Girls Basketball
The girls basketball team had a great season this year! With eight senior players and two senior managers, the team was focused on making every moment count of their last high school basketball seasons.
Head coach Jim Daly remarked that “[the seniors] are some of the nicest people in the building and they’ve set the bar very high. They’ve been such great representatives of all that is great about CHS!”
Leading the team with 15.5 points and 5.5 steals per game, Avery Stavitski says, “It’s always fun to win games, but the best part is competing.” This competitive nature has carried the group to become undefeated in the Jefferson District for the third straight year.
Going into the postseason, the team faced Sherando in the regional quarterfinals at home where they came out on top with a score of 80-30. Next, the team played John Handley where they continued the winning streak scoring 53 to Handley’s 49. That win gave the team a ticket to the state tournament for the third straight year, and a spot in the regional final game vs. Salem. Although the team lost in the regional final, they went on to play Heritage Leesburg on March 3rd in the State Quarterfinals. Unfortunately, a 44-50 loss ended their season, but overall, the season was full of success.
In the district, Caitling King and Londyn Randolph made Second Team, Kiley Jones, Juliana Pierce, and Sarah Colbert earned Honorable Mentions. Avery Stavitski and Elaina Pierce earned First Team All-District and Region honors and Korine Brown earned First Team All-District and Second Team All-Region.
Boys Basketball
The boys basketball team entered the season looking to build upon their successes from last year and remain competitive in district and postseason play. At the beginning of the season, senior Ty Shelton explained that the team’s goals included playing fast, going into each game wanting it more than the other team, and staying on top of schoolwork. The team finished strong in the Jefferson District, and advanced to the regional playoffs as the second seed in the North Sub Region. Unfortunately, they lost to Sherando in a close back-and-forth battle, 57-61.
Individual recognitions include: Kalib Edgehill earning First Team All-District, while Lucas Arbelaez, Deon Polk, and Syreal Savage received Honorable Mentions. Ty Shelton mentioned that this year was special for him because he “missed all of last season due to injury and stepped into more of a leadership role this season.” This leadership role allowed Shelton to step up and earn First Team All-District and Second Team All-Region.
Indoor Track
The indoor track team had a strong season, despite some disruptions to normal training. Following the snowstorm in January, the team had to find new ways to keep up their training and stay sharp for the season. Team captain Felix Giordano remarked that “the coaches have been creative with the limited space that has been made available.”
At regionals, individual champions included Juliana Pierce in the 500, Sam Palmer in the 1600, and Elaina Pierce in the 1000 and 1600. Relay wins included the girls 4×800 relay of Liliana Jones, Eloise Henderson, Phoebe Fischman, and Carrie Orban, as well as the girls 4×400 relay of Elaina Pierce, Juliana Pierce, Eden Hays, and Eva Wylie. Other athletes who qualified for the VHSL Class 4 State Meet include Gibson Duolo, Donovan Bright-Keys, Graham Goodale, Ayaan Gupta, Reid Douglas, Guy Muguma, Alerah Harris, Ruby Fordhann, and Jane Friesen.
On March 2nd and 3rd, the team made the trip to Liberty University and had lots of success! Gibson Duolo finished eighth in the 55 meter dash, Donovan Bright-Keys jumped six feet for high jump and placed ninth, the boys 4×200 relay placed sixth and ran a new PR, Juliana Pierce ran a new school record in the 500 and placed second, and Sam Palmer and Elaina Pierce both won the 1600 and 1000, Sam running a meet record in the 1600 and Elaina running a meet record in both her events. Now, the team moves on to outdoor track where hopefully the success will continue to build.
Swimming
The CHS swim team had a very strong season, the most success they’ve had in several years in postseason meets. Following a very successful regional meet for the CHS swim team, where many athletes had personal best swims. Competitors Ada Brantley, Laney Keller, Alicia Yori Kosek, Charlotte McCready, Ernest Winling, Noah Bell, and Garrett Wispelway all qualified and competed on February 20th in the State meet.
A few highlights from regionals include senior Ada Brantley winning the 100 butterfly, Laney Keller breaking her own school record and winning the 100 backstroke, and Garrett Wispelway finishing second in the 50 freestyle. The qualified swimmers made the drive to Richmond to represent CHS at the VHSL Class 4 State. Senior Ada Brantley stated that one of the team’s biggest accomplishments this year was qualifying seven total swimmers, the largest state team they’ve had in her four years, for the state meet.
Highlights from the State meet include on the boys side, Garrett Wispelway placing second in the 100 breaststroke and breaking the school record, and for the girls, Laney Keller finished fifth in the 100 backstroke while breaking her own school record. The girls 4×100 freestyle relay of Ada Brantley, Laney Keller, Charlotte McCready, and Alicia Yori Kosek also broke the school record! Overall, the swim team had an impressive season and is setting the bar high for the future of the team.
Wrestling
The CHS wrestling team had a historic season this winter! Starting the year with a new head coach, Stephan Yanchuk, the team flourished under new leadership. At the Region 4D meet, top finishers included Walter Pilkey who came in third; Adriel Pena and Roman Calvani, who both placed second; and Theo Reinhart, who was the Region Champion. These strong performances qualified the four athletes for the State meet, which took place on February 20th and 21st at the Virginia Beach Sports Center.
At the State meet, senior Walter Pilkey finished sixth in the 150lb weight class. Senior Adriel Pena placed third in the 113lb weight class, while junior Theo Reinhart also finished third in the 157lb weight class. Sophomore Roman Calvani, who entered the meet as the seventh seed, finished second in the 190lb weight class, marking the highest individual finish in CHS history!
Junior Theo Reinhart said that one of the team’s biggest highlights at the state meet was that every wrestler advanced to the semifinals, meaning no one had to compete in the consolation bracket. This allowed the team to be able to return to the hotel and prepare for the next day of competition. The team’s overall performance earned them a twelfth place finish, the highest placement ever achieved by CHS wrestling in school history.
