With the regular season complete for all fall sports, seniors have all been recognized for their careers and accomplishments at Green Hope. Each sport does it a little differently, so take a peak into the senior nights of various sports.
Soccer:
On Oct. 24, the boys soccer team took on Apex High School in a thrilling, high-scoring, senior night matchup. The boys roster features a surprising 15 seniors including Sawyer Brinn, Will Kaiser, Uday Parashar, Joe Lopez, Kyle Rockett, Jad Kurdieh, Brady Lessard, Caleb Kim, Jacob Colberg, Andrew Zagacki, Jacob Williams, Trevor Laserna, AJ Schontz, Joel Ndon, Tate Jackson.
Prior to the game, the GH Falcon caught up with one of these seniors, Caleb Kim (‘25). When asked about the significance of having such a successful season in his final year as a Falcon, Kim claimed he was “Really happy to see all of the hard work that the team has put in, and all of the runs that we’ve gone on throughout the season be reflected in our success.”
On the mark Kim hopes to leave on the underclassmen, he said “I hope they understand how important it is to continue to build as a team positively and to continue maintaining relationships outside of soccer because they all contribute to what happens on the team.”
In his four years on the team, Kim has experienced the highs and lows of playing high school soccer. His favorite memory isn’t something from the pitch, but instead the film sessions with his teammates. While this may not be the most popular take, Kim says “I know a lot of people might find that boring, but we were able to come together as a team before every game, talk about what we wanted to accomplish, and enjoy fun memories overall.”
Speaking to the GH Falcon prior to the game, Kim described what senior night celebrations meant to him, and outlined his hopes for the game. As a senior, Kim said “I think it’s great that we are appreciating all the upperclassmen and all that they do leadership-wise especially. And for the game, obviously I hope that we win. It is senior night, but it’s also a really big game for us, so hopefully we can win.”
And win they did. Later that day, with the stadium adorned with pictures of our beloved seniors, the Falcons kicked off the game. The boys went up early in the first five minutes of the game with a goal from Jacob Williams (‘25). The Falcons went down 2-1 to the Apex Cougars, but rallied back to score five more goals, ending the game with a score of 6-3. The team added another win to their record, improving to 18-4 on the season. But the night didn’t end there: after the game, players and families congregated in the stadium to celebrate the victory with pizza, sweet treats and plenty more pictures.
Football:
The seven seniors (Benjamin Byers, Brett Tomazic, Joe Lopez, Lucas Suarez, Nick Folk, Nischal Bandila and Caleb Namovich) and their families were recognized before the game on Oct. 18.
Captain Benjamin Byers (‘25) talked about what it meant to be recognized saying, “That meant a lot to me because I had seen all of the seniors in the past go through it. It was pretty emotional because it is the end of an era.”
Byers shared the lessons he had learned and what he hoped his underclassmen had learned from him in his time on the Green Hope football team.“Thanks to football I have learned how to overcome adversity and stay positive in a less than ideal situation. Regarding the underclassmen, I hope they have learned to treat the coaches, opponents and most importantly the game with respect.”
When asked about his favorite memory at Green Hope Byers said, “Definitely beating Green Level junior year. It was a really cool experience because everyone was really hyped and being a part of it was really special”
Regarding the actual game Green Hope (0-7) played Holly Springs (3-4) and was defeated 48-0. This matchup brought Holly Springs to an even four wins and four losses and brought Green Hope to their eighth loss this season still searching for their first win.
Volleyball:
On Oct. 8, the girl’s volleyball team welcomed Apex to the nest for their senior night. Going into the game, the ladies boasted a 16-3 record, with hopes to add on their 17th win that night. Over four, thrilling, high-scoring sets, the Falcons came out victorious winning the match 3-1 and moving to 17-3 on the season.
To honor the three Green Hope seniors: Ivana Gomez, Clara Maroney, and Bella Cook, the seniors elected people to give speeches, posters were displayed outside of the gym and pictures were taken on the court. After the game, senior, Ivana Gomez talked to the GH Falcon regarding her feelings about senior night. “My sister did my speech, and it was really sweet to hear her talk about me like that.”
As per the volleyball season as a whole, Gomez claimed “Our success definitely means a lot to me. Our success has been really uplifting and does a lot for our team morale.” After a successful season with a record of 20-4 and a third-round playoff appearance, the team has a lot to be proud of.
Now that the season has finished, Gomez shared her favorite memory with the GH Falcon. She claimed that “it would definitely be last year when we beat Green Level at home. It was a great game and the whole team played great.” Although the season may be over now, the Falcons left a mark on the SWAC this season.
Women’s Tennis
In their senior night matchup, Green Hope played Apex Friendship and came out on top after winning eight of nine matches, maintaining their undefeated record. Women’s Tennis recognized their seniors through speeches from family, friends, coaches and teammates. After the speeches, the team celebrated with food and gifts.
Cross Country:
Seniors were greeted with large cutouts of their faces as they ran up the largest hill. The cheering from the seniors’ family and friends gave them an extra boost of encouragement to finish their race out strong. Seamus O’Driscoll, Logan Blake, and Jacob Gordon set new personal records on the men’s team. Seamus ran the fastest time on the team running a 15:46 5k and Claire O’Driscoll set a new personal record on the women’s team running a 22:37 5k.
Golf:
On Oct. 1, women’s golf recognized seniors Sam Chu, Jocelyn Lester and Renee McClernon. Once the golfers completed their rounds, they gathered around a podium and Coach Kristy McGaha gave speeches to recognize the seniors. Tears were shed, and emotions were heavy as the seniors played their last home match. Following the speeches, the seniors were given flowers and taken out to dinner in celebration.
