Girls’ Basketball

On Dec. 10, the Fluvanna girls’ varsity basketball team traveled to Turner Ashby. The team was patient on offense and played tough on defense and it showed, with the Fluucos coming away with a final score of 39-33. Their next game was on Dec. 13 at Albemarle High School where they took on the Patriots.

The Flucos never gave up, but ultimately fell short by a score of 24-37. “We played hard as a team, but shots just weren’t falling for us,” said Senior Chaniya Brown. Brown broke Fluvanna’s all-time single game steals record with 10 steals, then broke her own record the next day with 11 steals. The next day, Fluvanna was home and faced the Waynesboro Little Giants. The Flucos ran up and down the court fast, and were able to make easy layups in transition. Every player that stepped on the court gave it their all, and the results proved it. The girls came away with a win and a final score of 53-28.

Meanwhile, the JV team took on Turner Ashby on Dec. 10, and ending up losing 11-36. At their next game on Dec. 13, they traveled to Albemarle where they played hard defense throughout the whole game, but shots wouldn’t fall for the Lady Flucos, resulting in a loss of 19-33. Still, they found a win on Dec. 14 in their game against Waynesboro with a score of 29-23. Fighting hard throughout the game, the girls came back from being down at halftime and sent the game into overtime. It all came down to who wanted it the most. “The game was very competitive and hard-fought between two young teams. Our girls showed great energy, effort and determination to be down ​at halftime, but continued to grind through the adversity and were victorious in the end,” said Coach Jamie Stafford. “I am super proud of them to not give up, [and] continue to support and believe in each other, but most importantly, to ‘Play Hard, Play Smart and Think Team’.”

Boys’ Basketball

The Varsity team took on the Turner Ashby Knights on Dec. 10. Heading into halftime, the Flucos were down, but the boys kept fighting and didn’t give up. In the end, the more shots began to fall, but it wasn’t enough, leaving them with a score of 33-52. On Dec. 13 they took on Albemarle at home, and leading into the game the Flucos knew they would be faced with a difficult challenge. The Flucos ended up losing the game 29-90 as the Albemarle Patriots proved to be the better team.

Back on the court Dec. 14, the varsity boys took on Waynesboro and played some tough defense. Senior Josh Carlton took three charges in the game. Although they fought until the buzzer, the Flucos fell short, ending with a score of 40-48. “We are continuing to work on building team chemistry and we are battling each and every night. As a team we are focusing on our effort, intensity, and execution as we continue to get better each time out,” said Coach Jason Davis.

Before the Varsity game on Dec. 10, the JV boys stepped on the court to face Turner Ashby. Despite hustling the entire game, the boys ended up losing 39-52. “The team has shown glimpses of great things during the season so far, but we need to produce at that level on a more consistent basis. A lot of what we are trying to accomplish cannot be found in a box score, so our attention to detail must improve on a day-to-day basis if we want to see our outcomes change,” said JV Coach Jason Barnett.

   Walking on the court Dec. 14 against Waynesboro, the Flucos came ready to fight, playing aggressive defense. Still, at the end of the game the boys ended up losing by a disappointing 41-45.

Forensics

At their first hosting tournament of the season, the Flucos had many competitors place and qualify for States, including the following: Alex Pellicane (3rd in Extemp); Savannah Forren/Maddie Garrett (3rd in Duo); Caden Kozlowski/Paul Nazari (4th in Duo); Delaney Hammond (4th in Declamation); Nikola Bajs (4th in Student Congress); Alex Logan/Kate Moncure (5th in Duo).

These students also qualified for States: Mia Gonzalez (Original), Eva McGehee, (Student Congress); Julianne Bryant (Original); Trinity Haynes (Dramatic Interpretation); and Corban Van Ornum (Oral Interpretation). Their next competition will be Jan. 7 against Charlottesville and Waynesboro.

Swim

As their season heated up, the Flucos swim team had two close swim meets, with the first being at FUMA on Dec 10 where the girls came in 3rd place out of six teams. The Flucos’ 200 free relay team placed 2nd, and Fefe Nardone placed 2nd in Fly and 3rd in backstroke, while Caylyn McNaul placed 3rd in breaststroke.

On Dec. 13,  the swim team travelled to Woodberry Forest where both the boys’ and girls’ teams got 2nd place. Some standouts included the boys’ medley relay consisting of Brennan King, Mike Defazio, Morgan Milburn, and Josh Rocklein. Jack Kershner placed 2nd in the 200 IM, and Defazio placed 2nd in the 100 fly and in the 100 back, qualifying for States in both. The boys placed 2nd in the 200 free relay with a team consisting of King, Defazio, Milburn, and Rocklein. “We have a small, but fast boys’ team,” said Coach Feda Morton.

Meanwhile, the girls’ medley relay (Sophie Kershner, Emma Defazio, Morgan Maupin, and Zoe Moore) received 2nd place. Emma Defazio placed 2nd in IM and 100 back, Moore placed 1st in the 500 free, and the 200 free relay team of Kershner, Sheridan Smith, Maupin, and Moore placed 2nd. The Flucos’ next swim meet will be the Ben Hair tournament on Jan. 3.

Wrestling

At the wrestling meet on Dec. 10 at Harrisonburg, Ian Dillon placed second overall. “Determination and wrestling smart made the difference in this match,” said Ian Dillon. Assistant Coach Jordan Divine complemented Dillon on his performance. “Ian made it to the finals because he wrestled all the way through the second period. He pinned his opponent despite being down and there being seconds left on the clock. Ian is explosive and fast, [and] when he utilizes his speed and continues to move, he is difficult to stop. He worked hard in the off-season training with the team, going to camps, and to two national tournaments in Virginia Beach,” he said.

On Dec. 14, the wrestling team had a tri meet with Orange and Charlottesville. They defeated Charlottesville and fell short to Orange.