As summer comes to a close and the B-CC doors open once again, student-athletes and fans alike gear up for the fall sports season. Over nine official sports are offered here at B-CC, among them football and soccer. The school additionally sponsors out-of-school fall sports like rowing and golf, along with dance teams like poms and cheer.
Around 600 Barons try out for a sport every fall- a little less than a quarter of the enrolled 2,500 students. Each team roster holds around 25 people, containing Varsity and/or Junior Varsity levels. However, there is more to Baron athletics than just what meets the eye on the track, courts, and in this case, fields.
Soccer is one of the most popular fall sports at B-CC and is especially significant to Noah Keeley. The senior and varsity center defender stated, “My favorite part of playing high school soccer is the close bond that I form with all of my teammates.” This is Keeley’s third year on the men’s varsity soccer team, and he has been playing soccer since preschool.
As demonstrated by Keeley, sports are more than just a team; they create a community. Most B-CC teams host events outside of practice, such as team bonding and celebratory activities. Girls’ field hockey enjoys frequent dinners after practices, while football initiated the season with a barbecue on the concourse.
“It’s a great way for our players to hang out and bond off the field,” according to Colby Wright, head coach of Varsity field hockey.
On top of this excitement, there has been a new addition to the thrill of fall sports as of last year: The Battle of Bethesda Cup between rival schools, including Whitman, Walter Johnson, Wooton, and Churchill. Each time a team wins against a rival school, they get points towards the cup. The school with the most points wins the elusive Battle of Bethesda — and bragging rights, of course. Barons, welcome back to fall temperatures, Friday night lights, Battles of Bethesda, and most of all, the B-CC athletics! The Barons are back.
