photo used with | permission from Lifetouch
Lady Falcons bond over 25-3 record by | Shannon Miller
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Huddle up | Sophomore Isabella Perron huddles
with her teammates after a volleyball game against North Henderson. “We were all excited and relieved to beat North because we didn’t have to worry anymore,” Perron said.
enior Caroline Hauss laughed with her teammates as she ate dinner at Hickory Tavern before driving to senior Rachel Hyatt’s house for a sleepover. The varsity volleyball team spent time together outside of practices and games. “It got a little crazy,” Hauss said, “but it was my favorite time this season.” The camaraderie paid off for the Lady Falcons as they finished the season 13-1 in conference and 25-3 overall. The team made it to the fourth round of the state 3A playoffs. “We had a really good season,” Hauss said. “It was pretty exciting.” All-conference players included freshman Mary Catherine Ball, sophomore Taylor Houck, junior Rachel Kordonowy and seniors Savanna Austin and Hauss. Austin was named co-player of the year. “The season is over now, which is really sad,” Hauss said. “It was hard to be a senior because we are all best friends because of volleyball.”
Tennis, football and XC sprint to the finish by | Sarah Wentzel & Kayla Petri
H
eart pounding in rhythm with her feet, junior cross country runner Brittney Naef raced toward the finish line at the Owen Invitational on Sept. 11. She finished in 22:02 to lead her team to a fifth place finish out of 23 women’s teams. The men’s team, led by senior Patrick Martin’s 18:07 finish, placed first out of 21 teams. Days later at a home tennis match against conference rival Brevard, senior Natalie Ciaramitaro twirled her racquet between her hands, preparing herself for an incoming serve. The Lady Falcon tennis team won the 3A conference title with a 17-5 record. The top six players on the team, seniors Ciaramitaro, Madison Vaughn and Anna Yarbrough, sophomores Savannah Smith and Kendall Gilliam, and freshman Carolina Herrera competed at conference, and the team won the 3A regional championship.
“Overall, our skill level has improved since the beginning of the season,” Ciaramitaro said. “It’s one of those sports that isn’t the most known sport at school, but we are one of the best teams at our school, so it’s pretty exciting.” The tennis team qualified for the state playoffs, but lost in the second round to Asheville. Ciaramitaro, Vaughn, Yarbrough, Smith, Gilliam and Herrera earned all-conference honors. A few weeks later, West’s varsity football players gathered under the lights of Johnson Stadium in a senior night match-up against conference rival East Henderson. The football team ended the season with a senior night victory over the Eagles, 28-21. With two minutes on the clock, junior quarterback William Crouch ran the ball into the end zone for a touchdown to break the 21-21 tie. The student section rushed the field following the game. “We say that the second half
wins football games. We have to go out playing harder,” junior wide receiver Alex Ball said. “I’ve learned that it takes hard work, not just on the field, but off the field, too.” The team’s season record was 1-10 overall, 1-6 in the Western North Carolina Athletic Conference. `Ball was named to the all-conference team. The junior varsity football team finished the season 9-1. Martin and freshman Dylan Shamburger led the men’s cross country team to a second-place finish at the Western Carolina Invitational. The team placed fifth at regionals on Oct. 26, just barely missing the state meet. Naef and sophomore Olivia Hogan pushed the women’s team into fourth place at the conference meet and eighth at regionals. “Both the men’s and the women’s teams made huge improvements,” Coach Tanya Shook said. “We had one boy (Martin) and one girl (Naef) who made it to state.”
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