FHS athletics during the 2023 fall season has produced an immense amount of success. Recently moving from the class 4 state division into class 3, a total of four teams, Volleyball, Field Hockey, Competitive Cheerleading and Cross Country competed in state competitions. The teams were motivated by their dedication to Fauquier’s principal, Kraig Kelican.
Showing a massive improvement from last season, the volleyball team placed first at regionals and reached the state semifinals. Led by six seniors, supported by the zoo and riding a five game win streak, the team earned four wins in the postseason before falling to Grafton High School in the semifinals. “We had a really good season,” said senior Audrey Hall, “We had some games that made us think we lost confidence, but we came back and just fought through each game.”
The team was able to move past drama and work together to overcome the challenging season. However, the longevity of the season became difficult. “It was definitely hard, our bodies were tired, so we just have to prioritize… like practices and just push through,” said Hall. The girls fought and managed to win the regional championship with their third win over Kettle Run for the year.
In addition to the volleyball team’s success, field hockey finished a great season by reaching the state tournament for a second year in a row. The girls greatly improved their cooperation and teamwork together. Senior Brooklyn Maldonado states, “we played really well together and our chemistry was really [strong] and as each game progressed, we got better and that’s what made us a good team…everyone was coachable altogether.”
A highlight of the season was a close finish against Foxcroft High School. “We were losing one to zero and there was [about] 14 seconds left on the clock, and it was a corner [with] one more play and we scored,” said Maldonado. The team ended up winning in overtime 1-2 and beat Foxcroft again the following game. Field Hockey ended their season in the state quarterfinals with a loss to the eventual state champions, Tabb High School.
The competitive cheerleading team also finished one of their best seasons in recent years. The success of the team during the season can be attributed to the girls working together as a family. Junior Emmalea Czolba states, “I think that we grew together as a team and grew together as a family, more of a family than I feel [the team has ever had].”
The team competed strongly throughout the postseason, placing as the runner-up at the district and regional competitions and placing 5th at the state competition. The postseason holds its own challenges for athletes. “Postseason was exciting, but, like, for me it was stressful, because there was a lot of pressure,” said Czolba, “but I knew that we could [succeed] as a team because [we work great together as] a family.”
Finishing off the teams that made it to the state competition is boy’s and girl’s cross country. Both teams began the season strong and ended the season with massive improvements in individual times. However, the middle of the season presented some challenges. As sophomore Eli Savoie described, “We had some bumps during the season, like [overcoming injuries across the team was difficult] but overall, I think we had a great season with one of our best teams in recent years.”
During the season, an emphasis was placed on athletes pushing and racing each other. “We raced together and really worked as a team… which helped our times,” said Savoie. At the regional meet, the girl’s team finished 4th, led by the region runner-up, Cassidy Scott, and the boy’s team finished 3rd. At the class 3 state meet, Scott finished in 5th place, while the boys finished 11th as a team.
