The Lady Flucos came into the meet prepared to face the stiff competition. Every runner seemed up to the challenge as they all ran to blazing times of under 22 minutes. Leading the way for the Flucos was Nicole Douma who finished 17th overall with a time of 19:34. From there, her teammates battled with the rest of the field to assure a top 10 finish for the Lady Flucos, as well as the number one spot for Double A (AA) schools.
“We all had our own individual battles, but we overcame all the adversity to have a solid outing as a team,” said junior Brooke Haislip.
On the boys’ side, the meet was also a great success as 10 of the 13 runners reached new personal records. The Flucos placed 28th overall and left the course with new-found energy as they bested district opponents Charlottesville and Powhatan.
“The meet went well. A lot of the guys are starting to peak and now our focus is completely on districts,” said senior Robert Powers. “The younger guys are starting to run their best times which will make us very competitive in the district meet,” he added.
With only two weeks left before the Jefferson District championships, the Fluco cross country programs are starting to run on all cylinders and becoming legitimate title contenders.
Volleyball
The perfect balance of youth, talent and experience has carried the Lady Fluco volleyball program to an impressive season thus far as the Flucos continue to roll in the Jefferson District.
On Oct. 9, the Flucos hosted Louisa County in a lopsided affair as Fluvanna easily handled the Lions on their way to a 3-0 victory. With the win, the team improved to a Jefferson District record of 6-1 with the only loss coming to rival Western Albemarle.
“It’s always nice to get a win, but this week was all about making sure that a loss last week didn’t discourage us in any way,” said senior Emily Shareff.
Their response to the loss a week ago was to work harder, as the Flucos prepared for a tougher Powhatan County team. The game was a battle, one the Flucos refused to lose. After exchanging games with the Powhatan Indians, the Lady Flucos found enough energy to ultimately best their district opponent 3-2.
The junior varsity volleyball program also had a strong week with an impressive win of its own over Louisa County. The young Flucos tamed the Lions as they cruised to an easy 2-0 victory. Like their older teammates the Lady Flucos, also played a tough game with Powhatan County on Oct. 12. Unfortunately, the Flucos would fall 2-1 at the hands of the Indians. The loss has the Flucos with a record of 4 wins and 4 losses in the district.
“We need to come together in these last few games of the season. We have a great young team that can beat anyone on any given day,” said Tiffani Shaheen.
Varsity football
In by far its most impressive win of the year, Fluvanna went into the Lions’ den Oct. 5 as Louisa hosted its homecoming. Although the Flucos were just hoping to keep it close, they went above and beyond their own expectations, beating the Lions 34-19.
Fluvanna broke it open early on a 62-yard touchdown run in the first quarter from senior Jovan Burton. Later in the half, senior Dashon Tibbs connected with Burton on a 23-yeard touchdown pass to give Fluvanna a 14-13 lead heading into halftime.
The ground game continued to be the focus for the Flucos in the second half. Tibbs broke in for two big touchdowns on the ground, including one on a key fourth-down play. Tibbs finished with 198 yards on the ground and those two scores. Burton also had his way with the Louisa defense, rushing for 104 yards and a late touchdown to seal the win for the Flucos.
Fluvanna’s defense was also a key factor in the Flucos’ second win of the season. The normally prolific ground game of Louisa was held in check by the Flucos. Fluvanna’s win against Louisa was the first in 10 years for the program.
“Motivation was the key, knowing it was ten years since we last beat them,” said senior linebacker Devin Goode.
The squad hoped to carry that momentum into its next game against the Powhatan Indians on Oct. 12. Unfortunately, the Indian defense was too much for the Flucos, shutting them out 16-0.
“They stopped our offense from moving the ball,” said Goode. The Flucos were only able to muster two first downs against the Indians.
For Fluvanna, this was its third road game in a row and they look forward to returning to Phil Browning Stadium as they host the Monticello Mustangs for its homecoming game on Oct. 19.
Varsity cheerleading
The Fluvanna cheer squad took to the mats on Oct. 11 at Charlottesville High School in a cheer competition that featured every team from the Jefferson District.
The team placed third out of the six teams, beating Charlottesville, Western Albemarle, and Powhatan while only losing to Louisa and Monticello. This is a two-place improvement from where the girls placed in their last competition.
“It was a really good competition for us,” said senior captain Ashton Stevens. “We’re a lot closer than we were last year and that helps in competition.”
Another bright spot from the competition was the lack of mistakes made by Fluvanna. “We didn’t have a single stumble,” said senior Hannah Yonce. “My favorite part was when we did back-and-forth chants between the teams.”
The Flucos’ next competition will be Thursday (Oct. 18) as they play host to the rest of the Jefferson District.
