Efforts pay off for the Catoctin Cougars

Richelle Zheng
CHS Class of 2025

(3/2025) With the shifting sports schedules due to the hectic weather from mother nature, Catoctin’s academic and sports teams have still managed to show up and show off their incredible skills and talents. This year’s winter sports teams have dominated every match, with the Lady Cougar’s basketball, swimming, and diving teams and indoor track and field teams having great successes. Not only are the sports teams excelling, but Catoctin’s buzzer team is also on a roll, making their way to the title of being first in the county!

It’s Academic

The Cougars representing Catoctin’s It’s Academic team have been on a roll! On February 3, the buzzer team was up against Walkersville High School and Linganore High School, taking the win, 14-12-9. They later played their sixth match of the season on February 7. In this match against Linganore and Oakdale High Schools, the Cougars took the victory again. With first place in the counties within the Cougars’ grasp, they played during the last match of their regular season on February 14.

Lady Cougar’s Basketball

Catoctin’s Lady Cougar basketball team celebrated their senior night on January 31 with a match against Brunswick High School. The team honored seniors Madison Ohler, Abagayle Shives, Alex Potter, Taylor Smith, Kayden Glotfelty, and Rebekah Zentz. In the first quarter of the game, with the starting lineup consisting of all seniors, the team was able to obtain an early lead, 19-8. Coming near halftime, the defense was able to make numerous turnovers, furthering the lead to 33-15 at halftime. After that, the team was able to rotate all players into the game with a comfortable lead throughout the second quarter. The girls took the victory over Brunswick 53-31, making this a memorable senior night for the Lady Cougars. Senior Glotfelty scored ten points and made five assists, leading the team. Junior Brooke Williams aided the team’s success by chipping in nine points and six rebounds. In addition, Ohler added seven points with four rebounds, and Harley Fitzpatrick made four steals.

The junior varsity Lady Cougars also played Brunswick on January 31. These girls also won against Brunswick, 37-24. During the first quarter, the Catoctin Cougars and the Brunswick Railroaders traded baskets back and forth, resulting in a tied score at the end of the quarter. In the second quarter, the Cougars were able to get their claws on the Railroaders as they played offensively. By shutting down their best player and point guard, the Railroaders struggled to carry out their offensive game. This allowed the Cougars to end with a lead at halftime, 18-9. Throughout the rest of the game, all of the girls were able to get into the game while keeping up their intense offensive plays. Leading the team were Maddy Whetzel, who scored eleven points; Chloe Mathias, who scored nine; Ryleigh Hammond, who scored six; and Kaydense Cox, who also scored six points. Sophomore Raquel Ownes made five rebounds, and Josey Shaffer had five steals.

On February 7, the Lady Cougars went on the road to play against Williamsport High School. Williamsport came out strong, sweeping under the Cougars and taking an early lead, 5-2. However, the Cougars began to fight back soon after, taking over the lead, 9-8. Then, two starting Cougars made fouls in the second quarter, causing some foul trouble. But the girls were able to hop over that small obstacle and win the second quarter 10-8. Ending with an 18-17 lead at halftime, the two teams remained close, with the Williamsport Wildcats putting up a tough match. Catoctin’s Lady Cougars then switched to playing disciplined defense in the third quarter, furthering their lead to 29-23. In the fourth quarter, the girls switched to lockdown defense, limiting the Wildcats to only four points. As the girls pulled away, they were able to continue increasing their lead, ending the tough game with a win, 40-27. Williams led the team in this game by scoring 14 points and adding three steals and eight rebounds. Also adding to the team’s score was Glotfelty, who scored ten points. Freshman Olivia Hoyt made eight rebounds, and junior Kelsey Troxell made seven rebounds and three steals.

The junior varsity girls played against the Wildcats on the same day. With the Wildcats entering the courts with great intensity, they quickly took over the courts and had an early lead in the first quarter. Following the first quarter, the Cougars shook off the pressure and played lockdown defense, only allowing the Wildcats to obtain two points. At halftime, the Cougars caught up to the Wildcats, resulting in a tie. When the third quarter began, the girls continued their momentum and furthered the gap in the scores as they outscored the Wildcats 8-4. Regardless, the Wildcats managed to come back and scored with only a few seconds left on the clock, sending the game into overtime. The two teams continuously exchanged points in the first and second overtime, leading the game into a third overtime. During the third overtime, the Lady Cougars fought hard. They had a chance to shoot the winning point, but the Wildcats’ defense came for revenge, stopping the shot, and ending the game with a loss for the Cougars. The Wildcats had the Cougars on their toes throughout the entire game, resulting in a close match ending with a Wildcat victory 29-28.

On February 14, the girls took revenge on Middletown High School, who had sent them into a devastating defeat back in December. Eager to get back at the Middletown Knights, the girls did not hold back in the first quarter as they executed four three-point shots. Additionally, they scored 23 points in the first quarter alone, putting them in a 23-11 lead. Foul trouble arose with Middletown’s top scorer, but the Cougars were unable to use the foul to their advantage, causing the Knights to take back the lead. At the break, the Cougars were able to sneak past the Knights, regaining their lead, 28-17. Throughout the third quarter, the girls maintained their double-digit lead, ending the quarter at a comfortable score gap of 38-28. Then, the Knights regained their strength and were able to reduce the lead to two points. However, Williams came in clutch by making numerous free throws down the stretch! This allowed the Cougars to get their revenge on the Knights, taking the win, 45-38. The team leader for this game was Williams, who scored 18 points while making five rebounds and three steals. Glotfelty contributed ten points to the team’s final score, and Zentz played great defense, holding the top-scoring Knight to five points. Moreover, Troxell almost made a double-double and scored nine points, made twelve rebounds, and four steals.

Swimming & Diving

Catoctin’s men’s swimming team made it to the 2025 MPSSAA Swimming and Diving State Championship Central! Those who qualified for states and will be representing Catoctin at states are Jack Fordham, Blake Smith, Chase Jackson, and Aiden Barrera, who are all part of the men’s 400-yard relay team. Barrera will also represent Catoctin in the 200 and 500-yard freestyle events.

Indoor Track & Field

Catoctin’s indoor track and field team is headed to states! On February 8, at the MPSSAA 1A West Region Championships held at Prince George's Sports & Learning Complex, senior Gavin Scheetz placed first in the men’s varsity 55-meter hurdles event with a new personal time of 8.25 seconds. Meanwhile, in the men’s varsity 55-meter dash, senior Shaymus Stull also qualified for states as he placed fourth in the event. Stull finished the race with a time of 6.83 seconds. On the girl’s team, freshman Cora Durrschmidtt continues to dominate in the women’s varsity pole vaulting category, vaulting a height of 8.00 feet!