Twenty-one varsity sports teams compete in one of the three seasons. Most teams set their preseason expectations at the beginning of the season and then hope to match them, though some teams set relatively low expectations and then surpass them later in the playoffs. Here are the top five  sports teams from this school year: Twenty-one varsity sports teams compete in one of the three seasons. Most teams set their preseason expectations at the beginning of the season and then hope to match them, though some teams set relatively low expectations and then surpass them later in the playoffs. Here are the top five  sports teams from this school year:

5. Girls’ soccer (10-5 regular season record, lost to Walter Johnson in regional final): The girls’ soccer team had an incredible playoff run with close games (apart from the first round game against Kennedy, which they won 8-0). The team was led by seniors Jenna Cohen and Rachel Feldman and junior Jillian Gonzales. The team scored an impressive 63 goals during the season and dominated most of the games that they won. In the regional semifinal, the team faced off against Northwest in a wild game. The girls fell behind 2-0 and had trouble creating chances until the very end of the game. The offense then clicked as the team scored three goals in the last 20 minutes to win the game and complete their comeback. Their next game against Walter Johnson was just as exciting. The game went back and forth with each team scoring lots of goals. The Patriots scored the equalizer late in the game to tie the score at 4-4. Unfortunately, they gave up a penalty at the end of the game and lost 5-4 to end the season in heartbreaking fashion.

4. Cross Country (Boys finished ninth at states and girls finished second at states):The cross country team exceeded their preseason expectations, as both males and females were successful at states. At states, the girls’ team was led by sophomores Jessica Trzeciak and Adna Trakic and freshman Alyssa D’Arpa. Trzeciak finished the five kilometer race in 12th with a time of 17:36 and D’Arpa finished in 19th place with a time of 20:24.6. On the boys’ side, sophomore John Riker finished in 11th with a time of 16:47.2 and senior Renato Nunez finished in 37th place with a time of 17:16.7. Even though the team lost a large number of runners to graduation, the future of cross country looks bright as they have many talented underclassmen preparing for next season.

3. Volleyball (Boys lost to RM in the semifinal and Co-ed lost to Poolesville in the semifinal): Co-ed volleyball had a fantastic season, finishing with a record of 13-1. The team won most of their regular season matches comfortably, but lost to Poolesville by a narrow score of 3-2. The team will be losing some valuable senior experience and leadership, but the talented underclassmen will hopefully able to fill their shoes. The boys’ volleyball playoff run was more unexpected, as they entered the postseason with low expectations. They had a solid season, finishing 8-6, but did not expect to advance as far in the playoffs as they did. The team showed drastic improvement throughout the season as their first loss was against Clarksburg, though they easily beat them in the playoffs. Similar to the co-ed team, the talented underclassmen should lead the team to another good season next year.

2. Bocce (9-1 regular season record, won the state championship): The bocce team had another great year, as they won the state championship. The bocce team has been dominant recently, winning two of the last three state titles. Outstanding performances from seniors Derrick Daoust and Alex Gleicher and sophomore Brian Myers helped the team during their playoff run. Until the championship match, the team steamrolled through the playoffs and dominated their opponents from the first play. In the championship game, Daoust delivered in the clutch and won his team the title on the last shot of the match.

1.Tennis (Boys, 11-0-1 regular season record and qualified for states, Girls, 11-1 regular season record and won the county championships): The boys’ tennis team had another great season, finishing with an 11-0-1 record and sending three players, junior Joseph Brailovsky and seniors Jared Fishman and Kevin Wang, to states. The Patriots did face some tough competition from Whitman at the county championship, but prevailed even in inclement weather. This came as a bit of a surprise, as the team easily handled all their opponents throughout the season. The girls, led by senior Miranda Deng, had another fantastic season finishing 11-1. The team also made history by becoming the first team to win the county championships four years in a row. The team’s only loss in the regular season was against Whitman so they used that prior defeat as motivation before the finals. Many players stepped up in the finals including senior doubles pair Georgia Bartles-Newton and Gabi Glueck, who won their doubles match in straight sets. Deng cruised through the opening rounds but faced some challenges in the final and was defeated. Even though the team is losing five talented seniors, the future is still bright with talented underclassmen.

Ryan Ullman

Senior Sports Editor

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