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Soccer struggles to win
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL BEATS LAKE MARY IN OVERTIME The girls’ basketball team beat Lake Mary 56-53 in overtime on Dec 5. Junior Cori Duren led the team in points. The team also beat Lake Brantley. This is the first time they have beaten both Lake Mary and Lake Brantley. They are currently 8-4. GIRLS’ JV SOCCER PLACES SECOND AT TOURNAMENT The girls’ JV soccer team competed in a tournament on Dec. 8-9, winning the first game on Friday night, 2-0, against Lake Highland, and the second game Saturday afternoon, 3-0, against Bishop Moore. The team lost in the finals, 3-2, to University. VOLLEYBALL SEASON ENDS WITH LOSS TO LAKE MARY The girls’ volleyball team ended their season on Nov. 6 with a loss to Lake Mary in the regional semi-finals with a score of 25-20, 2520 and 25-18. The team ended up with a regular season record of 21-4, and the girls were district runners-up. Senior Katie Ballantyne led the team in kills with an even 400. Junior Chrissy Teixeira lead the team in assists with 565, and senior, Emma Ballantyne lead the team in digs with 400. BOYS’ BOWLING FINISHES SIXTH IN STATE The boys’ bowling team finished the best season in history with a 15-1 record in the regular season. Senior Ricky Basen led the team to a second place district finish after losing to Seminole, 3038-2782. At the state competition on Thurs. Nov. 8, junior Tim Berberich and Basen guided the team to a sixth place finish. CROSS-COUNTRY FINISHES FOURTH AT STATES The girls’ cross country team finished fourth at the state championships on Nov. 17. The team was led by senior Bryce Seymour who finished sixth with a time of 18:42, followed by junior Kerstin Sosa who finished 16th, junior Brenna Johnson who finished 32nd, senior Tiffany Gargiulo who finished 36th and senior Tayler Johnson, who finished 76th. The team finished first in the Seminole Athletic Conference championships, first in districts, and second in regionals.
photo by Isabelle Sarnek
Going for goal. Senior mid-fielder Alex Gilbert dribbles the ball down field, preparing to pass the ball. He’s been in the soccer program all throughout high school.
Ryan O’Connor
T
Staff Reporter
he boys’ varsity soccer began their season with a 2-1 win against Lake Brantley on Nov. 8 with junior Alex Chorpa scoring a goal. After this game the team lost against Seminole, 5-2, Oviedo, 3-1, and Lyman, 6-1. They have an overall record of 2-6. Junior goalie Andrew Reilly claims that the team “will start winning a lot more games which
will make the season much better.” Reilly’s goal for the season is to get as much playtime as possible. Reilly also tells how the team has gotten better and are scoring good goals. New players have added a new dynamic to the team. Senior Anesu Mucherera says that the new players bring a new field style and that they are trying to pull their fieldwork together. Mucherera says that his hope for this year’s games is that they just have a good season. Mucherera scored the winning goal in the Lake
Mary game. Mucherera says it “felt like things were ready to run around” in regard to the win against Lake Mary. Junior Andy Giles feels that the team’s goal for future games is to come out and stay focused. Giles’ future goal is to get scouted by colleges this season. Giles says that the team plans “to turn things around.” With this win the hopes for the team to get to districts have gotten larger and have made the team one step closer to getting there. While other games have not gone that well they are improving, winning one of their latest games against Lake Mary, 1-0. The defense kept Lake Mary at bay preventing them from changing the game or momentum. Senior Connor Muladore made good saves, which stopped Lake Mary from catching up. Muladore says “[they’re] starting to come together” as he described how the team has been doing since the Lake Mary game. Since this game the team has become more optimistic for districts. Junior Brian Pak stated that the team started off rusty but has been getting better, partly because of the 5 a.m. practices at the beginning of the year “The teamwork depends of the relationship; it’s like a family for me.” Pak said.
Gierke steps down from football after eight years Sean Donovan
T
Sports Editor
he biggest change in the biggest athletic program has come. Head football coach Nate Gierke resigned as football coach Tuesday, Nov. 27. Gierke, however, will remain at the school as the girls’ and boys’ weightlifting coach and as the weightlifting teacher. How much time he has left at the school, though, is undecided. “I’m really not sure what the
future holds for me,” Gierke said. “But I’m thankful to Mr. Momary for giving me this opportunity.” Gierke has been with the football program since its inception seven years ago. He has been the most consistent part of the football program, the only coach left from when it began. However, the toll on his home life eventually became too much. “I thought that I could be a head coach and be with my family,” Gierke said. “Now that’s not the case. I just have to re-evaluate my priorities. It’s
not really complicated.” For Gierke, the most unforgettable moment will be the Lakeland game two years ago, the first-ever playoff appearance for the program. Defeating Oviedo twice is also a fond memory of his, because of the meaning that it holds for the community. “The rivalry between the schools is great,” Gierke said. “I’ve seen my share of rivalries. I think it might turn into a really competitive one. Nobody thought that when this school was first established.”
Best moments aside, some other noteworthy memories Gierke has remain with the people has met, such as players and parents, who have come and gone through the program. “We’ve accomplished a lot on and off the field,” Gierke said. “I’m going to miss the relationships with the people who work here, the parents, and my players.” Gierke has had his fair share of coaching changes though. He was an assistant coach at Edgewater before coming to coach here. Though several coaches who were
established with the school remained, several left after the playoff run. In recent years, the program has seen more coaching changes under Gierke than ever before, including Gierke’s younger brother, Jeff. “It’s hard to deal with,” Gierke said. “It’s how the players handle it that I’m mostly concerned with. There’s always lots of coaches coming and going. It’s something to be concerned with in this profession, because of all the cutbacks.” So far, 70 applicants have applied for the job