Kaylie Honberger and Will Hatch are freshmen that have been placed on JV and Varsity teams. Fall sports are here, and now is the time where all players put in their years of playing on club, competitive, or recreational teams to make their mark on a school sports team.

Will Hatch, a freshman on the JV soccer team, describes his work ethic and emotions towards being on a team with older players.

 “The sophomores are hard on you. They don’t think you’re special, so you really have to work hard if you want to be recognized,” Hatch said.

 On a higher level team, opponents typically are more experienced too. Hatch is constantly playing soccer whenever he is not doing school-related activities; this makes training even more crucial to athletes playing at a challenging level and leaves little time for much of anything else.

 “I have to improve on my decision making. The bigger kids will take the ball from you in a second if you aren’t thinking,” Hatch said.

 Other athletes find a similar challenge in competing on a higher level sports team, like Kaylie Honberger. Honberger is a freshman on the varsity volleyball team. So far, she is the only freshman to be on any of the varsity teams this year.

 “How you practice is how you play,” Honberger said.

 This takes a lot of work out of Honberger and other players. Between games and practices, these freshmen have to keep up with the new experience of high school itself. Daily practice and preparation for games leaves little time for the new load of homework, and dealing with the pressures of social life.

 When choosing players for his team, varsity basketball coach Nick French looks for athletes with an all around dedicated work ethic.

 “What we look for in a player are guys that can do these three things: Do right, be a good student, and be a good teammate. If you can do those three things on a consistent basis, you will be fine.”

by JAMAL OGANS