*This article has been corrected since published.
As the winter season roars on, almost every WJ team has started successfully. The teams are trying to establish themselves as contenders in the county and state and position themselves for deep playoff runs. Here is the inside take on every WJ winter sports team:
Boys’ Basketball- The boys’ basketball team started the season with a huge come from behind victory over Clarksburg to win 59-58, then the boys dropped four in arrow to fall to a 1-4 record. Although this boys’ basketball team started poorly they were still able to come together and make a run. The team pulled out five wins in seven games to put themselves back in contention. This squad has a strong group of seniors that will help later in the season, including seniors Michael Lumbuku, Sean Poosson and Everett Wells, who have established themselves as the star players on this team. The team is hoping to continue their success against Churchill on Jan. 11, which with a victory would put them alone atop the division half way through their schedule. This team appears to be .500 team and I believe they will win one or two games in the playoffs but they do not have the depth to make a deep run.
Girls’ Basketball- The girls’ basketball team is coming off a memorable year after being co-division champs in 2012. The team lost only two seniors last year and have a number of core players returning. The girls started off the season with two blow-out wins against Clarksburg and Blake before beating power house Blair 42-39. The team now has nine wins and only three losses, but Northwest appears to be the teams’ kryptonite after beating WJ twice. The girls are led by seniors Kristen Larrick, Maddie Chili, Leemor Banai and junior Melanie Ackerman. The girls are hoping to win the division again and make a deep run in playoffs. I believe the girls will be able to win the division, and if they can beat Northwest, have a good postseason due to the senior talent and leadership.
Boys’ Indoor Track- The boys’ track team graduated several quality seniors, but coaches Tom Martin and Tom Rogers have the boys running well again. The team has lots of strong upperclassmen in the distance events who appear to be poised to make a run at the county championship in the distance events. The team this year has unfortunately suffered many injuries to key runners which could be a setback for the team, none more important than the senior sprint captain Aldo Filas, who is out for the year due to a hip injury. However, they have an abundance of underclassmen sprinters that will look to gain experience for years to come. I believe the boys’ team will have at least one county champion and several athletes qualify and compete in the state meet.
Girls’ Indoor Track- The girls’ track team looks as though they will have a very successful year. The distance team is composed of many sophomores and juniors, though they appear to lack senior leadership this year. The distance team is led by junior Monica Serafini and sophomore Nathalie Kirsch, but also is made up of several talented freshmen and sophomores who look to make a splash on the county scene while gaining experience this winter. Junior Mary Rose Melnicki and senior Ana Gomerez will lead an experienced group of sprinters this year. This sprint team is also very deep with an abundance of talented runners. It seems these girls’ have the potential for a breakthrough year. The girls will have many big invitational meets but none bigger than the Virginia Tech invitational in early February. I predict the team will have a good season and lots of girls will set personal records late in the year.
Boys’ Swim and Dive- The boys’ swim and dive team is coming off a historic season after winning the state title last year. Even after graduating a fantastic senior class this team has aspirations of another state title, and they are taking the right steps to accomplish this by starting the season 3-0. The team has several superb swimmers highlighted by senior captains Barry Mangold and Chris Root. The team will try to have success at metros, one of the area’s biggest high school meets, held on Feb. 6-9. I predict this team will win the state title with last years’ experience pushing them to the top again.
Girls’ Swim and Dive- The girls’ swim and dive team is one of the youngest teams at WJ. Led by junior captain Natsumi Horikawa, this year’s team looks to improve on last year’s success after finishing sixth. With the girls’ relay teams compiled of many sophomores and juniors, the team has a promising future ahead. Although the team is very young, they are still poised for success. I believe the girls will improve on their sixth place finish at last year’s state meet by coming in the top five.
Wrestling- The wrestling team has big shoes to fill after losing state champion Elad Covaliu, but that has not hindered the Wildcats’ success early in the season. To start the season the team competed in the mad mats tournament where (number represents weight classes) seniors Tommy Branthover, 132, Jamie FitzPatrick, 152, Colin McCoy, 170, and Innocent Okocha, 285, won championships, seniors Connor Jobes, 145, and Carl Newman, 195, finished 2nd in their respective weight classes. The team has lots of senior leadership, as most of their varsity wrestlers are seniors. The team’s big meets are the county championships on Feb. 15 and 16 and the state championship meet on March 1 and 2. I believe the team will have a great season because of their experienced senior talent.
As the winter sports season rolls on, the teams will compete hard against all the county teams. These student athletes are putting all their effort on the line and I am sure many WJ athletes this season will have incredible performances this season while elevating their teams to a whole new level.
