By Benjamin Hong, Co-Editor-In-Chief
Along with the new school year, another major part of River Hill culture has begun: fall sports. River Hill has long boasted a reputation for athletic excellence. Virtually every fall sports program has seen some level of county, state, or regional success in recent memory. And while this may seem a daunting legacy to live up to, the coaches of River Hill are more than up to the task.
One of the many fall sports River Hill offers is field hockey. Coached by Shelly Chamness, now in her 25th year as a varsity coach, spirits and hopes could not be higher for the upcoming season. With almost the entire starting lineup from last year returning, the team is primed to take advantage of their strong team chemistry.
Although last year’s 7-8 record left much to be desired for the ambitious coach, Chamness is not worried. “Last year, our record wasn’t great,” she admits, “but we dominated almost every game. We just had trouble scoring, so we’ve been working on our scoring and it’s looking really good.” Fortunately, a large part of last year’s team is returning, ready to learn from last year’s mistakes. This means that Chamness hasn’t “really had to work much on positioning” which has allowed the team to experiment with “different kinds of moves and some fun stick work” during the offseason.
Under the experienced hand of Brian Van Deusen, entering into his 25th year of coaching, River Hill’s football program is optimistic for the season. He reflects on the preparations the team has made over the summer with a blend of experience and optimism befitting his long tenure in the sport, sharing that “We’re excited for the year. We have a solid group of returners, and we’ve got five promising sophomores on the team now.”
This mix of experience and fresh talent promises an entertaining and dynamic season ahead. The team’s defense is expected to be a point of strength, and Van Deusen hopes to make use of players who have “got more speed than we’ve had in years past,” hopefully enabling them to create “more turnovers offensively.”
Van Deusen also hopes to demonstrate a more well-rounded team structure this year, emphasizing not only the defensive but also the offensive capabilities of this season’s roster. He describes how the integration of “Shane Schreckengost, our quarterback” brings some much-appreciated experience to this aspect of the game, stating, “He can throw the ball pretty well, so I think that’ll give us more balance offensively.”
With three consecutive regional titles going into the season, River Hill’s soccer program has a lot on the line going into the 2024-2025 season. However, Coach Brian Song is not worried. With six seniors on the roster, Song plans to leverage their experience significantly, explaining “The seniors will be heavily involved both on and off the field.” Additionally, the coach believes that fostering cohesion among the players will be crucial to the team’s success, emphasizing that “We need to be able to play as a unit.”
Song has ambitious goals for the program this year, stating that “we hope to be playing in the state finals” this year. However, he also underscores the importance of physical well-being when working towards such goals, stating, “We need to stay healthy in order to have a successful season.”
River Hill has long boasted a dominant cross-country team, and this season is shaping up to be no different. Head coach Chad Boothe expressed optimism about the season, describing how over the summer, “under the guidance of the captains, the team focused on building a strong mileage base while maintaining a fun and engaging training environment.”
This preparation is expected to translate into a strong performance as the season progresses. With all the work the team has put in, Boothe confidently predicts his top five runners to be comfortably “in the top 20” in the county, which is no easy feat, given the intensity of the competition this year.
Outside of the competitive aspect of cross country, Boothe emphasized the community the sport cultivated, both in and out of practice. Having run cross country and track in high school, Boothe shares what makes the sport so special to him. “In cross-country, everyone runs the same distance, which fosters a unique sense of unity within the team,” he explains.
The benefits of participating in school sports go beyond the realm of physical fitness. As many coaches point out, participating in a sport allows new students to have a community of peers going into an otherwise unfamiliar school environment, and can develop a sense of camaraderie among teammates. Chamness summarizes, stating that sports are “a great way for students to feel connected to their school and build lasting relationships.”
In addition, many valuable life skills are gained through participation in sports. Jimmy Creighton, the school’s Athletics and Activities Manager, discussed many of the intangible skills an athlete develops, describing how “discipline, teamwork, and time management are skills that students carry with them into their future careers and personal lives.”
Outside of the season records and moments of glory or disappointment, the skills athletics teaches students and the communities it builds are what make sports so integral to the River Hill community. Regardless of the season’s outcome, it would therefore not be presumptuous to celebrate the accomplishments of the athletes ahead of the results of any games and to laud them in advance for how far they will go this season.