Springing into Sports

Spring sports kickoff at CFHS is just around the corner. There are over six teams around the school conditioning and preparing for the upcoming season. As the teams get selected and they begin practicing, excitement and school spirit grows around our community.

Baseball: The boys baseball team has been preparing for the upcoming season by weight training, holding open practices, and doing speed and agility drills after school. During the open season, the team has held a total of 20 practices which allowed the athletes to get back into the groove of the sport after being away for a season.

Baseball Coach Maness shares, “I look forward to seeing the progress our teams make over the course of the spring season. We are excited as a coaching staff to see how we stack up against the other teams in our region and in the state.”

Lacrosse: The lacrosse teams have been conditioning since the beginning of September and are just beginning their push towards the start of the season. The teams have been doing running and strength conditioning, footwork drills, as well as stick skills. Within the conditioning, the lacrosse teams have also tied team building exercises into their regime.

Boys Lacrosse Coach Gross says, “The team has high expectations to make the playoffs. I personally love the atmosphere the team has on and off the field this year and believe that they can accomplish anything they do as a team.”

Soccer: The soccer teams have been conditioning since the beginning of January in order to prepare for the upcoming season. The women’s soccer team conditions by running up and down the bleachers as well as around the campus in order to build stamina. The men’s soccer team is consistently completing various drills on the practice field, even during the cold temperatures.  These exercises increase in intensity each week, better preparing athletes for the upcoming season.

“I think we are going to have a rebuilding season since we lost so many seniors last year but we have a good core group coming back so hopefully we can continue the success that we had last season into this upcoming season,” shares Assistant Women’s Coach Kilheeney.

Softball: The women’s softball team has been conditioning since September, focusing on weight training, speed, and agility. The benefits of their weight training can be seen on the field during their open workouts. One of the main beliefs is team first, always striving to do the best they can for the benefit of the team.

Women’s Softball Coach Howard comments, “I am optimistic and excited to see the results of the hard work the players have been putting in. The program has talent at every level and is beginning to build a culture of winning.”

Tennis: The men’s tennis team has been focusing on their endurance and footwork during the conditioning season. While practicing the team plays in single and double mock matches while also running a mile at the end of the conditioning.

Men’s Tennis Coach Dular shares, “We have a lot of returning players, and I am very excited about our prospects for this year.”

Track and Field: The largest team we have here at Carolina Forest is our track and field team, with over 18 events in total. The team uses their time conditioning in the winter as an opportunity to lay a foundation for the season as well as refine skills preventing injuries in the future. During this time athletes are given the ability to try a multitude of different events if they wish. To begin their conditioning they begin with a large team circle warmup and stretch followed by running or workouts that correspond to the athlete’s event.

Track and Field Coach Patrick adds, “I am very excited for the upcoming season because it will be the first time we have a rubber track. I am looking forward to hosting mini track meets this coming season.”

The Panthers are excited to begin their spring season after spending months conditioning to be the best. Wishing the best of luck to all of our spring sports teams here in The Forest!