Spring sports predictions
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Wrestling places fifth
JOSH MILLER
Freshman Jack Velasquez pins down a Mclean wrestler during Pack the Pit. The Atoms are currently 18-9, and finished fifth in the district.
JOSH MILLER
Freshman Damien Stone puts a move on a Mclean wrestler to pin him during Pack the Pit on Jan. 31. The Atoms won with a score of 37-33.
Senior David Valentine attempts to field a ground ball.
Tennis: Girls tennis had a very successful season last year. They started off the season with four consecutive wins in the district. The only thing that stands in the way of this season’s players is the fact that they lost a number of influential seniors via graduation. The boys are not in the same situation. They did not lose as many as the girls team, and have great returning players. Seniors Samson Belay and Matthew Kishiyama, along with juniors Laith AbuTaleb and Daniel Kwon, will be leading the team this season.
Girls basketball brings down the house BY BRANDON WILLIAMS Staff Writer The Lady Atoms look to gain another win to validate their chances at a championship this season. After a 27 point blow-out loss to T.C. Williams, the Lady Atoms felt the urgency to get back to the top. They came back hard with three wins to West Potomac, Lake Braddock and, most recently, to South County, with a final score of 70-45. To avenge the loss to the Titans, the Atoms did what they could to blow-out the West Potomac Wolverines. It was obvious that the Wolverines were no match for the enraged Atoms. Defeating the Wolverines by 15 points, the Lady Atoms increased their district record to a mediocre 5-7. Although the team’s district record seems to be lousy, they have said they are aware of the holes on the team, and if lucky, they can fix them by the time the district tournament arrives. With a current overall record of 1012 the Atoms are hoping to gain more confidence going into districts. Junior Tiffanie Turner admits that there are some obstacles, and that it took the team longer than they expected to overcome them. Turner cites lack of focus, communication problems and practice ethic as some of the issues they have been facing all season. “It feels like we don’t communicate enough, and it results in big problems when it comes to games,” said Turner. However, the Atoms have had to go through a tough transition this season, which could explain a number of their issues. They lost a number of senior starters last year and brought in a new coach.
AVERY ADCOCK
Baseball/Softball: Baseball only lost three seniors from a strong team last year. Senior pitchers Will Wade and Ben Hendrickson will lead a well balanced team this season. Often an overlooked team, softball will be coming out strong this season. After a convincing run last year the Atoms hope to learn about each other even more to continue improving. Junior Nicole Richie is also back to help rev up the team.
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Lacrosse: Both the boys and girls teams are looking to capitalize on their successful seasons last year. The girls finished with a record of 10-15 and the boys ended with a record of 6-6. On the girls side, seniors Krista Silano, Emily Vincent and Marie Han, along with juniors Mary Bermingham and Tiffanie Le, hope to win districts and regionals. Seniors Bryan Krzywicki, Trevor Daggle, Drew Chadwick, along with juniors Matt Johnson and Zach Sells, are back on the boys side to lead the team to a hopeful district championship.
Junior Tiffanie Le defends against a South County defender.
wrestled in the 160 pound weight class. “We need to work on scoring, take downs, and not giving up take downs near the outof-bounds lines,” said Godbout. Despite AHS’s fifth place finish, Godbout still individually qualified to advance to the BY CLAIRE BUI Regional championship on Feb. 15 at CenterStaff Writer ville High School. He will be joined by Santos, The varsity wrestling team endured Ireland, Akridge, junior Jesse Kruse, and a fifth place finish at the Patriot District freshmen Ricky Adams, Nick Chuong and Tournament this past weekend on Feb. 9 Damien Stone, respectively. and 10. Though the team has a number Unlike any other winter sport at AHS, of new, younger members who are strong the varsity wrestling team has pre-school competitors, it has relyied heavily on its training at 6 a.m., in addition to after school wrestlers from the team last year, such as practices that are held every day from 3 to junior Jesse Kruse and seniors Oscar San- 6 p.m. The amount of time and effort put tos, Baha Awadallah, James Godbout, Wade forth by the team has not been in vein. Akridge and Bud Ireland. “We are better conditioned than any other The match kicked off in the main gym team. We want the guys on our team to be Friday afternoon at fresh, mentally and 4 p.m. It was an eight physically healthy, man individual double and strong for their elimination tournament. matches,” said We need to work on Competitors could lose Barden. once and still wrestle The 6 a.m. pracscoring, take downs, and in the third and fourth tices serve many rounds, but if they lost purposes, mainly for not giving up take downs twice they were done for mental toughness. the season. The top four “We want our placers in each weight —JamesGodbout wrestlers to know class qualified for the senior that they have outRegional tournament, worked their opaccording to coach Ryan ponents. Who wants Barden. to get up at five, work out at six, go to class AHS was in fourth place by the end of each day, and then practice again at three? Saturday’s tournament, but West Springfield Only the tough,” said Barden. “Also it gets High School managed to jump the team by them used to getting up early to workout and one half of a point in the end, bumping AHS get their weight down for an early morning down to fifth place overall. Hayfield High weigh-in, wrestle their first round match, School took home the District Champion then sit around for a couple of hours and get title, while Lake Braddock Secondary came ready again for their second round match. in second. Both schools have been AHS’s “The team is doing very well, considering biggest competition throughout the season, we have six freshmen and three sophomores according to Barden. in a starting line-up of 14,” said Barden. “I just “I think the team did pretty well as a tell the guys to always be positive. Anything whole, but the hardest part was the fact that can happen, no matter how grim the outlook we didn’t have any district champs who came can seem. Wrestling is an individual sport, so in first place. We had a lot of guys who came [the coaches] treat everyone as in individual. really close and could have placed in the top We just tell to relax and have fun.” four, but then lost their matches in the last second,” said senior James Godbout, who
Adams and Akridge finish second in class
Soccer: Last season was not the best for both the girls and boys team. The boys finished with a final record of 3-12, along with the girls record of 4-2-9. The girls have a new coach, which they hope will boost their winning streak. Seniors Julianne Simpson, Margaret Crowley, Jenny Jacobs and junior Avery Adcock hope to boost the girls performance. Seniors Scott Prosch and Jai An hope to lift the boys side to a better record.
Senior Kelly Scrivner anticipates a shot.
Feb. 14, 2007
AVERY ADCOCK
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SPORTS
Senior Kelli Muchmore tracks down the ball to go to the basket. The Atoms won on senior night on Feb. 8.
Sophomore Alexis Williams guards the ball from a South County player. The Atoms won with a score of 70-45.
“The loss to T.C. Williams upset me, because I know we can beat them and we know as a team that we’re better than T.C.,” said Turner. Senior captain Denay Wood took a more optimistic view on the team. “If we give 100 percent, we should do very well in the district and make it far in the region. The main obstacle for our team to win this season is for the team to stay focused and work hard,” said Wood
When asked if the team is indeed able to be coached, both junior Kamilla Stevens and Turner broke into dead silence, expressing that the blame does not fall completely with the coach, but with the team who chooses to not want to be coached. One thing is sure, seniors Kelli Muchmore, Wood and junior Jenna McRae possess the talent to lead the team far into the district. The question, though, is can they bring the team together to do so?
McKinney places first in district in diving BY CAROLINE MERZ Staff Writer
Sophomore Marcos Mavlian swings at an oncoming ball.
PHOTO COURTESY OF LIFETOUCH
Track/Field: Despite losing many standout athletes last year, varsity track is looking to qualify as many as they can to regionals and states. Senior Brandon Williams, along with junior Brad Grabo are looking to qualify for reginonals.The 4x2 running team went far in witner track and will be back for spring with aspirations for more of the same. Junior Erik Cabellos was only feet away from qualifying for states last year in the discus, so this year he hopes to qualify as well. Freshman Sean McKinney in mid-hurrdle in the district meet. McKinney was first in districts, second in regionals and holds the school record for diving.
First in districts, second in regions, school record holder and he still has three more years. Freshman Sean McKinney has taken the high school diving world by storm. He is one of three divers on theAHS Swim and Dive team for the 2006-2007 season. At the Patriot District Meet on Jan. 26 McKinney placed first. At the regional meet he placed second by .15 points ,with a total of 427.40 points. He scored fourth this past weekend at the Virginia State meet. Leading up to the district meet, McKinney explains how he was pretty excited, this being his first district meet as freshman. But this was not his first experience with competitive diving. McKinney has been a member of the Patriot Dive Club, a year round dive program, and the North Springfield summer dive program in the past. He only has two weeks off in the summer where he is not diving. To prep for this particular meet he has been practicing five or six times a week. Being a freshmen and having that much success can lead to criticism from upperclassmen. “Some kid at regions gave me a hard time because he got cut as a senior and I didn’t,” said McKinney. “People give me a hard time, but it’s fine. There aren’t that many people on dive team.” He has become close with many members of the team, including senior Nick Alvarez and freshmen Maggie Craig, Jennifer Oakes, and Caroline England. Being a freshmen, McKinney, along with many other freshmen and new members to the team, had to survive through the famous “Rude Awakening.” “It was fun to see all my friends who are usually perfectly dressed,” said McKinney. McKinney plans to do his best in his next three years of high school and become the defending champion of his district title.