Due to the danger of the coronavirus,  the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA), the governing body of high school sports, has set in place guidelines for the fall season, which includ a pushed back preseason with regulated summer workouts, fewer scrimmages,  games with limited amount of travel, and a shorter season in general.

Not only is the season very different, but most students are uncertain if the season will even last until November, as they feel that school could shut down at any moment. Volleyball has already been pushed back until February, and other sports may have to follow in their footsteps. 

How do NPHS athletes feel about these changes?

Tanvi Silvester, Sophomore

Tennis

How do you feel about the change in preseason? Has this affected how prepared you feel for the upcoming season?

I feel that personally it’s affected me physically because I was used to playing two hours a day for a month, so when I had to jump into the season of tennis and school, my body wasn’t as used to managing it. Because I didn’t have that month phase to get used to the season, I’ve been having more physical problems, which I feel like wouldn’t have come up as much as they are now if I had a preseason. 

Do you feel that the school has done a good job to prevent the spread of coronavirus when practicing/do you feel safe social distancing?

I do feel safe social distancing. I also feel like my sport isn’t very high contact, so the only time I really have to enforce social distancing is when I’m like picking up a ball or something. I do feel really comfortable because there isn’t a lot of times where I have to huddle in with my team or anything.

Do you think team bonding and chemistry has been affected because of the regulations?

Yes, in a way, because I feel that last year it was so much easier to host a team bonding, or to go out and get your nails done or get ice cream as a team, but now it is very restricted because we have to follow these regulations. It takes a lot more work to bond as a team, and I don’t really know the new players as well as I would have last year.

Do you think the season is less competitive this year than last year?

I think it’s, in a way, less competitive, because although we have some games, there are only four recorded games, which doesn’t really create that much competition. If we were playing before, and it was like every single match counts, people really were fighting every match. Not that we aren’t now, but in my mind if I think “oh, this doesn’t count,” then I’m not gonna get too upset or push myself too much when I’m down a match, like if I’m down 6-1. That will probably affect my competitiveness of the season.

Is there anything else you would like to say to our readers?

I’m looking forward to a normal season in the future, and to be able to travel with the entire team with no restrictions on how many people can go, which is kind of a bummer because less people have playing time now. 

Christine Benites, Junior

Cheerleading

How do you feel about the change in preseason? Has this affected how prepared you feel for the upcoming season?

Our first game is Friday, and in August we started these optional workouts, which are more like conditioning, and going over cheers and material, and stuff like that, but in Phase 1 we weren’t able to stunt because of the contact, which is a big change. We were only able to start the first week of school, so that was kind of difficult. However, at the same time we knew that we had to get things done fast, so we were able to improve our techniques and skills.

Do you feel that the school has done a good job to prevent the spread of coronavirus when practicing/do you feel safe social distancing?

Yeah, I do. We practice on the AirCast field, which is by the Sharing Network. The field is pretty big, so we’re able to spread out. When we have to be close and we’re not conditioning or running, we have to wear a mask, so I think they did a good job.

Do you think team bonding and chemistry has been affected because of the regulations?

I think it has, especially because before games we used to have dinner at the school, but now we can’t be in the school without masks. Also, with team bonding, we used to do a sleepover, or would hang out at each other’s houses, but we can’t do that because no one wants to host an entire team of people outside. However, we are trying to find different ways to do more team bonding, even with the restrictions. 

Are you uncertain about if your season will be completed, as school could be shut down from corona?

I think that is a big concern, which is why we really want to make sure that we’re getting everything done and performing very well at every game. During winter season it’s different because we have competitions, and those might be virtual. However, during the fall season if there’s no football we can’t cheer, so if anything happens to the Varsity football team it affects us directly, as we won’t have games to cheer at.

How do you feel about the change in dynamic of cheering for the football team, with less games and without a crowd?

I do think that’s difficult, especially it being my first year on Varsity. I cheered at Varsity games before, but wasn’t like, on the Varsity team, so I was excited to be able to go to a lot of games. However, we can’t go to away games this year, and the structure of the games are different. We have to figure out different ways to interact with the crowd. There’s no student section, so we can’t get involved with the students. Instead, it’s about getting involved with the parents across the bleachers.

Hayden Singer, Sophomore

Boys Cross Country

How do you feel about the change in preseason? Has this affected how prepared you feel for the upcoming season?

My preseason was only affected in the amount of days we ran before the actual season began. I feel the same as I would with a normal preseason going into the upcoming season.

Do you feel that the school has done a good job to prevent the spread of coronavirus when practicing/do you feel safe social distancing?

I feel like the school has done an amazing job so far letting each sport continue on while also taking precautions. I like how you need to show up in a mask, they ask for symptoms, and they check your temperature. They coaches also make the team social distance at all times so I feel very safe during practice.

What is the most notable difference between practices from this year and last year?

The most notable difference is not being as close to other people. Last year while we stretched, warmed up, and even on runs you could talk to people. But now you can’t as much due to the fact that you might not hear them with masks on and they are 6 feet away.

Are you uncertain about if your season will be completed, as school could be shut down from corona?

I am very uncertain if my season will be completed. I am praying that it will and I think it will if everyone keeps on following the rules and stays safe.

Do you think the season is less competitive this year than last year?

For cross country, the season is less competitive because all of the invitational (big) meets have been cancelled so now it is just dual meets for the whole season, which is only against two teams instead of closer to an dozen or more.

Jake Ponte, Junior

Boys Soccer

How do you feel about the change in preseason? Has this affected how prepared you feel for the upcoming season?

I feel optimistic about the change in preseason. Preseason has completed and we have successfully gone through most of preseason without trouble. We have been following the guidelines as set and have played our hardest. 

Do you feel that the school has done a good job to prevent the spread of coronavirus when practicing/do you feel safe social distancing?

I feel that the school has done a good job as evident from their success over the past few weeks. Social distancing, masks wearing, and temperature checks along with asking COVID screening questions have proved effective in the fall season so far.

Do you think team bonding and chemistry has been affected because of the regulations?

I think the team has gotten closer as a result of the regulations. Due to the current situation, the players are looking out for each other more than ever to make sure that everyone stays safe. We all understand our goals this season and trust each other to be responsible and disciplined so we can get the regular season underway. 

Are you uncertain about if your season will be completed, as school could be shut down from corona?

I am confident that if we follow the same guidelines and behave responsibly we will get the most out of the season. This is evident from the success we’ve had over the last few weeks. If school were to shut down, we want to make sure that we’ve done everything in our power to keep everyone safe regardless of the outlook of the soccer season.

Lily Pergola, Sophomore

Girls Soccer

How do you feel about the change in preseason? Has this affected how prepared you feel for the upcoming season?

It definitely gave us more realization that we had to be prepared for those two weeks of preseason. Because we didn’t get a lot of time in August, we weren’t really as bonded as a team as we wanted to be in September due to Covid. August is usually the time when we bond and go to Golden Globe, which is a place we go for soccer. It had an effect on the team and peoples’ fitness because we didn’t have a lot of time to do stuff.

What is the most notable difference between practices from this year and last year?

The one biggest thing that I see that is different is that all the practices we did last year in August, we’re now doing this week. This has set us in “August phase,” as Coach Murphy would say, so we’re one month behind. It’s almost like we’re at the start of preseason, but in September. So, the biggest difference is that we were more of a team last year, but this year, due to Covid, the first day of practice was September 14th, so it was a little harder.

Do you think team bonding and chemistry has been affected because of the regulations?

Due to the regulations, it’s a little harder to talk to people just because some of our game day rituals have been changed. We had a pasta night ritual where everyone would talk and laugh, and everyone’s just like a family, which is really nice. We would have been doing more last year than this year. We can still do stuff outside, which is nice, but it is very socially distanced, which makes getting to know each other, especially the freshman, harder. I think we’re getting there, I’ll say that.

Are you uncertain about if your season will be completed, as school could be shut down from corona?

I think if we are doing all the safety precautions and following the regulations, and if we stick together and work as a team and unite, and definitely take precaution, we will do just fine. Honestly, everyone should be doing their part because the Seniors would be super upset if they didn’t have a season, which would [just be] so bad. 

Is there anything else you would like to say to our readers?

I’m really excited to be a returning Varsity Player. I definitely have a different place now than I did last year as an incoming freshman. It was kind of awkward last year because you don’t know anyone, and you’re kind of the little one, so I now have a bigger shoe to fill. Being there for one another and helping each other out, and staying safe, of course. I’m really excited for the season to start!

Hannah Ocello, Sophomore

Girls Cross Country

Do you feel that the school has done a good job to prevent the spread of coronavirus when practicing/do you feel safe social distancing?

Yeah, I think the school did a really good job for the conditions that we’re in right now because everyone on my team is always wearing a mask, and we’re always social distancing. 

What is the most notable difference between practices from this year and last year?

There is definitely a different vibe in practices because everyone is worried about coming close to each other. When we’re running, we’re not allowed to run next to each other, really, so we have to spread out when we’re running. It is different from running in a pack, which is what we did last year. 

Do you think team bonding and chemistry has been affected because of the regulations?

Yeah, it definitely has been because we’re not allowed to have pasta parties, and we aren’t able to go out as a team. However, it’s kind of brought us closer with the people that did it last year because we usually talk a lot about how this season is going to be really different, but we’re going to make the best out of it. 

Are you uncertain about if your season will be completed, as school could be shut down from corona?

Yeah, I am, because we weren’t even sure if we were going to have a preseason or even start because our sport is a lot of heavy breathing and the meets are usually really big, with a lot of people, so we weren’t sure how they were going to be able to social distance. 

Do you think the season is less competitive this year than last year?

On top of feeling unprepared, there’s about three times less meets that we have this year, and none of the meets are big except for the final two meets. It kind of brings up the intensity for spots on varsity because there’s not as many chances to show how you’ve progressed. 

Thomas Kaspereen, Sophomore

Football

How do you feel about the change in preseason? Has this affected how prepared you feel for the upcoming season?

The preseason definitely felt different from last year, and was a big change, but it did not affect our preparation for this season. Overall, we are looking really well as a team and I think that even without the normal preseason we will do really well.

What is the most notable difference between practices from this year and last year?

The most notable difference was the energy. Everyone believed that we wouldn’t have a football season, and knowing that we were able to get out to practice once again felt great

Do you think team bonding and chemistry has been affected because of the regulations?

I believe team bonding and chemistry has increased, because everyone is able to help each other out with regulations. We seem more connected as a team, and everyone is getting along well.

Are you uncertain about if your season will be completed, as school could be shut down from corona?

I am confident that our team will do the right thing, such as not going out to party or being at risk of harming the team. I believe that our season will continue and finish as we expect.

Do you think the season is less competitive this year than last year?

I don’t think this season is less competitive, because we are already prepared to take on anyone in our path. Without competition, we would not be able to get where we want in the season.

Elizabeth Blank, Senior

Volleyball (Team Captain)

The volleyball season has been pushed back to February, but the team still took part in Phases of August summer workouts. 

How do you feel about the workouts over summer? 

I thought it was really good to have some kind of workout, especially as a team, because a lot of the varsity team last year was mainly seniors, so we are a new team, and doing something together is very good. It was a little frustrating at time because we weren’t able to play actual volleyball, but in the end safety is a priority, which is 100% understandable. We had a fun time, and we had some good workouts that we did all together. 

Are you uncertain about if your season will start, or do you think everything will be fine by February?

I’m trying to keep my hopes low, just because I don’t want to get my hopes up too high, but I think it would be awesome if we do, just because we are playing for February, and February is still a long way to go, so hopefully things could change. It might be harder just because it’s an indoor sport, so I see that could be an obstacle, but I think in the end we might not have as many games as we would, but I think we will have practices and preseason, and some form of volleyball this year, for sure.

Do you feel that the school has done a good job to prevent the spread of coronavirus when practicing/did you feel safe social distancing?

Yes, I did. I’m in group C, so I’m already trying to take precautions, but I did feel safe going to workouts, because I think they took all the precautions doing the questions, and taking your temperature. Also, when we were practicing we were six feet apart, and made sure everyone had their own equipment and were in rows. They regulated it as much as they could have in the situation.

As a Senior, how has the scouting process changed for you?

I am personally very lucky. I’m in contact with many coaches, so I feel very fortunate that I have this opportunity. I got into the recruiting process a little later than you normally would. I started my recruitment last year about a month before everything shut down. I also switched positions, and a bunch of other things happened, so I didn’t have any film. Most of my recruitment was based on my middle skills when I’m now a setter, so that was interesting. However, I had a private coach, and we were fortunate enough to get into a gym in late July so I got some film. So, it’s been different, and I think college coaches have been very understanding and are figuring out how to recruit people, so I think the whole community is very understanding and are all trying to figure out their own ways, but it has been a very different experience and a little scary because I thought that I didn’t have a chance, but it looks like I will, so I’m excited.

Is there anything else you would like to say to our readers?

I’m very, very excited. I think, even with this whole thing, if everything goes well and we have a season with good coaches to make that happen, and Mr. Carangelo’s doing everything he can. I think this season will be a lot of fun. Not even just varsity specifically, but the whole volleyball sport itself will have a really good season nevertheless.