With big wins and tough losses, most Potomac Falls fall sports teams wrapped their season, but varsity football lives to fight another day
*This article was originally published in the Roar magazine and has been updated with the most current standings
Golf
On Aug. 7, Panther Golf teed off the season, finishing 14th out of 38 teams at the Curly Licklider Invitational. Sophomore Charlotte Harvey led the Panthers, shooting a 75. Sophomore Kyle Majak shot an 81, and senior Robbie Manfredi shot an 85. Other highlights include winning their senior night match against Woodgrove,160-175, with Majak and junior Wyatt Holland each shooting a 39, and Harvey shooting a 40, and on Sep. 8, Harvey and junior Evie Emanuel competed in the Mustang Girls Invitational. Emanuel recorded her first ever birdie, while Harvey finished fourth, shooting an 80. The team placed fourth at regionals, with a season best of 317. Majak led the team with a 74, qualifying for the state tournament. Senior Mason Medford, Harvey, and sophomore Geoffery Haas each scored 81 in the regional tournament.
On Sep. 20, Majak advanced to the Division 5 State golf tournament. Majak made a 35-foot putt for birdie on the first playoff hole to advance to states. Majack represented the Panther golf team but did not advance. “States did not go how I wanted. It was really fun to meet new people and spend time with my coach and family. It was my first year, and I hope to do better next year,” said Majak.
Volleyball
Starting off the season with a tough loss 0-3 against Loudoun County High School, the Panthers bounced back at Broad Run, sweeping the Spartans in three sets, starting off what would turn out to be an outstanding season for the Panthers. With seven seniors graduating, the team defeated the Briar Woods Falcons in three sets on senior night at home. They finished the regular season 16-4 with 11 sweeps, placing second in the district, just behind the defending state champions, Riverside. The team lost to Riverside 1-3 and 0-3 in both matches this season. “Playing at Riverside is always a challenge because they are a great team. When we play them, we fight hard to keep them on their toes. I think when we play Riverside it shows our grit and desire to play this sport,” said Ciambruschini.
In the district tournament, the team defeated Stone Bridge in the opening match 3-0. On Oct. 28, they defeated Lightridge 3-0, advancing to the district championship earning a spot at regionals. The Panthers traveled to compete against the Rams on Oct. 29 fighting for the top spot in the district. The team lost a close match 0-3, finishing as runners-up. They went on to play the Bolts again at home on Nov. 4 at regionals defeating them 3-1, advancing to the region semifinals where they defeated Massoponix High School, 3-2, securing a spot at states. On Nov. 11, the team lost to Riverside in the region championship, but continued on to play in the lower seed for the first round of states against Midlothian High School in Richmond.
Despite all of the grit, hard work, and passion the team put into their game against Midlothian, the Panthers fell short in a close 1-3 game putting an end to their season. The varsity girls had a historic season, finishing 20-7 with four of their losses coming from the same team: Riverside High School.
Field Hockey
The team faced a rebuilding season this year with new head coach Krissy Huller. Despite a 3-13 record, they had some standout moments. After an early season 2-6 loss against Freedom, the team rebounded to defeat the Eagles on their senior night, including a come back victory against Freedom in their second match-up, 3-0. “We all knew we were going to play our best since it was their senior night. We were playing really well, and I felt like our team was really connecting, and there was really great team effort all around,” said senior captain Lauren McManus.
On the Panthers senior night with four seniors leaving, the team faced John Champe on Oct.14, defeating the Knights with a score of 8-2. The team ended their season as the sixth seed in the district tournament. They traveled to Stone Bridge for the district quarterfinals but fell short 8-2 ending their season.
XC
On Sept. 3, the Panther XC team faced Dominion and Parkview at the Algonkian Cup on their senior night. Both girls and boys placed first, securing the cup. Senior Gavin Jackson led the boys with a time of 16.32 and junior Jada Stone leading the girls finishing in 20.23. The Panthers had eight regular season meets, and they finished their season with four runners advancing to states.
On Oct. 20 the team competed in districts, with Stone leading the girls’ team with a 20.06 time placing 13 out of 55 competitors. The girls team came in fourth of seven teams overall. “Regionals was one of the most memorable opportunities that I have had in my life, so far. I got an Oatlands course PR, though I did not do as well mentally as I would have hoped to. The most memorable part for me was the time that I got to spend with my teammates, and I am so lucky to have had them cheering for me, and be able to have enjoyed going to Regionals with them,” said Stone.
Jackson led the boys team, finishing in 16.33, placing fourth overall. Senior Eli Wike came in seventh and junior Drew Barry followed, finishing 12 out of 56 competitors.
The Panthers boys finished second in the district and the girls finished fourth. In the region, girls finished fifth place with Stone and junior Evie McCombs leading the way, finishing 20.58 and 21:34 respectively, advancing them to states. The boys came in fourth at regionals with Jackson and Wike advancing to states after finishing 16.48 and 17.04 respectively.
Football
The Panthers finished their season 6-4 with a few big wins. For the first time in school history, the Panthers defeated a talented Independence team 21-20 early. “This game was a super important win… winning that game established a lot of confidence that we carried forward in the season,” said senior Luke Hable, who had 18 tackles, preventing Independence from taking the lead.
The team faced Briar Woods home for senior night on Oct. 30 with nine seniors graduating. The Panthers defeated the Falcons 27-17, earning a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
On Nov. 14, they hosted Lightridge for the first round of playoffs. The team defeated the Bolts in the first round of playoffs 37-22. They will play Riverbend High School in Fredericksburg on Nov. 21 and try to upset their 10-0 season.
Cheer
The cheer team kept spirits high from the sidelines, but they faced a tough competition season. The squad is in the toughest region, 5A, and went to five competitions where they placed last four out of five competitions. On Oct. 28, the team went on to place sixth out of seven teams at districts. Despite having freshman Brie Grant as a standout tumbler, the team’s biggest struggle is in that area. “Every team has at least 10 tumblers that have level four tumbling or higher, and we only have Brie,” said senior Leila Brumskine, who’s been on the team for three seasons. Brumskine said the team is stronger than last year. “Our routine in general is better and we’re doing more difficult stuff,” said Brumskine.