A Note from Jackie, MS Athletic Director

What an incredible season for Middle School Athletics!

This season, we proudly fielded nine teams—six in girls volleyball and three in boys soccer. Five of our teams advanced to the WAC League end-of-season tournaments, earning an impressive two championships, one runner-up finish, and two third-place titles. What an accomplishment! Congratulations to all our teams on a fantastic season!

A huge thank you to our Winged Lions families for your enthusiasm and support throughout the season—we couldn’t have done it without you.

We are also deeply grateful for our dedicated coaching staff, whose time, effort, and commitment to developing our student-athletes make all the difference. Thank you to coaches Kayden Al-Mosawi, Lauren Carpenter, Bobby Kennedy, Scott Langone, Chad Obermark, Garrett Stern, Kessler Vargyas, Sarah Yoon, and Olivia Young.

Read on for a recap of each team’s season highlights.

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Middle School Boys 7/8 Soccer

Coaches Scott Langone and Garrett Stern

Rowland Hall boys A soccer team had a tremendous season this year. The players began the year focused on developing fundamental skills and learning to play together as a team. Throughout the season, they demonstrated impressive growth and cohesion. The team focused on “the WE” ahead of “the me,” and learned how to defend as a unit with everyone doing their job. The attacking side began the season with a lot of individual play, but as we progressed we turned into a possession-with-a-purpose attack, with players sharing the ball and combining through the lines. The team finished the regular season and the postseason in third place, with a heartbreaking loss to APA West Valley in the semifinals at Waterford. The team will return a strong group of seventh graders next fall, while the eighth graders will be contributing to the high school program in the spring of 2027.

Rowland Hall boys B soccer team began the season with four main objectives: to give student-athletes opportunities to play, to have fun, to develop their skills and positional awareness, and to compete and win. I’m pleased to say that we succeeded in all four areas. Throughout the season, we held many productive training sessions and played five exciting games, giving every player a chance to grow and contribute to the team’s success.

Thank you to the young men who played, and thank you to the parents who supported them along the way.

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MS Boys Grade 6 Soccer

Coaches Bobby Kennedy and Kessler Vargyas

On a hot summer day in late August, 20 sixth-grade student-athletes came together to play "the beautiful game." The green and white were well represented from a variety of communities, including several students new to Rowland Hall. The roster was composed of players with a wide range of experience and skill levels. The challenges they faced were numerous. Questions like Who do we play?, How many games are in the season?, and What formation will we utilize? were put to rest in the first few training sessions. 

With a relatively short period of time before the first match, the goal was to develop a few principles of play on both sides of the ball that all team members would value and support. This proved to be a challenge as the blend of players chose to value individual accomplishments and scoring goals over the possession-based style we were striving for. Early on we enjoyed success against inferior teams and then we faced our rival to the south, the Waterford Ravens, a team composed of several experienced club players that play in the upper echelon of UYSA. We finished the regular season with a record of 5-1 with our only losses coming against Waterford by a handful of goals. Entering playoffs we took our #2 seed into the semifinal game against McGillis. The Winged Lions fought hard in the semifinal but struggled a little to play with poise and commit to our brand of soccer. The stage was set for a third place matchup with ICS.

With a renewed emphasis on defensive shape and individual marking responsibilities, and a little more time and space on the ball, we were able to take the early lead. The third-place match would finish 2-0 to Rowland Hall. While it was important for some members of the team to hoist a trophy at the end of the season, I think the big winner is the concept of "total soccer" is still alive and well.

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MS Girls 7/8 Volleyball A and B Teams

Coaches Sarah Yoon and Lauren Carpenter

The B volleyball teams, three in total, exhibited a good work ethic, and willingness to learn. Because of this, they experienced excellent improvement on many aspects of their games. The athletes worked to improve their skills, asking questions and using the information to further their game. The coaching staff appreciated their ability to work cooperatively to create a cohesive team. It was common to see another, more experienced player helping a newer athlete to improve. That is the spirit of sport. Our thanks to the players on the tournament team who carried these ideals forward and won the tournament championship for everyone. Great work, team!

The A volleyball team: What a phenomenal season for our A team! From the first serve to the final point of their undefeated 6–0 run, our incredible athletes displayed outstanding dedication, teamwork, and love for the game. Each player contributed selflessly and embraced a true team-first attitude, elevating the level of play all season long.

Whether cheering from the bench or singing on bus rides, their energy and spirit inspired everyone around them. It was a joy to watch this team grow, both on and off the court. They competed with heart, supported one another, and demonstrated integrity and excellence every step of the way.

Congratulations to A team on winning the WAC end-of-season tournament! Well done!

 

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MS Girls Grade 6 Volleyball

Coaches Chad Obermark, Kayden Al-Mosawi and Olivia Young

The C1 team had a fantastic season! Players showed incredible growth over a short time, focusing on passing and serving. These athletes had an awesome mixture of focus, competitiveness, and enthusiasm. They cheered for each other loudly and proudly! The whole squad loved to be a part of this team. They were excited to get to play games across the valley, playing both home and away. Both squads were competitive each night, with many matches going all three games. C1 was placed as the #4 seed in the end-of-season tournament. Rowland Hall ended up going all the way to the championship game, split the first two games of the match, and ended up losing a hotly contested third game against a strong ICS team. We are incredibly proud of all the players and impressed by how much they developed their skills over the course of the season. It was a great way to start the year!

The C2 girls volleyball team displayed an incredible amount of growth, dedicating many hours to their improvement during practices and games over the course of the season. Whether it was a competitive 3-set win at Waterford or practices where they focused on the fundamental skills of volleyball, their dedication and teamwork were constantly on display. The results of this hard work were apparent, seeing each player improve in their ability to serve, pass, and be a vital member of the team. We hope that this growth will follow these players into their future seasons of volleyball and beyond!

Photo credit: Tyler Tanner