VARSITY SPORTS SHOW STRENGTH; JV AND FRESHMAN SHOW PROMISE

It has been a strong start to the year for Archbishop Spalding sports this September headlined by four undefeated teams: JV Men’s Soccer, Varsity Women’s Soccer, JV Field Hockey, and JV Women’s Volleyball. Along with that, all varsity sports were able to put up a combined record of 32-22-2 over the first month of the year while JV and Freshman sports posted a healthy 34-13-3 record. In this article, we will take a deep dive into how each sports program has gotten to where they are now and what we should expect in the future.

Football: Arguably one of the most popular sports at Spalding, football has gotten off to a tremendous start with the program’s varsity team going 3-1 on the young season while notching multiple 50 point games. The only loss came in a nailbiter against Good Counsel, who is ranked number 23 in the nation, showing that Spalding has a chance to win against any opponent on any given day. As for the JV and Freshman teams, they have put up a combined 3-3 record.  All three teams in the program are hitting a stretch of conference games. This is a great time for the Spalding football program to show its strength.

Boys Cross Country:  Boys Cross Country, currently ranked second in the MIAA – its best since 2004, is a powerhouse in the MIAA. The cross country team is Spalding’s only mixed sports team, meaning both boys and girls practice together. This program, centered around all three running seasons, not one at a time, is setting a precedent for future programs. The girls team has met success this season as well. This is particularly highlighted by their performance at the Gunpowder Invitational this year; the girls placed sixth behind five Maryland top twenty-five teams. The boys placed second, the best Spalding has ever placed at said invitational. The Spalding program shows potential to dominate the upcoming track seasons, especially if met with strong sprinting counterparts.
– Coleman Ruiz, Class of 2021

Soccer: The soccer program for men and women look like they are in great hands after a combined 19-6-3 start to the year. Two of the undefeated teams come from these programs and the Varsity Women’s team has just recently become nationally ranked at number 22. They are sitting at the top of the IAAM with McDonogh and Mercy. The JV women’s team has also gotten off to a fast start, only losing one game and showing a lot of promise for the future.

For the men’s teams, varsity has been able to take down two of the top teams in the MIAA: McDonogh and Calvert Hall. After getting off to a 3-3 start, the varsity team has plenty of time to hit their stride and make a deep run into the playoffs. The JV and Freshman teams have only lost a combined two games which shows a great deal of talent for the future of the soccer program.

Field Hockey: The field hockey program has been able to get off to an awesome start with a record of 15-2-1 over the first month of the year. Both the varsity and JV teams sit atop the IAAM as of now and have a great chance of continuing that throughout the rest of the fall.

Volleyball: Both varsity volleyball teams have been able to get off to respectable starts while both of the JV teams have notched winning records. Playoff berths for the men’s and women’s teams are in grasp and the JV teams are showing opportunity for growth in the program.

Other sports such as Water Polo, girls Cross Country and Tennis have also gotten off to nice starts showing that fall sports at Spalding have a chance to be better than ever this year. 

Overall, the men’s and women’s teams were able to achieve a combined 65 wins, only 35 losses, and 5 ties. With many more games ahead and much more time to impress, it’s safe to say that Fall sports at Spalding are on the rise.