By Duncan Nixon
Correspondent
Spring is a very busy season for Fluvanna County High School athletes. There is baseball and softball, boys’ and girls’ soccer, boys’ and girls’ lacrosse, boys’ and girls’ tennis and outdoor track and field.
All of these sports start in the third week of March. The varsity baseball team under coach Joel Gray is the defending Class 3 State champions. They open their season on March 16 and are scheduled to play five games in eight days. The Flucos open at Goochland. Then the next day they play their home opener against Chancellor high. On March 20 they are at Harrisonburg high and on March 24 they are at Western Albemarle. On March 25 they host Goochland.
The softball team has an identical starting schedule to the baseball squad. They play the same schools as listed above on the same days and at the same locations. At the Fluvanna County High School, the fields adjoin each other. The baseball field is at the back of the parking lot, (watch out for foul balls) while the softball field is directly behind the baseball field. It is actually possible to wander from one game to another when both teams are in action at the same time.
The boys’ soccer team also opens its season on March 16 They host Nelson County on that date. The soccer schedule is also busy early on. Five games are scheduled in the first two weeks. On March 19 the boys travel to Goochland. On March 23 they are at Western Albemarle. On March 26 they return home to host Goochland and on March 30 they travel to Nelson County high. Unlike the baseball and softball teams that play at the same locations but on different fields, the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams cannot play at the same location as high schools only have one stadium for football, soccer, lacrosse and track and field. Accordingly, the girls’ soccer team while playing the same opponent as the boys’ team, on the same night, plays at the opposite location.
The girls play at Nelson County on March 16. They host Goochland and Western on March 19 and 23. Then they travel to Goochland on March 26 and host Nelson County on March 30.
The tennis teams also open their seasons on March 16. The boys will be at home hosting Goochland, while the girls travel to Goochland. The Fluvanna athletic facilities will be mobbed on March 16 with baseball, softball, boys’ soccer and boys’ tennis all in action at once. Years ago, these contests would have been held at different venues around the county. Now they are all at the high school.
The boys’ tennis team is scheduled to play at Chancellor high on March 19 and at Goochland on March 23. On March 24 they will be at Western Albemarle. They will host Charlottesville on April 2. The girls’ squad has a very similar schedule, although at opposite locations, like soccer. They play Goochland away on March 16 and at home on March 23. On March 24 they host Western Albemarle and on April 2 they host Charlottesville.
The boys’ and girls’ lacrosse squads open their seasons on March. 17. The boys team hosts Patrick Henry high, while the girls travel there. The teams have different opponents on March 20. The girls are at Liberty, while the boys host Highland Springs. On March 24 both teams host Matoca high. On March 27, the boys travel to Patrick Henry. On March 31, the boys host Orange County and the girls travel to Orange.
The track and field squads do not swing into action until March 20, when they travel to Harrisonburg. A big event occurs on March 28 when the Flucos host the Fluvanna Invitational. On April 1 they travel to Orange County high. The district meet is April 14 at Albemarle high.
