The George Mason boys varsity basketball team raced to a 2-1 start in the opening games of their 2010-2011 season. The Mustangs earned wins against Loudoun County and Freedom High School, but suffered a blow-out loss to Broad Run.

The Mustangs opened their season against Loudoun County, in which their shot performance was dismal. They opened their season going 0-19 from the field, only scoring two points in the first quarter. Despite only managing to score a single basket, solid defense kept it a seven point ball game heading into the second quarter.

The Mustang offense slowly began to pick up the pace in the second quarter, with the score of fourteen points. With the Mustang defense remaining strong, the Mustangs only trailed by one point in a 17-16 Loudoun County lead at the half.

Domination in the paint and protecting the ball were two high points in the Mustangs’ opener. Junior Nate Ogle and senior Brandon Alexander both had strong performances under the glass combining for 25 points and 24 rebounds. Junior Philippe Griffith also tallied eight points and seven rebounds in his varsity debut.

As a unit, the Mustangs only committed 13 turnovers on the night, saving them from their nightmarish shooting performance. The Mustangs only went 8-37 from the field and 8-21 from behind the arc in their 51-46 victory over Loudoun County.

Coming off of the average win over Loudoun County, the Mustangs were blown away by Broad Run with a score of 48-68. The Mustangs took an early 18-13 lead, but turnovers and poor shooting contributed in Broad Run outscoring Mason 29-10 in the second quarter. The Mustangs committed 31 turnovers on the night and shot 17-39 from the field in the loss.

The Mustangs managed to rebound from the Broad Run blow out and defeat Freedom-South Riding High School 69-58, concluding their three game road trip.

The Mustangs will host their home opener against the Avalon School on December 9. Tipoff will be at 7:45 p.m. as the Mustangs look to improve to 3-1.

For the first time in George Mason history, students will be lacing up their skates and taking to the ice to play hockey. George Mason has merged with Oakton High School, although the jerseys will say “Cougars” on them.

The six players that are on the Oakton JV team are senior Eddy Marshall, goaltender; freshman Hunter Olsen, forward; junior Hans Olsen, forward; freshman Jack Stricker, forward/defense; freshman Adam Fendley, defense; and freshman Connor Rhodes, forward.

The first historical game will be held at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex on Friday December 3 on the roof of the Ballston Mall, no more then 15 minutes away.  The puck drops at 6:45 p.m. Ballston Mall also provides restaurants to grab dinner or simply a place to hang out until the game starts.

T-shirts will be sold to help raise money for various costs, including buying ice time and hopefully George Mason’s very own jersey.  Contact Adam Fendley for your orders.

Senior and soon to be GM alum Abby Johansen signed her letter of intent for Old Dominion University on Wednesday after receiving a scholarship to play for the school’s Division 1 lacrosse team.

Johansen began playing Lacrosse in third grade and went on to join the Junior Varsity Mason girls team in eight grade. The team ended up having an undefeated record in the Dulles District that year.

Johansen’s teammates enjoy having such an incredible player and person on the team.

Senior teammate Amanda Rolander said, “I’m proud that Abby got the scholarship, because she’s been working so hard over the past seven years and she really enjoys it.” She continued, “It makes me really happy that after all the work she’s put in, she’s signed her letter of intent and it has all paid off.”

As a junior, Johansen led the George Mason varsity team to its very first undefeated season with a 13-0 record. This is made even more impressive by the fact that George Mason is a single A school that is forced to play in a double AA district. This means in lacrosse the school is playing teams from much larger schools.

Also last year, Johansen was placed on the all district first team and all region second team in Virginia. In one season, Abby scored a whopping 63 goals and assisted her teammates’ goals 25 times over the course of only 17 games.

After signing her letter of intent however, the truth has been sealed that George Mason will be losing one of its most accomplished athletes.

Lacrosse coach Courtney Gibbons said, “It will be extremely difficult seeing her leave this year. She brings leadership on and off the field…she plays all over the field for us. She can play any position which makes her such a valuable player.”

Not only does Abby excel on the lacrosse field, but she also dominates on the basketball court. She helped the George Mason High School girl’s basketball team win two district, regional, and state championships. She has played flute for the high school band since eighth grade. Over the course of those five years the band has won superior ratings from every judge in both sight reading and performing.

Mason Cross Country girls go back to back to back. On Saturday, November 3, the team traveled to Great Meadow to compete in the state meet. The girls dominated the field finishing with a low team score of 35 points.

The team was led by sophomore Julia Estrada who placed second in the race, with an All State time of 19:13.

Juniors Michele de Mars and Eva Estrada also earned All-State honors finishing in sixth and seventh place with times of 20:00 and 20:02 respectively.

All-State honors were also awarded to junior Emma Vieillescazes placing in 14th with a time of 20:41. Sophomore Hannah Beaman, junior Abby Perez and senior Mollie Breen also ran strong placing 16th, 24th and 32nd.

While completing the three-peat, the girls Cross Country team also posted the fastest times in Mason history.

The George Mason Mustangs (1-8) will travel to Manassas Park (6-3) on Friday November 12 to close out their 2010 football season. The Mustangs are in desperate need of a win to snap their six game losing streak, while Manassas Park is trying to improve their record in the Bull Run to 3-1.

The Mustangs are coming off of a tough 14-28 loss to the Strasbourg Rams, keeping them winless in the Bull Run district. Manassas Park had a strong showing against Clarke County in their last match, winning 21-14. A win for Manassas Park could potentially put them on top of the Bull Run if Clarke County beats Madison County on Friday.

Kick off will be at 7:30 p.m. in this crucial Bull Run district matchup, as the Mustangs look to spoil Manassas Park’s season. Students are encouraged to make the trip to Manassas to support their George Mason football team.

Mason’s cross country teams brought home the bacon at Panorama Farms. On Wednesday, November 3, the girls and boys cross country teams both took first place in the regional meet. Though it was the first time that the Mason boys cross country team won a regional title, the win was nothing new for the girls Mason cross country team, as this was their third consecutive Regional Title.

The boys cross country team finished with a score of 60 points. Only 10 points behind them was runner up Alta Vista with 70 points.

The boys’ team was led by senior Jordan Robarge, who finished fifth in the race with a time of 17:10; Robarge received All-Region honors. All-Region honors were also awarded to junior Jesse Schaffer and sophomore Jeremy K. Brown, who placed ninth and fourteenth respectively. Strong performances were also given by senior Daniel Drawbaugh in sixteenth, sophomore Jeremy M. Brown in twenty-fourth, senior Dane Warner in twenty-sixth and junior Paul Hennigner in twenty-ninth.

The girls cross country team left their opponents in the dust with a team score of 22 points, beating Strasburg’s second place by over 30 points. All seven ladies earned a top 12 finish and All-Region honors. Sophomore Julia Estrada placed second, junior Michele de Mars third, junior Eva Estrada fourth, junior Emma Vieillescazes sixth, junior Abby Perez seventh, senior Mollie Breen ninth, and sophomore Hannah Beaman eleventh.

Both teams will travel to Great Meadow to compete in the State meet on November 13. The boys will look for their first ever state championship while the girls will attempt to win their third consecutive state championship.