Academics and athletic competitions

Richelle Zheng
CHS Class of 2025

(5/2025) Catoctin High School may be known for its success in athletics, but the students excel in more than just that! From softball and track to engineering robots and participating in envirothon, Catoctin really has it all! Over the course of this spring season, Catoctin is blooming with talent and skill across both academics and sports!

Softball

The Lady Cougars junior varsity softball team opened their season on March 24 with two games against Smithsburg. Starting with their first game, Ryleigh Hammond was an outstanding pitcher, striking out fourteen batters! Meanwhile, over at bat, Corine Jewell carried out four run-batted ins and a triple. Payden Fitzpatrick and Hammond both made three successful hits out of four. Sophia Perez, Katelyn Veronie, and Logynn Thomas all made two out of four hits. Contributions made by each of the girls allowed them to win their first game 13-0! Furthermore, the team continued to dominate as they won 19-1, with Kelsey Alban and Jewell taking turns pitching. At bat, Raquel Owens and Fitzpatrick both made triples. Veronie allowed two run-batted ins and made three out of four bats. Sophomores Keelyn Swaney and Mallory Clark both hit two out of four bats. Kaydense Cox also went two for four.

Over at Middletown High School, the varsity Lady Cougars were going head to head against the Middletown Knights. The crowd was gripping onto their seats as they watched the girls’ thrilling season-opening game, with senior Taylor Smith executing 25 strikeouts! With her double-digit strikeouts, Smith allowed the team to win her first game since the 2023 State Championships! However, the girls struggled at bat as they were tied 0-0 going into their eighth inning, causing the international tie-breaker rule to come into play. Each inning then started with a player on second base, put into effect by the international tie-breaker rule. During this time, the tensions were high for the Knights with one runner on third base and one out. Therefore, the Knights decided to bunt at bat. Then, junior Kassidy Kreitz put an end to the inning by catching the ball and throwing it to third base, taking out both Knights. Now moving onto the ninth inning, Aubrie Courtney carried out a sacrificial bunt to allow her teammate to score a run. Additionally, senior Abagayle Shives made a run-batted in hit. Eventually, the Knights tied the game on an error, leading to a tenth inning. In the tenth inning, senior Madison Ott hit a bunt, allowing Charley Keilholtz to run home from third. Then, the girls scored a double thanks to Smith. Ohler then followed up with another double, putting the Cougars in a two-run lead. Even with their two-run lead, the Knights created a tie once again by making a two-run home run. Finally, in the eleventh inning, the girls were able to put an end to the game. There were Knights on both the first and third base.

With pressures being high, Smith fielded a bunt and threw it to Keilholtz, who got the runner out and threw the ball to Courtney to get the girl on third out as well. Lastly, Smith struck out the last batter, ending the game with a hard-fought Cougar victory of 4-3. Highlights from the offensive side include Shives making three out of four hits and a run batted in. Smith made two doubles and Ohler made two hits, both of them also had a run batted in. Moreover, Courtney had a run batted in and a double, and Kreitz made a hit. Over on the field, Smith threw an entire game, only allowing two hits and one earned run as she made 25 strikeouts. Keilholtz also contributed by throwing out a runner.

Unified Track

The Catoctin unified track team competed against four schools on April 9. The schools at the meet were Linganore High School, Walkersville High School, Frederick High School, and Urbana High School. In the 100-meter run, Maria Perella had a strong start. She placed second in her event. Lucas Phelan also placed second in the 100-meter run. Additionally, in the 100-meter run, CJ Endlich placed second, and Falyn Zimmerman and senior Josh Ramos both placed third. James Grossnickle and John Greenwell both ran in the 200-meter event. Grossnickle finished in first place, and Greenwell tagged behind in second. Shay Johnson participated in the 400-meter run and placed first with incredible speed! Over on the field, Phelan, Jayden Myers, and Ramos represented Catoctin. Phelan and Myers set new personal records in the mini javelin and Ramos in the shot put event. Moreover, Catoctin also had two relay teams. The first team of Perella, Phelan, Zimmerman, and Ramos ran the 4x100-meter relay. For the 4x200-meter relay, the team consisting of Greenwell, Endlich, Grossnickle, and Johnson dominated with a great start.

Robotics

Catoctin’s Bovine Interventions Robotics team has had a great season this year! The team qualified to compete at the first Robotics World Championships, where the Cougars are able to compete against teams worldwide! This competition was held in Houston, Texas, over spring break, starting from April 13. Team 686, consisting of Ben Harbaugh, DJ Brooks, and David Ofori, had the opportunity to travel many miles and hours to compete in the championship, representing Frederick County on a national level!

When many people were off on vacation during spring break, these students, with exceptional skills and a passion for robotic engineering, dedicated their time to representing Frederick County as one of 789 teams from all over the world in Texas! These students had three tough days of competition. The teams were divided into eight random divisions, with Team 686 being part of the Johnson division, which had 75 total teams. Team 686 formed alliances with numerous other teams from all over the United States, including Texas, Michigan, and Washington. These teams made their way to the finals. Unfortunately, the alliance of teams from Israel, Michigan, and California defeated them. Nonetheless, the team made a name for themselves on the international stage as they showed up and showed off their incredible talent for robotics to end their season!

Envirothon

Did you know Catoctin had an environthon team? Well, their name is Whopper Ploppers!

The Whopper Ploppers competed in the Frederick County Envirothon on April 22 at Cunningham Falls State Park. The team is represented by Tanner Shorb, Blake Smith, Caleb Krantz, Jared Turner, and Jackson Savage. They had an incredible showing, placing first, and are moving on to the Maryland State Envirothon, held in Garrett County in June!

There is another envirothon team named the Burch Twigs! Members of the Burch Twigs include Annalise Abruzzese, Grady Abruzzese, Grace May, Faith May, and Alex Potter. Lastly, representing Catoctin is the team Evergreens with Jayden Myers, Jonathan Guldan, Preston Clark, Simon Burrier, and Valeria Lake!