In the final sports season of the school year and the last seniors will ever play, senior night games once again serve as nights to commemorate the moments from these student-athletes’ high school careers as well as create new memories for them to cherish wherever they go next.
The lacrosse team’s senior night recognized a number of people, many of whom reached impressive goals on the same night. Briggs Stanley (‘25) reached 100 career goals on senior night and was then recognized. She discussed her night and the rest of the season with the GH Falcon. “The season was awesome. We exceeded our expectations and accomplished some of our personal and team goals. We stayed competitive and we kept our energy positive when it was most difficult.”
Stanley then discussed how they were recognized for senior night. “We walked the field with our families while our lacrosse experience and future plans were shared.” After this memorable halftime, they finished their game, winning 21-9 against Green Level in what Stanley described as a “high-energy game.”
Reminiscing on the season, Stanley discussed her favorite memory with the team. She stated it as, “Pasta parties and bonding with my teammates. The laughs and conversations are always so memorable.” Reflecting on all the times she’s had, she is considering continuing her lacrosse career playing club at NC State.
Similar to lacrosse, baseball recognized their invaluable players for a senior night celebration during their game against Apex. Roshan Shoukat (‘25), the team’s social media manager, discussed the season and what the team did for senior night. “The season has gone pretty good. I feel like we worked together as a team and everyone had each other’s back.” He then talked about the celebration, discussing how the team walked onto the field while being recognized and had their number painted behind home plate.
Shoukat recollected his favorite memories with the team, to which he stated, “I would say running the team’s Instagram account was my favorite memory. Other than that, any of the team dinners. I don’t think it’s possible to not have fun at those.” While Shoukat doesn’t have any further plans with baseball, he stated that he will always remember his time with the team and everything he learned.
Going on to win the state championship, the tennis team clearly had a successful season. Showcasing their skill at their senior night match against Apex, they won 9-0 while recognizing their essential seniors. Brij Bhatt (‘25) discussed the recognition they were given and stated, “For senior night, we were given banners, a poster, and had a celebration with pizza and cake after the match.” Following a decisive victory with a fun celebration afterwards, the night was one to remember for team members.
Bhatt discussed his favorite memory with the team and future plans for tennis. “My favorite memory is winning states sophomore year with the team and being the clinching match.” After reflecting on the past, Bhatt turned to the future and discussed how he plans to play club tennis in college, continuing his journey with the sport.
While boys’ soccer is in the fall, girls’ soccer occurs in the spring to wrap up the school year. Kate Schiller (‘25), a senior on the team, discussed the celebration for their team. “I was escorted onto the field with my family. They introduced me and my post-high school plans. The team made posters and cheered me on. We also had a fun team dinner at Mi Cancun after.” With a celebration during the game and then a team dinner after a huge win over Apex High, morale and spirits were high for the team.
Schiller discussed her favorite memory from her Green Hope soccer career. Remaining competitive even after the season ends, she stated, “My favorite memory from Green Hope soccer is beating Panther Creek. It’s always a strong rivalry game, and the win feels amazing after. We always get to pose with the Fight for 55 sign, and it’s always an extremely exciting and competitive match.” While Schiller doesn’t plan to continue her career in soccer past high school, she will always remember the memories she made while on the team.
Indoor and outdoor track and field came to an end soon after the senior night celebration, which senior Benjamin Byers (‘25) discussed with the GH Falcon. He talked about how the team was recognized with a celebration after the meet and had the opportunity to participate in different events of their choosing. Some seniors did throwing or jumping events in addition to their normal events.
Byers discussed his performance in the meet and unfortunately stated, “I did not perform well, but the team did alright.” However, in the conference meet that occurred right after this meet came Byers’s favorite track memory, where he “jumped 21’ 4” in the conference championship to win” for long jump. He doesn’t plan to continue track after this, leaving Green Hope behind while remembering his achievements.
Softball and boys’ golf also saw recognition of their essential seniors and team members with senior night celebrations, and all of the spring sports gave their seniors a proper send-off, whether they continue with the sport or not. All of these essential teammates are sure to continue to the next steps of their lives with memories to always cherish.
