Cross Country

On Sept. 10, the cross country teams had a meet at the FUMA Invitational. In the middle of the meet, race physicians asked the officials to change the course of the race due to the heat since many students were starting to suffer from heat stroke. Officials had to cut the race short from 3.1 miles to 2.5 miles. Even so, numerous students still had a problem with the heat. “It wasn’t a big problem until halfway through the race, [but] with so many people it seemed even hotter,” said Sophomore McKenzie Herring.

  The cross country teams have a strong relationship with their teammates and consider themselves as a family. “We’re all supportive of each other after every race, and we hang out as a team after practice,” said Sophomore Alexus Campbell. Team members say they hope that pushing themselves harder everyday at practice and having better formations while running will help them improve and get better times at their next race.

Both boys’ and girls’ cross country teams both had meets on Sept. 14 away at Powhatan. This race was only for team members who qualified from the previous race. This year’s cross country team has so many team members they can’t all fit on one bus, so runners must meet a specific time at their previous races in order to attend away meets.  One highlight of the Sept. 14 meet was that for the 2500 run, the boys’ team placed 6th overall among 12, while the girls placed 6th overall among 11.   

The next meet for the cross country team will be on Sept. 20 home against Monticello.

Football

The week of Sept. 5-9 was a bye week, meaning the varsity football team did not play any games that week. This gave players time to prepare for their upcoming game against Culpeper, and allow them to some time to heal players’ injuries.  This year’s  team has five senior captains, including linebacker and tailback Craig Russo, Mark Grooms , lineman Jake Morris, linebacker and tailback Jordan Melton, and lineman Chase Payne.

“The biggest goal for this season is to show improvement from the beginning to the end,” said Coach Steven Szarmach. With the theme this year being “Fluco Up,” Coach Szarmach is trying to show his players that they can be better than just average, and  to work together and be strong throughout the season. The biggest technique the team has focused on to improve is to score early on in order to set a positive tone for the rest of the game. Szarmach said he also believes that fixing mistakes and staying consistent will help them reach their goals.  “We have a great team chemistry, and are definitely hoping for more wins this season,” said Senior Josh Carlton, who is a wide receiver.  

Meanwhile, the JV football team had a game on Sept. 14 at home against Culpeper. The boys had a tough game which ended with a score of 26-18 with Culpeper taking the win. Still, the boys took satisfaction in pushing themselves to do their best. “It was a great effort by the team and we fought until the very end. Even though we didn’t win, we gave it everything we had. I’m positive Culpeper is going to respect us a little bit more knowing that we never give up,” said Sophomore Jayvin White.

The next varsity game will be Sept. 16 at Culpeper, while the next JV game will be Sept. 21 at Charlottesville High School.

Volleyball

On Sept. 10, the Lady Flucos attended the AHS Invitational, a weekend tournament at Albemarle High School. After hours of play and five matches, the Flucos finished with a score of 2-3. “I think we are coming together and will continue to improve. We have faced some tough competition in our preseason and it will serve us,” said Head Coach Christi Harlowe-Garrett.

The Flucos were victorious on Sept. 13 in a match against Charlottesville High School, winning 3-0. Also on Sept. 15, the Lady Flucos brought home another 3-0 win against Louisa. “We’ve come a long way from where we began. We are headed up the right path,” said Senior Toria Belew, who is a defensive specialist.  The Flucos’ next game is Sept. 20.

Golf

Fluco golf had a match on Sept. 14 at Lakeview Golf Course for the Conference 29 tournament. Finishing with a score of 706, they faced Western Albemarle (669), Monticello (722), Spotswood (646), Broadway (682), Waynesboro (971), Turner Ashby (717), and Fort Defiance (659). Spotswood was victorious with a score of 646 in the Conference 29 tournament. “We played really well as a team today. I was extremely proud of the boys played,” said Head Coach Bryan Searcy.  

Also on Sept. 14, the Flucos had a home match at the Lake Monticello golf course in the district tournament. They played against Albemarle, Charlottesville, Monticello, Louisa, Orange, Powhatan, and Western Albemarle. The victor of the district tournament was Louisa. The Flucos’ next match is Sept. 20 at home against Powhatan.