In August, fall sports began for the 2021-2022 school year and with that comes intense practices, excitement surrounding games, and loads of school spirit. Fall athletes have not played in their set season since the fall of 2019, so many things are brand new for the teams.

This year fall athletes have a lot to be excited about being that 2019 was the last year that fall sports happened in their set season. For junior football player, Peyton Jay, having a more normal season brings new hope for his personal goals and the team’s. 

“My personal goals for the season are to just get better at what I do, get faster, and make some great plays,” said Jay. “I feel our team goal is to definitely do better in the playoffs than we did last year.”

This year the volleyball team has similar goals to the football team. Sophomore Sophia Perlozzo has been playing on the team since she was in 8th grade.

“My personal goals of this season are to get to know my teammates better, improve my skills, and give all I have to this group of girls,” said Perlozzo. “The girls and I said that our main goal is to beat Rustburg and go farther this year than last.”

Being back in school has brought new changes to sports as well. From playing in a condensed season in the spring and then back to a regular season in the fall, nothing looks the same.

“Coach has said this and I think it is very true, since we are back in school we have been able to focus a lot more and it helps us be more mentally prepared for when we step on the field,” said Jay. “It feels very different from last year because of that, but in a good way.”

The Cheer team has also seen things change from years previous. Junior flyer Emma Bates has been on the team since 8th grade and Varsity since 9th. 

“One thing that has been different this year is we can do more challenging stunts again,” said Bates. “Covid protocol has gone down which gives us leeway to be closer together, which means more stunting.”

This year the volleyball team is much younger with mostly underclassmen making up the team.

“Having so many older players graduate or do pursue something else we have been faced with a new set of challenges,” said Perlozzo. “We have had to work harder than ever before.”

With the fall season just beginning, there is a lot more to look forward to down the road. For many fall athletes that means time to push themselves and grow as players and help their teams get better.