Fall Sports Seniors say Goodbye
December 22, 2017
As the fall sports season comes to a close, many Senior athletes are saying goodbye to the teammates and coaches they have spent up to four years with. For many students this not only is saying goodbye to the team, but also to the sport they have spent years playing.
The seniors all said their goodbyes during Senior Night which occurred at the last home league game of each of the teams. Each of the athletes was walked out by their family and then they played for one of the last times on their home field. “I was so upset. My dad was like, ‘I’ve been watching you since first grade playing and this is it.’ I was in tears; it was so upsetting,” said Lexi Santise, a Field Hockey Player.
Although many of the student athletes are sad to see their final season come to an end, many of our teams are proud of their successful seasons. “We are co-league champs with Wayne Valley and Northern Highlands,” said Santise. “And we won our first state game since 1986 this year. We also made it the furthest we have ever been in counties, too, I think.” The Field Hockey team ended their season with a record of 11-6-2 which is the best record that the seniors have had in their four years of playing.
Girls Volleyball will be sending off six seniors this year and are ending their season with a record of 5-16. All six girls came into the Varsity program together and are now saying goodbye together. “I’m going to miss having the support and the backup from the team and playing my sport,” said Rebecca Cirillo.
Girls soccer also had a successful season with a record of 18-2-3 which brought them to the Group 2 State Championship against Wall Township. But as all good things do come to end, the girls lost 4-3 in the State Championship. However, this season the team made many accomplishments in program history by making it to the Group 2 State Championship and senior, Erin Wilson, being the first Westwood Girls Soccer player to receive First Team All-County. “We all had amazing chemistry this year and could work so well together,” said Wilson. “We went so far as a program and being part of something so great is going to be hard to leave.”
While the Boys Soccer team didn’t have as much success as they had hoped for, the boys formed a strong team bond throughout the season. “We played a lot of teams that were better than us and it forced us to focus on teamwork,” said Ryan Brubeck.
The football season was sadly cut short due to their lose against Newton (21-6) in the NJSIAA Playoffs, Semifinal Round, North 1, Group 2. The season ended with an overall 9-2 record with the other loss being against Riverdell in a close game ending 23-20. This years football team will be losing 15 seniors, a large amount compared to years past. “I’m going to miss the family of brothers. I will miss playing with them so much and the whole high school football experience,“ Ryan Visich, a two-year varsity player.