From Volleyball to Cross Country, magnet sports have been gearing up for exciting seasons ahead! Read this article to learn all about star players, traditions, and much more.
Men’s Volleyball:
Coming off a glorious 3-11 season last year, the men’s volleyball team looks to make an improvement over their record last year and they are ready to slam those balls! They are led by Mercer Bundis (12), a self-proclaimed nonchalant, dreadhead captain of the AMHS men’s volleyball team, and the only senior on the team. Men’s Volleyball is a new addition to the sports family at Magnet but it is already a fan favorite. This is mostly due to the infamy of the #2 men’s volleyball player in the state, Ben Hynes. Mercer Bundis is quoted by saying he is the “best athlete to ever step foot on a Magnet court.” After seeing him in action, I have to agree. They are coached by Coach SaySay, who fearlessly leads his men into battle every match. The team says they could not be where they are today without the guidance of Coach SaySay. Mercer Bundis is most excited for the game against Wando. He says this is a revenge game for him because of how the Warriors treated him and the conditions under which he transferred to Magnet. An anonymous source on the team also believes they can beat the women’s team, minus Alaina. I am not so sure that I agree with that, but I would definitely like to see that match. So far the team is 3-2 heading into the weekend. Make sure to pop out at the next game, where Mercer promises there will be a lot of balls being hit.
Women’s Golf
The women’s golf team is another top sport at Magnet. They are led by their captain Grace Griffin and their #1 player Akiera Sanchez. The team is a close family, but they don’t let that get in the way of their competitive spirit. Their goal for the season is to make it back to states and do better than their 5th place last year. Grace Griffin and Akiera Sanchez are the seniors on the team. They look to leave their ceaseless wisdom to the underclassmen by the end of the season. The team has already played 2 matches and a tournament, in which they finished 12th out of 20 teams. Their matches are all over Charleston, from playing at Bulls Bay to Snee Farm. The scoring for their matches takes the individual scores of all the members of the team and adds it up. The team with the lowest total score wins the match. For practice, you can find the team hitting the links at Patriots Point. One key aspect of the game that Grace Griffin says is essential to success is to “not let bad shots get you down.” I think this is some of that ceaseless wisdom they were talking about earlier. This season the team is most looking forward to playing BE. They want to beat the Bishops more than any other team, way to show that Magnet pride! The team’s love for the game and tenacity on the course helps them win matches and get hole-in-ones. The team is coached by Mr. Stackhouse.
Women’s Swim
This year the Women’s swim team is led by captains Lilly Burnette (12), Rachel Agudelo (12), and Lindsay Gunn (12). Lilly said that this season she is looking forward to some killer relays at state champs, Secret Sister, and her final year on the team. Lilly also said that the team this year is looking to be exciting and fun, Lilly said that this group has some of the most personality and character of any of her time at Magnet. This is the third year that Magnet and SOA have been swimming together and the team this year has the largest number of SOA swimmers yet! Leah Whipkey(9), a talented freshman swimmer, said that she is excited to be a part of Magnet swim, the team’s secret sister tradition and state meet. Leah also asked us to mention backstroke. This week, Magnet Swim has a big meet against Philip Simmons and West Ashley that they are eagerly awaiting.
Men’s XC
One of Magnet’s most celebrated and successful sports is men’s Cross Country. This year the team is headed by an impressive group of seniors: Quinn Swanton, Peyton Johnson, Calvin Volkman, Hunter Kuhnell, and Chip. It’s been a long and hard summer of training for these boys and they said they have been eager to get back onto the course rain or shine, the most anticipated race for these boys is the Starlight meet, a nighttime race in the upstate. These seasoned boys said that the part of the season that they are looking forward to the most is sharing their knowledge and newfound humility with the underclassmen, something their predecessors did for them. The seniors additionally touched on a longstanding tradition known only as “Gordon”. While the specifics of this ritual remain unknown to the non-runners, the men assure us it is a major player in why the team is so close-knit and motivated, Peyton even saying “It’s one of those things that keeps me motivated and smiling”. The team assures us that the state title is in reach. How are they going to gain this title? Well, the boys said they’re going into the season running fast and eating a lot. One of the team’s younger stars, Hayes Dearelleano, said that he is looking forward to a fast and fun season. He said that senior, Quinn Swanton, is his role model and he wants to be just like him when he’s older. Hayes and the senior boys will be led by their fearless coach Johnson. This week the boys have the Warrior Invitational on Wednesday 9/18, Good Luck Boys!
Girls XC
This year’s women’s cross-country team is a fearless group of dedicated athletes ready to take on the season with speed and grit. This year the team is led by seniors, Cate Arrants (12), Isla Todd (12), Lindsay Griffin (12), Lila Garrett (12), Molly George (12), Laurel Dorsey (12), and Ridgely Kalil (12). This year’s team is a blend of experienced and first-time runners. The seniors said that they are excited to step up to the leadership position and share their knowledge and traditions with the younger classes. Cate Arrants said that this year she is most looking forward to going to the region meet and the team’s secret sister tradition! The team has a full lineup of meets this year. Contrary to the men’s team, these girls are not looking forward to the Starlight meet in October, they claim that they have many other things they would rather do with their night. Regardless of this, the girls are still looking forward to running fast at this meet and putting their all in. When asked about last year’s seniors who graduated, the team said that they lost both a lot of talent and personality. Even with this loss, the team is determined to bring lots of team spirit and raptor pride. Underclassmen, Cate Angle (9), says she’s looking forward to running with her new team and watching both herself and her teammates improve. This week the girls also have the Warrior Invitational on Wednesday. We can’t wait to see where the rest of the season takes this talented group.
Recap:
These past two weeks have been a whirlwind for magnet sports. For starters, our Varsity Women’s Volleyball team has left nothing on the court with multiple big wins, most notably both the JV and Varsity Girls wins against Timberland last Thursday. Magnet Cross country had a last minute switch up moving their meet against Timberland to Thursday night, but regardless of this switch up both teams had some great times. Magnet Swim has had multiple meets over the last two weeks. This past week these aquatic raptors took home big wins against Fort Dorchester. Men’s Volleyball had some exciting matches, their new updated record is 2-3. The girl’s tennis team had some great matches against Summerville on Tuesday. With this issue we have only had one Raptor Athlete of the week, that being Magnet Football’s one and only Campbell Stoklosa (11). On his nomination, Campbell was described as a “natural leader” by his coach. Zuriel (11) chipped in on Campbell’s big win saying that he “ heard [Campbell] saved a bunch of kittens from a burning building”. While it is unclear if this statement is true or merely just a rumor, it speaks volumes to Campbell’s character. This week we have a lot of athletic events coming up that we urge you all to come to. On Tuesday there is women’s varsity tennis against Phillip Simmons, and Varsity and JV Women’s volleyball also against Phillip Simmons. On Wednesday both the Men’s and Women’s JV XC teams have the Warrior Invitational. On Thursday both Magnet swim teams have a meet against Phillip Simmons and West Ashley, Men’s Volleyball against Waccamaw, and Varsity and JV Women’s Volleyball against Woodland. Last but not least, this Friday is the homecoming football game and the theme is blackout, make sure you’re there.
