With the fall season coming to a close, teams have been reflecting on the whirlwind of ups and downs that occurred

over the past few months. Since the end of the season marks an important milestone for many, athletes have been

participating in various celebrations to commemorate their time together.

Volleyball

Since the start of the volleyball program in 1998, celebrations have remained an essential part of ending the season.

Head varsity coach since 1999 and substitute teacher Charles Ezigbo has made sure that every season is celebrated to

its full extent in order to acknowledge the players and all they accomplished.

“The volleyball team normally does senior night toward the end of the season as well as our banquet once the season

officially ends,” senior and varsity volleyball player Lexi Carlisle said.

Senior night is dedicated to all the graduating players in the volleyball program and is meant to honor all their hard

work and commitment they have put into the team. Traditionally, the underclassmen and their parents organize this

special annual event.

“For the banquet, our coaches and parents come together with all of the players in our program to the cafeteria at

school for dinner,” Carlisle said. “It includes freshmen, JV and varsity teams, so we definitely start to see who might

be forming our next varsity team. It’s just good to see the JV and freshman players as much as we can since they’re

the future of the volleyball program.”

The banquet is held in December and is the last event that the program holds until August when tryouts start for the

next season.

“I think it always ends everything on a good note,” Carlisle said.

Field Hockey

Team bonding is an important tradition for the field hockey team. The players come together outside of practice to

spend quality time with each other as a team at the end of the season. While the team hosts the typical celebrations

of senior night and the banquet, the girls also add a personal touch to their celebrations through their end-of-season

sleepover.

“Usually for the banquet, we’re dressed up nice,” junior and varsity field hockey player Rachel Dicesare said. “The

coaches talk about the season and reflect on everything we’ve done and how we’ve grown as a team, and also hand

out special awards.”

The banquet is meant to be a time for the team to just hang out and have fun. It’s organized as a potluck, with the

team bringing in mostly pasta and desserts. During the banquet, honors such as the MVP award, sportsmanship

award and all of the first team district nominations are given to the players.

“The celebrations are really fun because it’s a nice way to end the season,” Dicesare said. “It’s a last big group

meeting where we all get to see each other, which is nice because we don’t always see one another during the regular

school day.”

Having the players, parents and coaches from all team levels at the banquet makes ending the season more of a

memorable and sentimental experience focused on appreciating all the hard work put into the season.

“By everyone getting together, including the parents, at the banquet, it sets a tone for the program, the expectations

for the players and the way that the coaches work with the players,” Dicesare said. “It just makes us stronger as a

whole.”

Football

High school football games on Friday nights are an important staple in the lives of American teenagers. They are

opportunities for high schoolers to spend time with friends and watch the sport that has grown in favor across

America. But once the lights shut off and the season ends, the team tries to find a way to commemorate its time

together. Like other sports teams, football hosts senior night on the last home game of the season and holds a

banquet once the season concludes. Senior night occurs throughout other sports programs as well and is meant to

recognize all that the senior players have accomplished both athletically and academically.

“At the end of every season, we host a banquet where we recognize all of our athletes and give out awards such as

team MVP, offensive player of the year and other things like that,” junior and varsity football player Dylan Sparks

said. “We recognize the guys who keep going hard for every part of the season and really give their best effort.”

The banquet provides a chance for players from all team levels to come together for a final time and reflect on what

occurred throughout the season as well as try to predict any changes that might occur in the following season, such

as new players and talent. Regardless of how the season ended, senior night and the football banquet helps boost

team morale and unity for upcoming seasons.

“The banquet is for all three teams: freshman, JV and varsity,” Sparks said. “If you have a bad season, these

celebrations end it on a high note, which is pretty important.”