Catoctin fall athletic competitions
 are officially underway

Mia Ferraro
CHS Class of 2022

(10/2021) With the fall competitive season now fully underway, Catoctin High School teams are already celebrating victories. The first of the CHS athletic competitions began September 3rd, officially marking the beginning of the fall 2021 regular season. It will continue throughout October and into early November. CHS coaches and athletes have enjoyed their return to athletic contests at this time and are ready for their hard work to pay off.

Proudly representing the early success of CHS fall sports teams, the varsity and junior varsity volleyball teams carry into October a handful of victories already under their belt-- both holding initial records of 3 - 1 as of September 24th. The JV team began the season with a victory of 2 - 0 against Frederick High School on September 9th. They then went on to win two more consecutive games followed by one loss. Determined to reclaim their opportunity at a state championship after last season’s cancellation of all play-off tournaments, the varsity volleyball team returned with a winning score of 3 - 0 on September 9th against Frederick. Following a loss of 0 - 3 against host Governor Thomas Johnson High School the previous week, the varsity Cougars scored 3 - 1 against host Middletown High School on September 21st. Three days later the team defeated previous state champions Smithsburg High School for the first time in over a decade with a score of 3 - 0.

The CHS field hockey team has kicked off the regular season with two victories and one loss, already surpassing the previous season’s number of wins as early as the second game. The opening game, hosted by opposing team Brunswick High School, was held on September 9th. The team won with a score of 6 - 0 with goals from sophomores Grace Williams and Meghan Gray, juniors Morgan Ridenour and Maddie Greco, and seniors Cheyenne Van Echo and Kendall Abruzzese. Sophomore goalie, Natalie Hoyt, made two saves. The team then went on to score 7 - 0 at their home game on September 14th against Saint James. Gray scored two goals and Ridenour, Van Echo, freshman Annie Abruzzese, sophomore Raegan Miller, and junior Jazmyne Howard each scored one. The field hockey team hopes to build off of the momentum of the initial victories. "We know we have to keep working hard and not give up for our future games," team member Greco expressed. She credits the team’s encouragement towards each other as their source of motivation. "Coming together and learning as a team is only going to make us a better, more connected team," Greco said. "We are going to prove that our Catoctin field hockey team is a force to be reckoned with!"

The CHS cross country team attended the Bull Run Invitational on September 18th. Sophomore Jenna Conley led the girls team in the 3 Miles Large Girls Varsity division, placing 14th out of 144 runners with a time of 21:30.4. The boys team was led in the 3 Miles Large Boys Varsity division by junior Alex Contreras who placed 13th out of 200 runners with a time of 17:33.8. Contreras was ranked this past month as the number one Class 1A boys returner for the season ahead with a 5K time of 17:07.79. Conley and Contreras were both selected last season to the FCPS All-League Cross Country First teams. On September 25th the high school hosted the Cougar Challenge 5K, which was attended by four visiting high school cross country teams. Conley took home the gold medal and title for first place in the girls 5,000 Meters Varsity event with a time of 22:02.85. The boys CHS team had three runners finishing in the top ten. Contreras came in second place with 18:43.23. Sophomore Gabriel Riling placed 9th with a time of 20:26.05, and sophomore Santiago Canadas Fraga took tenth place with 20.26.37.

The CHS junior varsity football team dominated their first two competitions of the regular season, collecting 73 points in total and refusing their opponents a single point. The first game was hosted by the Boonsboro High School Warriors on September 8th. The Cougars won 27 - 0 with touchdowns by freshmen Jacob Bell, Hunter Bradshaw, Vince Reaver, and Shaymus Stull. The team went on to compete two weeks later against visiting team South Hagerstown High School Rebels, defeating the Rebels by an impressive 46 - 0. After playing two games at the beginning of the month, the CHS varsity football team performed at their homecoming game on September 17th against the Governor Thomas Johnson High School Patriots. Closely following a Patriot touchdown and extra point the Cougars took an 8 - 7 lead with junior Joseph McCallion’s 59 yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion in the remaining minutes of the first half. Another touchdown by McCallion later widened the lead for Catoctin in the fourth quarter. The Patriots came back with two touchdowns and extra points and one field goal, concluding the game with a Patriot win of 27 - 20. The varsity team visited the South Hagerstown Rebels the following week. With two field goals from junior Connor Crum, the Cougars entered the third quarter with a leading score of 6 - 3. After a Rebels touchdown and extra point left the Cougars trailing behind in the third quarter, the Cougars pulled ahead again with a safety and a touchdown from junior Adrian Febus. The remaining ten minutes of the game was a constant fight by both teams to reclaim the lead from the other. The Rebels counteracted the Cougars’ lead of 22 - 16 with a touchdown and a two-point conversion with four minutes left, winning the game with a score of 24 - 22.

September 20th was the season’s opening meet for the CHS unified tennis team. The CHS team won two scored matches by doubles teams: one scored by senior Raphaela Smaldone and junior Jazmyne Howard, and the other by sophomore Shay Johnson and junior Helen Hochschild. CHS athletes Andrea Lopez, senior, and Erin Miller, freshman, "demonstrated great skill and hustle on the court," as described on the high school announcements two days afterward, winning the exhibition match for the team. Opponent Linganore High School won one scored match, and Governor Thomas Johnson High School won two. Freshman Lucas Phelan outscored his opponent in the individual skills competition, securing a Catoctin victory.

Come show support for our athletes and coaches by attending competitions! An athletic calendar can be found at the athletic section of the Catoctin High School website. A ticket to any event is $2 for CHS students and $6 for adults. Anyone over the age of 60 or under 7 are allowed free entry to any FCPS athletic competition. The CHS Athletic Department is partnering with Ticket Spicket to offer digital tickets and game passes. The link to purchase either is https://spicket.events/Catoctin. Tickets can also be purchased at any event. Annual All-Sports passes provide access to any home event in the regular season (non-play-off and non-tournament) of the 2021-2022 school year. Annual All-Sports passes are sold at $25 for students, $90 for adults, and $200 for families consisting of two adults and up to three school-age children. Seasonal All-Sports passes provide access to any regular season home event specifically within the season in which the pass is purchased during the 2021-2022 school year. Adult Fall All-Sports passes can be purchased for $45. The teams look forward to seeing the community come together again to cheer them on throughout the seasons ahead.