Playing ahead: underclassmen earn spots on varsity teams
A spot on a high school varsity team is often a privilege reserved for upperclassmen who have put in time and effort to attain a certain level of skill. However, there are a select few underclassmen who have the talent necessary to compete at the highest high school level.
This year’s boys’ varsity basketball team is a prime example of underclassmen making the cut, with four sophomores and one freshman on the roster. The athletes include sophomores Brandon Smith, Daniel Foldes, Cameron Rising, and Ryan Cartaino, plus freshman Matt Solomon. These underclassmen are all getting significant playing time – Smith, Foldes, and Rising are all a part of the normal starting lineup.
“Coach just felt like this was the best lineup for us to go out on the floor and compete with, but we also have a lot of great juniors and seniors who help contribute to the team,” Smith said.
Matt Solomon, the only freshman to make the boys’ varsity basketball team, is trying to learn from the more experienced players on the team. “The older players have taught me to be a leader and to work hard,” Solomon said.
Simone Overbeck, a freshman who plays on girls’ varsity basketball, agrees with Solomon. “I definitely get a lot of pointers on what to do and what not to do from the older players,” Overbeck said. “I look up to them because they all keep their heads in the toughest games and play their hardest.”
Fiona Marangola is a freshman on girls’ varsity soccer. Marangola, too, has learned a lot from the older players on varsity. “The older players are super friendly and welcoming and taught me little pointers such as what to bring to away games, little suggestions about what to wear when it gets cold, things like that,” Marangola said.
Smith believes being on varsity as an underclassman provides a valuable experience that allows players to improve their skills while facing a more intense level of competition.
“You just get used to varsity, so by your junior and senior years, you are used to the game speed and how everything works on this level,” Smith said. “Everyone on varsity is bigger, faster, stronger so you definitely have to bring your ‘A’ game every time you step on the court.”
Solomon agreed. “It just gets you better,” he said. “The older guys are better, so playing against them just makes you better.”
A varsity cross country freshman, Ethan Ronk, acknowledges that being expected to perform at a high level can be difficult.
“In cross country there really are no let ups,” Ronk said. “You always have to work hard, but especially on varsity. You basically have to run your heart out every single race, so that’s probably a disadvantage … you don’t really get any days off.”
Since varsity sports normally attract larger crowds, it’s also a chance to get used to dealing with the pressure that comes with playing in a noisy gym or stadium. Foldes enjoys the “varsity experience,” and loves when the Panther Pit attends the varsity games.
“It’s good to experience playing on the varsity level when we’re younger,” Foldes said. “It’s also fun having a lot of hype at our games and a loud crowd.”
