The school year may be just kicking off, but fall sport players have already begun their seasons over the summer. Here’s a glimpse into some of the varsity seasons:
Football:
After last year’s six win, four loss season, Heritage has another tough season lined up. With a recent victory over Lownes, the season is off to a great start. Aug. 27, the Patriots played Los Alamitos on live ESPN for the entire country to see.
Heritage has a strong starting lineup, including wide receiver senior Brandon Inniss, committed to Ohio State and quarterback senior Blake Murphy, committed to University of Louisiana-Monroe. This team has upcoming tough matchups to watch such as the Cardinal Gibbon Chiefs Sept. 30. The Chiefs played the Patriots to a three point game last season, but the Patriots have high hopes to increase their margin of victory this year. With new head coach Mike Smith taking over, it will be interesting to see how the football team performs this season.
Girls volleyball:
Girls volleyball is predicted to come back after last year’s tough loss to Archbishop McCarthy in the regional playoffs. Be sure to look out for the home game against Divine Savior Academy Sharks Sept. 1; this game should be interesting after the Patriots didn’t survive the shark bites last season, but this year they’re bringing stronger skills to bait these fish. Great performances are expected from sophomore Tameary Wardlaw after last season’s 217 total kills; senior Noelle Crichton, who previously led the team in assists; along with seniors Cristina Lopez and Katie Denning.
Golf:
Despite the loss of last year’s skilled senior golfers, the boys and girls golf teams are expected to have another great season after winning districts and multiple awards in the 2A division last year. After earning the title of Girls Individual Medalist last year with a score of 73, junior Katherine Schaefer is expected to perform well again this season. On the boy’s side, golfers such as senior John Pineiro and junior Aiden Arce aim to lead the golf team through another victorious year. Hopefully, the team can decorate the shelves with more trophies this season.
Bowling:
Alleys should watch out for the strikes and spares coming from the Heritage bowling team. Last year, varsity bowler junior Jason Marx earned a spot on the District All-Tournament team and competed in the state championship after scoring the second highest series on the district level. Now a junior, Marx returns to hopefully do it again.
Cross country:
The cross country team spends hours after school running mile after mile to prepare for their upcoming races. Junior cross country runner Ashley Fitzgerald returns after setting records (such as a 10:42 in the 3200m) and earning the title of #1 runner in Florida by FLMileSplit. More impressive race times are expected from senior Connor Glass, junior Sienna Alvarez-Coia and junior Ricky Kessel. Led by Coach Thomas Johnson, there are high expectations for the cross country team this season as they are hoping to return to compete for the state championship.
Swimming:
The swim team took their mark and dove right into their season. With nearly 30 members on the team, everyone must work together to win their races for a successful season. The first regular season playing date was Aug. 22 and the swim team will continue to compete through October. Overall, this team looks forward to another successful season with coaches Nobutaka Tan and Daniel Alcantara.
The fall sports teams came out strong and if they can maintain this energy and hustle, they will end just as powerfully. Heritage athletes put their blood, sweat and tears into competing for their school, and in return, their hard work all summer will pay off throughout the season.
