With the new school year comes a new fall sports season.The CSD Spartans compete in the Catawba Shores Conference (Class 1A and 2A) of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA). All the Spartans who are involved in fall sports are ready to compete once more following a summer of preparation and practice.

Football

After a great 2023 season, the Spartans are back and ready to go farther than last year. The previous season the team made the third round of the playoffs and with a couple of transfers from rival Pine Lake Prep, the Spartans are very talented this year. They are led by senior, Brandon Albert, who recently committed to play Division 1 football at the University of Lafayette. Albert also led the team in rushing yards and receiving yards in the 2023 season.

With 22 upperclassmen, this year’s team is much older and a very mature group of guys. Look out for the Spartans this year as they look to make continuous noise and problems for every team in their path.

Senior, Ben Gallagher (‘25) said, “Last season we were really close to making a magical year and this year I think we will go even farther.”

Soccer

After winning the conference championship and making the state championship game last season, the varsity soccer team is looking to run it back and be back-to-back champions. With 10 seniors on the roster, the ‘24-‘25 Spartans have a good amount of experienced players and new young players. For some Seniors on the team, this is their last opportunity to win and be crowned as a state champion.

Senior, Ali Sharifi (‘25), said, “I am looking forward to competing in my last year of soccer with my teammates for the final time.”

Tennis

Women’s tennis is back and is looking forward to competing this season. This year’s roster has a total of 10 players including six seniors, one junior, one sophomore, and two freshmen. The Spartans had a good season last year and are looking forward to building off of that momentum to do even better this year.

Volleyball

The CSD volleyball team is back and ready to put their opponents into the ground. Led by senior Loyola Maryland commit, Ansley Keel, the Spartans look to improve from their .500 2023 season. Only four seniors lead the team this fall, so the Spartans are led mostly by the six rostered juniors. With the new Lake Norman High transfer, Lila English, the Spartans are looking forward to a competitive and thrilling 2024 season. The team always brings high energy and makes the game super fun to watch. Games against rival Pine Lake and others are always highly anticipated and always live up to the hype.

Sophomore, Elena Cunningham (‘27) said, “Both varsity and JV teams are very good due to the amount of practice we have had. and we have a great chance of beating very good teams this year.”

Cheerleading

Jumping back into action this fall, the cheerleading squad is ready to cheer on the CSD sports teams for another year. The cheer team this year consists of four seniors, two freshmen, four juniors, and eight sophomores, so be prepared to see some cool chants and tricks from the team this year. The atmosphere at sporting events is not the same when the cheerleaders are not on the sideline rooting for the Spartans. They can make all the difference when it comes to the outcome of games. This years squad has 18 cheerleaders total, so it’s going to be a fun season with this team cheering for CSD sports this fall.

Cross Country

The CSD cross-country team returns for another year of running this fall. The team consists of 34 runners with six of them being freshmen, five sophomores, five juniors, and three seniors on the boys team. The girl’s team includes five freshmen, five sophomores, two juniors, and three seniors. The team is looking forward to doing better than they had the year prior. With high energy and speed, this team is going to be fun to watch this fall.

Senior, Callie Hobbs (‘25) said, “I am looking forward to running fast and improving and being a good team leader and also being a great captain as well as having fun.”