By Sami Lachgar
Editor-in-Chief

After having two of the most prolific seasons in Reynolds field hockey history, this year’s squad is looking to further the custom of making it to the state championship game and advance the tradition of excellence that has already been established.

For the past few years, the words “field hockey” have been almost synonymous with the name “Chandler Borton,” a four-year varsity stand-out who graduated last year and had her famed No. 8 jersey retired. Few would argue that much of Reynolds’ success was due to Borton’s leadership and technical skill, but no one is ready to write off this season now that she is at Wake Forest.

“We did lose Chandler, our unstoppable and phenomenal center mid, but we’re prepared to kick it into high gear!” senior Hope Arcuri said.

Still, the departure of the three-time all-state selection clearly left a hole in the lineup that needed to be filled. This year’s squad has a lot of undeniable talent, with the only glaring problem being a lack of experience. So far, the team’s defense has been stellar and might just have the ability to carry this inexperienced team to new heights.

Senior Liz Wallace is quite optimistic about this year.

“I’m really excited because the girls are working really well together,” she said. “We lost a lot of key players, so it may turn out to be more of a rebuilding year since our team is fairly young and still needs experience playing at the varsity high school level.”

Through six games, the Demons were 3-3, including two losses to East Chapel Hill. In the 2011 and 2012 state championship matches, Reynolds faced East and was defeated both times, so the Demons have a good idea about where they stand and what to work on the rest of the season.

Not all of Reynolds’ experienced players are gone. Captains Wallace, Arcuri, Mandy Wolfert, Lindsay Fadel and Anna-Dixon Harkey will be leading the team as it tries to win conference once again and make a run toward the championship.

“We’re trying to stay humble and realistic, but at the same time we would love to make it back to the state championship to finally win!” Wallace said.

With some important players gone, conditioning becomes an even more important part of the game for Reynolds, which put in grueling hours in the preseason.

“We’re really in shape because we have an ex-Army man as our conditioning coach and we’re developing new, strong corners to be more dynamic and quick in the circle,” Arcuri explained.

 Plan to see the field hockey team in action!

• Sept. 18 — vs. Mount Tabor, 6:30 (all times approximate for varsity start)
• Sept. 19 — at Myers Park, 4:15
• Sept. 24 — Chapel Hill, 6:30
• Sept. 25 — at West Forsyth, 7:30
• Sept. 30 — Reagan, 6:30
• Oct. 1 — at Page, 6:30
• Oct. 3 — West Forsyth, 6:30
• Oct. 8 — at Mount Tabor, 6
• Oct. 10 — at Carlisle School, 4:30
• Oct. 14 — at East Forsyth, 6
• Oct. 16 — Page, 6:30