The Conclusion of Fall Sports

Recapping Maclay Fall Athletics

Photo by Antonia Nowels/Maclay Andalusian

Varsity Football 

The Maclay varsity football team has found great success this year, finishing the regular season with a record of 7-2. The Marauders beat their rivals, NFC, for the first time in five years. While seniors Nash Beshears, Ryder Marks, Rollins Miller and BB Potter have led Maclay to this success, senior quarterback George Grant has led the Marauders throughout the season. Grant has the second most total yards in Florida’s 1A Class, third most passing yards and fifth most yards per game. He looks to continue this success as the Marauders prepare for the playoffs.

Varsity Cheerleading

During each football game, the varsity cheerleading team cheers their hearts out, supporting Maclay through their wins and loses. Their trust and communication allows for successful stunts and flips as well as creating a spirited environment every Friday night. They will cheer on the varsity football team as playoffs begin and then will begin basketball cheer season.

Girls Volleyball

Many of the girls volleyball players stood out this year, including seniors Journey Kramer, Gray Burleson, Kayla Iarossi, junior Izzi Ward and sophomore Kate Hartmann; however, senior Landri Ross was the core of the team. She led the district in serving aces with 61 while also having the second most kills, assists, blocks and hits. Ross left everything out on the court, putting up her best stats since joining the varsity team.

Boys Cross Country

The Maclay boys cross country team’s countless hours of training during the summer has translated to their great success throughout the season. Sophomore David Barton has led the way for the 2024 squad. At the Leon County Invitational men’s 500 meters, Barton placed third overall, and at the New World Fall Spectacular, he again finished first on the team, placing 35th out of 356 runners. However, with playoffs approaching, Barton only looks to speed up.

Girls Cross Country

The girls varsity cross country team have run their way to top finishes with senior Payton Thumm leading the way. Thumm finished fourth place overall at the Leon County Invitational women’s 500 meters. She also finished 18th overall out of almost 90 runners in the girls 5k and third place overall at the Kristine Lynn Invitational. Thumm’s success has led the Marauders to a second place finish at the Kristine Lynn Invitational, fifth place finish at the HOKA XC Fest and second place finish in the women’s team 500 meters at the Leon County Invitational.

Swimming and Diving

Both the girls and boys swimming and diving teams have worked day in and day out, pushing for their goal of a state medal. For the girls team, seniors Zara Jaffe and Lauren Carter led the way. Jaffe placed first in the 200 yard free and the 500 yard free in districts. Carter placed second in the 200 yard freestyle and the 100 yard butterfly. Both Jaffe and Carter were also a part of the first place 4x100 freestyle relay and have qualified to advance to the regionals. For the boys, senior Blake Rhodes has swam his way to two top 20 finishes out of 467 total swimmers, one in the 500 yard free and the other in the 200 yard free. He also had two more top 60 finishes in the 50 yard free and the 100 yard free.