Marshall High School Swimming & Diving
Despite Loss to Lanlgey, Statesmen Swimmers Show Potential
The Marshall High School varsity swim and dive team lost a hard-fought dual meet at Langley High School last Friday, 448-181.
Leading the way once again for the Statesmen was freshman Cyrus Hashemi. Hashemi, who broke the school record in the 500-yard freestyle last week, continued his outstanding swimming in his rookie campaign by placing first in both the 200- and 50-yard freestyle events.
Other first place-finishers for Marshall included freshman Zach Stahl in the diving events, as well as sophomore Leah Noordhuizen, who captured first in the 500-yard freestyle. Noordhuizen also took second in the 100-yard butterfly and was a member of the 200-yard medley team, swimming with sophomore Elaine Bennett, freshman Paige Veoni, and senior tri-captain Lauren Hahm to take second place.
The team of Hashemi, freshman Logan Hirka, and juniors George Hirka and Andy Reilly took second in both the 200- and 400-yard freestyle relays for Marshall, while Hirka individually placed second in the 100-yard butterfly. Rounding out the second-place finishers for Marshall were freshman Kendall Freck in the 50-yard freestyle and Katherine Van Winkle in the diving event.
With Winter Break giving them nearly a three-week layoff from competition, the Statesmen first hit the waters in 2009 on Jan. 9 with a Liberty District dual meet against Stone Bridge High School at Ida Lee Rec Center at 7:30 p.m.
Thomas Jefferson High School Swimming & Diving
Colonials Sweep Highlanders in Friday’s Dual Meet
Both varsity swim & dive teams from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) won their dual meets against Liberty District opponent McLean last Friday night, with the boys’ capturing a solid 190-125 victory and the girls’ narrowly squeaking by with a 166-149 win. Numerous individual winners highlighted the outstanding meet for the Colonials at the Audrey Moore Recreational Center.
On the girls’ side, freshman Emily Saitta took first in the diving event to kick off a night of what would be Thomas Jefferson names atop the leader board. Junior Lauren Laffosse won the 100-yard freestyle and was the third leg of the winning 200-yard freestyle relay team along with freshman Brenna Ferris, senior Grace Wang, and junior Jae Sim. Ferris continued her strong meet by taking second in the 200-yard freestyle with at time that qualified her for the Northern Region Championship meet.
On the boys’ side, junior Alex Dona was the Colonials’ only individual dual winter, capturing first place in both the 200-yard freestyle and butterfly events. Senior Wade Gong won the 200-yard individual medley, while junior Matt Callahan won the 50-yard freestyle.
Freshman Stephen Seliskar had one of the best meets in his rookie campaign, taking first in his individual event, the 100-yard freestyle, and was a key member of the winning 200-yard freestyle of Gong, Callahan, and junior Sam Speers. Seliskar, Speers, Dona and senior Andrew Hong captured first in the 400-yard freestyle relay as well.
With Fairfax schools on Winter Recess for the next few weeks, TJHSST will experience a long layoff before a January 9 meet with Madison High School kicks off their schedule in the New Year.
Thomas Jefferson High School Gymnastics
Colonials Take First in Seven-Team Meet
Last Wednesday, the Colonials took part in a seven-team meet at West Potomac High School and came out with a resounding win, tallying 133.9 points to best second-place Langley by over eight points. Four Jefferson athletes placed on the night, including Kelly Watson, who placed third in the all-around event.
Watson tied for first in the floor event, racking up a 9.1 score, and took second in the bars. The senior rounded out her meet with a fifth place finish in the vault and a fourth place finish on the beams. Classmate Chrissy Franzel finished sixth overall, taking second in the vault, fifth in the floor, and sixth on the beam, while junior Amanda Gilbert took fourth on the bars.
McLean High School Boys’ Basketball
Highlanders Lose in Double-Overtime Heartbreaker
A strong defensive effort by both squads came down to the wire, as Langley High School was barely able to pull out a 50-47 victory over the host Higlanders in double overtime. In each period, at least one team scored in single digits, as it was a see-saw battle for both squads throughout the night. In the end, the Saxons used a 9-6 second overtime to surge ahead for the win.
The contest seemed destined to extend well beyond the standard 32 minutes, as the score was knotted at 19 at halftime, at 37 at the end of regulation, and at 41 at the end of the first overtime.
Langley was led by Barrett Hunter, who topped all scorers with 15 points, as well as Derek Baker, who added 10. For McLean, senior guard Peter Brosnan tacked on 15 points and was a perfect 4-4 from the free-throw line, wile junior Sean Fitzgerald added 11. Senior Matt Barauch netted 10 to round out the double-digit scorers for the game.
After winning their first two games of the year last week, McLean fell to 2-4 on the season with the loss to Langley. The Highlanders will take part in the Wooton High School Holiday Tournament in Rockville, Md. next week, while the Saxons take their 3-0 record to the Westfield High Holiday Tournament.
McLean High School Girls’ Basketball
Highlanders Take a Pair Last Week
The varsity girls’ basketball team swept their two contests last week, eking out a 35-31 win over Langley High School in front of a sold out gym at McLean last Friday night. The Saxons scored first early in the contest, jumping out to a 2-0 lead, but a quick Highlander bucket ensured that McLean would gain a lead not to be relinquished.
The Highlanders never looked back, gaining a 24-12 lead at the half. Four players for McLean had above six points, led by sophomore guard Andie Romness’ nine and senior guard Caity Flint’s seven. A pair of juniors in Melissa Wilson and Catlin Baker each chipped in six points.
Last Tuesday, McLean jumped out to an early lead against the visiting Colonials of Thomas Jefferson High School and maintained the large margin, taking a 56-47 victory. Despite a Colonial comeback in the third quarter, the Highlanders maintained a constant eight-point lead throughout the final eight minutes to secure the win.
With the win, the Highlanders improved to 4-2 on the season and will journey down the East Coast to St. Petersburg, Florida for a Winter Break tournament in the Suncoast Classic. Before that, McLean visited Fairfax High School this Tuesday for a non-district battle with the Rebels. Results were not available at press time.
J.E.B. Stuart High School Boys’ Basketball
Last-Second Shot Dooms Raiders
Wakefield High School senior Jon Ford hit the biggest two of his game-high 32 points with 1.9 seconds left against J.E.B. Stuart on Friday night, sending his team to a come-from-behind one-point victory over the host Raiders, 68-67.
Ford pulled down a missed free-throw and drove the length of the court, pulling at the charity stripe on the other end and rattling in a jump shot for the ultimate lead. Stuart (6-1, 1-1) called a quick time out to set up a play but it was to no avail, as the Warriors (6-1, 1-0) earned their first National District win, sending the Raiders to their first loss on the season.
Ford was complimented by senior Romeo Goffney, who added 11 points and four of his five steals after halftime in the comeback effort. Stuart coughed up a 12-point lead with 3:45 remaining, despite 20 points from junior guard Antonio Harris. Senior center Mo Ibrahim tacked on 15 points, while classmate Raymond Watson added 13. Senior guard William Ford added 11 points for the Raiders, whose four players in double figures were not enough to overcome Jon Ford’s explosive night.
Stuart looks to rebound from their first loss over Winter Break in the Bobcat Classic at Bluffton, South Carolina, playing games next Monday thru Wednesday. Wakefield, elated after kicking off their District campaign with a win, looks to extend their hot streak when they host the Wakefield Winter Basketball Tournament, beginning this Saturday.