Outstanding Freshman

     Ana Torres, a freshman at Riverbend High school, is number twelve on the varsity volleyball team. Being on varsity as a freshman can be intimidating, but all the juniors and seniors welcome her and the whole team has become great friends. “Being on varsity has been a great experience for me and I have grown so much as a player,” she said.   Torres is a right side hitter, but is left handed. She doesn’t start, but does get playing time. She loves to cheer on her team when she’s not playing. She plays on a travel team in Stafford named FJVC (Fredericksburg Juniors Volleyball Club) and is number ten. When playing for them, she is also a right side hitter.   Her dad is a travel coach for FJVC and taught her how to play.  Before each game, Torres loves to eat a brownie as her pregame snack.   She loves the sport of volleyball because it is a team sport and fell in love with volleyball from the first time she played.  Ana Torres is an outstanding freshman because she does well in school and is an exceptional volleyball player.

Rebecca Statler and Deziree Jackson, Staff Writers 

Riverbend Golf

    The Riverbend Golf Team is proving itself as a competitive team again this year. Mr. Hence decided not to coach the golf team this year, so Mr. Johnson stepped up and took over the club. As the statistics show, Coach Johnson has put a lot of effort in to making the golf team a good one this season.

     Riverbend’s golf team started off the season at the Commonwealth District first mini tournament of the season on in August. Michael Mead shot a seventy-three to lead Riverbend (316) to beat Albemarle (317) and Mountain View (318).

     Riverbend also beat Colonial Forge at Forest Greens Golf Club 162-177. Devon Oeters and Michael mead both shot 38’s to help defeat the Eagles. Riverbend also beat Massaponax 172-200. Michael mead shot thirty seven, Devon Oeters shot forty three, James King shot forty six, and Adel Hason also shot forty six.

      Looking at the stats from the past tournaments, this golf season seem to be starting off on the right foot as the bears have already defeated Albemarle, Mountain View, Colonial Forge, and Massaponax. This shows the 2011 golf season will be a good one.

Brad Stewart, Staff Writer

Riverbend Baseball Fall Ball Team Preview

     This year’s Riverbend fall B team, which mostly consists of JV sophomores and freshman, will once again be coached by Marc Stewart, and Mike Eckhart. The team itself has seven players returning from last year’s Junior Varsity spring team and one who recently transferred from Massaponax. There are eight upcoming freshman currently on the team.

     Although last B team fall season did not go so well, there are high expectations for the team. There is new talent coming up from the freshman class, added to the seven JV players returning to the B team. Also, two more coaches, Mr. Rankins and Mr. Rioux will bring their knowledge to help bring the team to victory.  Coach Stewart said, “Although I never like cutting players from a team, it has made it easier to coach with the smaller team.” Because the teams only play ten innings a weekend getting every player an amount of playing time is often difficult.

     The first game scheduled to be played on Saturday, August 11, was postponed until later notice due to inclement weather. The B team’s first game will be Saturday, September 3, at King George. Their first home game will be against Northumberland on Saturday, September 10 at 2:00. 

     Last season was rough for the B team. They only had one tie and the rest were losses. But two things have changes since last year. There were no returning sophomores on the B team last year and this year they held tryouts for the team. These changes should lead to the improvement of the team’s record and their success.

     As a player I have high hopes for the team. I think personally there is more of a sense of camaraderie among the sophomores and freshman as well. Hopefully it will transfer onto the field. Overall I think this year should be more successful than the past.

UPDATE: A-Team: Game 1: RB: 6 CHS: 1                   B-Team: Game 1: RB: 14 KG: 0

                              Game 2: RB: 5 CHS: 4                      Game 2: RB: 11 KG: 1

     Riverbend’s Fall Baseball Teams battled Chancellor and King George to begin the 2011 Rappahannock Fall Baseball Season. Both teams had very successful outings last Saturday. The A-team crushed Chancellor in the first game and battled back in the final inning of the second game. The B-team played well all around giving up five at most hits the entire day. Their pitching couldn’t look much better, while their batting wasn’t all there. They were very aggressive on the base path. This was a very good season opener for the Riverbend Fall Baseball teams.

Brad Stewart, Staff Writer

Bears’ Volleyball Serves up a Stellar Start

     Riverbend volleyball is off to one of its greatest starts yet. On September 12, the ladies steamrolled Chancellor in three straight games. The easy victory is a great example of how spectacular the girls have been this year. They are off to a 4-1 start, highlighted by a thrilling victory over rival Colonial Forge. This is the first Bears’ volleyball team to defeat Forge. The win is just one reason why there is so much hype and excitement surrounding this year’s squad. Each game, Riverbend fans pack the stands and provide plenty of noise, with unique and hilarious chants, for example, chants of “bears eat oranges!” in the massacre that was the game against Orange. The players all agree, Riverbend’s gym presents an atmosphere that is fun to play in and gets in opponents’ heads.

     The volleyball fans have showcased such excitement and passion that for the first time ever, there will be a spirit bus. The spirit bus will shuttle our eccentric and dedicated fans to Colonial Forge for the game on September 29. The bus offers Bears fans an awesome opportunity to let their school spirit be felt. A mass of jeering and ruckus-making Riverbend Bears are going to definitely have an impact on the second Colonial Forge game. Possibly, even alleviating Forge’s home court advantage and giving the Bears’ volleyball the edge. The game will be one to remember. Intense play on the court and pandemonium in the stands will cement this game as one of the best moments of Riverbend’s 2011-2012 year. The spirit bus may even have to make a reappearance later on. 

Nathan Markle, Managing Editor