![Junior Diya Arun stares out a window. For Arun, the winter season brings out the holiday blues. “ I think [the winter] has a negative effect on my mental health because I feel like the cold weather and people around me are also sadder [and] that affects me,” Arun said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_8047-1200x800.jpg)
![The Phoenix varsity volleyball team lines up for the national anthem. “We were more communicative [with each other] during this game, and I feel like we kept our energy up, especially after the first set,” senior Jessica Valdov said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSC_0202-1200x800.jpg)
Despite a Fight, the Panthers Pounce on the Phoenix
On Nov. 30, the Phoenix girls and boys varsity basketball teams went up against the Potomac Falls Panthers for their first home game of the season. The Phoenix girls lost 44-20 and the boys lost 57-51.
![Sophomore Trey Fitch goes for a shot after making a steal. Fitch scored a total of thirteen points in the game. “I feel like I played alright, [I] could have done better,” Fitch said. “I was getting really pressed in the first half, I got led off towards the end. Individually, I did my contribution to the team, but it is a team effort.”](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/DSC_0429-e1671222838619-900x860.jpg)
Sophomore Trey Fitch goes for a shot after making a steal. Fitch scored a total of thirteen points in the game. “I feel like I played alright, [I] could have done better,” Fitch said. “I was getting really pressed in the first half, I got led off towards the end. Individually, I did my contribution to the team, but it is a team effort.”
December 16, 2022
As the 2022 winter season commenced, the Phoenix girls and boys basketball teams went up against the Potomac Falls Panthers for their first home game and doubleheader on Thursday, Nov. 30. Students from both schools packed the gym to cheer on their teams, creating an intense atmosphere throughout both games.
The Phoenix girls varsity basketball team started off the doubleheader. Although there was a strong team effort from the Phoenix, the Panthers dominated the court and quickly took the lead in the first quarter with a score of 14-1. The Panthers continued to hold the lead throughout all four quarters, and they won with a final score of 44-22. The Phoenix’s loss caused the girls to reflect on their performance and what they needed to improve on. “I think it was a rocky start,” senior and captain Sruthi Dacherla said. “The biggest thing we were lacking was communication on and off the court. We needed to vocalize what everyone needed to accomplish during the actual game. Aside from that, we do have two new freshmen and other people who have never played varsity before so for our first game, I think we did well and put in a good effort.”
After, the Phoenix boys varsity basketball game began. Both teams were putting up a hard fight, and by the end of the third quarter, the Phoenix were only behind by two points with a score of 38-36. Due to the tight game, tensions were high between the players and the student sections. “We definitely had chances [to have comebacks], [but] some turnovers here and there stopped our run,” sophomore Mekhi Motilewa said. In the last few minutes of the fourth quarter however, the Panthers took the edge and won the game with a final score of 57-51.
Despite the loss, the boys were proud of how they performed together as a team. “I was really proud of how we stuck together,” senior and co-captain Nick Canfield said. “I never felt like we let ourselves down. We played as a team the entire time.”
The next home game and double header will be on Dec. 9 against the Loudoun Valley Vikings.
![On Friday, Dec. 19, seniors filled the library for the winter senior breakfast event, put together with the help of administrators and parent volunteers. Excitement and joy filled the atmosphere as the Class of 2025 filed into the school library to celebrate their four years of accomplishment as students.
The menu for this breakfast was an assortment of sweet treats: donuts, apple and orange juice, coffee, hot chocolate, and gingerbread cookies. Students were able to decorate their own gingerbread cookies with a variety of different icing and sprinkles to choose from. The tables were decorated with blue tablecloths to celebrate the winter season. Plates and napkins also followed the holiday theme.
Senior Blessing Amuga attended the event for her friends and the food. “This time [the breakfast was better because] there were many activities,” Amuga said.
In the midst of the festivities, students were provided with the opportunity to vote on one of four designs on the front and two designs on the back for their senior class shirt design. They are able to submit their designs by Dec. 18 for a chance to be selected as the winning design.
✏️ and 📷 by Ryan Desiderio, Rachel Bhardwaj, Sitwat Mian](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)