His first attempts were spoiled by the coronavirus pandemic. But last fall, in his second season as head coach at Freedom, Vasquez found the right opportunity. The Eagles started a buddy program at Liberty Elementary, located right across the street from their school.

Starting in October, Vasquez and his players would go to Liberty once a week for an hour. Each player is given a group of three to five students. Often they read together, but they also talk, play games and do art projects. In the fall, Vasquez had about 14 returning varsity players take part. Now, he has the entire 22-player roster making the short trip to Liberty once a week.

“It’s a way of giving back to the community,” the coach said. “We know that we wouldn’t be able to achieve any of the things we achieve without the support of teachers and parents and the community in general … These kids look up to the high school athletes like they’re stars, so we just want to be good role models in the community.”

The players seem to benefit just as much as their young partners, as the reading program gives them something unique to connect over and take pride in.

“We want our seniors to graduate from this program and be proud of more than just what they did on the soccer field,” Vasquez said. “And then hopefully, down the road, some of those young kids will end up here at Freedom and remember the experiences they had a few years ago and want to give back to the community.”

Johnny and James Gardiner have gone to school together since kindergarten. When it came time to choose a college, neither cousin wanted their time together to end.

James, a midfielder for Gonzaga, and Johnny, an attacker for the Eagles, will both play at Maryland next year. They’ve tormented opponents since elementary school and developed chemistry for a decade, an advantage that will come in handy when they join one of the nation’s top lacrosse programs.

“Why not stay with family when family is meant to be together?” James said.

Johnny committed first in September of 2022, and the two agreed that if James could also secure an offer from the Terps, he would choose to stay close to home, too. Maryland came calling 11 months later.

On the field, their unique connection shows itself frequently. They often know where the other will be. When James gets double-teamed, Johnny creates space to receive a pass. When Johnny is looking for a way to the goal, James appears with a screen to make room for a shot.

Gonzaga has struggled through the season’s opening weeks with just two wins in its first six games, although most of those defeats came by narrow margins. The Gardiner cousins, in their final run with the Eagles before leaving for College Park, hope to pull their squad out of their early-season rut by doing what they’ve always done: dominate together.

“We’ve seen each other go through the journey from when we were younger until now,” Johnny said. “It’s been cool to grow up with him.”

Henry Zatkowski’s last start of the 2023 season was one for the ages: a one-hit, 15-strikeout showcase to earn River Hill its first state championship since 2009.

He picked up right where he left off in the first game of his senior season, spinning a 16-strikeout shutout to lead the Hawks to a 3-0 win over Atholton on Thursday.

Zatkowski’s focus was to stay ahead early in counts, which allowed him to rack up punch-outs while keeping his pitch count manageable. Early on, he worked backward from conventional tactics, starting at-bats with off-speed pitches before blowing fastballs by hitters in deeper counts.

“You don’t want to be repeating everything you do so they don’t time you up or know what’s coming,” said Zatkowski, who signed to play at Duke. “I usually mix it up.”

Until this season, Zatkowski commanded just two pitches: a fastball and a slider. In the offseason, he developed a splitter, allowing him to be less predictable. He’s still working on stabilizing the splitter’s command but received a boost of confidence when he recorded one of his many strikeouts with it Thursday.

Led by Zatkowski’s electric left arm, River Hill (2-0) knows that last year’s success placed a target on its back. The Hawks like to stay loose and have fun, but they know they must remain focused.

“We had to work a lot harder this offseason — a lot harder than last year — just to keep that intensity going,” Zatkowski said. “Yeah, we won it last year, that’s good, but we also got to want it this year, too.”

With a season of tough competition ahead of them, the Sidwell Friends boys’ and girls’ tennis teams used their spring break to seek out competition and camaraderie. They found both in Florida, at a tournament on the USTA National Campus in Orlando.

“I’m really glad we’re out here in this amazing weather right now,” team captain Rowan Drant said over the phone as he walked past an alligator in a lake next to the courts. “There’s six courts straight down the line … so if you’re on court six and your friend is on court one, you can still yell all the way down there and cheer them on. So it’s just an amazing atmosphere.”

The Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference champs played in a round robin tournament against two other top teams, beating Edwardsville (Ill.) 5-2 on Friday and St. Xavier (Ky.) 7-0 on Saturday.

In past seasons, team trips such as this one went a long way toward getting the team in fighting shape. This year, with a lineup that leans heavily on freshmen and sophomores in the top three singles positions, getting new players integrated alongside veterans is a priority.

“When you’re rooming with one of your teammates, eating all your meals with your teammates, playing with your teammates, supporting your teammates for, like, 12 or 13 hours a day, it’s really a whole other level,” Drant said. “You get to know them on a really personal level and become brothers.”

The Quakers will need all the unified power they can muster once they return to D.C. for the season. After a hard-fought 4-3 loss to fellow powerhouse St. Albans in early March, Sidwell is gearing up for more challenges, including a matchup against Washington Catholic Athletic Conference champs DeMatha next month.