Fluvanna Sports in Review 9-9

Football

Few Flucos left the FCHS stadium on Sept. 2 without a smile across their faces. Taking their first win in two years, the varsity football team was met by a crowd of rowdy students who charged the football field as soon as the clock ran to zero, leaving the final score Fluvanna 26, Spotsylvania 13. Head Coach Steve Szarmach said that the winning difference was made by “the way the team has worked on and off season and the football players’ ability to follow the game plans.”

Team members started training and conditioning in mid-spring this year, and optional morning practices have also been available for players who want to take the initiative and improve. New players and seniors on the team are both putting in extra effort this year, and it appears to have made a difference. However, according to Senior Football Captain Jordan Melton, “In order to be successful, the team knows that we have to be strong as a unit, and keep up the motivation to win throughout the season. We can’t stop at just one win.”

Other players agree that motivation was what fueled this victory, especially after Senior Football Captain Mark Grooms was injured mid-game after being tackled over a bench by a Spotsylvania player. Grooms recovered after a few plays, but his injury had a powerful effect. Players came together as a team and fought much harder, holding what advantage they had already gained until Grooms rejoined them on the field, reinforcing their new energy. By the end of the game, Grooms scored three of the four touchdowns and was selected as The Daily Progress/Schewels “Player of the Week.”  The remaining touchdown was scored by Freshman Joey Van Dyke.

 “I think we won because the team is starting to gel and become a family. It was great to see the team not fight with one another, but wage war between the lines,” said senior Daniel Myers. Team members say they will be working hard to improve before their next away game against Culpepper on Sept. 16.

 

Boys and Girls’ Cross Country

 

The girls’ cross country meet on Sept. 7 concluded in a 15-50 win over Madison. Top finishers included Saige Haney in 1st, Jackie Rodriguez in 2nd, Hattie Lintecum in 3rd, Niva  Hoffman in 4th, Shae Jonkman in 5th, Annaliese Estes in 6th, and LaMaya Lacy in 7th.

The boys fell short, losing 40-17 to Madison. The top finisher for Fluvanna was Junior Jack Rice, who finished 4th with a time of 21:17 on the 5k course. “I’m working really hard in practice, but I am having trouble translating that over to a race. The meet went in no way as I expected it to, but I’ll get the hang of racing again. It’s still the beginning,” said Rice. The Flucos will race again on Sept. 10 at the FUMA Invitational.

Meanwhile, the 8th grade cross country team competed on Sept. 6, with both teams finishing with a victory at Louisa Middle School. The girls won their meet by a score of 21-40, with top finishers including Emily Smeds in 1st , Emily Beckman in 2nd, and Emily Kennedy in 5th. As for the boys’ team, they won their meet by a score of 23-32. Top finishers included Ben Lopez in 1st, Jacob Collier in 4th, and Aiden Lewandowski in 5th.

 

Golf

 

On Sept. 7, the Fluco golf team faced Western Albemarle in a home match at Lake Monticello. The Flucos fell short, losing 191-168 to the Warriors. Regardless of the score, the Flucos still achieved success when Sophomore Jack Kershner shot the lowest score of the match, receiving medalist honors. Top scorers included Kershner (41), Jack Stanke (45), Joe Pace (49), and Brennan Baber (56). “The team is working hard to get better. We need to clean up our mental approach in order to keep moving forward,” said Head Coach Bryan Searcy. The Flucos’ next match is at Lakeview Course in Harrisonburg on Sept. 14.