Carrboro High School of Carrboro, North Carolina, does not have a distinct varsity or junior varsity field hockey team. Their one girls' field hockey team is made of a range of players, from seniors with many years of experience to freshmen playing the sport for the first time. Their level of success in the Fall 2022 season will depend on giving skilled players ample opportunities to score goals while also giving inexperienced players time on the field in order to learn and grow.
Carrboro High School Field Hockey Fall 2022
The team walks to the field as one before a home game. Injured player Scarlett Simmons looks on from the bleachers, ready to play their walk-on song: The Final Countdown.
“1, 2, 3, JAGS!” The Carrboro Jaguars shout their signature cheer before sending out the starting lineup in a home game against Jordan High School.
Isha Saravanan (left), a junior, struggles to steal the ball from a St. Mary’s School player at an away game in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Isha Saravanan (left) listens to Coach Hannah Scully (right) give feedback to the team during a halftime huddle. Saravanan, a junior, is poised to become one of the team’s captains in the Fall 2023 season.
The team gathers at the end of the field under vibrant skies after a 5-0 home game loss to Saint Mary’s School.
The field hockey team begins warmups on the Carrboro High School baseball field after school on a hot September day. Before starting drills, the team must do a six-minute run and several sets of stretches together.
Addressing the needs of the team can be difficult when the players come with a wide range of skill levels. Coach Jaeger (left) and Coach Scully (right) discuss the team’s weaknesses and plan for a scrimmage during practice.
Sophomore Alex Atkins runs a dribbling drill a few steps ahead of senior Nora Barrett during practice.
In front, Scarlett Simmons braids the hair of Paige Young before pre-game warmups. Simmons, who suffered a torn ACL from a lacrosse match in the spring, has had to sit out of the field hockey season but has still attended most games, filling in as the announcer or offering support to her teammates. Coach Scully said that if Simmons had been able to play this season, “She would have been a really crucial player.”
The senior players run through a tunnel and banner held up by the team’s underclassmen before their Senior Night game. Coach Scully, who has been with the team for three years, said, “It’s bittersweet to see them move on, becoming young adults.”
Senior co-captains Anna Schaller (left) and Claire Gitterman embrace before huddling for their Senior Night game.
Friends and partners of the players shout and show support from the stands during the team’s second home game against Jordan High School.
Left to right: Immie Moon, Vivian Walsh, and Peyton Buebel cheer from the sidelines in the final minutes of a home game against Grimsley High School.
The team cheers after a goal scored by Anna Schaller. It was the winning point of their Senior Night game, with a final score of 2-1.
Senior co-captain Claire Gitterman dons new team gear gifted after their successful Senior Night game. Although the team would make it only one game into the playoffs, Gitterman went on to represent the Carrboro Jaguars in the Carolina All Stars Field Hockey club team.