FALL SPORTS OFF TO A GREAT START

By JOHNNY POVEROMO 

The start of the 2016 fall sports season has been quite a time for the Washingtonville Wizards. Multiple sports have been shining showing why Washingtonville as a whole should not be taken lightly this year. 

The varsity football team’s recent 14-0 win over Minisink moved them to 5-0, and helped them clinch their division championship. They now have a buy week for the first round of the playoffs and home field advantage. I got to sit down with the four varsity captains and ask them about their current success. When asked why the team is doing so well and to what does  he attribute this success, Captain Joey DelGardo stated, “I would say practice is where it starts and we've been doing great. We are getting better and better each day. Our defense is also playing lights out as we have given up the least amount of points in section 9.”  

PHOTO BY CATHERINE DEOUL

Boys soccer also has a great record of 9-0-1 and has been dominant throughout the season.  The players are looking to keep it going. After conversing with Captain Bill Aussenheimer, it was clear that the team is hardworking and has the respect they need to accomplish big things. Bill told me, “We’re not a team of egos. We value and respect each and every player. We push each other to be our best on and off the field, but most importantly, we take one game at a time.” Bill also expressed that the boys have great chemistry and they always stick together. 

The girls soccer team is also doing extremely well.  The girls have a record 8-2-2 and have also been making their mark for Washingtonville. When talking to the captains, all had the same feel for their success. “Our hard work in pre-season” and “Our hard work supporting each other” were some positive comments from the captains that they feel attribute to the success of the team. 

The girls swim team is just another one of Washingtonville’s success stories. The girls have worked hard for their 6-1 start. Captain Amela Bajramovic’s comments on her team's success was no different from the confidence of the other fall sport captains.  Amela said, “I think that everyone's dedication to the sport and constantly keeping each other motivated to work hard has made us successful as a team. It gets tough with practices, especially during pre-season, but having 40 other girls on the team to offer motivation is awesome.” 

Participating in a fall sport myself and seeing all my fellow Wizards around me doing so well, makes me extra proud to be a Wizard and represent Washingtonville as a whole.