SCHOOLS & SPORTS
RCHS racks up the W’s
It was a banner week for fall sports last week at RCHS, as almost every team got into the win column at least once, with many of the wins accomplished in very convincing fashion.
Leading the way in racking up the W’s was Varsity Volleyball, with Coach Courtney Atkins’ team starting the week with a loss at Warren County but then cruising to two wins over Eastern View and Northumberland. Stats leaders over the three games included Sarah East with 28 kills and Amber Smoot with 19 kills. And if pancake attempts (diving on the floor in an attempt to keep the ball alive) were a stat, Amber would have at least three for the Northumberland game alone!
Coach Seth Wyatt’s Junior Varsity squad continued their season long unbeaten streak, taking three wins over the span of the week.
Speaking of the Junior Panthers, Coach Jeff Atkins’ young team dropped a game at county rival Wakefield Country Day early last week but then got their first win at home last Friday against Bethel Christian. Junior Panther Cross Country hosted their season opener last Thursday on a gorgeous fall like day at the Blue Rock course. Luke Ellis led the boys’ team to victory.
The varsity Cross Country squads had their first meet of the season this past Monday at the Blue Rock Course, hosting George Mason High School. The varsity harriers will be at home again next Wednesday, Sept. 20, hosting Bull Run District rival Central of Woodstock at 5 p.m.
Varsity football also got in the W column with a huge 54 to 8 victory on the road last Saturday against the Northern Virginia Kings. Head Coach Kemp Pullin’s offense put the points on the board early, staking the Panthers to a 21-0 lead by the end of the first quarter.
The varsity squad returns to Panther Stadium this Friday, Sept. 15, hosting the Rams of Strasburg in a first ever football meeting between the two longtime Bull Run District rivals. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. and the award winning Panther Marching Band will be performing at halftime. — Jimmy Swindler
Run for the owls
➤ Annual 5 K Run
As a fundraiser for our athletic department, WCDS will host our annual 5K Fun Run on Saturday, Sept. 23. The registration fee for this fun event is students $15.00 and adults $20.00. The first 25 preregistered participants receive a t-shirt. There are awards for the top female finisher and top male finisher. Additionally there are medals for the top two males and females in five age brackets. Race day registration begins at 8:30 a.m.. The information flyer and registration form can be found at wcdsva.org.
➤ Varsity Volleyball
The Lady Owls opened their season hosting Tandem Friends School on Sept. 1 in a conference match. The Badgers took the first set by the score of 25-12. The Badgers scored the last eight points of the second set while the Owls committed seven hitting errors in the last 12 points to drop the set 10-25. The Owls dropped the last set 22-25, and the Badgers went on to win the match 3-0. Gwynn Major led the team with two kills while Anna Schuster contributed two block points. Lucy Clark had an ace and a kill in the match.
The Lady Owls hosted Chelsea Academy for a DAC match on Sept. 6. The girls came from behind in the first set to tie the score 12-12 and never give up the lead as Emma Cotter served the last two points of the set for a 25-17 win. The second set was nip and tuck with 11 ties during the set. The third set saw the Owls forge out to a 13-6 lead, but the Knights made a run and tied it at 1414. The Knights served three straight aces to take control and went on to win the set 25-20.
➤ JV Volleyball
The Lady Owls hosted Tandem Friends School on Sept. 1 to open their season and they went on to a 25-19 win in set one. The Owls led the second set the entire way, and Bea Youngquist got a block point to give the girls a 19-15 lead. The score was 6-15 in the final set leading to a Badgers’ win 2-1. The Lady Owls hosted Chelsea Academy on Sept. 5, but the girls gave up six straight points and the Knights closed the match with a 1513 win. Our record is 0-2 on the season.
➤ Middle School Volleyball
The Lady Owls hosted Rappahannock County for a non-conference match on Sept. 6. The Owls swept the Panthers for the first time in a while. The teams played an exhibition third set that allowed the younger less experienced players an opportunity to get some match experience.
The Lady Owls traveled to Mountain View Christian for a VMSC match on Sept. 8. Mountain View won the match 2-0. Our record is 1-1 overall and 0-1 in the VMSC.
➤ Middle School Boys Soccer
The Owls traveled to Chelsea Academy for a VSMC game on Sept. 5. The game started but was abruptly suspended due to lightning.