South Lakes High School fall sports round-up

by Matt Reider, Staff Writer

South Lakes and Herndon High's girls fall football teams play each other. Photo by Isadora Guerreiro

As autumn turns to winter, South Lakes High School teams are reflecting on their fall seasons, with some gearing up for playoff action.

The Seahawk Girls Field Hockey team had a solid season, finishing third in the Concorde Division and ending above .500 with an 11-10 overall record. Senior Anna Harris led the team with four goals and eight total points. Juniors Kendall Settar and Kassidy Arnold also contributed, with two goals and four points, and one goal and two points, respectively. The season concluded the last week of October with a 7-3 playoff loss at James Madison, the number two seed.

The SLHS Girls Volleyball team also had a strong year, finishing with a 78% winning percentage and a 14-4 record overall. Coach Sam Farrar’s team placed second in the Concorde Region with a 7-4 record, winning eight of nine home games. The team opened the season with an impressive 12-game winning streak before falling to James Madison, 3-1.

Seniors Jessica Hancher, Laila Park, Sane Elston, Sydney Morris, Keira McManus, and Ella Wang led the team. Ella Wang posted a .241 hitting percentage, averaging 1.6 kills per set, while junior Eva Colingham led the team with 3.4 kills per set. Sane Elston averaged 2.8 kills per set and a .187 hitting percentage, ranking third on the team with 2.9 digs per set. In blocks, Sydney Morris led with 43, just ahead of Ella Wang’s 42. Colingham also led in aces with 60 and an average of one ace per set. The team’s regional season ended on Oct. 29 with a 3-2 loss to Westfields. They advance to districts in November.

In only its second year, the SLHS Boys Volleyball team improved on last season, finishing 16-6 overall and 8-3 in the Concorde Region. The season began strong at the pre-season Titan Clash of 2025, hosted by the Alexandria City Titans—the first boys pre-season tournament in over 20 years. Coach Jake Kaplan, assisted by Gel Nichols, led seniors Shaheer Salarzai, Andrei Saycon, and Micah Capati.

Photo by Isadora Guerreiro

All-district honors included Andrei Saycon and junior Xander Holmes on 2nd Team, and Younus Quraishi, Gautham Anand, and Micah Capati on 1st Team, with Patrick Turner receiving honorable mention. Gautham Anand was also named 2025-2026 Libero of the Year. The team had two five-game win streaks and defeated Chantilly 3-1 in the regional semifinals, continuing play into November.

The SLHS Varsity Football team started strong with a 5-2 record but dropped the last two games to finish 5-4. Most contests were close, including wins over Yorktown (29-28), Oakton (24-21), and Chantilly (33-28). The final home game is on Nov. 7 against Westfields. Senior running back Dalton Blakeney leads the offense with 78 yards per game and 11 touchdowns, while junior Nick Picarelli averages 83.4 receiving yards per game. The defense is anchored by Cameron Soto with seven tackles per game, Sebastian Valencia with three sacks, and senior Labeed Zaib with two interceptions. Junior quarterback Christian Wyatt posts a .71 completion percentage and a 109.6 QB rating.

The JV Football team finished 4-3 overall and were undefeated on the road, winning 3-0 away matches, including close victories over West Potomac (17-14) and Oakton (14-13), and a 38-18 win at Chantilly. One game remains at Westfields on Nov. 6.

This fall also saw the debut of a girls flag football team, sponsored by the Washington Commanders NFL franchise. Led by Coach Spencer Alston, the team played its first games on Oct. 14. South Lakes defeated Herndon in the first match, but fell 18-17 to Chantilly in the second. With a late start to the season, the girls flag football team will continue into November.