photo by Elizabeth Lane

Communications senior and girls soccer player (left) Sarah Maclean battles for the ball in her team’s second district match that took place at Olympics Heights High School against William T. Dwyer High School.

Girls Soccer

There were high hopes for this year’s girls soccer team after their respectable season last winter, and they did not disappoint. For the first time in Dreyfoos history, the team battled for the regional championship title where they eventually lost in a sudden death shoot out against Martin County High School. With a strong standing record of 13-5-1, the team finished second place in the district.

“We all played well together from the start,” communications senior Sarah Maclean said.  “And due to our freshman talent, I had a feeling we would be going far.”

The team clinched the number two spot in the district championship on their way to competing in regionals. In a double overtime match in the first round of Districts, the team defeated its archrival Suncoast when theatre freshman Aston Royal scored the game-winning goal to win 2-1.

“In the past, we often lost to Suncoast,” said digital media sophomore Madeline Winchester’s father John Winchester.  “But we beat them [during] the regular season last year and this year we beat them during Districts.”

While previous stars of the team returned for this season, the new and dynamic defensive line consisting of Royal and strings freshman Sarah King allowed for a more uniform team rather than a somewhat inconsistent group from last winter.

“We are very lucky to have these freshmen,” Mr. Winchester said.  “And the good news is [that] they are only going to get better.”

Boys Soccer

At the start of the season, the boys soccer team was unexpectedly placed into the 4A division, a much more competitive league with a high school population and a wider amount of competitive players.  Accompanied with the loss of key players such as theatre senior Ramiro Retes, who signed a contract to play for an Argentinean soccer team, the boys soccer team finished with a record of 1-12-1.

“We’re really good to start the game,” communications junior Steffan Gawlikoski said.  “But we need more training in order to have [the stamina] to finish off the game.”

The team will be losing three seniors at the end of this year, but they hope to train the players that will remain on their roster in order to be ready for next season.

Boys Basketball

Coming off their 13-2 season last year, the boys basketball team has stood strong and finished off the season with a 10-6 record.  Despite the team’s overall success, the team has had to overcome hardships since the beginning of the season:  the team has lost three of its key players.

“As a team we are like a well-oiled machine,” communications senior Munashe Kwangwari said.  “I’m the conductor and everyone else plays their roles.  However because players quit at the beginning this year, other players were forced to play roles they are not used to.”

The team came in first in the North Division and faced off against South Division Champion American Prep in the East Coast Conference game resulting in a 62-37 loss.  Coaches attending the conference awarded communications senior Munashe Kwangwari as the Most Valuable Player and nominated strings sophomore Joshua Ewers to a spot on the All-Conference team.

Track

Track and field head coach and english teacher Catherine Duncan is preparing to begin her first season as coach, and has many changes to workouts and practices that she plans to implement.

“I do feel strongly that every practice should be 30 to 40 percent conditioning so that the event will seem easy, compared to the practice,” Ms. Duncan said.  “I am witnessing a wonderful can-do spirit within the team and they are being very helpful to their new coach.”

Duncan expects to foster a spirit of camaraderie this season, where everyone will push each other to reach new personal records for the school.  In particular, she aims for pole vaulter and strings senior Jenna Meyers-Sinnet to make it to regionals and beyond.\

Tennis

With their first match on Feb. 4, guidance counselor and tennis coach John Webb is seeding the team where players will be organized into groups based on skill. After losing three key seniors from last year’s team, the door is open for all of the other players to prove themselves.

“We had the dream team last year,” strings senior Reed Rabideau said.  “We had a decent performance at regionals and two of our guys went to states.  We usually do pretty [well], so all I’m hoping is [that] we do as good as we did.  With our freshmen, I don’t think that will be a problem.”