![Held up by a group of cheerleaders, flyer sophomore Leyu Yonas poses as part of a stunt, also supported by flyer junior Shayne Mitchell behind her. (Left) Prior to the pink out football game on Oct. 13, the athletes practiced in the aux gym from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Right) On Oct. 19, the cheerleaders competed in their District Championships at Woodgrove High School. “We definitely put all our effort on the mat [at Districts], and it showed,” Mitchell said. Left: Photo by Nadia Shirr. Right: Photo by Steve Prakope via Victor O’Neill Studios.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/feature-image-1200x823.png)
![Sophomore Xavier Smith (6), the Phoenix quarterback, runs the ball as his teammates help hold up the defense. “My [offensive] line collapses, so I just [have to run], and its a good way to get first downs because [Tuscarora’s] defense was really good,” Smith said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_5383-1200x897.jpg)
![As the referee throws the ball up for the tip-off, freshman Simone Diby leaps towards the ball to get it in Phoenix possession. Diby is a new member of the Phoenix girls basketball team, and despite it being a change, she finds it enjoyable. “It’s definitely a different experience if you’ve never played on a team, [but] I think it’s still fun.”](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/DSC_0057-1200x662.jpg)
![With the energy and effort the Bolts were bringing to the game, the Phoenix had to step up and match them to make it through their first game of the season. Many of the girls on the team, including freshman Nazly Rostom, have been playing soccer since their childhood and have grown a love for the sport as a result. “It was fun to see how we actually played in a [real] game,” Rostom said. “Even though the outcome was not what we were hoping for, I’m still happy we got to play together.”](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_0154-1200x800.jpg)
![Junior Lola Aguilar’s volleyball journey has been nothing short of a spike in success — from her early days in Charlestown to her dedicated years with her volleyball club, Loudoun Elite. After a flurry of emails and showcases on the court, she landed a spot at Randolph-Macon College. Her leap to college volleyball is a testament to her hard work and passion for the sport.
Q: When did you start playing volleyball?
A: I started playing around fifth grade to start getting in shape. I wanted to get into a sport, and volleyball just happened to be the one that I picked, and I stuck with it. [Before volleyball, I played] softball, but I didn’t like it too much. I [played] volleyball in my middle school in Charlestown, [where] I grew up. I went to Charlestown Middle. I played on Junior Varsity in sixth grade, and then we moved here, but they didn’t have sports at Stone Hill Middle School. [During that time,] I played in private and then got with my volleyball club, Loudoun Elite. I’ve been with Loudon Elite for around five years. I moved to a different club one year but came right back.
Q: How did you balance playing on the school’s volleyball team and Loudoun Elite’s volleyball team?
A: High school season starts a little bit before club season. Depending on how far we would go during the high school season, it would [sometimes mix] with each other, but not too often. During the high school season, we had practice every single day, except for Saturdays. And then during club season, we have practice every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, with conditioning on Tuesdays and Thursdays. As soon as high school season ended, I went right into the club and it didn’t feel like that big of a job.
Click the link in our bio to see more answers from junior Lola Aguilar!
✏️ by Aarohi Motwani and Ananya Karthik
📷 courtesy of Lola Aguilar](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
While both softball and baseball have similar goals and concepts, including getting to home base and the various positions played, there are many differences between the two sports. For example, pitching styles differ between the sports. Baseball pitching styles include the overhand, three-quarter, sidearm, and submarine. Softball, on the other hand, has a wider variety of pitches such as two-seam fastball, changeup, curveball, and many more.
On March 19, the Phoenix softball and baseball teams competed against the Lightridge Lightning, with the Lightning taking home both wins. The softball team fell to the Lightning with a mercy rule of 20-1 and the Lightning baseball team won 15-0.
Softball
The softball game started with both teams fighting for the win. The Phoenix girls hustled to keep the Lightning opponents from getting any home runs. However, the pressure of the game can often get in the way of the team dynamic. Senior Bennett Koch says it can be intimidating being on the field in the heat of the game. “It’s scary because everything is on you and these girls come out really strong and know exactly what they’re doing, but you’re just a baby,” Koch said. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”
Even though the softball game resulted in a loss, freshman pitcher Lily Omo believes the team will get better with practice as the season progresses. “I think it’s about everybody showing up to practice and trying their best,” Omo said. “I think by the end of the season we’ll have a lot more improvement. We have a lot of new people and it’s hard trying to teach this sport and play against people who have been playing their whole lives.”
Baseball
Like softball, the baseball team didn’t get the results they were looking for out of the game. However, the loss didn’t stop the team from taking it as a lesson. Senior first-baseman Paul Smith found that there are some things that both the team, as well as himself, could improve on. However, Smith likes to focus on went well. “Our pitching is pretty good, we need to keep hitting better and our defense is still consistently pretty good,” Smith said.
Throughout practice every day, the team spends two to three hours with pitching and fielding. They use the rest of their practice for hitting, demonstrating their dependable and persistent skills with batting on home plate at games.
Overall, both teams had good and bad moments throughout both games, but it was the Lightning teams that took home the victories.
