“When we practice, our ‘A’ and ‘B’ sides are equal,” Simpson said. “Our rallies are longer. We’re getting good touches — we’re all making each other better.”

The opportunity for competitive practice time is particularly important for Jackson-Reed, which has lost just one game against a fellow D.C. public school in the past 15 years. The Tigers have directed their competitive thirst toward the area’s top private schools, going so far as to beg Arrington to schedule senior night against Flint Hill, the area’s top-ranked team. (She complied.)

After knocking off private schools en route to a D.C. State Athletic Association title in 2021 but faltering in the semifinals last year, the Tigers’ attention has returned to the area’s top programs. With a talented group of underclassmen that includes Simpson’s sister, Taylor, and has improved dramatically after the club volleyball season, the Tigers believe they are up for the challenge.

“It’s our work ethic, our talent and [Arrington],” senior Molly Reeder said. “She puts a lot of confidence in us. She treats us like a college team, so we know we have the power to play with private schools. We aren’t afraid of them.”

Kosette Koons-Perdikis and Rachel Chung held hands in anticipation and anxiousness as the final totals for a fundraising project put on by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society were announced.

The St. Andrew’s Episcopal and Trinity Christian School players celebrated along with their group, Team Union For A Cure (FC), after learning they raised roughly $450,000 for blood cancer research during the seven-week competition — the third most in the country and the most in the Mid-Atlantic region.

The group included 14 players from Koons-Perdikis and Chung’s club team, Virginia Union FC.

“We win tournaments, we go through nationals — we go through such emotional moments. … Just having that victory off the field and just kind of impacting something that we were all so passionate about and worked so hard on really stood out to me,” Chung said.

Chung and Koons-Perdikis said their team raised money through corporate sponsorships, personal requests and events they put on, including a soccer clinic they ran in coordination with their club in March.

Koons-Perdikis was nominated to participate in the competition by her older sister, Kaeden, whose team raised $546,000 in 2021. Last fall, she approached Chung, who said she was inspired to take part because her grandmother was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago.

In addition to her familiarity with the campaign, Koons-Perdikis wanted to participate after her grandfather was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year. She broke the individual record for the region, raising more than $280,000.

“I really wanted to do something to help the cause, and because I already had that link to LLS, it gave me a great opportunity to help out,” Koons-Perdikis said.

Good Counsel’s Jeremy Spoales has been blessed with experience this fall. In his seventh year as coach of the Falcons, Spoales has more seniors on his roster than he ever has before: 16.

“You never really plan on having that many seniors,” he said. “But these are all kids that paid their dues. They have given me their time and stayed with this program they helped build. Now they get to finish things the way they want to finish things.”

Two years ago, many of these seniors were instrumental as sophomores when the Falcons made a postseason run and captured their first WCAC title since 1988.

“Those sophomores are now seniors, and they’re ready to lead,” Spoales said.

The Falcons face an early-season slate only an experienced squad could handle. Over the weekend, they kicked things off with games against two of the top teams in the D.C. area: Whitman and Churchill. They split them, falling, 1-0, to Whitman but scoring a 1-0 victory over Churchill.

On Friday night, they will face Gonzaga, the area’s top-ranked team and a conference foe. The Falcons were supposed to play the Eagles later in the season, but a scheduling conflict forced the teams to make it an early bout.

“September is all about finding a rhythm and finding a rotation,” Spoales said. “With 16 seniors and a lot of young talent, every practice is a competition.”

Nate Swanson had his head down as he found his rhythm, each breath becoming less labored than the last. The Churchill junior wasn’t just thinking about winning the race or finishing in a personal-best time — he was thinking about one-upping his coach.

Paul Jacobson, Churchill’s coach and a member of Einstein’s sports hall of fame, had finished third in this race 43 years ago. And at the Woodward Relays on Saturday, Swanson and Stepan Volkov finished as the top boys’ duo. Their two-person relay time was the second fastest since the race moved to Georgetown Prep in 2007.

The race has an unusual setup: Partners alternate three miles with a baton — and sometimes run into obstacles.

“Less than a minute into the race, there’s just a coach walking in the middle of the course,” Swanson said.

Despite Churchill boasting the best duo, St. John’s had the top score as a team.

Field hockey season in Montgomery County doesn’t officially start until after Labor Day, so Saturday’s games at the Rocket Classic won’t count toward the participants’ records. Even so, the inaugural event was a success, providing valuable experience for the teams involved. Richard Montgomery, the host, won a four-team exhibition that also included Clarksburg, Quince Orchard and Einstein.

The idea of a preseason tournament was raised in the spring, months before first-year Rockets coach Samantha Griffin and Athletic Director Daniel Whitlow II showed up to the field at 6 a.m. to set up. With the holiday weekend creating an optimal lull in the calendar, there was interest from other coaches in an event that hadn’t been organized for public schools in the county in years.

“Tournaments like this, where the girls have more opportunities to play even if they’re not involved in a club team, that just really amplifies what they’re able to do and achieve in the season,” Einstein Coach Robin Drews said.

To help things run smoothly, parents volunteered where they could as the junior varsity Rockets assembled informational brochures for spectators.

Whitlow didn’t even return to his home, about an hour away, after the Rockets hosted a football game the evening before, instead spending Friday night in Rockville to ensure he could get to the school early. He got little sleep, but as he said, “To put on this event, it was well worth it.”

Whitlow is optimistic this competition is the beginning of turning Richard Montgomery into “a hub for field hockey” that will host state playoff games.

“If the scheduling works out,” he said, “we would absolutely love to do it again next year and every year after that.”

Alexandria City sophomore Emma Stanley has played with the golf team since she was in eighth grade, usually as the only girl in coed matches. The introduction of girls’ division matches this season was a welcomed addition.

“I honestly really enjoy them, and I think that it’s a good learning experience,” she said. “For me, it’s less intimidating because I feel like being around girls my age is easier.”

First-year coach Kevin Burkhead said an increase in girls’ participation was a key part of the decision to move forward with the matches. This season, 15 girls tried out for his team.

Stanley hopes these opportunities will lead to even more girls giving golf a shot.

“I think a lot more girls are getting interested [in golf] and want to try it,” she said. “It just makes it a more fun experience, to meet new people and make more friends.”