As fall continues, many sports at South are coming to a close. Teams like tennis, football and swimming are wrapping up their seasons through Oct. and Nov.. While many share a hope of triumph in their final competitions, the road there is different for each team.
Following a dominant 8-1 season, South’s football team has secured a spot in the playoffs. As defensive tackle Aidan Wass ’26 said, they have high hopes as they head into the district semifinal.
“Last year we had the most successful regular season in South history, but we fell short of going deep into the playoffs,” Wass said. “It’s just learning from our mistakes in the past, taking it one week at a time. Our work ethic this year is just even better than it was last year.”
Through this hard work, Wass hopes the team will push past last year’s loss in their district final. While the football team gears up for the first round of playoffs, South’s swim team prepares for the state meet that ends their season. An added pressure of success is placed upon the team as swimmer Caroline Bryan ’28 said the team aims to match the achievement from last year, where the team placed 2nd overall.
“[Last year] we all showed up and swam to the best of our abilities,” Bryan said. “At finals, we ended up with two state champions, a state champ relay and a lot of all-state swimmers. We all had a really great time and it was a really good bonding experience for everyone on the team.”
With their own upcoming state competition, tennis player Oscar Deluca ’27 said the team aims to advance to the second day of competition, utilizing knowledge gained from last year’s competitors.
“We are a lot of the same people as last year,” Deluca said. “A lot of people are staying in the same spot, so they know what type of people they are playing against and they are used to what they are doing.”
Regardless of the sport, as seasons come to a close, many athletes feel pressure to match or surpass their prior success. For many, this means increasing their work ethic and determination.
“In general, as the championship part of the season is coming up, we can’t back down in our work,” Bryan said. We have to keep going and push ourselves to our limits to achieve what we want.”
