The girls basketball team started its season off rocky when the Lady Bulldogs dropped their home opener to Damascus Dec. 6, crushed Sherwood in their first away game Dec. 9 and then let another game slip to Gaithersburg Dec. 12. Despite the inconsistency so far, several players have established themselves through solid performances, and the team continues to have high hopes for the rest of the season.

In the game against Gaithersburg, the Bulldogs hung tight with the defending state champs. Senior center Sarafina Arthur-Williams led the team with a double-double, as she had 20 points and 20 rebounds. The Bulldogs finished the first half with a tentative 21-20 lead. However, the Trojans fought back in the second half, and beat the Bulldogs 42-38 after a hard-fought game.

The team had just come off of a crushing defeat to Sherwood, in which the Lady Bulldogs steamrolled the Warriors, beating them 78-45. As a whole the team had a solid performance, and several players had double digit points. Arthur-Williams led the team with 19 points, followed by junior guard Shira Racoosin with 18 points and senior shooting guard Jill Beauregard with 17 points.

“Everyone contributed and did well,” senior point guard Kim Deausen said. “It was a great team effort.”

The Lady Bulldogs opened their season with a disappointing 55-50 loss to Damascus. However, many players had strong games. Beauregard and freshman guard Japria Karim-Duvall had a standout game as they led the Bulldogs with 15 points each. Nine of Beauregard’s points came from behind the arc. Racoosin led the Bulldog’s defensive corps and contributed eight points as well. Despite the loss, head coach Katelyn McMahon is still positive about the squad.

“We are pretty good inside with [Arthur-Williams] which will open up our shooters,” said McMahon, who is in her third year as the varsity head coach.

After the loss of just three players to graduation, the team returns a solid group of upperclassmen and welcomes some new talent. Arthur-Williams, who signed her letter of intent to play Division I basketball at the University of North Carolina, Greensborough in November, leads a team with a mix of both veterans and young talent, specifically the arrival of three new freshman to the varsity squad. In addition to Karim-Duvall, freshman point guard Izzy Wu and freshman forward Hannah Yasharoff will make their varsity debut this season while sophomore Bryn Edens joins the team after a standout season with the junior varsity squad.

“We have a good amount of new players so we are trying to work through our offense and defense to get everyone on the same page,” McMahon said.

Along with Arthur-Williams, who has been the first player to be named a captain, the team will find its leadership in Beauregard and Deausen. Beauregard returns after two stand-out seasons as a starter for the Lady Bulldogs. Deausen, who joined the team after transferring after her sophomore year, will be stepping in for star point guard Leeda Jewayni. The loss of Jewayni, as well as 2011 alumnus Giulia Giannangeli, leaves a big void.

Despite the less than outstanding performance so far, Arthur-Williams is staying positive, and looks forward to the remainder of the season.

“We’ve been running a lot at practice and working on defense so that we can be one of the best defensive teams in the county,” Arthur-Williams said.

The Bulldogs faced off against traditional powerhouse Northwest Dec. 19.

After coming off a state championship last season, the hockey team is looking to have the same kind of success it experienced last year.

The team seems to be on the right track, as the Bulldogs steamrolled Wootton, Walter Johnson (WJ) and Bethesda Chevy-Chase (B-CC) in their first three games of the season, netting a total of 26 goals in just three games.

“The defense has played very well so far,” junior Patrick Meigher said. “Everyone has stepped it up, especially [junior Zach] Arden, [junior Zach] Satin, [senior Aaron] Shapiro and [sophomore Noah] Fleishman.”

The team beat B-CC 7-0 Dec. 9. Arden and Satin led the Bulldogs with two goals each, and Arden also added two assists. Seniors Avi Kallmeyer and Alex Dourian and freshman Ross Allen combined for three goals, and sophomore Brandon Levenson assisted twice. Meigher and freshman David Fitzgerald each had one assist.

“We did a great job of penalty killing,” Arden said. “We did not play our best, but we still managed to get the win.”

Previously, the team demolished WJ 11-0 at Rockville despite the loss of Arden, who had another hockey commitment. However, Arden’s younger brother, freshman Jacob Arden, picked up the slack, contributing three goals and two assists to the Bulldog’s win. Jacob came out strong, netting two of his goals in the first period as well as an assist. Behind Arden, six other Bulldogs scored. Senior goalie Jake Sherker and sophomore goalie Noah Kalicka, who remained greatly uncontested throughout the game, had a shut out. The team had over 27 shots. On the other side, WJ eeked out just one shot, which was easily denied.

“We worked and hustled hard all game,” Zach Arden said. “We also did a good job keeping the puck in the o-zone.”

The Bulldogs opened their season with a win against arch rival Wootton 8-4 Nov. 18. Senior Alex Dourian led the Bulldogs with two goals and two assists, while Zach Arden contributed two goals and an assist. The team returns a strong group of players this season, including Zach, who received All-Gazette first team honors the previous season. In addition, Dourian and Sherker will be keys to the Bulldog’s success. There is also a significant amount of young talent, found in freshmen Arden, Allen and Fitzgerald.

“The key to our 3-0 start has been great coaching, hard work and chemistry,” Meigher said.

The team faced off against Sherwood Friday, Dec. 16.

The boys basketball team bounced back from a tough loss to Sherwood by demolishing Gaithersburg, 66-33, away Dec. 12.

The win improved the Bulldogs record to 2-1. Despite doubling the Trojans score, CHS was down for most of the first half but managed to tie the score at 30 at the half.

“We warmed up flat, we weren’t focused, and we did not play our hardest in the first half,” sophomore Matt Moshyedi said. “At halftime we knew what we were doing wrong, and we realized we needed to pick it up.”

CHS did exactly that as they outscored the Trojans 36-3 in the second half. Moshyedi scored six points in the second half and had many steals. Seniors Sam Edens and Quan Gill lead the team offensively, finishing with 18 and 14 points.

“Everyone played great defense in the second half,” Moshyedi said. “We didn’t want to let Gaithersburg get to 40 points so we worked our hardest to get stops.”

The previous game CHS lost an overtime heartbreaker in its season opener to Sherwood 59-56 Dec. 9. The game was tied at halftime and neither team led by more than six points.

“After the loss we learned that we need to move the ball around and play as team to win,” senior captain Christian Bonaparte said.

The difference in the game was free throws when it came down to the stretch. The Warriors went a perfect 12 for 12 at the line in overtime.

“It was a rough loss, but we have to move on,” Bonaparte said. “We have to be mentally tough and play with more determination in the future.”

The boys basketball team started off the season strong when they punished Damascus 70-49 in its season opener Dec. 6. The Bulldogs blew the game open from the start when they outscored the Hornets 21-5 in the first quarter. As a result of the Bulldogs’ press and smothering defense, they did not allow the Hornets to make a field goal until the four-minute mark in the second quarter.

“All our players were mentally prepared for the first game,” head coach Matt Miller said. “Our team is very senior oriented so those players made sure the team was ready.”

Despite the big victory, CHS did not play sound basketball the entire game, as they started turning the ball over and letting up easy baskets.

“We played very smart in the beginning of the game, but we slowed down after the first quarter,” Miller said. “We started playing sloppy basketball so we are going to have to watch film to help fix this.”

In the game, senior Kyle Edwards lead the team in scoring with 14 points. Senior captain Thomas Geenen had a big game too, as he came close to a triple double with eight points, 13 rebounds, eight assists and five blocks. Bonaparte added 10 points, five assists and two steals in the victory.

“It’s good we have many guys who can score the ball well,” Miller said. “We have a very deep team this year with some young talent that has a great opportunity to learn.”

In the game, everyone on the team played, including first year varsity sophomores Moshyedi, Malik Harris and Allen Njumbe. Each scored in their debut, proving the teams depth and young talent.

Last season the Bulldogs went 18-6, made it to the third round of the playoffs and won the Montgomery County 4A West Division. Last year was the first year since 1979 that the Bulldogs won their division.

“With so much of our team returning, I think we can accomplish more than we did last year,” senior Louis Rothstein said.

The Bulldogs only lost three seniors (Will Lewis, Jordan Bass and Jesse Simon) from last year and will have seven seniors returning to the team this season. Five of these seniors have been on the varsity team since their sophomore year.

“I think we should benefit from returning all but a few players,” Bonaparte said. “Hopefully experience will help us win games.”

Senior Timothy Faerber was born clinically dead but was saved by the technology invented by a professor now teaching at the University of Michigan. Next fall he will attend the University of Michigan on a diving scholarship and hopes to meet the professor who created the technology that saved his life. Before that, in June, he will head to Seattle to participate in trials for the United States Dive Team for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. And he still has his whole senior season of diving ahead of him.

Faerber’s diving career began at the age of 7, initially sparked by nothing more than curiosity.

“I started because I saw people jumping off diving boards,” Faerber said. “I tried it, liked it and started taking lessons.”

Faerber then joined a dive team that was led by a conditioning coach for the Russian Olympic team, Antonov Slobounov. His first coach did not allow him to jump straight into competition but instead taught the team basic fundamentals for an entire year.

“I wanted to start competing right away,” Faerber said. “When I started, everyone was ahead of me, and it was frustrating, but it paid off because I had my fundamentals.”

From there, Faerber’s career continued to grow. He competed in the Junior World Championships in Germany in 2008 and has participated in diving competitions abroad in Canada and England, with a possible upcoming trip to Australia this year.

“It’s been a great experience,” Faerber said. “It’s really shaped who I am. It’s helped me perform under pressure; I’ve met people from around the world.”

His acquaintances include, among others, the members of the Bulgarian diving team, who he was introduced to by his Bulgarian coach at the 2008 World Championships.

Faerber says he has met many of his goals, including qualifying for Olympic trials, but he has continued to set goals for himself.

“Diving for Michigan, my goal is to place in the top 8 at NCAA’s,” Faerber said.

According to CHS swim and dive coach Brendan Roddy, Faerber’s success comes from his determination.

“Tim’s success is a direct result from a combination of hard work and a passion for diving,” Roddy said. “I see this every practice by just watching Tim on deck when he is either diving or coaching the dive team here at CHS.”

Faerber has worked through many injuries, from a concussion to broken wrists and a broken leg. His success was against the odds from birth, yet he has gone on to place number two in the nation for his age group, missing first by a narrow half-point margin.

“Tim is a competitor,” Roddy said. ”He will rise to the occasion and will not make excuses when he is competing, and is also willing to help others learn, grow, and finds success in his teammate’s achievements.”

Senior Micah Phillips-Spencer was one of the few runners who stood out among the athletes, winning the first heat in the 55-meter dash.

“I thought the scrimmage went well even though most of our varsity kids were gone because of their break from the cross country season,” junior Jemuel Phillips-Spencer said. “It gave all the new-comers a taste of what track is like and what they need to improve so that next meet they will be able to perform at a higher level.”

According to Jemuel, Conway, senior Zach Weinstein and Micah will help lead the team this year, as well as senior discus thrower Nadim Elhage.

“I think we are going to have a great season, and winning states is definitely a possibility,” Elhage said.

After a mediocre 2010-2011 season, the boys wrestling team is looking to finish on top this year. The team, which ended last season with a 5-7 record, expects more success this year with a more experienced team and a new coach, Timothy Lowe.

The team won its first match of the season handily against Northwood Dec. 7.

“We’re going to do a lot better,” senior Peter Heilbron said. “We have a lot of guys coming back, so more experience on our lineup.”

Sophomore Hunter Sutton is one of the wrestlers returning with more experience. After winning state championships last season, he hopes to repeat the feat again this year.

“Last year, we were young,” Sutton said. “We had a lot of first year wrestlers. It seems like the first years stepped it up and have gotten better.”

The team also lost only two seniors, allowing for the bulk of its talent to be preserved.

Sutton and Heilbron also expect the new coach to make a difference, and are looking forward to the change.

“I think he’s making a difference,” Sutton said. “He’s a two-time state champ in high school so he helps out.”

Sutton also feels that that the team element is important and will have an impact this season.

“It seems like our team is more serious than last year,” Sutton said. “Hopefully we will be the top team in the county. We have a good chance.”

After winning against both Walter Johnson (WJ) Dec.10 and in a scrimmage against Poolesville Dec. 3, the swim team is looking forward to a strong season.

CHS men beat WJ 103-68, and the CHS women beat WJ 90-81.

“Many swimmers were missing the meet for another competition, so we relied on our depth to pull out a win,” coach Brendan Roddy said. “Seniors Todd Erikson and Odin Soevik and junior Michelle Illig were all triple event winners.”

Diving event winners include senior dive captain Timothy Faerber.

“The dive team is really hoping to improve on our consistency with the harder dives involving more acrobatic and gymnastic ability,” Faerber said. “This will allow us to compete with some of the best in the county and state.”

In the scrimmage, the Bulldogs defeat of Poolesville Dec. 3 gave new swimmers and divers the opportunity to demonstrate their skills.

“Since it was a scrimmage, the traditional scoring system was not in place,” Roddy said. “The swim and dive captains set the tone for the team with impressive swims and performance on the board.”

 The team has been practicing since late November and hopes to become Division I champions.

 ”We are one of the dominant forces in the state,” Faerber said. “We are aiming to be at the top of our game when Metros and States hit in February.”

 This is Roddy’s first year as the CHS coach. He replaced former coach Rodney Van Tassel, who coached the team for 10 years.

 ”My goal this season is to make sure that students have fun,” Roddy said. “I was extremely impressed with all the swimmers and divers’ performance, but what impressed me most was the team’s spirit.”

At the regional final football game against QO Nov. 18, CHS arguably had its best showing of school spirit in years. The bleachers were filled to capacity, and the crowd never stopped cheering.

In the middle of the mob was a wall of students, who despite the low gametime temperature of 40 degrees, remained shirtless for the entire game.

“I will do anything that I can to help pump up the players to help them win,” said senior Will Conway, a member of the wall that went shirtless for the game.

Senior Bryan Moritt, another shirtless crusader, was so enticed by the game that the weather was not a factor.

“The game was so exciting, I did not really feel anything,” Moritt added.

The game was not the only time this year where the fans came out to support the football team. They routinely filled the stands at all the home games, and the impact their presence had was clear.

This year, the Bulldogs finished flawless at home with a perfect 6-0 record. But the trend does not end there. Over the past eight years, CHS has compiled an impressive 32-8 (.800) record at home, well above the Montgomery County average, one that sees home teams win only .527 percent of the time.

“At home the fans are amazing, and you feel awesome as soon as you step in the stadium,” senior linebacker and team captain Jacob Suissa said. “This year, CHS fans ruled Montgomery County. We traveled really well.”

In the NFL, the Seattle Seahawks brag about having the league’s best home field advantage, even boasting a giant flag with the number 12 on it to stand for the twelfth man. Their claim to this is that by using the formula (home winning percentage – away winning percentage), the difference is the greatest in the league.

From 2003 to 2010, they had a home-winning percentage of .690 and an away winning percentage of .360. Using the formula, they had a home field advantage of .330, the top in the league.

In CHS’ previous eight years, the Bulldogs have compiled an impressive .800 winning percentage at home, while only mustering a 14-26 (.350) record on the road. By the same formula, CHS has a home field advantage of .450, significantly higher than the one Seattle brags about.

Within Montgomery County, the Cougar Dome, QO’s home field, is often regarded as the toughest place to play. The fans are known as the Red Army, and it is rare for an opposing team to go in and defeat the Cougars. Since 2003, QO has unsurprisingly amassed a .893 winning percentage at home, but this could easily be credited to the overall ability of the team, rather than the Cougar Dome’s atmosphere. In the same span, the Cougars have won .818 of their away games, only a .075 percent drop off from their home record.

The question remains: how has Shepherd Stadium at Danver Field become one of the county’s toughest places to play?

 The SGA has done its part to get the students to attend games. They brought back the Superfan shirts this year that had been missing since 2008, as well as introduced the Superfan Kickoff Cookout in an attempt to draw fans to the game earlier.

“Once you hear about it, you want to be a part of it,” SGA sponsor Scott Selman said.

Another advantage of playing at home is knowing the turf. While CHS is known for having the best grass in the county, not all schools can keep the field up to par.

“You are used to everything on your field,” Suissa said. “Playing on the road, you are not sure how the field condition is.”

The players on the field also took notice of the extra spirit this year.

“Fans can change the whole dynamic of the game,” Suissa said. “If you are going into a tough game, and you’re not sure about the outcome, and you look over to the sidelines and just see a sea of people in blue and green cheering you on, you get so pumped up. You feel like you need to win.”

The success is not limited to just football. Over the past five years, the boys basketball team has also enjoyed great success while playing at home.

Dating back to the 2006-2007 season, the team has posted a 30-17 (.639) record at home, and only a 20-35 (.363) record on the road. The team has had a .276 improved winning percentage at home versus on the road, a large difference.

“I’d say that our fans are right up there with the loudest in the county,” senior point guard Christian Bonaparte said. “At times we get so loud, I can’t hear the plays that Coach Miller is calling out.”

When asked separately, four different varsity basketball players from last year said Magruder was the toughest place to play in the county. However, in the past six seasons, it has an identical winning percentage (.672) at home and on the road, indicating the team does not quite get the boost that playing at home supposedly gives.

According to Wootton senior guard Chad Rudden, fans can either positively or negatively affect players, and CHS fans are always passionate.

“CHS fans definitely get pretty rowdy,” Rudden said. “Their side of the gym is always pretty packed, and they usually bring the noise. They do say some offensive things, but the same thing goes for the Wootton fans too, so it’s all just part of the rivalry.”

The success in recent years of the teams that draw the largest crowds is undeniable. Many of the fans who attend the games might not have supporting the team as their top priority, but according to Bonaparte, they still get the job done.

“When you play at home, the fans are really helpful,” Bonaparte said. “Just by them getting loud it seems you get a whole new gear you can raise your energy to.”

The boys soccer team ended its season against Northwest Nov. 3 in the regional semifinals at Montgomery Blair, losing the game 0-1 in overtime.

Northwest used a set play on a corner kick to score the game-winning goal.

“Overall, while it hurts to lose, we were pleased with our accomplishments given our low expectations,” coach Arnold Tarzy said.

Before losing to Northwest, the Bulldogs defeated Wootton Nov. 1 at Wootton in the regional quarterfinals, winning the game 1-0.

Eight minutes into the second half, junior Matt Kramer scored the winning goal off of a free kick taken by Muessle.

The boys also defeated B-CC 2-1 Oct. 27 at home in the first round of playoffs.

In the first half, B-CC scored the first goal off of a corner kick in the twelfth minute of the game. With four minutes remaining in the half, Muessle received a pass from sophomore Nolan Purnell. Muessle dribbled past a few defenders before placing the ball in the far corner of the goal, tying the game 1-1. With seconds remaining in the first half, Purnell scored the final goal of the game assisted by junior Peter Giavatto.

According to Muessle, the team worked hard to keep the lead in the second half with some great saves from senior goalie Eli Lorenzi.

The team is looking forward to next season and hopes to be competitive.

“Next year’s team will be really good,” Muessle said. “We only graduated five seniors and had many underclassman that started or played this year. I think we will be a contender for the state title.”

Led by 2011 MCPS Coach of the Year Paul Jacobson, the cross country team could not have asked for a better way to enter the Maryland state finals. With a senior-heavy boys team and a young and promising girls team, XC flexed its muscles at the 4A West Regional Championships Nov. 3, successfully qualifying for states.

Despite being the favorite for States, the state finals proved to be a disappointing day for the Bulldogs as a series of slip-ups and poor races left the favored boys team to finish third behind Walter Johnson and Severna Park.

Senior Will Conway finished in fourth place in the 5K of all 24 high schools represented at the meet, with a time of 16:43. Weak races all around compromised the Bulldogs’ characteristic depth that led to the team’s dominance this season and to their commanding victory at Regionals.

Conway described the meet as an “implosion” on CHS’s part.

“[We] absolutely should have won and we finished third,” Conway said.

According to senior Zach Weinstein, who placed 17th with 17:20, the boys team had a stroke of bad luck that hindered their chances of winning. Senior Matt Kogan, Conway, and he were just recovering from sickness, and senior Sushen Thiyagarajan had to stop to retie his shoe after a competitor spiked it off.

When the dust settled on Nov. 12, Walter Johnson came out with a stunning victory as its squad had the lowest score with 71 points. Severna Park came in second, and the CHS team a close third with a score of 115.

“I think if Sushen, Matt, Luke and I had been where we should have been, we would have dropped around 50 points, putting us at about 65 and just in front of WJ,” Weinstein said.

Considering how young the team is, the girls varsity squad displayed a great performance at States. Led by freshman Lucy Srour, who finished second in the meet, the sophomore-heavy Bulldogs finished at a respectable eighth place, but not without any drama.

According to Srour, she and Whitman’s senior Caroline Guiot have each finished seconds apart at both Counties Oct. 22 and at Regionals .The much-anticipated rematch proved to be another nail-biter, but Guiot managed to hold on to first once again, while Srour’s incredible racing led her to finish just behind Guiot in second place.

What was so shocking about CHS’s loss at States was that they performed so well at Regionals. The girls won fourth place and the boys swept the competition, receiving first place by easily outperforming WJ.

“What happened happened,” Weinstein said. “That’s life, and there’s nothing we can do about it. We’re not going to dwell on the past. We’re looking forward to showing everyone what we’re really made of by redeeming ourselves at the Nike Southeast Regional meet on Nov. 26.”