This year, fall sports are back in action, and with fewer regulations than last year.

Due to the dangers of COVID-19, last year the New Jersey State Interscholastic Association (NJSIAA), the governing body of high school sports, set in place guidelines for the fall season. This included a delayed season, regulated summer workouts, fewer scrimmages, limited travel for games, and an overall shorter season. However, this year most of these guidelines have become less strict, as many athletes are vaccinated and COVID-19 is more controlled. While there are still  regulations, athletes now don’t have to distance outdoors, and are allowed more outside team bonding.

Given these changes, we wondered how NPHS athletes are feeling about the fall season.

Van Lawler, Junior, Boys Soccer

How has preseason changed compared to last year? Are the regulations different?

It’s not much different. It’s an outdoor sport so we don’t use masks while playing. It was hard to do special drills where you contact each other but we were eventually allowed to.

Do you feel that the school has done a good job to prevent the spread of COVID/variants when practicing? What steps do you still take

Yeah. I honestly think they have done more than needed, or just enough to prevent the spread. I always wear my mask indoors.

Are you worried about having to quarantine if someone on the team gets COVID?

Yeah a little bit, but we’re all vaccinated so hopefully we don’t get COVID.

Have you had more team bonding and chemistry this year due to less restrictions?

Yes definitely. Also the seniors are better at creating opportunities for us to be together outside of practice, like getting together the night before games.

Would you say this season is more competitive than last season (do you think you have more games)?

Yes it is more competitive. Aside from moving from JV to Varsity, we have longer and more consistent practices. We also have more games compared to last year.

How has your season gone so far? What are you looking forward to?

Right now we are undefeated. I’m looking forward to having more fun with the team and good experiences.

Hannah Ocello, Junior, Girls Cross Country

How has preseason changed compared to last year? Are the regulations different?

Yes, it’s different because we don’t need to wear masks outside and we can run close to each other. Last year, we had to spread out during our runs and keep six feet between us. We can also go inside which wasn’t really allowed last season.

Do you feel that the school has done a good job to prevent the spread of COVID/variants when practicing? What steps do you still take?

Yes they do a pretty good job. When we go inside we still have to wear masks, and after we use the weight room we have to wipe everything down to disinfect it.

Are you worried about having to quarantine if someone on the team gets COVID?

I’m not worried because our coaches and the school makes sure we are still being careful.

Have you had more team bonding and chemistry this year due to less restrictions?

Definitely; we get to go out together now since we couldn’t really be in bigger groups last year.

Would you say this season is more competitive than last season (do you think you have more games)?

It’s more competitive because all of our bigger meets/invitationals like States were cancelled last year. This year lots of those meets came back so our schedule is almost three times as packed compared to last year.

How has your season gone so far? What are you looking forward to?

The season has been so fun this year and I’m most excited for more team bonding.

Matt Smith, Junior, Football

How has pre-season changed compared to last year? Are the regulations different?

This pre-season had much less restrictions than 2020. We were allowed to use the weight room again this year and I think that helped everyone on the team get stronger and more prepared for the season.

Do you feel that the school has done a good job to prevent the spread of COVID/variants when practicing? What steps do you still take?

I think the school has done a good job to prevent COVID. We have to wear masks while inside and are limited for how many people are allowed in the weight room.

Are you worried about having to quarantine if someone on the team gets COVID?

I’m not worried about having to quarantine because I’m vaccinated and most of our team is vaccinated, so the rules should allow us to not get quarantined because most of us are vaccinated.

Have you had more team bonding and chemistry this year due to less restrictions?

This year we’re able to go out to team dinners the night before games and have team meals again on game days which helps the team a lot with chemistry and bonding.

Would you say this season is more competitive than last season (do you think you have more games)?

This year we have playoffs, so we’re all looking forward to that and working hard to get to the playoffs and be at our peak when the playoffs start.

How has your season gone so far? What are you looking forward to?

So far we are 1-1. I’m looking forward to playing GL on the annual Thanksgiving game and looking forward to the playoffs.

Megan Barlow, Senior Captain, Volleyball

How has preseason changed compared to last year? Are the regulations different?

When the pandemic originally hit, we were unable to have our regular season. We went from summer workouts social distanced on the soccer field to no volleyball until February. When our preseason finally did arrive, it seemed like things were heading in the right direction towards normal, except everyone was wearing masks and sitting at least 6 feet apart during huddles. While I was thankful to have had a season, the regulations caused some separation between the group that we have eliminated in this season. Despite everyone continuing to be masked during our present season, there are less restrictions that allows the team to become an even closer family than before.

Do you feel that the school has done a good job to prevent the spread of COVID/variants when practicing? What steps do you still take?

While school regulations have become less restrictive since the beginning of the pandemic, they still continue to effectively do their job in protecting our players. We still continue to be masked during practice and keep our distance when possible. But while still enforcing theses regulations, we are taking into account the hardships of playing an indoor sport masked 24/7, and allowing the needed mask breaks while playing or participating in high-intensity activity like cardio. The school was successful able to provide the needed precautions to keep us COVID-safe while also accounting for the needs/realities of the participating players.

Are you worried about having to quarantine if someone on the team gets COVID?

In the beginning of the pandemic, 100%. I remember during the lacrosse season last year (Spring of 2021), I was forced to quarantine after being contacted traced at school. This prevented me from participating in the beginning weeks of the lacrosse season and the State Championships towards the end of the volleyball season (because of the schedule shift for volleyball, at the time I was participating in both volleyball and lacrosse). But with an increase in players receiving the COVID-vaccine, and the added precautions both the school and the team are taking, I feel less worried about quarantining and more focused on playing the game.

Have you had more team bonding and chemistry this year due to less restrictions?

Last year, we were unable to have any team bonding activities outside of the court. While the team chemistry was strong last year, I feel like this year is even stronger. I have become closer to my teammates now than ever before, especially because of the outside team bonding events and activities (tournaments, fundraiser events, etc.) that we have been able to host and attend in order to build both our skill and chemistry on and off the court.

Would you say this season is more competitive than last season (do you think you have more games)?

Because of our shortened and delayed volleyball season last year, I felt like we had back-to-back games with little time for practice and preparation in between. While competing in all these games was a thrill, I believe that this season has a more competitive edge because we are able to have more practice times to adjust between games. I think that because we are in the regular season that we have more scheduled games as opposed to the shortened COVID season, but it feels like less because they are more spaced out than they were last season.

How has your season gone so far? What are you looking forward to?

So far we are 4-2, and have continued on a winning streak. I am looking forward to continuing this streak and seeing how far we can go as a team both on and off the court.

Hayden Singer, Junior, Boys Cross Country

How has pre-season changed compared to last year? Are the regulations different?

Last year going into the season we had to wear masks outside which was really hard to do after a hard workout. We also loss a major part of training which was the weight room, because of the small space and amount of people. This year we no longer need masks outside and we have been using the weight room everyday to make our team better.

Do you feel that the school has done a good job to prevent the spread of COVID/variants when practicing? What steps do you still take?

I do feel like the school has done well in preventing COVID through a mask requirement and keeping space between students all day long.

Are you worried about having to quarantine if someone on the team gets COVID?

The only issue I have if I had to quarantine is the inability to practice with my team which would cause me to not progress fully as I would being in practice everyday.

Have you had more team bonding and chemistry this year due to less restrictions?

Absolutely, our coaches have implanted yoga along with core work after the workout or run everyday which allows everyone on the team to build chemistry and strength at the same time.

Would you say this season is more competitive than last season (do you think you have more games)?

This season is totally more competitive. Last year we had a total of 5 races which did not include major state races at the end of the season, due to the fact that they would have too many people at the meets. However, this year we have 13 meets throughout the season along with all of the major state meets which is amazing.

How has your season gone so far? What are you looking forward to?

I have been training extremely hard for the past few months so I feel like my season has had an amazing start. I am really looking forward to the state meets at the end of the season which include conference, county, and sectionals.

Tanvi Silvester, Junior, Girls Tennis

How has pre-season changed compared to last year? Are the regulations different?

Pre-season has changed compared to last year. Last year we had to have our masks almost all the time, but this year we do not have too. We were also allowed to have scrimmages.

Do you feel that the school has done a good job to prevent the spread of COVID/variants when practicing? What steps do you still take?

I feel that the school has done a good job with prevent COVID. I still make sure to always have my mask on and still constantly sanitize my hands.

Are you worried about having to quarantine if someone on the team gets COVID?

No, because if we have our masks on we don’t have to quarantine (if you are fully vaccinated).

Have you had more team bonding and chemistry this year due to less restrictions?

Yes, I definitely have more chemistry and bond with my family because we are allowed to stuff together as a team. We have had a pasta night, in addition to our yearly Bigs and Littles.

Would you say this season is more competitive than last season (do you think you have more games)?

Yes, we have a lot more games this year. Also, we are able to participate in Counties this year, which we weren’t able to do last year.

How has your season gone so far? What are you looking forward to?

The season has been really good so far. I am super excited for Counties and States!

Lily Pergola, Junior, Girls Soccer

How has pre-season changed compared to last year? Are the regulations different?

Pre-season was really good. It was nice to be back in a normal setting. Last year, we had to start during the middle of September and didn’t get the right preparations. The regulations are slightly different than last year. We no longer have to do temperature screenings as well as wear masks when you are on the sidelines, which is nice.

Do you feel that the school has done a good job to prevent the spread of COVID/variants when practicing? What steps do you still take?

I think that there’s always room for improvement in terms of “preventing the spread of Covid.”  I believe that some classes have many students that can potentially harm others. I still will continue to wear a mask indoors as well as sanitizing/washing my hands constantly.

Are you worried about having to quarantine if someone on the team gets COVID?

I am worried someone will get COVID but I believe if we are cautious and wise of our actions, we should be fine.

Have you had more team bonding and chemistry this year due to less restrictions?

YES, last year we weren’t allowed to have our tradition of pasta parties the day before a game. With the group dinners, it makes us bond more.

Would you say this season is more competitive than last season (do you think you have more games)?

Yes, COVID last year restricted us from playing a lot. It was also nice though because if you’re sore, you can have a rest day.

How has your season gone so far? What are you looking forward to?

Currently, as of September 28th, 2021 we are 6-0-1 which is amazing. I am excited to keep going and win the CONFERENCE!!!

Is there anything else you’d like to say to our readers?

Please support us at our home games! We love the cheers!! GO PIONEERS!!

Christine Benites, Senior, Cheerleading

How has pre-season changed compared to last year? Are the regulations different?

Yes, thankfully. Pre-season was a lot similar to what I’ve experienced prior to COVID. We had optional summer practices throughout July and August before our actual preseason started. As for pre-season, we normally go to UCA cheerleading camp at Pine Forest, but this year to take extra precautions, the UCA staff came to the HS and we did an “at home camp.” In all honesty I think it was was much more beneficial this way because the staff worked with only our teams (JV & Varsity) as opposed to multiple other schools like normal camp would be. After this 3 day camp, it was about 3-4 hours a day in August. The precautions changed because we could be inside as long as we wore masks, but we could take them off when we were stunting and being more active.

Do you feel that the school has done a good job to prevent the spread of COVID/variants when practicing? What steps do you still take?

Yes I do believe the school is doing a good job and whatever they can. The school is constantly reinforcing the use of masks even though some restrictions are lessening. I personally wear my mask when we are setting up for practice, discussing the previous game, or not exerting any energy. However, most of the time we do have the opportunity to take our masks off when running our routine and mainly stunting. I think I mainly feel comfortable taking off my mask because I am fully vaccinated.

Are you worried about having to quarantine if someone on the team gets COVID?

Yes I am, especially because in cheerleading, it changes the dynamic for everyone. We have experienced this twice already with people having to quarantine not because they had it, but because of being contact traced and we had to re-work our entire routine which was a setback, but we made it work. Also, as far as I know, a fully vaccinated athlete that tests negative for COVID even when contact traced has different quarantining guidelines.

Have you had more team bonding and chemistry this year due to less restrictions?

Yes we have been able to do more team bonding and connect with each which is super important since we are constantly throwing each other in the air, trust and conformity with the team is key. We often do team bonding or get lunch outside of practice setting. We were even able to attend AKT in Short Hills which is a dance fitness class, as well as AIR in New Providence; Some activities we couldn’t do last year because of restrictions.

Would you say this season is more competitive than last season (do you think you have more games)?

Definitely. We now attend away games which doesn’t make a big difference since we don’t perform our routine, but we are trying to build our skills (individually and as a team) to try and increase our difficulty each week we perform. Also with competition cheer not to far away and the possibility of normal completions, we are working harder each practice to improve in the advanced division.

How has your season gone so far? What are you looking forward to?

Our season has gone pretty good so far. We have had some set backs, but once again, always find a way to work it out and we have yet to perform our REAL halftime routine but we will (hopefully) debut that this Friday (October 1). We also got some super cute new uniforms and other gear that everyone loves!! I am looking forward to helping our team improve in all aspects and build up especially for competition and it being my Senior year, lead the team as one of the head captains.

Is there anything else you’d like to say to our readers?

GO SUPPORT THE GAME ON FRIDAY V. BREARLY!!! roll neers 😉 follow @newprovcheerleading <3