The leaves begin to fall, daylight savings come along, the weather becomes much colder, fires become frequent, and the holidays are right around the corner. Things are changing as the transition from fall to winter comes along. This means indoor heated sports: Basketball, Track, Wrestling and Swimming are now beginning to kick off with try-outs, practices and scrimmages.
Look no further than here at North Point, where history proves success in Winter Sports. In upcoming weeks, students, coaches, and players will be looking forward to nothing but starting off their seasons on a good note. So what are students looking forward to? Nathan Rice (’13) said, “I can’t wait for basketball to kick off again. The games were crowd oriented, full of intensity from the players, the Eagles Nest was loud and crazy, and you can’t forget Coach Ball either with the paper in the back of his pants. Classic.”
For those who haven’t followed North Point’s Winter Sports programs previously, here’s a quick rundown of how things went last season. To start things off with a bang, basketball went very well for North Point, both boys and girls. The girls, coached by Coach Serpone, and his assistant, Coach Dutrow, unluckily came up short of winning the state title, losing in the semi-finals to Gaithersburg. The boys program, coached by Coach Ball, did the unthinkable, going 27-0 and capturing a state title, which was an awesome moment for everyone involved with the school. “You had to be there at the Comcast Center to experience it, it definitely will be a moment to remember when I look back on my high school days,” said Conner Crowell (‘11).
Wrestling also faired very well, finishing up with a 10-4 record and a win at the Raider Duals Tournament. Nine Wrestlers from North Point went to Regionals and five wrestlers ended up going to states, including Anthony Zosack (‘11) who placed second even with an injury. In boys and girls Indoor Track & Field, the boys also had a successful season finishing 3-2, while the Girls finished 2-3. Members from both girls and boys teams set and broke track and field records and both teams won their SMAC championships during the indoor season. Jamal Butler (‘11) was a standout for the boys, earning State Champion in the high jump. The North Point Swim Team yet again set the program standard for excellence last year; the boys ended up going undefeated and winning SMAC with the help from Jeff Bell (’12). The girls, with the help of Kendall McMillen (‘12), came so close to perfection, ending out with an 11-1 season.
With all of the success last year for all winter sports, what will this year bring? Can the boys’ basketball team repeat as state champs? Will the girls basketball team get its time to shine this year and prove it is just as good, if not better than, the boys’? Every single winter sport team at North Point, whether it’s wrestling, swimming, and track and field, has been consistent. The expectations are high this year, as every team has a shot to win it all.