FALL SPORTS UPDATE

Isabel Lubin and Meghann Morhardt

Girls XC

This year’s girls cross country team is lead by Julia Prescott and Margot Drummey. Julia Prescott is looking forward to having a bunch of new runners on the girls team. There are some freshman and also a few seniors who are participating in their first season of cross country. Margot thinks that these new additions will serve to strengthen the team. Julia adds that “we haven't had as many as 32 girls for all the time I’ve done XC at Conard. This will definitely be fun to see everyone improve and learn about the sport!” She also believes that there’s a lot in store for this year’s team, and the amount of participation this year is great. The girls have a lot of team spirit that will prove to be very motivational and essential to their success this season. Co-captain Margot Drummey, is also expecting an amazing cross country season. She states that even though “this season will definitely be different” with a new head coach, Coach Knapp, it will be exciting and full of time improvements. Margot adds that Coach Knapp will contribute a fresh mindset and various new workouts for the girls team and the whole program in general. She’s certain that he’ll be an integral part in this team’s success and will help ensure, along with Coach Hadra, that they have a wonderful season. Both captains are also looking forward to participating in a New Hampshire invitational meet during November that the team hasn’t been to in years.

Girls Soccer

This season’s girls soccer captains are Kate Shaffer, Marisa Allen, Molly Binder, and Lauren Massaro. The girls are excited for the season to progress and to play more games. They believe that the team has a lot of new talent, as well as returning skill in the upperclassmen, and hope to win a lot of games while maintaining a positive attitude and respectful nature that they pride themselves on. One of the team’s goals for the season is to improve their record from last year and just work towards getting better every day. The girls have already played against East Catholic this fall and are looking forward to a fun, competitive season. The team’s final game against Hall is at home this year so definitely come out and support them for that game as well as other home games throughout the course of the season!

Field Hockey

This year’s captains are Ellie Brown, Isabel Lubin, Anna Santoro, and Abby Quinn. Field hockey has a new head coach this year, Coach Dailey, who also teaches financial literacy at both Conard and Hall High Schools. She has previously coached at Hall as well and is excited to return to coaching. The captains and other seniors are also eager to start playing games and continue practicing together. One captain, Anna Santoro, shares her optimism about this year’s team, explaining that “even though quite a few seniors were lost last year, a lot of talent from every grade remains.” She also adds that from the few scrimmages and play days the team has participated in, the captains can see that the players communicate well and connect on and off the field, which they hope will help the team win a lot of games and have fun. Abby Quinn is ready to have a new team to bond with and is looking forward to see how Coach Dailey will improve the program this fall and for many seasons to come. The games should be exciting, so be sure to support field hockey this year!

Boys Soccer

The boys soccer team this year is lead by captains Shane Carr, John Scrimgeour, and Andres Mayuri. These three seniors bring both talent and leadership to the field and are ready to take the team far this year. The team ended 9-5-4 last year and they hope to improve on this already successful record. Captain John Scrimgeour says that he is excited about this year, and even though the team lost some talent last year, he thinks that they “are a more cohesive unit this year and play really well together.” He says that they plan on making the tournament like they did last year and should “have the ability to go far.” The team has been working hard over the summer by playing in scrimmage leagues and having conditioning and skills workouts run by the captains themselves. John says that he is excited to see “all of the hard work they put in over the summer pay off”. They have played two games already this season and currently have a record of 1-1 with a tough loss to Southington 1-0, followed by a strong win over Northwest Catholic 4-1. The team has quite a few home games this year, so be sure to go and support.

Girls Volleyball

The girls volleyball team has been rebuilding its program for many years and proved their skill last year with a run to the quarter finals of the LL state tournament, while being ranked 20th. In order to get there, they had to beat teams ranked 13th and 5th. They finished the season 14-8. The team lost 4 very talented seniors, but much talent still remains. The captains for the team have yet to be announced, but there are 4 seniors, Fely Yigle, Ally Buyak, Abby Mayuri, and Julia Yanosy. These 4 seniors are all strong leaders both on and off the court. They bring a special energy and talent level to the team that will be sure to help them go far this season. Julia, Abby and Ally all think that they have a chance to go far this season, “even farther than last year”. They are also all excited for senior night because they think that it will be a “special and awesome night” when the gym will be all decorated and filled with friends and family who are there to celebrate the last four years. Ally and Julia stressed that they are most excited for team bonding because they hope to “build relationships that will last a long time”. This team chemistry and bonding is going to be a huge part of the team’s success this year. Like Boys Soccer, the team has started the season 1-1 with a competitive loss to Southington along with a strong victory over Northwest Catholic. The team should be very successful this year and fun to watch!

Boys XC

The boys cross country team is very excited for this 2018 season as they are very optimistic about the success they may have. While Cross country is often looked at as an individual sport, but it really is a team sport. The captains for this years cross country team are Ian Sagers, Stephen McNally, David Newman, and Eli. They are 4 very talented runners who are eager and ready to lead their team to a successful season. Ian and Stephen “think that this season will be a lot better than last year with more dual meet wins and higher placing in invitational meets.” They think that with the new coach they will be able to have more effective practices with more intense workouts that will translate into meet success. They also say that they “are all excited for new opportunities that come with a stronger team such as going further into the postseason like state opens and New Englands”. This cross country team is definitely stacked with talent and strong leadership. They will certainly be a team to watch in the cross country world.

Football

The captains for this year’s football season are KJ Shazel, Matt Langevin, Gabe Suarez and Mario Volpe. The team has already played against New Britain and East Hartford, and the players are excited to see what the rest of the season holds. KJ is “looking forward to having the best time” with his teammates every day of his “last football season as a Chieftain.” KJ also shares that there’s something special about this year’s team. He believes that this season is different from past ones because the captains and other teammates have learned to come together and focus on being successful. They’re ready to take on challenges and have fun together as one cohesive group. Even though the Hall game is away this year, there are still many chances to come out and support the football team at home, so be sure to show Conard football some support.