Gonzaga preserved its stranglehold on the WCAC, as the Eagles won their sixth consecutive conference championship Saturday at Georgetown Prep, cruising to victory by more than 60 points.
The girls’ side was even more of a walkover, as Good Counsel won by more than 150 points to repeat. The Falcons have won five of the past six WCAC championships.
Both Good Counsel and Gonzaga have had to reshape their rosters this season. Despite Gonzaga losing All-Met first-team performer Aiden Bond and second-teamer Jack Moloney, second-year coach Brian Kilner has helped retool another polished group.
McKenzie and Finn Bacon, committed to Wisconsin, have become the next strong seniors in the Eagles’ cycle. Bacon won the 100-yard backstroke (50.98 seconds), while McKenzie finished first in the 50 freestyle (21.05) and the 100 butterfly (49.96).
On Saturday, Kilner did what he has done all year: hand off the pregame speeches and motivation to the seniors.
“That example they set makes its way through the rest of the team,” Kilner said.
The 400 freestyle relay was a figurative handing off of the baton. As McKenzie and Bacon finished the first lengths, they gave way to two juniors, Anderson Bishop and Palmer Bice.
“Over the past couple years, I’ve seen this process repeat itself,” McKenzie said.
The Montgomery County girls’ indoor track and field championship came down to the last event of the night last week.
With his team down six points, Blake Coach Alistair McLean turned to junior captain Jaayah Jenkins and told her the team needed a big performance in the 4×400-meter relay.
Jenkins, who ran the opening leg, and her teammates delivered. Blake narrowly finished first in the relay to secure the Bengals’ second straight Montgomery County championship on Jan. 23 at the Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex in Landover. Paint Branch won the county boys’ title.
“It was nerve-racking … they hadn’t put the [3,200-meter race results] in, so we were kind of biting our nails to see if we’re going to be able to pull this off,” McLean said. “[Jenkins] stepped up to the plate and set the tone for the relay — everybody on that relay stepped up and contributed immensely.”
First-place finishes from senior Brooke Cochran in the 300 meters, Jenkins in the 500 and junior Sierra Swangin in the high jump set up Blake up to win the county title with one final victory in the last event of the night.
The Bengals accomplished the first step in their goal of a “triple crown” of county, region and state championships. Blake fell just short of the same aim last year after winning the region and coming in second at the Maryland 4A state meet.
This year, the Bengals are competing at the 3A level as they hunt for their first state title.
“We have a lot of girls and athletes here that are just hungry,” McLean said. “I feel like we definitely want to accomplish something big.”
When Independence and visiting Riverside took the wrestling mat Thursday, the nearly 2,000 people packed into the Ashburn gym created a wall of noise. But when Emily Belcher spoke, there was silence.
Belcher’s daughter, Caroline, a former Independence wrestling manager, died last year at age 14 after a battle with brain cancer. In her memory, Independence hosted Caroline’s Dual During School to raise awareness and funds for pediatric cancer research.
“It was just amazing to see a bunch of teenagers understand the impact of what’s going on here,” Coach Paul Grinups said. “ … The big goal is to make sure that if someone in our community gets the news that their child has cancer, that they know who to turn to. If we can do something like this every year to keep that message alive in our community, impact others, then that’s what it’s all about.”
Donations brought in more than $1,400 for the Rally Foundation. Both teams wore gold shirts donated by a local company and wristbands provided by the foundation, and fans were encouraged to don gold as well.
The dual was the first in Loudoun County to take place during a school day, and more fans were in attendance for the Tigers’ senior day than most college meets. There were nerves among Independence’s 14 starters, but the Tigers came through for a 66-12 victory.
Independence won the Potomac District title and has lofty goals for the upcoming region and state championships.
“Yeah, we’re trying to do big things on the mat,” Grinups said. “But I think if you ask them what their biggest, coolest and most memorable moment is going to be as wrestlers, it’s what happened on Thursday.”
The Colgan Sharks are entering the Capital Scholastic Hockey League postseason undefeated, an accomplishment rendered even more impressive considering the challenges to which they’ve adapted.
With most of the team’s players occupied with hectic club hockey schedules, the Sharks’ only chance to practice together has been in the minutes before each Friday night game.
“The training process was hard because the only practice that we really had was the tryouts,” senior defenseman Hunter Raffert said. “So when we had a chance, when we were up, we were sending out younger guys that didn’t really know our plays as much to teach them the plays.”
“If Coach [Tony Ryan] ever wants to run a play that is new, he draws up the play on a board right before the game,” Raffert added. “And we have to trust that everyone will do their part.”
With 12 seniors, this process has been manageable — thanks in part to Ryan’s emphasis on staying cool and collected on the ice, ready to adapt to whatever comes their way.
That mentality was tested during Friday’s final regular season game against Lake Braddock/Fairfax, when an apparent mistake by the referee had forward Cody Schirmbeck sitting in the penalty box for an infraction he didn’t commit. The Sharks prevailed, 6-2, beating a rival that ended their playoff run last year.
“What Coach Ryan has taught us … is to just kind of respect what’s going on and not make a big deal out of it and go with it, because we’re not going to get our way through yelling and fussing,” captain Vincent Lowery said. “And we’ll persevere by playing even harder in the right way. Not in a dirty or cheap way. So that’s how we beat out teams.”
With just one game left to play in the regular season, a single goal weighs heavier on Isabelle Fontana’s mind than any other: winning a title to cap her senior year at St. John’s.
“It’s my last year. We have the capability to be on top,” she said. “It’s just a matter of [not] letting the pressure get to us.”
Last year’s Mid-Atlantic Girls Hockey League tournament came to an abrupt end for the Cadets, with a semifinal loss to Archbishop Spalding. Now, almost a year removed, the entire team has its full focus on bringing home a championship.
The team’s season finale Wednesday against Stone Ridge will potentially determine who will receive a first-round bye for the postseason tournament. A win would also give St. John’s much-needed momentum.
“We try to treat every game like it’s going to be the toughest one that we’re ever going to play,” senior Ellie Holt said. That mind-set will be no different on Wednesday.