Fall Sports:
Both the boys and girls cross country teams were very small this year. Four of the seven athletes on the boys team, coached by CHS alumni runner Kevin Dorsey, were freshmen who showed a lot of promise and continued to make huge improvements throughout the season. The five female runners coached by Lois Strickland made big improvements
this year as well, especially junior Tessa Croyle who dropped nearly 3:30 off her three-mile time throughout the season. The runners ended their season by qualifying four athletes at the state meet with all four earning a medal! Freshman Alex Contreras led the boys by placing fifth, followed by first-year runner Marshall Hahn, who placed 16th. Catoctin Senior
Emma Strickland led the girls in 12th place, closely followed by sophomore Brenna Williams in 14th place. Senior Owen Bubczyk, after battling four stress fractures over the last four years, was able to compete in only three meets this season, but still only narrowly missed qualifying for states by placing 24th in the region. Coach Strickland feels that it
really helped having Coach Dorsey, who was able to run with the student athletes. She states, "Having a coach who has been where the kids are and understands what they are going through on a daily basis is HUGE!" The team will be looking forward to new faces next year. According to Coach Strickland, the XC student athletes and families are extremely close, so,
"If kids are looking for a new sport next year, we’d love to have them!"
Catoctin football dominated the field this fall during regular season with nine wins and only one loss. The athletes, led by Head Coach Doug Williams, finished the regular season ranked first in their state division. Playoffs began November 8th, and the Cougars prevailed over Southern in the regional first round for a final score of
53-6. The Cougars reigned over Boonsboro in game two of the playoffs on November 15th with a final score of 47-6. They defeated Fairmont Heights in the state quarterfinals on November 22nd, earning a spot in the semifinals against Fort Hill on November 29th. The state championship game is scheduled to be held on December 7th at 3:30 at Navy-Marine Corps
Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.
With a never-ending winning attitude, the CHS girls soccer team, coached by Head Coach Megan Olson and assistant coach Dave Zentz, steadily improved throughout the season. They played two double overtimes in October and ended the season with a 6-5 win against Goretti on October 21st (this was their first win in three seasons!), followed
by a 5-0 loss against Williamsport on October 23. This year’s team was made up of three seniors, six juniors, two sophomores, and six freshmen. The large number of underclassmen gives promise to an experienced team and successful season next year.
The unified tennis team competed in three matches this past season. Their competitors were Governor Thomas Johnson High School, Tuscarora and Frederick High School. Under the guidance of Coach Charmane Nesbitt and Captain Jordan Kaas, the team of eleven finished their ninth season by placing sixth in the Frederick County Unified Tennis
tournament. Coach Nesbitt said of their season, "Though our season has ended, we have positively impacted each other."
Winter Sports:
The Lady Cougars basketball team is preparing to beat their 10-14 record from last year under the guidance of Varsity Coach Amy Entwistle, coaching the girls for her 16th year, and JV Coach Ken Baker, and Assistant Coaches Chris Barnhart and Jason Smith. The team prides itself on working hard, playing relentless defense, and pushing the
ball on offense (trying to score quickly in transition).
Coach Charmane Nesbitt’s unified bocce team consists of nine players this winter - three freshmen, one sophomore, three juniors, and two seniors. Last year’s team had a great season, winning the 2019 Unified Sports County Championships. Looking to the upcoming season, Coach Nesbitt says, "With the close of Tennis, bocce begins. There is
no better way to begin this new year than to attend one of two home matches. Mark your calendar for January 8th and January 21st. Come join us at 3:30 for bocce fun. Prepare to be inspired the Unified way!"
Indoor track is looking forward to a great season with the addition of several new coaches this year. Kevin Dorsey, Rob Palmer, Dave Zentz, Jamie Sickeri, Derrick Kaas and Robert Davis will be joining Coach Lois Strickland for the winter season. The team currently consists of 17 boys and 15 girls. Last year, the boys qualified several
individuals and relays in the sprint events as well as shot put. They’re looking to add qualifiers in the middle and distance events this year. The girls, on the other hand, qualified in the middle distance events and relays but not their sprint events, which they’re hoping to change this year. Both teams are looking to bring several state medals home in
February 2020. Something new they’re doing this year is the coaches will be taking several of the athletes to Liberty University to compete on a banked track. This will give them exposure to a lot of great competition while getting experience with a different type of racing. Coach Strickland says, "There is a lot of talent walking the halls at Catoctin High
School." She encourages more students to join the team.
Last year’s CHS swim team was young, with a lot of athletes who were swimming competitively for the first time. According to Coach William Warram, most of the swimmers had personal and season bests by the end of the season. They also had an athlete qualify for states in the Girls 400 Free Relay. The coaches are very excited about the
upcoming season and expect the team to be bigger this year. They also expect to have one or more divers this year. Coach Warram has led the boys swim team for three years and is the assistant coach for the CHS baseball team. The girls swim team welcomes Aimee Watkins as their coach this year.
Collin Schildt will be coaching Catoctin’s wrestlers for a third season. Before competing as a D2 wrestler at Kutztown University, Coach Schildt wrestled as a student at CHS and qualified for states four times, placing third in 2012 and was a state runner up in 2013. Coach Schildt describes the team as a younger team this year with two
returning seniors who are highly ranked in the state; Jake Baker and Travis Fields. The team is looking to expand their numbers by welcoming incoming CYA wrestlers who are now freshmen and welcoming new wrestlers to the program. Last year, they sent five wrestlers to the 2A/1A West Regional tournament. Out of those five, four of them made it to states to
compete for a podium (top six) spot. According to coach Schildt, they’re hoping to increase the number of athletes they take to their postseason tournaments this year by instilling discipline, hard work and commitment to each and every practice and match that they have.
Competition dates can be found on the Catoctin High School Athletics website. Come out to a game and support the Cougars! Good luck to all of the athletes!
Read past articles on Catoctin Sports
