Meanwhile, when the girls took on the Charlottesville Black Knights on Sept. 27, their improvement plan to “provide positive and constructive feedback” worked: The girls prevailed with a final score of 2-0.
As for the girls’ varsity team, they had two successes last week, beating both the Powhatan Indians on Sept. 25 with a final score of 3-1, and the Charlottesville Black Knights on Sept. 27 with a final score of 2-0. According to Varsity Coach Christy Harlowe-Garrett, “the girls learned from their mistakes in game one and came together in game two.”
Both girls’ volleyball teams had home games against Monticello High School on Oct. 2, followed by away games at Western Albemarle on Oct. 4.
Cheerleading
On Sept. 27, the Fluco cheerleaders turned out for their first competition of the year at Western Albemarle. The girls admitted that they went into the competition knowing their routine wasn’t as great as it could be. “We didn’t have a lot of time to practice, so we didn’t do very good,” said senior Captain Abby Hutcherson.
Although the girls didn’t place this time around, they aren’t letting that get them down. “We have three weeks until districts and we’re getting new cheer mats, which will help tremendously,” Hutcherson said. In the meantime, they are working hard to improve. “We have practices on Saturday which last for about four hours,” said senior Amanda Downs.
Their practices consist of push-ups, lots of running, and of course, cheering. To help perfect their performance, they also have “late practices on Tuesdays and Wednesdays,” said Downs.With time and resources on their side, the girls plan to be better prepared when districts takes place at Fluvanna on Oct. 18. “We have determination and strength and we believe we will succeed. We have the potential,” said Hutcherson.
Cross country
The Fluvanna boys’ and girls’ cross country team traveled to Spotsylvania High School on Sept. 26 to race a 5K against the Courtland Cougars, the Massaponax Panthers, and the Spotsylvania Knights. The girls’ team dominated the course and took home first place with a total of 19 points, while the boys’ team took third place scoring 63 points. “The course was relatively flat, but it was difficult only because we didn’t get to warm up and stretch,” said junior Douglas Daniels. Luckily for Daniels, he ran 19:58 and made his goal, which was to run the course in under 20 minutes. “My next goal is to get under 18:30,” he said.
For the girls’ team, it was another heady win which they accomplished handily. “This course was a lot easier than Woodberry,” said sophomore and team newcomer Maggie Benvenutti. With the team going strong, they planned to come out ready and hard for its next meet, which took place at Maymont on Sept. 29.
“This year was a lot better because it was 65 degrees and rainy, versus last year where it was 98 degrees,” said veteran runner Brooke Haislip. The girls’ team placed second in the Coastal Division, while the boys’ team placed twelfth. Even though they didn’t place as high, the boys still ran a great race. “Everyone on the boys’ team ran a personal best,” said senior Chris Markham. After the long race and the huge festival with music and food, the team traveled to the Arby’s in Short Pump for a “luxurious and filling meal,” said Haislip.
Junior varsity football
The junior varsity football team made a comeback from last year and defeated the Black Knights at Charlottesville High School on Sep. 26. “Last year, we were lazy, but this year we came out more focused and went all out,” said sophomore Bowen Reed. Recovering from its recent loss at Kettle Run, the team worked on “improving communication, catching the ball, and our offense,” Reed said. “We worked on control of the ball,” added sophomore Markyll Bland.
With control of the ball, Bland helped the team out by “intercepting the pass and scoring a touchdown,” said Varsity Coach Mitchell Pace. The Flucos also took on the Louisa Lions at the Phil Browning Stadium on Oct. 3, and will face Powhatan at home on Oct. 10.
Varsity football
In the last two seasons of match-ups, the varsity football team has been victorious over the Charlottesville’s Black Knights. That record was broken on Sept. 28 when the Flucos had a turn of events and lost to the Black Knights 34-41. “It was tough because it was a game we could have won,” said junior Jesse Vandyke. Taking position on the field, the team “came in focused,” said senior Dashon Tibbs. However, according to senior Cristian Franco, they “lost it for short periods of time and struggled to regain it.” Even though they lost, the players have vowed to not “make many mental mistakes,” and “work hard throughout the week,” Tibbs and Vandyke shared. “The team has to get in gear knowing we only have four weeks left of football,” added Tibbs. Their next game is on Oct. 5 away at Louisa followed by an away game at Powhatan on Oct. 12.
