Senior Maddie Moore, who plays number four singles as well as doubles on the East girls’ tennis team, is undefeated in her matches this year. The team is 11-0 and “hopes to go to [the State Championship] next month.”
After over a year of sports complications due to COVID-19, Moore is happy to be back to playing.
“I really like the team aspect at school,” Moore said. “I enjoy not being alone all the time [and] I really like playing doubles with my friends.” — Hendrix Prescott
Senior Cameron Roberts is excited to be back on the course to cap off her high school golf career. Having joined the girls’ golf team during her sophomore year on a whim, Roberts says, “I really wasn’t expecting to love golf, but now I do and it’s really fun.”
“[Girls’ golf] got moved to the spring season with the boys, so we couldn’t practice at our regular facility, the Chapel Hill Country Club,” she said.”It just wasn’t as nice or easy as my first season.”
Despite the chaos of the COVID-19 season, Roberts is happy with her performance.
“I’m playing well right now, especially after getting myself out of a rut,” she said. “Everyone is playing really well and it’s nice to be able to socialize while I’m playing [golf] again.”
Roberts is averaging a 50 per nine holes this season, but she says scoring doesn’t really matter to her.
“I just love how golf is such a mental sport…. You really have to be smart to play and I love being alone on the course, thinking through my shots.” — Walker Livingston
As one of only two returning seniors on the East football team, senior Dorian Frizzelle has had to take on a leadership role this season as the team’s primary wide receiver. East has spent the year rebuilding after the 2020 season was cancelled due to a player shortage.
“We’re a young team,” Frizzelle said. “As the season went on, I think our team chemistry has improved a lot. Not just on the field but in the locker room, weight room and even in the hallways.”
Frizzelle scored the team’s only touchdown in their season opener. While East has struggled to score since, for Frizzelle it was as simple as “nobody caught me.” — Henry Koonce
Senior Finn Statile has been a goalkeeper for his entire high school career. He says he would like to play in college but he doesn’t want to go pro.
During his training for soccer he likes to act as a striker and shoot the ball into the goal. His favorite thing to practice as a goalkeeper is called Team Trains.
Statile says his highlight was his game against Northern. He enjoys the pressure of being the goalkeeper and it’s a great motivation tool on the field but with the price of a heavy sense of guilt if he can’t block a shot. — Sage Lloyd
Multi-sport athlete and senior Riley Ellis has achieved something many people can only hope for: Fulfillment in not one, but three different sports. She’s a part of the school’s volleyball, lacrosse and basketball teams.
“[Volleyball] is just a really good sport to watch. We had a ton of people come [to senior night] to watch us, and sometimes I wish I could be in the stands watching because it’s just really interesting,” Ellis said.
Despite being committed to Lehigh University for Lacrosse, she says volleyball is something she can rely on to make her happy.
“I love lacrosse and basketball, too, but volleyball is just so much fun. I don’t really have plans to continue [volleyball] after high school, but that’s what makes it fun. I just play and there’s no stress about it.” — Lili Gayton
As East senior Liza Stanley wraps up her last season of high school field hockey, she’s left reflecting on the last four years she’s spent both on and off the field. Stanley says that last year’s season wasn’t as fulfilling because while the team was still intact, the festivity of being a part of a high school’s sports team was missing.
“It wasn’t the same not getting to dress up for games [during] school and not getting to tell people to come to your games,” Stanley said.
She said this year is going really well in comparison, and that she and her teammates are enjoying a return to normalcy.
“It’s crazy how fast [the past seasons] flew by and I still don’t feel like a senior. It’s really fun to just be with the younger girls.” — Lili Gayton
Junior Margaret Sept has been the model of consistency throughout the 2021 Cross Country season. One of the team’s top runners, Sept balances swim and XC all while setting an example for her younger teammates.
“She leads by example,” coach Hana Baskin said. “She’s there on time. She does her warm ups and does them the way I asked them to be done.”
Baskin isn’t always able to be on the track right when practice starts at 4:15, but she’s confident that her team will get started, because if they “don’t know what’s going on,” they’ll “look at Margaret.” — Henry Koonce
Photos by ECHO Staff and Phil Stapleton
