. They hit the hole hard and fast,” said senior Markyll Bland.

Tensions were high after the final play of the game when a small altercation broke out between the two teams, resulting in the suspension of two players from Fluvanna. The Flucos, who may challenge VHSL (Virginia High School League) on the suspensions, appear energized to do what it takes to come out of their next game victorious. “We’re going to watch tapes and see what we need to improve,” said Bland. They next face off against Albemarle in an away game on Sept. 26.

Meanwhile, the JV team had their own run against Culpepper on Sept. 17. The Flucos fought hard, but fell to Culpeper 6-35, bringing their season record to 0-3. “We had good plays, but we collapsed,” said freshman Trevor O’Dell. While saying that the Flucos’ play was “inconsistent” throughout the game, he also noted that size was a major factor. “Almost all of us are freshmen and we’re playing 10th graders, so it’s hard. In one year you can gain 20 pounds in the weight room, so some opponents are just heavier built,” O’Dell said.

Despite a rocky start to their season, the boys remain hopeful about the future. “We did really well last night when people were cheering, so come support us,” said O’Dell. The team will face off against Albemarle at home on Sept. 24.