Farewell to Fall Sports

Seniors say their final farewells to the first sports season of the year.

Chloe Mawyer, Staff Writer

As the snow begins to cover the pavement at NASH, we say goodbye to fall sports. Senior student-athletes recently played their last game or ran in their last meet, and they now reflect on their last seasons as tigers. Here are some final farewells from the seniors in fall sports.

The NA Football Team had a successful season with 7-1 conference record, and a 10-2 overall record. Senior defensive end, Hayden Sheets, considers the football team “one of the most rewarding and enjoyable things to be a member of.” He continues: “It was a big part of my life for the past three years at NA. I think I’m going to miss being able to hang out with all my friends while playing football the most.” Sheets’ advice to the underclassmen would be to “not take anything for granted, and make the most out of everything.”

The Girls’ Soccer Team made history this year, winning their first-ever WPIAL title. They boasted an impressive 18-3-1 record and were undefeated section champions for the first time ever. Hannah Kirkpatrick, a senior midfielder, said, “I will miss playing with my best friends.” If she could give advice to the underclassmen, it would be to “always play every game like it’s your last, because you never know when your last one will be.”

The NA Cheerleaders spent their fall season cheering on the Tigers. For seniors on the team, they stood on the sidelines cheering on their favorite team for one final time. Senior Hannah Ledrick stated, “Senior year hits hard when the last game approaches and you realize you won’t have these long bus rides blasting music with your team. This is it. Our team has grown close and it’s hard to say goodbye.” Ledrick would tell underclassmen to “work hard to try new things and be loud at every game.”

The NA Field Hockey Team went 6-3 in their section this year, taking them to the WPIAL semi-finals. Senior Kate Adams, center midfielder, described this year as “a competitive season with a strong team.” Adams said, “I will miss spending every day with the funniest group of friends I have. It’s so nice to have such an amazing group of people to keep me laughing at every practice and every game.” She advises underclassmen to “make the most of every moment on the team because it will before you know it, it will all be over. Your senior season goes by in a flash.”

The Girls’ Cross Country Team had another successful season, winning a WPIAL and PIAA title. Senior cross country runner Chelsea Chao explained, “running with my friends is definitely what I’ll miss the most. Every individual on the team encouraged each other to push through races and practices. There was never a day where I didn’t look forward to practice after school.” The advice Chelsea would give to younger runners is quite wholesome: “There are over 200 runners on the NAXC team. Try talking to someone you usually don’t talk to. You won’t regret it.”

The Boys’ Cross Country team managed to keep their reputation in high standings across the state this year with another successful season, taking home the WPIAL title and placing 3rd at states. Evan Migliozzi, senior, says, “I’ll miss all of the friendships that I’ve built over the past four years.” His advice to the underclassmen would be, “Enjoy it while it lasts because time flies.”

photo from Pinterest

The Boys’ Soccer Team had a consistent season with a 8-5-1 record. Andrew Solman, a senior midfielder, stated, “As any team does, we had our ups and downs, but won the important games in order to qualify for playoffs. Unfortunately, our season run came to a very early end with losing the first game, but I am still proud of all we were able to accomplish this season.” Solman will miss “the jokes we shared and the countless amount of embarrassing moments that made us laugh.” He advises upcoming players to “enjoy everything to the max. Focus on the here and now because with the blink of an eye, it will be over. Finally, step out of your comfort zone to make sure that others on the team are feeling up to the challenge and push each other to ultimately become better players.”

The Girls’ Water Polo team were runner-ups at Western Conference and placed 5th at States. The girls finished the season with a winning record. Rory Kooker says that she’ll miss “team dinners, team-bonding, and singing with my team on long bus rides, as well as the horror movies we watch together.” Kooker wants underclassmen to know that they should “keep trying to get more players and don’t think you can’t beat a team of 30 girls.”

The Boys’ Water Polo Team also had a good run this season, Senior Akshana Dassanaike-Perera explains, “This year, we had a really successful season. Our team was much younger than it typically is, with 7 out of our 15 players being freshmen. This came with a lot of struggle at first, but as the season progressed so did the team. We were able to place 2nd at our Conference Championships and 7th at States, exceeding our expectations from the beginning of the season.” With that being said, Dassanaike-Perera says, “I’ll miss the most will be the long bus rides with the boys.” His advice to underclassmen is as simple as this: “trust the process.”

The NA Girls Slow-Pitch Softball Team ended the season with a winning record. Senior Abigail Birch says, “The thing that I will miss the most about softball is my teammates, and even though that is so cheesy, it’s true. I have known the girls on this team for more than 10 years, either playing with them or against them, and I have formed very strong personal bonds with each and every single girl. We have been through so much together, both winning championships and heartbreaking loses.” The revelation of her senior season is this: “The fact that I may never get to step on a field with some of my best friends again genuinely makes me upset. But when I look back at my softball career at North Allegheny it is full of very happy memories that I will hold on to long into my adult life.” Birch’s piece of advice is to “realize how special your final season is before the last home game. “

The Girls’ Tennis Team put another winning season underneath their belt. Senior Ashley Chung states, “Although we didn’t get as far in the postseason as the team had gone in the past, the team dynamic was more supportive than previous years. I’ll definitely miss my teammates the most, especially from this past year. I bonded with every person on the team in a way that I can’t in any other activity I do. I’ll also miss Emily Winko’s wonderful cookie cakes.” Chung wants underclassmen to “remember that tennis is only a game, and win or lose, you should be learning and enjoying the experience.”

The Girls’ Volleyball Team at North Allegheny held up their legacy this season, earning another state title along with being WPIAL runner-ups. Abby Miller, a senior on the team, explained, “We had a lot of success despite many injuries to some key players. After losing the WPIAL finals, our drive and intensity in practice increased and worked hard towards the state finals.” Miller says, “I will miss the bus rides, singing, and just the closeness of the team. We truly are a family, and the seniors are my best friends.” Her advice to the underclassmen would be, “Don’t take any rep or practice for granted. Make every touch mean something, and rely on each other.”

As the seniors give their farewells to their fall sports, we prepare ourselves for what the winter has in store. From basketball to swimming, the success will continue. To the seniors who enter their finals seasons, soak it in. As our wise friend Andy Bernard from The Office once said, “I wish there was a way to know the good ole days before you actually left them.”

Take in every practice, every game, every bus ride, every loss, and every win. These are the good ol’ days.