As the school year kicks off, CHS fall sports are in full swing. With much anticipation and high hopes for many teams, this season should be exciting to follow along with the progress and success that have come to be expected from Charlottesville sports.

Football
Historically, the CHS football team has been challenged, but this year seems to be different. Coach Terrell Mulford has already made an impact this season, leading the team to victory this season during the scrimmage against Spotswood’s high school. The team has certainly been putting in the work during the off-season and practices, and it showed during their first scrimmage.

When getting the opportunity to interview Coach ‘T’ after a practice, he talked about how this season is going to be different than last.“The kids believe in themselves a lot more.” Said Coach T. “They believe in me and what I’m teaching them. They’ve put a lot of work in the off season to get to this point.” Coach T’s expectations for this season are “ for the team to be good members in our community, the school community, lead by example, and show up and work hard every day from the first whistle to the last whistle.”

In the next few weeks the varsity team will play John Marshall at home and then Rocktown High School at Rocktown. Returning players such as Gus Bryant, Vito Pallini, Maurionte Jackson, and Nasir Anderson and the new players on JV and varsity have been putting in the work, and are prepared for the upcoming season.

Cross Country
CHS Cross Country has always been dominant; with many players being some of the best in the state, a student who was awarded Gatorade Player of the Year, and coming off a record-setting season. Not only is the Cross Country team full of talent, but also one of the most welcoming places in all of CHS.

The team welcomes all runners, and even after the hardest of workouts, everyone is found smiling and laughing. This is partially attributed to the amazing leadership from head coaches Coach King and Coach Ackenbom.

When Coach King was asked about how this season is going to be different from last season, she said, “This season is super exciting because we have the most participants we have ever had and runners from all experiences.” Coach King also mentioned, “I look forward to the meets at Panorama because the energy is always high, and that is where a lot of kids PR.”

The team this year is led by captains Elaina Pierce, Ramsey Edwards, Sophie Yoder, Ethan Havran, Graham Goodale, and Sam Palmer. When asking Elaina about her individual and team goals for this season, she mentioned, “Individually, my goals for this season are to defend my district, region, and state title, and hopefully make it to nationals. For the girls’ team, I want to make sure we’re focused on uniting the team.” Another goal of Elaina’s is to focus on good team culture. With the talent and great team environment, it seems likely that a decent number of the cross-country players will make it to states this season.

Golf
The golf team is off to a strong start! After three district wins against Fluvanna, Goochland, and Louisa, and a major improvement for the top 6, they are looking to keep the success going as the season continues.

Junior Charlie Wise has high hopes for the team this year: “Our team this season has been very strong, and we are hoping to achieve lots in terms of scores and placement in the district. We are hoping to get our team’s scoring average to even par or just over, and to reach regionals as a team.”

Led by Charlie Wise, Andrew Purnell, Henry Hughes, and Trimmer Vincel, talent is not lacking for the Black Knights. However, there is also some young talent that will give the team longevity for years to come. Overall, this should be an exciting year for the team as the team keeps progressing and chasing after a postseason run.

Cheer
The cheer team is ready for another big season and are excited to show their spirit at many school sports this fall. The team is placing emphasis on development at practice this year by learning new choreography for competition routines and also creating new cheers for the sideline.

With many new faces this year, Coach Pam Brown notes that she is “looking forward to seeing the team grow as a unit.” With leadership from Sarah Gould, Autumn Worrell, and Leah and Alerah Harris, all returning cheerleaders, a standard is set for the newcomers. Senior Sarah Gould shared that one of her goals for the squad is to “make sure the team is all-around positive.” This positive mindset will carry the team through the season and mark a complete span of progress and success for the Black Knight cheer team this fall.

Field Hockey
After a tough season last year, Coach Kendall Ballard says, “I think we’ve just got a fresh energy coming from the younger class.. There’s going to be a good fresh start.”

The team is made up mostly of seniors, a handful of sophomores, and one freshman. The Field Hockey team has always been a fun environment, but the players are putting in the work to become a dynamic team. “Last season, we built a lot on connecting with each other on the field, ball possession, and moving fluidly together. This year, especially with that younger group coming in looking to bring them into that mindset,” said Leah and Ginny. The captains of the team, Ginny Santiago and Leah Casarez, share a goal of giving the game their all, being good leaders, and keeping a positive attitude for the younger players.

“I think not so much about winning, but about improving throughout the season and growing individually and as a team,” noted Ginny and Leah. The team looks forward to facing Western Albemarle again, after a close scrimmage, and pulling out a win.

Volleyball
The Varsity Volleyball team is starting the season strong with a win against Albemarle High School (3-2). Led by Coach Ry Bobko, the team had a promising season in 2024, but this win is believed to be the first against Albemarle in years. The team has been working hard in practice and in pre-season, and their determination showed in this game when they bounced back after 2 lost sets.

The team this year is an age-diverse group, with two freshmen, two sophomores, eight juniors, and one senior. When asked about the leadership positions this year, Coach Bobko noted, “We had some real strong leaders last year, and this year I think we’re going to have some leaders that are going to grow into that role.”

A goal for both captains, Mira Amato and Nyla White, is “Just working really hard in practice and trying to put your all into drills, even if you don’t necessarily want to do them,” said Mira. In the coming season, the team plans to work on becoming a better team, on and off the court. “Being close to each other with both things in volleyball and outside of volleyball. […] The team is more than just a sport but also a community,” Nyla added. This is the kind of work ethic that will lead to a successful volleyball team this year. The team is prepared for a tough and exciting season.