This year, Hayfield Secondary School introduced two new sports: girls wrestling and boys Volleyball. Previously, Hayfield has only offered girls volleyball and boys wrestling. However, due to student demands, they opened the sports to both genders, making everybody feel included. Throughout the year, both teams have shown that although being new, they are tough to beat, and their team spirit cannot be broken.

Boys Volleyball
The boys volleyball team finished their season in the fall, leaving an extraordinary mark for Hayfield in the sport. Easton Brock, a senior at Hayfield, and Nolan Vallejo were the captains of the team.

“[Being captain] feels good. Especially because it’s the first team ever, it’s an honor to be captain of the first team. I’m just happy to have been a part of it,” Brock said.

A majority of the players brought up that the team improved greatly when comparing their first game to their last. With the growing team morale as time went on and exceptional coaching from Myles Teasley, Myles Peckham, and Arthur Waldrip, Hayfield’s team enhanced at immensely high levels.

“I think we improved tremendously. I mean we definitely set a good reputation for our team,” Sam Edward-Harris, a junior who played middle, said.

A highlight of the season would be near the middle to end of the season when Hayfield played a game against Annandale. After two rounds, Annandale had acquired 2 points while Hayfield had 0. However, Hayfield refused to lose, and after a pep talk from their coaches, they won 3 rounds, causing them to win the game 3-2.

Arthur Waldrip is an art teacher at Hayfield. His students refer to him as extremely kind and funny, which is an attitude he always brings onto the court. He explained that when selecting athletes for the team he, along with the other coaches, looked for skill, effort, and self-motivation to try and grow as a player.

“My strategy is more along the lines of show and tell, I’m going to show you, I want you to try it, and you tell me how it worked out for you,” Waldrip said.

The team did however have some challenges, especially with being a completely new team. One of the main issues was communication on the court.

“Sometimes we get too in our heads and forget that we need to make sure we’re supporting one another and communicating,” Waldrip recalled.

Despite the hardships, the team’s chemistry allowed them to jump over this hurdle.

“All my friends were already on the team, so that got us closer together. The chemistry was really good, and our coaches were amazing. Especially coach Teasly, definitely the best coach I’ve had my whole life,” Abraham Walker ll, a junior who played middle, said,

Reuben Amonkwaah, a junior and defensive specialist, agreed with Walker and also credited the team’s success to their close bond.

“I met so many people I didn’t know existed before, so many lifelong friends. I can’t imagine my life without them,” Amonhwaah said

Preston Simpson, a junior who played middle back, gave inspiring advice to students hoping to join in the upcoming years in only 4 words:

“Come ready to work.”

Girls Wrestling

When it comes to girls wrestling a similar pattern occurred. Girls wrestling began in mid-November and is still ongoing as of now. Many of the athletes on this team have not played the sport beforehand, making their effort and craving to succeed a vital key to their success.

Briana Lemon, a junior, was encouraged by a friend and fellow member of the girls wrestling team.

“Mary Fay came up to me and was like ‘join wrestling’, and I was like ‘you know, I’ll do it,” Lemon said.

The success of the team became evident when despite it being only her first year wrestling, Lemon qualified for states.

Mary Fay, a junior and team captain, has been wrestling since freshman year when similarly to Lemon, she was referred by a friend to join the team. Her outstanding performance and commitment to the wrestling team even when she had to wrestle against the boys as the girl’s team was not yet introduced, is what led to her becoming captain of the girl’s team when it was finally instituted.

“It’s fun being able to do a sport I love with my friends. Also winning feels great,” Fay said.

However, wrestling also has its own difficulties and challenges. When asked about her hardest match, Lemon explained the pain she endured.

“During one match, it felt like a bullet hit my body. That was definitely the hardest match, and it was only two minutes long!”

Joseline Lopez Lopez has balanced many sports at once throughout her wrestling career this year.

“Wrestling simultaneously with other sports has definitely been hard to do. Sometimes I basically have to run from one practice to another, but I love competing and being with the team so it’s completely worth it.”

Similarly to the volleyball team, the girls wrestling team also faces their own challenges with the competitive sport. Fay recaps on a match against Edison- a match that was one of their hardest losses.

“Getting our butts kicked by Edison… that was not a fun day,” Fay said.

Lemon explains that the team was able to jump over these hurdles and excel even after such a hard loss.

“This sport has actually been pretty fun, and the community is really close-knit!” Lemon said.

In the end, both Fay and Lopez Lopez said that they were extremely tired of the stereotypes that follow wrestling.

“It’s not as scary as it looks, I promise! Wrestling has taught me so many things and allowed me to meet new friends. Lopez Lopez said

“It’s not about winning or losing,” Fay said. “It’s about trying!”

Both the boy’s volleyball team and the girl’s wrestling team had to overcome extreme difficulties. However, things like their team spirit and hard work have allowed them to push through these challenges, despite it being many of their first times playing. The future of these sports looks bright for Hayfield and it will be exciting to see what the teams do in the upcoming years.