Lacrosse gets ready for spring season

JACK O’CONNOR Reporter

With spring sports around the corner, students have been participating in their fair share of preparations, many of which have been attending the pre-season conditioning programs offered by the school.

Boys lacrosse’s conditioning is in full swing. According to sophomore Gavin Herr, “[The team] goes outside for practicing, conditioning, and shooting. We practice running, and then we go play wall-ball for ten minutes. After that, we go inside and do some more conditioning by running around the school and doing wall-sits.”

For the Lady Hawks, senior Kendall Fortune added, “For conditioning, we will run for the first part of our time and then finish with either a workout in the weight room or focus on stick skills through drills and gamelike scenarios. What we run varies each time, but will typically be either a distance run, sprints, sprint recovery, or even a mix of a few different [types].”

Sophomore Jacob Tompkins describes practices as, “relaxing and a good environment to get back in that lacrosse mindset.” He also describes it as being, “a great way to fine tune your skills and work on new ones.”

While coaches play a minimal role in these practices, they function more like a captain’s practice with some guidance from the coaches. Herr says, “The coaches only really work with workouts inside; when we’re out on the turf, it’s completely up to us what we do and how we do it.” This, combined with the encouraging leadership provided by some of the senior members of the lacrosse team, has played well in helping to build morale and strengthen our teams’ skill for this upcoming season.

Fortune agreed with this and said, “Players are able to get into shape and prepare themselves for tryouts so that they can be on their A-game. Conditioning allows players to prepare months ahead to increase their endurance and become faster, which is all necessary for the game.”

Many drills focused on passing and shooting, with minimal to no contact. These are all drills that strengthened both teamwork and confidence in players, according to Tompkins.

Many players say that the “West Genny” drill was their favorite out of everything. This drill plays out almost like a scrimmage, with three-on-two man-down defense and goals set up opposite to each other. This drill allows players to work on a multitude of skills, such as passing, shooting, dodges, and defense while maintaining a fast paced, fun environment that gives equal playtime to all players. Not to mention the teams’ wall-ball routine that teaches players important stick skills and gives them something new that they can bring home and utilize outside of practice. Tompkins commented, “[Wallball] is one of the most important things we do here at practice.”

Pre-season conditioning is a great opportunity for spring athletes to gain an edge on their competition and potentially pull through with an exciting season. Fortune said, “Conditioning is important to lacrosse players because you are constantly running and moving around in a game. Conditioning also helps with bonding and getting to know your potential teammates which helps with the team’s chemistry overall.”

Exciting wrestling season comes to close; Hawks prepare for last matches

SARAH WELZANT Reporter

North Harford’s wrestlers have been putting their all into their matches this winter. Their most recent and final meet was against C. Milton Wright and faced a tough defeat. However, the team has upcoming matches in UCBAC.

Coach Mr. Tim Ryan states, “Our whole team has had massive growth this year,” as they achieved a fourth place finish at the Tomahawk dual meet tournament. Ryan explains that the team has “continued to grow immensely” and couldn’t pick out just one person who has improved the most.

The wrestling team bears many great performing players. Ryan states, “All three captains, Cruz [Cespedes, senior], Clay [Lawrence, junior], and Tommy [Blankenship, sophomore] have had outstanding seasons.

[Junior] Donald Blackmon has been coming on strong and winning some tough matches. [Sophomore] Ian Lewis and [junior]

Isaac Brown had tough starts to their early season, but have made great improvements as the season progressed.”

Sucessful season, Atheletes look ahead, Regionals come next

ISABEL KROPKOWKSI Features Editor

On Tuesday, Feb. 14, the indoor track team traveled to the Baltimore Armory for regionals. With the season coming to an end, the track team continues to run fast for regionals, then to state championships on Feb. 20.

Out of the sixteen teams present, girls and boys placed sixth thirteenth, respectively. The 4x8 relay qualified for states, this included seniors Sierra Weaver and Jodi Cadden, sophomore Eden Hussung and freshman Kendall Chandler.

Junior Korynn Sims also qualified for states in pole vaulting, as well as junior Anna O’Leary, who received first place overall for shot put. O’Leary had her personal best and is headed to championship with the other six runners.

This year, for their final indoor season, Weaver and Cadden headed to the state championships one last time before they graduate this May. Hussung and Chandler head to the championships in their first year of running for the indoor team.

The team competed against many high schools. Distance coach Mrs. Laura O’Leary said they had many personal records for many of the runners, including sophomore Cael Sims and Hussung in the 800 meter, junior Austin Parry in the 3200 meter, Korynn Sims in the 55-meter hurdles, freshman Savannah Picha in the 300 meter, sophomore Allyson Knott in the 500 meter, and freshman Ashley Picha in pole vaulting.

Coach O’Leary said the team did well, with seven runners going to the state championships and with many runners receiving PRs at regionals.

The team uses huddles to build team moral during meets. Pictured above at Elkton High School where their compeptors were the Elkton Golden Elks and the Perryville Mustangs, the Hawks won this meet 63-18.

pletely new to it. But now I’m pretty decent and I know a lot more than when I came in.

With the season coming to an end, Grabia states “It’s been cool, but I’m looking forward to getting some free time back and I’ll be coming back next season even better.

Brown believes “this season has been pretty nice,” and that the team has “been doing the best that it has done in a while.”

In third, Elkton freshman Beau Kammerzelt, in second Bel Air sophomore Colin O’Hare, in first place is junior Michael O’Leary. They will return to Magnolia to swim regionals on Feb. 18.

Freshman Ben Grabia had his first year in wrestling. He explains that he’s been “liking wrestling so far. It’s been a difficult journey but super rewarding.” Grabia has been improving a lot this season. He states, “On the first day of practice, I didn’t know anything and was com-

Wrestling is an intensive sport. Brown states, “I’ve been improving physically, but also mentally.

I believe wrestling improves your mental strength overall.”

Brown enjoys working with the team. He explains, “my favorite part about wrestling has to be the team and bonding together.”

Wrestling can be quite the “mental sport” according to sophomore Jordan Lawson. She states that “[she] gained a lot of confidence in [herself] as well as discipline and staying humble.”

Lawson has been enjoying this season a lot. She explains, “It’s a fun sport where you have to use your brain and your body to succeed, and I just think all the moves we do are really cool.” She is really looking forward to “regionals next weekend for girls wrestling.”

The team is at the end of the season, and the teams are finishing it out by going to UCBACs on the 17 and 18 of February, along with Regionals on the 25 and states on the second, third, and fourth of March.

The indoor season allowed many indoor track school records to be broken. Sophomore Timothy Stike, junior Baptiste Choné, freshman Reese Conklin, junior Blake Carberry, senior Nate Santana, Cael Sims, sophomore Justin Collins, Parry, junior James Ortt, and junior Casey Smith all set new school records.

Women's records were also broken by senior Finley Lavin, junior Sara Ford, freshman Lila Parry, Knott, junior Grace Conklin, Savannah Picha, sophomore Madelyn Smick, freshman Lilliana Fell, Hussung, Chandler, sophomore Reagan Cadden, Ashley Picha, senior Madison Kingsley, Korynn Sims, Anna O’Leary, and junior Mia Coleman.

In addition to personal and school records, many relay records were also broken this season.

The Hawks will finish at states on Feb. 21 and Feb. 22 at Prince George’s Sports and Learning complex.