Seniors’ Last Ride

Since many of my friends are graduating this year, I wanted to ask them about their last fall season at East Rockaway. I asked the team captains of each sport to tell me something special about this season, or what they were expecting from their last season. Here’s what they had to say:

Grace Wayar, one of the varsity cheerleading captains, was most looking forward to performing at pep rally and homecoming. Something special for Grace was getting to have her senior game on a brand new turf field, and to have her father (an East Rockaway football alumni) walk her out before the game began.

 Next, I talked to Theresa Lynch, one of the varsity volleyball captains. She said she was most excited to be back with her entire team again and try to regain some sort of normalcy, since last year wasn’t a full season. She was ready to kill the LIC competition. Her favorite memory was beating Valley Stream North, which was an undefeated team until they went up against the Rocks! 

I sought out my other cross country co-captains Matt Pollackov, Isabella Schaffer, and Brianna Halstead. Brianna was very excited to bring back team dinners, since we didn’t have any last year. She said her favorite memory from her senior season was going back to Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx to run competitively with teams from other states and even from Canada! Isabella was happy to be back with her team this year and for everyone to to reach a new personal record. It made her happy to see the team come together during practice and outside, regardless of grade level, and help each other out whenever needed. 

Lastly, football captains Mike Kilgus and Jack Mistretta had similar answers to one another. They both said that football is an experience like no other. You can’t compare it, or dissect it, it just is football. They have the most fun with their team, and they’re going to miss playing with this group of players next year. 

All the seniors I spoke with are sad that this was their last fall season at East Rockaway, but it’s bittersweet to look back on past seasons with their great teammates whom they have made memories with and grown with since middle school. I can assure the cross country captains that their team is in good hands next year!