Sports

As a senior on the 2006 varsity boys’ basketball team, Daniel Dixon may not have known that, after hours of practice that led his team to the state finals, he would return to the basketball program as a coach for the 2011-2012 season.

Dixon, along with former teammate Qaiser Ahmed came back this year to coach, taking over the assistant freshman and assistant JV coaching positions, respectively.

Having on-the-court experience at the school, Dixon said, gives you “an understanding of who Marshall is.”

Ahmed also noted the benefits of coaching after experiencing the player’s role.

As a senior on the 2006 varsity boys’ basketball team, Daniel Dixon may not have known that, after hours of practice that led his team to the state finals, he would return to the basketball program as a coach for the 2011-2012 season.

Dixon, along with former teammate Qaiser Ahmed came back this year to coach, taking over the assistant freshman and assistant JV coaching positions, respectively.

Having on-the-court experience at the school, Dixon said, gives you “an understanding of who Marshall is.”
Ahmed also noted the benefits of coaching after experiencing the player’s role.

The girls varsity basketball team lost to Fairfax High School with a score of 43-60 on Dec. 13, making the current team record 4-2.

Marshall started slow during the first quarter and trailed during the second quarter.

“We needed to talk more on defense,” junior Elyse Smith said.

The Statesmen played substantially better during the second half with senior Christine LaBarbera’s rebounding skills, two three-pointers and three more points for nine.

Junior Maggie MacDonnell, scored nine points with two threes.

Gymnastics has a core group of returning athletes, but it also has new talent joining the team with varying amounts of gymnastics experience.

The "group has a lot of talent and depth stemming from their individual participation in the sport in the past at both the competitive and noncompetitive levels,” coach Sue Walton said.

“The first meet went well and helped the girls work out all their jitters," Walton added. "We scored our highest team score [107.9] since I’ve been coaching, but have the potential to score much higher.”

The varsity wrestling team won their first tournament of the winter season against Richmond area and local schools on Dec. 3 and went on to place tenth out of 32 in the annual NOVA Classic tournament on Dec. 9.

The team also won 49-21 and 47-24 against Lee and Edison high schools respectively on Dec. 14 in scrimmage matches. Junior Robert Gonzales said “we should have placed higher as a team” at the NOVA Classic tournament but “we had three weight classes where nobody wrestled.”

While the exposed ceilings and closed-off classrooms may be the most prominent signs of construction inside the school, the renovation has had an influence both at school and at practice for fall sports players.

According to field hockey captain Maddie O’Beirne, senior, one of the challenges that the construction has created for the teams is the loss of a third field to practice on.

“There’s no grass field in the back now,” she said.

The girls varsity field hockey team, currently ranked first in the district, maintained its momentum on senior night and went on to defeat the McLean Highlanders 3-2 on Oct. 4.

Despite being down 1-0 the first quarter, Marshall scored about two minutes later. Both teams scored again, bringing the game to a 2-2 tie going into halftime.

Senior Paige Veoni scored both goals for Marshall. The goals were assisted by juniors Emily Sexton and Katrina McLeod.

The freshman volleyball team is experiencing greater success than last year’s freshman team, which finished with a record of 8-6.
Defeated only twice so far, the fall 2011 season is off to a good start for the young team.
Coached by Dorothy Brown, the team has played 10 matches so far, with eight of the wins with a score of 2-0.
“I’m trying to develop the individual player ... and put them in a position that fits their skills,” Brown said.

The Marshall Statesmen and the Langley Saxons, long-time division rivals, met in yet another football game on a warm and wet Friday evening. The Saxons (2-1) came off of a loss to Chantilly High School the previous week and the Statesmen (1-2) were coming off a sweet victory against Falls Church.
Langley elected to receive first and Marshall stopped them on downs and the Statesmen fans, all covered in black, were wild from excitement. However, the great play did not continue as Marshall fumbled the football and the Saxons recovered and later turned it into the first touchdown of the game.

During team practices, the baseball teams conduct warm-ups on the baseball field along with their new companion: a coyote. "We got it about a week after practice," sophomore and varsity baseball player Michael Evans said. "It was [junior] Ryan Medric’s idea."

"We got a fake coyote to guard our field from geese, and he’s kind of like our team mascot," Medric said.

Geese are generally regarded as pests on baseball fields, usually due to their large grass consumption and the droppings they leave behind that cause both aesthetic and safety issues for the field.