We’re back at it again. Whether you like it or not, the doors are open and students are finally filing into the brick buildings we call home. However, as school returns, so does the thing that I live and breathe: sports. I suppose most of you don’t know what to expect for fall sports this year. I’ll be honest, even I don’t know what to expect for the middle-school sports. So right now, I’ll take you through my expectations for swimming, bowling, golf, cross country and volleyball.

Coming off of a season in which both the boys’ and girls’ teams placed second at the district meet, several of the top swimmers are returning. What do you think is going to happen for those teams this year? More success. I expect the swim team to reach new heights this year as senior Dylan Gornto, junior Sydney Weatherspoon and the rest of their respective teammates attempt to eclipse the historic mark they set last year.

The bowling team is one of the few that can benefit from not losing any seniors heading into the season. Though the team will have a new coach, Abriana Camilo and Jonathan Crosby are prepared for the season. I am told no player on the roster needs bumpers.

That brings me to the golfers. Another year and more experience will allow senior Matt Senft-Greenberg and eighth-grader Lila Iwanowski to once again club the competition. Iwanowski is not afraid of competing against athletes five years older, and will continue her success from last year. I fully expect her to progress to regionals and beyond. Senft-Greenberg, in his final year n the team, will rise to the occasion. I believe that he’s got eagle eyes on a regional qualification.

While the boys’ cross-country team can no longer benefit from the legs of star runner Jared Hayes, it will no doubt remain one of the top squads in the county, along with being able to compete on the regional and state levels. Senior Christian Camps and sophomore Brayden Cheek will continue their top 20 finishes. What does that mean for all opposing teams? I’m sure you know the answer to that. But I’ll answer it anyway.

It means they’ll be dealing with a lot of disappointed runners. As for the girls’ team? Much of the same from last year, as eighth-grader Gabriela Shenbaum and junior Jonelle Plahuta make the rest of the state eat their dust.

When the team clinches a first place finish this year, hopefully it’s not another Steve Harvey moment, such as last year when the runners’ second-place finish was diminished by them mistakenly being given the first-place trophy.

Last, but not least, the volleyball team, which finished with a winning record last year, will look to match or eclipse the 2017 team’s win total. Seniors Samantha Intille, Sally Kempfer and the rest of the team have a clear goal. But they have some big shoes to fill. Huge shoes. Among the members of the team lost due to graduation was one of, if not the best player to step through the doors of the gymnasium: Giao Huynh, who is now a D1 athlete at Jacksonville University, where instead of terrorizing opposing high-school teams, she will be doing it on the college level.

Huynh is an exceptional talent, and it will be tough for the team to replace her this year.