By: Drew Mandeville 

     A new school year brings new seasons and new challenges for Eisenhower athletic teams. The boys soccer, cross-country, and football teams are in the midst of the fall season. Losing seniors, injuries, and new teams are common issues that have plagued high school sports teams for years, and Eisenhower is not exempt from these difficulties. However, with changes come new opportunities for younger or overlooked players to make a name for themselves and compete. 

     The football team is currently amid a roster turnaround as seniors Kris Bunk, Cameron Jakubczak, Tucker Lindell, Shawn Pascuzzi, and many others have graduated and leave behind open spots and roles that need to be filled. Even though their impact has been missed, senior Ryan Chambers commented on the expectations saying, “The expectation for the season is to keep improving every single practice and transfer that onto the field so we can bring that D-10 title home.” Chambers also spoke about a change in the team saying, “The biggest change amongst our team is our attitude and mentality. Last year we knew what we had to work on when we lost.” He also described the team’s improvements saying, “We have put tremendous amount of time into our big boys upfront, and we as a team have been working on our chemistry together…” Very much like these boys of fall, another EHS team that has playoff dreams is the boys soccer team. 

     The boys soccer team didn’t face the same problems as football, as they only graduated two players last season, Tommy Jukes and Abe Wolf. The team has returned most of their roster and gotten some new additions that have bolstered a team that fell short in the D-10 playoffs last season. With all the change, goalkeeper and captain Casey Seymour commented on the team’s expectations, highlighting a focus on making playoffs for a third straight season. He also recognized the changes the team went through following Wolf and Jukes’ departure, explaining, “We have had to adjust the defensive playing style.” Seymour commented on what has changed from last season, “Our passing and game knowledge has improved.” The soccer team looks to send their seniors away with another competitive year similar to the cross country team. 

     Cross country has been in more of a rebuild over the last few seasons, as they have held rosters filled with underclassmen for the last couple of years. Senior Joe Mistretta discussed the lack of veteran upperclassmen sharing that, “The biggest change would be the lack of older kids; most of the kids on the team this year are younger and haven’t had the experience the group of kids last year had.” Mistretta also pointed out the team’s morale and willingness to run and compete. When asked about the goals for the year, he shared the competitive season hopefully would be illness and injury free.  

     With all this being said, we know that all our fall teams will go out and give it their all. The Squire wants to thank Chambers, Seymour, and Mistretta for setting aside time to answer our questions, and good luck to these talented athletes.