JV Girls’ Lax: Play lacking consistency

The JV girls’ lacrosse team has finished their first six games with a 3-3 record. The squad has beaten Magruder, Blair and Richard Montgomery while losing to St. Johns, Walter Johnson and Whitman.
The girls started off their season by losing to a tough St. John’s squad 11-3. While the team fought hard they didn’t play as well defensively as they would’ve liked to. Sophomore Dede Beck believes that the first loss allowed the team to grow and get better as a team. “Even though we lost I think it was good that we gave our all and put out a very good effort,” Beck said.
The team came back after the tough loss at St. John’s with a 13-2 victory over the Magruder Colonels. The Patriots were able to play well by fixing the mistakes they made in the prior game and being able to stay focused. Sophomore Mollie Greenberg was impressed with how the team responded after suffering the tough loss against St. John’s. “We communicated to complete our passes and stayed tight on our girls on defense,” Greenberg said.
The squad won again 15-3 over the Blair Blazers. The team was firing on all cylinders and took advantage of the weaker Blair team. They followed up the win with two straight losses against Whitman and Walter Johnson. The team did not capitalize on their good play and went back to the bad habits that negatively affected them in the first loss. Greenberg believes that the team did not play to their potential and that they mentally weren’t at their best. “We started to give up so we kept making illegal checks and getting called so the other team got the ball and we weren’t marking,” Greenberg said.
The team then lost twice with a close 14-11 win over Richard Montgomery to put them at 3-3. The squad looked to follow up the win with another Friday against BCC, too late to be included in this issue.

Ethan Reff

Staff Writer

JV Baseball: Winner winner, chicken dingers

Since the regular season kicked off, JV baseball has been red hot, as after five games they have a 3-1-1 record.  The team’s great start is thanks to freshman Graham Blondes who, in their first four games, racked up nine hits, nine RBI, and five runs while hitting a team best .692 batting average.
The boys took on Magruder on March 21 and with no surprise they took advantage and dominated the game.   In the 17-3 game, the team hit a high of seven runs in the second inning as Blondes hit a double, bringing home two runners and kick starting the team’s success for the day.  Freshman Dev Zoks started the game for the team, allowing just one hit and no runs in two innings pitched. Zoks also struck out two batters and walked none.
On March 23, the team took on the Churchill Bulldogs in a classic rivalry game.  The game was close, resulting in a 3-3 tie.  Zoks, who took the mound that day, pitched all seven regulation innings, giving up three unearned runs, and only allowing four hits the whole game.  Zoks, Blondes and sophomore team captain Ethan Kach all drove a run home as part of the team’s eight-hit day.  “It always hurts to not beat Churchill, but at least we didn’t lose to them,” Blondes said.
An absolute blowout occurred on March 27 when the team played Springbrook high school, totaling up 22 runs while giving up zero.  The team was led by sophomore Ethan Reff who almost pitched a perfect game, only allowing four hits and no runs in five innings pitched.  The team took advantage in the first inning, bringing home eight runs, and didn’t look back from there.  The boys had a 10-hit fourth inning, a season high led by Zoks, who had two RBI on two singles.
With the boys’ game against Northwest on March 31 being cancelled due to inclement weather, the boys focused on their matchup on April 3 at Quince Orchard high school.  The Cougars got off to a hot start with a two-run first inning allowed by Zoks, but things quickly turned around for both teams.  Zoks remained on the mound, getting one strikeout and giving up zero runs in the last five innings of his six innings pitched.  The game came down to the wire after freshman Darren Chang scored a run in the third, tying the game at two apiece until the seventh inning, when freshman Andrew Misovec singled, bringing home a runner and winning the ballgame for the team.  “We played a great game thanks to [Zoks], who really controlled the game from the mound,”  Reff said.
The team’s next game was against Quince Orchard on April 19 at home, where they lost 9-8 on a walk off.

Danny Rothenberg

Staff Writer

JV Softball: Girls searching for first win

JV softball is under new management this season as they have a new head coach in James Long.  Varsity softball coach Alton Lightsey has played a role with Long on how he wants to run his team in order to prepare them for varsity. “Lightsey is a great mentor and I’m excited for the rest of our season,” Long said.
With the incoming freshmen and a new coach, the team has had a rocky start to their season. Led by sophomores Lane Harbort and Elizabeth Acosta, they hope to finish off strong with a good season. After losing about half of their players to varsity, the girls still have high hopes for their upcoming season. “I’m hoping we can finish off with a winning record,” Harbort said.
They started off their season at 0-2, with two disappointing losses. The first game was against the Magruder Colonels at home. It was a tight game the whole way, with the lead switching back and forth until the last inning, when Magruder edged them out for the win. Harbort had been on the mound pitching up until the sixth inning. “We were tied going into the last inning at 12-12 then they ended up getting a hit to score at the end,” Acosta said.
Their second game was one of their biggest games of the season against rival Churchill. After a close loss to Magruder, the girls were hoping to bounce back and defeat Churchill to earn their first win. It was looking close, as they were leading until Churchill pulled back up with the lead late in the game. In a high scoring effort, Churchill ended up getting the win 14-12.
Their most recent game was against Kennedy where they tried another attempt for their first win on the season. It was another close call, but they failed and lost 10-9. With six games left to play the team hopes to earn their first victory and add a win to their 0-3 record.

Jonnie Voyta

Staff Writer

JV Boys’ Lax: Team out-classing opponents in all aspects of game

The JV boys’ lacrosse team is off to a solid start. At 4-1-1, the Patriots enter the back half of the season on pace to finish among the top teams in the county.
The boys went right back in action once spring break ended when they took down the Richard Montgomery Rockets 12-0. The Patriots dominated the possession from the get-go, but it took some time for the scoring to get started as there were a large number of missed shots within the first five minutes of the game. Sophomore attacker Caleb Metz finally opened the floodgates with a close range blast to get the Patriots on the board, and the goals kept coming from there. Along with Metz, sophomore attackers Justin Fishman and Ben Blutstein led the offense, each combining for the majority of the team’s goals.
On the defensive side, RM could only put together a few strong possessions, but even with little action the Patriot defense held stout.
Before break, the boys tied the Whitman Vikings, one of the best teams in the county, 6-6 on April 3. It was a hard fought game, as Whitman posed as one of their toughest match-ups of the season. The Patriots struggled early on, but they were able to keep the game in reach. The momentum shifted back and forth, but neither side could edge out the other by the final whistle, resulting in the tie. “We need to work on playing together as a team,” sophomore attacker Jake Spittle said.
Prior to the tie against Whitman, the boys were on a hot streak. Winning three games in five days by a combined score of 28-2, any doubts about the success of this team that lingered early in the season were shattered.
The Patriots squeaked past the Walter Johnson Wildcats with a 3-0 win on March 31, marking what would ultimately be the final game of their winning streak. The Patriots’ attack suffered, especially compared to their two previous games, and countless scoring opportunities were wasted. Luckily for the Patriots, the defense picked up the slack, keeping the Wildcats at bay, and the upset was avoided.
Just two days before the WJ game on March 29, the boys won by a significantly more convincing margin, extinguishing the Montgomery Blair Blazers in a 13-1 victory. The Patriots took advantage of the weaker Blair defensive unit, and the game was in hand early. With such a stronghold, coach Jonathan Powell had the opportunity to experiment with his players’ versatility, switching up the positions throughout the game and letting the team practice their skills in a different situation.
The Patriots started the stretch by blitzing the Magruder Colonels 12-1 on March 27. It was a similar story as the Blair game, as the Patriots overpowered the weaker Colonels and showed no mercy. The ball practically never left Magruder’s side of the field, and the Patriots cruised to victory with ease. “Our experience gives us an edge, and it makes the game much simpler,” Metz said.
In the season opener on March 24, the boys got a taste of some non-MoCo competition when the Northern Patriots from Calvert County came to town in a showdown of the Patriots.
After some weak preseason match-ups, the team finally had a challenge, only it proved too much as the favored Northern team walked away with a 6-5 victory while the Patriots started off 0-1. Despite the loss, the boys held their own against their much more talented opponent, foreshadowing the tear they went on in the three games after.
The boys played the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Barons on April 20, too late to be covered in this issue.

Joe Pohoryles

Sports Editor