Fluvanna Sports in Review 8/25

Varsity Football

Fluvanna Football is finally beginning to kick into gear, and the season has only just begun. On Aug. 15 at the second scrimmage of the year, the varsity team faced off against FUMA on Phil Browning field. After a hard-fought match, the game ended with FUMA in the lead. “Long story short… we gave a good effort against a very tough opponent,” said FCHS Coach Mitchell Pace.

The game wasn’t entirely a loss, as there were some very impressive moments throughout the match. “Defense put up a solid effort in the second half, holding FUMA scoreless in the third and fourth quarters,” said Pace. The team also managed to make some difficult touchdowns that revealed their skill and determination. Junior Prophett Harris caught a touchdown thrown by Senior Ethan Graves approximately 15 yards away, while senior Trevor O’Dell had an eight-yard rushing touchdown.

One of the varsity coaches, Pace has quite a bit of experience with the sport, having coached for 12 years, all of them at Fluvanna. Pace was also a quarterback and defensive backer during his years as a student at FCHS.

Pace said his philosophy for coaching entails hard work, “developing the young man, and not just the player,” and most importantly, having fun doing it. He believes this team has massive potential, and suggested some players to look out for, including Harris and O’Dell, as well as Junior Nate Smith and Senior Drew Hamshar. The first official game takes place on Aug. 25.

Volleyball

The Fluvanna volleyball teams are starting out on a strong foot, with varsity winning their most recent match at Broadway on Aug. 22. Varsity Coach Christi Harlowe is extremely proud of her team, and has high hopes for their future. “There is great chemistry this season on both teams,” said Harlowe, adding that “both teams are young and energetic.”

Harlowe has been at FCHS for 17 years, and has led her teams to victory many times. This year’s varsity team is being led by four seniors: Abby Sherman, Candice Shaheen, Madison Stoltz, and Abby Searcy. The varsity team has another match against Broadway on Aug. 29.

Golf

Once again, the FCHS golf team began their season under the oversight of Coach Bryan Searcy, who has been the head coach for the golf team for nine years. “I’m excited about having a team full of potential,” he said, adding that the players to look out for this season include Junior Joe Pace, Junior Jack Kershner, Sophomore Justin Warner, Sophomore Ethan Yancey, and Freshman Jarred Williams.

The Golf team kicked off the action on Aug. 17 in a match at home against Orange County and Madison County. In that match, Pace was the medalist with a score of 39 strokes.

“I placed first in the match and so did the team, which is always good, and we did what we had to do and we won the match,” said Pace. Yancey placed second with a score of 44 strokes.

Other Flucos who finished in the top five for the team were Warner, who placed third with a score of 46 strokes, and Kershner who scored 47 strokes and placed fourth. The Flucos came in first in the match overall, with a total score of 176.

On Aug,  22, the Flucos visited Monticello High School in their third match of the season, achieving a total score of 181. Flucos placing in the top four included Pace with a score of 45, Yancey and Warner with 44 strokes each, and Kershner with 48 strokes.

Next, the Flucos went up against Charlottesville High School on Aug. 23. The match was very close, with the Flucos winning by only one point for a combined score of 173, with the top four being Pace with a score of 43, Warner with 42, and Kershner and Williams each scoring 44.

Cross country

The cross country team bolted into action on Aug. 23 against Goochland. Finishing in the top 10 in the men’s 5k were Senior Jack Rice (2nd), Freshman Ben Lopez (3rd), Junior John Bossong (4th), Senior Ethan Solga (7th), Senior Conrad Graham (8th), Freshman Jacob Collier (9th), and Junior Ethan Vernatter (10th).

The Flucos’ long-time boys’ coach, Tom Casto, had no idea in high school that he’d end up spending 28 years coaching cross country. “I started as a pole vaulter, but then when I started coaching, a coach got me interested into running distance races,” said Casto. “The first eight years were at the middle school level and the other 20 have been at the high school level,” he said.

He stated that he is excited for this upcoming season because they have over 90 athletes ranging from 6th-12th grade between the boys’ and girls’ teams. Casto said that the boys to watch this season include Senior Jack Rice, Junior John Bossong, and Freshman Ben Lopez. “Hopefully, new runners will join them at the front of the pack,” he said, adding that compared to last year, the number of male runners has declined, while the number of female runners has expanded significantly.

Meanwhile, the Lady Flucos cross country team also competed on Aug. 23, with a number of athletes placing in the top 10, including Freshman Emily Smeds (1st), Senior Saige Haney (2nd), Sophomore Hattie Lintecum (3rd), Senior Kristen Cabrera (4th), Sophomore Shae Jonkman (6th), Freshman Emily Beckman (7th), Junior Brianna Parker (9th), and Senior Niva Hoffman (10th).

Coach Rose Brogan has been the women’s cross country coach for a total of 25 years. She coached for four years at other schools before settling down in Fluvanna where she has coached for 21 years. Brogan said she is relying on the experienced veterans to show the up-and-coming runners how it is done. She said that Haney, Hoffman, and Parker are some of the athletes to keep an eye out for this season.

“With 60 ladies running this season, ranging from 6-12th grade, I am hoping to have an injury-free season,” she added.