Softball
Senior Phoebe Reich said the softball team’s season is going to be different as a new coaching staff is bringing a fresh perspective and energy to the team.
“Being connected as a team and having new coaches will help our team build better habits and raise our standards by implementing different strategies than previous years,” Reich explained.
The team has had weightlifting practice and open gyms during the past a few months to prepare for the season, she added.
“The depth should be really good compared to previous years, which can hopefully help us get the first banner in the high school gym in honor of the softball team,” Reich said.
Boys Lacrosse
Senior captain Eddie Merritt said the season could go very well, but with only 30 players, they will need to up their game.
“Conditioning is the biggest priority with smaller numbers than last year,” he explained. “With conditioned players, I believe we can make the regional championship game and possibly the state final.”
Merritt added the team is focusing on the mental aspect of the game so they can compete with the elite teams.
“Making sure the younger players are comfortable in what we are trying to accomplish is really important so they’ll know what to do,” he said.
Baseball
Senior captain Kyle Hagely said he has high expectations for the team. With a lot of players returning, he said he hopes this season will be the best of his time on the team.
“Our whole outfield, middle infield, catcher and pitching is returning,” Hagely said. “I am very hopeful that we will keep building on what we have built the last couple of years.”
The energy will be high within the team, as last year they had to prove to league and district teams they could compete with the best, Hagely explained.
“I expect that we will come out firing and ready to go from the start,” he added. “We’ll go into those games with confidence and an expectation to win and not just make it close.”
Boys Track
Junior distance runner Luke Helon said he hopes the boys track team can continue the success they have found in the past and improve in the postseason from the previous season.
“The team has historically placed highly in the league, and a few athletes go deep in the postseason every year, so I think everyone is hoping for that as the baseline,” he explained.
Helon said he competes in the 800m and the 4x800m, which has historically been one of the team’s strongest events, and he hopes to return to states this year.
“We are hoping to make a deep run into states after a disappointing loss last year in regionals,” he added.
Tennis
Senior Lolan Reiss said he expects this season to be outstanding and believes the team will win team states with the addition of three-time Division II girls singles state champion senior Amiya Bowles, who will push them to be better and more competitive.
Reiss said many players train individually during the offseason, but once tryouts take place, the team starts to practice together. Practices always improve their skill on the court, but also their bonds off the court, he added.
“With a stacked singles lineup and how the team has good relations with one another,
I have full confidence we’ll win team states,” he said.
Girls Track
Junior distance runner Clara Verhoff said she thinks this season will be better than last year and expects many athletes to go further this year due to the team moving from Division I to Division III.
“Last year, a lot of people didn’t make it out of districts, but I think this year will be different because we are jumping down divisions,” she explained.
Senior sprinter Kamryn Brickerson said she hopes the upcoming season will be an improvement from last year due to incoming freshman talent.
“I think there will be a lot of new people on the team this year who will be very beneficial to our success,” Brickerson explained.
practice Feb. 26. (Charlie Magee)
Girls Lacrosse
Junior captain Mallory Lowe said if the girls lacrosse team continues to build chemistry and work hard together, they will have a successful season.
“Open nets and preseason lifts help everyone get to know one another and are crucial to the team’s success,” she explained.
Lowe added the loss of three senior graduates has had a major impact on the program, but they will recover with a huge freshman class that brings tremendous skill.
“It is disappointing, but we can still recover,” she said.
Published and digitized March 2026.
