March kicks off Potomac Falls spring sports seasons, where students participate in tennis, softball, baseball, lacrosse, soccer, and track.

Temperatures are rising and spring break is only a few weeks away, which means spring sports have kicked off. Changes are underway with new coaches for the track, girls lacrosse, and softball, and athletes are starting practices.

Last year, the varsity girls softball team ended the season with a record of 2-20. Senior Anna Vayo hopes for a better season this year since there are more girls trying out. “It’s good that we’re building the program, and we’ll have a lot of good things coming this year,” said Vayo. For the first time in several years, enough girls came out to also field a JV team. The varsity team welcomed Max Hector, a new head coach and dad to one of the players, freshman Cat Hector. The scoreboard and field wraps were also revamped earlier this year, only adding to the excitement for the program.

The track team is also experiencing a growth in interest. Last year, the team had over 100 students attend the interest meeting, which resulted in one of the first years the team had to cut students. This year is a bit different. According to junior Karwaan Koatwal, “Students get recycled into the distance team, so there’s a lot more distance people than there ever has been at Potomac Falls.” The sprinting team has taken a more competitive edge this year and has been selective with their team picks. “A lot of them [sprinters] are freshmen who are insanely fast,” said Koatwall.

Girls varsity soccer finished last year 14-5, making it all the way to the state tournament, and hope to keep that energy for the upcoming season. An unexpected obstacle is the loss of the 13 seniors that graduated last year and a new head coach in Elizabeth Bream. Junior Reagan Calvo said this is the “rebuilding period where we’re trying to recruit new people and get together and get our chemistry right.” One of Calvo’s goals for this year is to win in the match against Briar Woods. “Last year every single time we played them, we got crushed,” said Calvo. The varsity team opened their season with two scrimmage wins and a regular season victory over Park View on Mar 13.

The boys soccer team is starting off the season with a few obstacles. Senior Matthew Crosby said “We have a lot of people out right now with injuries, so we have to worry about that.” Along with a low number of people on the team, this is sure to make an interesting season. Last year the team ended with a 9-8 overall win for the season. “I hope for this year we get to go to regionals or states,” said Crosby.

The girls lacrosse team also plans on having a great season. Last year the team finished out with five wins. Senior Sarah Gabriel said “ I expect for us to go as far as we did last year and maybe a little farther.” With some new players on the team, it is sure to help out. This year as well, the team has a new coaching staff with Coach Jeff Hawes, Coach Olivia Carbo, Coach Casey Frederick, and Coach Michael Smith. Hawes, Frederick, and Smith have experience coaching together in the basketball program. 

When it comes to boys lacrosse, senior Nathan Hargreaves has high hopes. Despite losing many seniors last year, new freshmen have come to take up their space. “We’re a bit thin right now in numbers, but I think we should do pretty good this year,” said Hargreaves. Hargreaves is also looking forward to the team’s games against Woodgrove. “Last year Woodgrove was very competitive; we played them twice and I’m excited to see how these games go,” said Hargreaves. 

Baseball is stepping up to bat as well with a new coach for the first time since the school’s opening. “He [the coach] is charting a lot more things, so we have data to back things up. Our practices are run more efficiently. Overall, there’s some excitement around it,” said senior Drew Woodall. The team is also participating in a tournament over spring break and had their first game away at John Champe on Mar 13. The varsity team lost 2-3 to the Knights.

On the court, boys tennis starts off a strong spring season. When it comes to difficulties, senior Quentin Tran said “our biggest obstacle is probably playing against Riverside. Their lineup is always so stacked, so it’s kind of hard.” A new lighting system and new court wraps are among the upgrades that have the team excited. “When it’s dark, you can’t see the ball, and you’re just guessing where it is,” said Tran about playing last season.

After a week of scrimmages, most teams have started their regular season play.