Fall sport festivities

Gina Lin - CHS Class of 2024
Richelle Zheng - CHS Class of 2025

(10/2023) Everyone can agree that the start of school can be rough, as we have to hibernate the easy going practices of summer. But, there are positives to look forward to such as fall festivities! While we are still adjusting our sleep schedules and daily routine, Catoctin sports teams have been training hard, and are well into their season making headlines.

This year, there are different Catoctin sports teams , such as soccer and shining in the limelight such as the golf and soccer teams. This makes sense as the playing field has changed due to seniors having graduated and a new wave of freshmen players.

Catoctin boys soccer team debuted powerfully this season with a win against St. James. Their first game commenced on September 5th. Elias Irons led the team with two goals. Erick Lopez, Patrick Morlan, and Matthew Offut also contributed goals. Irons also led the team in two assists. Cody Faulkner and Franklyn PeZa added a few assists. The teams next game took place on September 7th. After a hard fought game, the Cougars fell to the Fort Hill High Sentinels. Some highlights from the defense and offense include a corner kick from Offut assisted by PeZa. The Cougars defeated James Buchanan High School 3-1 on September 12th. In the first half goals were made by Irons and Offut with assists from Morlan and PeZa. The second half was secured by a goal from Mattthew Offut. Defense honorable mentions include Cody Faulkner, Brayden Grable, Erick Lopez, Michael Metz, and Robert Ruch.

The Catoctin golf team has also experienced notable achievements in the onset of this season with several wins and a successful fundraising event. The golf team has had numerous wins so far this season, the first being against Brunswick High School on August 23rd, with a score of 198-169. Peyton Cramer took the lead for Catoctin with a 38, which also consisted of two birdies. Justin Mehall, Griffin Hench, and Delaney Hench contributed to the score as well, with Mehall shooting a 41; and Griffin and Delaney Hench shooting a 51 and 53 respectively. Then, at the teams next game on August 24th, Catoctin won a hard fought match against Frederick High School Cadets and Linganore High School Lancers. Catoctin secured a win against the Cadets, 170-223. After a close match against the Lancers, the Cougars were one point short. The final score ended with 169-170. The highlights of the match include Peyton Cramer shooting a one under par 35, he became the low medalist of this match. Jordan Moore shot a 44 with Griffin and Delaney Hench both each scoring 49. On August 31st, the golf team had another tri-school match against Smithsburg High School and Boonsboro High School Warriors. The Cougars prevailed against Smithsburg with a 178-168 win but fell to the Warriors, 155-168. In this match, Mehall shot an even par of 36, which consisted of one eagle and two birdies. This game marked Mehall’s lowest career match score ever. Peyton Cramer shot a 38, including one birdie during his third, and a 40 in the following round. Griffin Hench and Keagan Savage also made some career lows during this match with Griffin Hench scoring a 47 and Savage scoring a 48. Jordan Moore came through with a 41 followed Delaney Hench with a 57. The Catoctin golf team then played a tough match against Middletown High School on September 13th, with the score being, 156-170. However, the team still went all out during this fierce match, with Moore leading the team with a score of 39. Cramer shot a 41 and Mehall scored a 42 in this match. Moreover, Griffin Hench finalized the team's score with a 48. Although the Cougars lost against Middletown on September 13th, Catoctin rebounded with two wins the next day against North Hagerstown (164-205) and Clear Spring (164-220). This game was a nine-school match. The team came through and finished strong, placing Catoctin third out of the nine schools. Peyton Cramer was the low medalist of the whole event with a 2 over par round of 38 shot. Mehall and Moore both shot a 40 and Savage scored a 46 with a chip in birdie on the last hole of his turn. After this momentous match, Catoctin’s golf record increased 5-4 with the Cougars having a winning record for the first time in ages. Adding onto the golf team’s great success so far this season was their Putt-a-Thon fundraiser that occurred on September 12th. Their fundraiser event had great success with the help of Jason Moore and the amazing donors who donated to help support this program.

Catoctin football played their first game of the season on September 1st against Boonsboro High School Warriors. After a back and forth game\, the Cougars conceded to the Warriors, 20-24. The Cougars faced Mountain Ridge High School during their second game of the season on September 7 and lost 12- 43. But, the Cougars saw improvement in their next two games. Catoctin football’s first win of the season occurred on September 14 against the Williamsport High School Wildcats. Quarterback Haydn Mathews made passes at 258 yards and made four touchdowns. On the receiving end, Shaymus Stull contributed 144 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Charles Dougherty and Vince Reaver also contributed touchdowns. Alex Hauk, Logan Malachowski, Vince Reaver each contributed an interception respectively. Finally, Jorge Dias- Nicholas added three field goals and four extra points after touchdowns.

The Cougars took on Tuscarora High School Titans. Cougars dominated the field and swooped up a win against the Titans. Haydn Mathews made one touch down at 95 yards. Later on, Mathews added two more touchdowns. Shaymus Stull had 29 receiving yards and Vince Reaver contributed 51 receiving yards and one touchdown. Jacob Bell managed 62 yards with rushing plays. Hunter Bradshaw scored a touchdown with 33 rushing yards. Additionally, Dylon Grey contributed one touch down with 43 yards of rushing plays. Moreover, Logan Malachowski and Hunter Bradshaw added an interception. The score totaled 35-6, Catoctin to Tuscarora.

Some highlights from the girls field hockey team include a hard fought win at Tuscarora High School. Goals were scored by Madison Ball and Annalise Abruzzese, with assists from Grace Williams. 15 saves were made by Natalie Hoyt. Some shootout goals were added by Grace Williams and Josey Schafer.

Catoctin sports teams show lots of potential and will be sure to have an exciting season.