From early-morning practices to Friday night lights, ELHS athletes gave it their all this fall season, finishing strong and leaving their mark across every field, court, pool and course.
Varsity football finished their season going 4-5 and making it to the playoffs. They won their first playoff game on Oct. 31.
“We played some really good teams, so we had to really keep it together,” Oliver O’Donnell (10) said.
They started their season on a losing streak, but began showing progress after the Dewitt game on Friday, Sep. 26. Although the team had five losses, Ethan Pei (12) is still satisfied with the season’s overall outcome.
“Our season has been pretty successful because a lot of the younger guys get more development for next year,” Pei said.
Varsity girls volleyball had one of their best seasons with a record of 7-4. Maude Ferkany (11) says there’s a huge shift from last year, taking more effort and time.
“The team gets along really well this year, and we all work really hard,” Ferkany said.
In past years, the team had less success, but because of the shift in the program and dedicated players, they were able to overcome their mental block and the fear of losing.
“It was definitely hard to get out of that mindset, but we’ve been able to do that,” Ferkany said.
The team will play their first district game Nov. 5.
Varsity boys soccer had one of the most successful seasons at ELHS this fall, going 10-6-4. They made it to the second round of districts but lost 1-2 to Grand Ledge. Rhys Sykes-McLaughlin (11) says their biggest obstacle was rebuilding the team.
“It’s a new team, and we had a completely new defense,” Sykes-McLaughlin said.
They were undefeated for the first five games of the season, ending this streak with a loss to Hartland 0-2 on August 28. Despite the outcome, the team quickly brought themselves back up and managed to make it to the District semi-finals.
“We had a winning record, and we got to the semi-finals,” Sykes-McLaughlin said.
ELHS boys varsity water polo finished their season going 12-14. Fynn Robertson (10) feels the biggest issue hindering their success is communication.
“We don’t communicate as well in the water,” Robertson said. “We’re still getting over it, and it’s getting better, but I think that’s our biggest problem.”
Despite the season being cut short with a 7-14 loss to Mason in the first round of districts on Oct. 23, JJ Keesler (11) can reflect on the season positively.
“The closeness of the team was probably the best part of the season,” Keesler said. “Just being able to have a group of all my close friends playing the sport I love.”
With six seniors graduating, the team will be cut down to around half the current size, causing a possible change to the program in the future.
ELHS girls swim and dive had a very strong season, finishing it winning 6 duel meets and losing 1. This season marked the fourth season in a row that the team has gone undefeated in their own pool. Violet Adams (9) is excited for her coaches and teammates for winning Waverly relays for the first time this year.
“I’m really proud of Maddie, our coach, and Katie of course,” Adams said.
Throughout the season, the team has seen significant improvements and growth in both their swimming and connections to one another.
“People’s times were really improving,” Adams said. “And I know some of the girls got MISCA cuts.”
ELHS girls and boys varsity cross country has been very successful this fall season. This year there is a significant imbalance on the team, with more than half the girls varsity team being underclassmen.
“It’s almost all sophomores and freshmen on varsity,” Ellie Groen (9) said.
With the team being mainly underclassmen, there is hope for a successful next few years of cross country at East Lansing.
“I’m excited to see what will happen in future years,” Groen said.
ELHS boys varsity tennis had a strong start to their season, but finished 7-16. Graham Holden (12) says they improved the most from playing stronger teams.
“We had a couple weekend tournaments where we had to travel and all those teams were just so good,” Holden said. “Harder teams are definitely a struggle.”
The biggest difficulty for them this year was having a new team. With seniors graduating and many new players joining, it was hard to rebuild.
“A lot of people left last year; a lot of seniors graduated, and it’s hard because there’s a lot of new people on the team,” Holden said.
