Rose basketball highlights
Parrott Patriots become Rose Rampants
WED.| 11-15-23 | SPORTS
Moving to a new school is often difficult for most, especially when transferring from a private school to a public school from a completely different county. However, this is not the case for varsity soccer players and best friends Jackson McCarren and Landen Lucas.
Lucas and McCarren both transferred from Arendell Parrott Academy (APA) this past summer to start their junior year at Rose. They have both played soccer for almost all of their lives. They have been playing with one another since the fifth grade.
“Jackson and I have played with one another since the fifth grade on the playground, and all the way up through middle school and now high school,” Lucas said.
The two students decided to transfer for several reasons. Ultimately, McCarren and Lucas wanted the opportunity to play soccer at a higher level, while also getting better academic opportunities. This led to their decision to officially transfer to Rose in June of 2023, for the start of the 2023-24 school year.
“[We both transferred for] soccer, friend and also [the] classes here, because you have a lot more options for classes to choose from [at Rose],” Lucas said.
Photo by Sarah Ruth Clark
The biggest difference between the two schools, besides APA being private, is the amount of students. In all of APA, which is a Kindergarten through 12th grade, there are only 719 students, compared to Rose where there are over 1500 students. This changes the way McCarren and Lucas learn with class sizes significantly increasing.
“The classes are different and a little bigger too,” Lucas said. “[There are] more people to ask for help and more participation for activities and labs.”
The classroom sizes are not the only difference. The schedule at Rose is also a big change for the boys.
“At Parrott, there are six classes, and there are four here,” Lucas said. “Where at Parrot you just go from class to class.”
Despite all the academic challenges that have come from transferring, both Lucas and McCarren have had great success in the classroom. Both students have all A’s to kick off the year at Rose.
Rose soccer is also a lot different compared to APA soccer. A big difference is the competition level, because of Rose’s size, they are able to play teams who are equal in size, if not bigger, making for higher-level competition. This intense level of competition can push a team to work much harder.
“[At] Rose, people put in a lot more effort, [and] it is easier to trust your teammates,” McCarren said. “At Parrott, it was more lazy and all about seniority, [where as] here respect is earned and they work hard.”
Lucas and McCarren have played a big part in the Rampants success on the pitch. McCarren and Lucas both get quality playing time, each game, which has been a significant help to the rampants reaching an overall winning record of 15-1-1, and an undefeated conference record of seven wins. Lucas leads the team in assists with six, and seven goals to go along with it. McCarren is not far behind with four assists in the season so far.
Lucas and McCarren are very happy with their decision. Their favorite memory so far is coming back against Jacksonville after being down three to one at halftime and winning five to four. The pair are excited and hopeful for the rest of the season.
