Sports are back!
The return of students, faculty members, and staff has not only brought the heart and soul back to the Upper Campus, it also has meant the return of fall sports. The last time there was a full fall sports season there were no mask mandates, no quarantines, no lockdowns, and no Coronavirus. The return of fall sports brings a sense of hope to the return of normal at the Upper Campus.
Even with the shortened practice time due to the all school camping trips, the Spuds started strong as the first contests got underway this week.
Both the junior varsity and varsity volleyball teams grabbed victories on Wednesday, with the JV downing Newbury Park Adventist Academy and the varsity girls taking down Summit View School in three straight sets. The varsity win was highlighted by sophomore standout Donahi Soriano, who ignited the Spuds from the start by scoring TWENTY-FIVE straight points off of serves to win set number one for OVS.
Cross Country also ran its first meet of the year on the tough Pi course, with junior captains Ben Manning and India Getty-Pruss leading the way, both finishing third in their respective races. The boys team finished second out of the seven teams that toed the line on Wednesday.
The return of fall sports does not come without change.
The Spuds have moved in all sports this year from the Condor league to the Omega league, bringing new excitement and challenges to the Spuds.
“We’ve run in Omega before and we’ve done pretty well, but it’ll be interesting to see how we stack up in this new because it is a lot bigger than leagues we were used to.” said Coach Fred Alvarez, who will once again lead the Spuds, alongside Gretchen Wachter, on the cross country course.
Aside from the championship-winning cross country team, the Spuds will also compete in equestrian and on the Dok Smith field in flag football, which is led by Ryan Pearman.
Flag football opens its season today against a familiar foe in Newbury Park Adventist Academy, while JV volleyball is on the road also facing off against Newbury Park.