A new school year at Bloomington High School South comes with new, talented athletes and hope for statewide domination. As the new season is here, South’s fall sports teams are gearing up for what promises to be an exciting year. Here’s a sneak peek at what to expect from the football, boy’s and girls soccer, and volleyball teams.
Football: Opening game Friday August 23.
Despite losing several key skill position players to graduation last spring, South football is staying optimistic for the upcoming season. Team Captain and safety Miles McKay, acknowledges the experience gap but highlights the promising talent among the underclassmen. “I think everyone’s making big steps every day,” McKay said. A big change to South’s offense this year is sophomore quarterback Duncan Combs, who will step into his first season as a varsity starter.
The focus on developing this young quarterback as well as other less experienced players has instilled a sense of responsibility in upperclassman, one being senior kicker Bryce Taylor, who acknowledges that the team is starting in a different spot this year with so much inexperience on the field. Taylor and McKay agreed the expectations for the team have to remain the same despite all the changes on the roster, and believe that the younger players will rise to the challenge. “I think we’re super excited to see our young guys succeed,” said Taylor. This young team will be put to its first test this Friday the 23rd in their opener against Columbus East.
Boy’s Soccer: Won 10-1 in opener on August 20.
South’s boy’s soccer team is ready to make a jump this year after losing in a tight low scoring matchup in sectionals last year. Senior midfielder Stefan Bartlett shared his perspective on where the team is at going into this new season. “We’ve got a really good group of guys. It feels like we’re really starting to come together as a team.” Bartlett highlighted the talent and experience returning to the team, and believes that team chemistry is at an all time high.
Another positive development for the team is the return of Tom Henry Berry-who was out for a large portion of last season-from injury. This junior midfielder will surely boost what already looks like a deep, experienced roster going into this season.
Most of the roster is proven, however, there is one big question mark for debatably the most important position on the field: goalkeeper. Senior Campbell Scott-Harmon has taken over the keeper position this year without any experience in his first three seasons at South. His performance in South’s first matchup against Washington was promising, but his ability will need to be monitored going forward.
Girl’s Soccer: Won 3-2 in their opener on August 17th.
Bloomington South’s girls soccer team is looking to build on their impressive tournament run last season. The team made it all the way to state finals last year before falling short to Noblesville. This year, the team wants to replicate last year minus the score in the final game. Senior captain Maddie Talbot and established junior Helena Cutshall explained that the team is ready to take on this year with fresh and experienced talent. Talking about the team’s morale after such a good season last year, Talbot exclaimed “We’re ready to play…ready to win,” After a shaky one and one start to the season, it will surely be interesting to see if the new talents on the team this year will play at the same level as their predecessors.
Volleyball: Won in opener on August 20th.
South Volleyball is looking forward to a change in image for this year after a few disappointing seasons. Senior Captain Lakelynn Butiste described a drastic change in dynamic between last season and this season. “Last year, we were trying to win…this year we still want to win but I think we’re finding the balance between winning and still being a family,” she said.
This could be the sign of a very positive trend for South’s volleyball team as chemistry cannot only boost a team’s morale, but also help everyone’s ability on the court. Butiste also highlighted a more rigorous training schedule that the team has been on since February, put in place by new Head Coach Emma Abplanalp. Butiste praised her teammates, explaining that “everyone has gained respect for each other, and seen it grow even more since February.” With all this preparation, all the signs are pointing in the right direction for this revamped, unified volleyball team.
