As the leaves turn brown, Hackley’s sports teams gear up for an exciting fall season on the Hilltop. Between returning champions and restructured programs, key players and captains from Boys Soccer, Football, and Girls Tennis share their valuable insights for their seasons. 

Football: Building on Momentum 

Coming off a championship win, the football team is eager to have another successful season. Senior captain and Wesleyan Football commit Sam Suniewick has high hopes for his last high school season, and following their first win in a scrimmage against King, it is definitely in reach; the team’s record is now 5-0 and they are soaring through their season.

Suniewick has recognized flaws in the game which will allow them to improve for the rest of the season. 

“While we got the win, the game revealed a lot of flaws that we need to work out as a team in order to be successful in the coming weeks,” he said, “Most of the teams we play this year have completely changed their play style since the last time we played them, so I think the most important thing for us is to lock down the fundamentals like tackling and giving 100 percent effort on every play so we can adapt to new offensive fronts.” 

While they are a very underclassmen-heavy team, the upperclassmen act as leaders to promote the team culture of hard work and trust in your teammates. With crucial matchups on their schedule, Sam acknowledges that every play is key to the team’s success. He highlights some of the younger stars, sophomores Graham Klabin, Logan Wissner, Auggie Teacher, and Grayer Hong, as players to keep an eye out for on the field. 

Girls Tennis: Set for Success

Across campus, the Hackley Girls Varsity Tennis (HGVT) team is thrilled with their season so far. Senior captain Frances Clifford notes that promising new players like freshman Lili Kanev and eighth-grader Karen Adachi have fueled the team’s energy and ensured the returning players that another Ivy Prep League title is in reach.

“We are honing in on a lot of ideas that we have always made important being on HGVT, like giving matches and practices your all, a big emphasis on sportsmanship and acting like a family, and just having a fun competition on the court,” Frances says. “It’s going to be one of the best seasons yet.”

Some of HGVT’s biggest matches are against Poly Prep, Horace Mann, and Riverdale, and the momentum already rooted in the team’s culture will award a highly successful season. 

Boys Soccer: A New Era 

Recovering from a tough season is never easy, but Boys Soccer is confident in their ability to bounce back with high energy and a new mindset. 

Senior captain Jack Perlman believes this season is a turning point in the program. With a powerful new coaching duo and some new key additions to the line-up, the team’s confidence has soared. 

“A lot of changes happened in the program, and last year didn’t go the way we anticipated,” Jack says. “We’re going to set the record straight.”

As for strategy and mindset, Jack assures that the team will be committed, both mentally and physically. “We’ll be prepared for every game and won’t let any team sneak up on us again,” he said. Jack attributes the change in energy from last year to everyone’s hard work on the field and in the film room in order to make the season better for everyone involved with better outcomes in games.