With the school year coming to an end, many of the star athletes the school has grown accustomed to cheering for will be graduating.  This gives an opportunity for a new class of underclassmen athletes to step into the spotlight and take the place of those who graduated.  There are several noteworthy athletes, but here are some people to watch for the 2022 fall seasons.

Football

For the football team, freshman, and multi-sport athlete, Nick Atme is certainly going to be a big piece of the future.  He can play multiple positions including quarterback, wide receiver, and defensive back.  His versatility allows the team to use him in many ways and increases his value for the upcoming seasons. When he reaches his upperclassmen years, he possesses a great chance at being the team’s starting quarterback.  Atme, who is a pitcher on the baseball team in the spring, provides the necessary skills to excel in the quarterback position.  Additionally, sophomore running back, Agustin Grillo, has the ability to perform at a high level going forward.  The Ridgewood native will likely see his playing time increase going forward where he can showcase his skills and be a contributor to the team.  Furthermore, freshman kicker Michael Flaccavento will be a consistent presence on the field and he will continue to make an impact on the games.

Cross Country/Track

Among the most promising sports, the cross country and track teams have a great number of underclassmen who will be a big part of what’s to come.  Perhaps the most promising, is freshman Devin Smith, an emerging elite middle-distance runner.  He specializes in the 800-meter run while also being excellent at the 400m and 1600m (the mile), where he broke 5 minutes earlier this season running 4:57.  For the 800 he ran a very impressive 2:06 as well as 55 seconds for the 400.  Additionally, freshmen Sam Haas and Eli Bashan have a lot of potential as sprinters going forward and with Eli, the pole vault as well.  Both can be major contributors to the team going forward.  Freshman Tyler Caswell has emerged as one of the team’s best hurdlers and freshman Audrey Damis has become one of the girls’ team’s best distance runners, running a 5:51 mile and a 12:50 two-mile.  Lastly, sophomore Ben Raser who is expected to be the cross country team’s number one runner this upcoming season is perhaps the team’s most versatile athlete and can run anything from the 400 up to the 2 mile while also doing hurdles and pole vault.  There is a lot of young talent to look forward to for the cross country and track teams.

Soccer

On the boys’ soccer team, there are a number of underclassmen with the potential to be stars going forward, particularly freshman Harrison Wortley.  Wortley has played soccer since he was just eight years old and last season played a combination of central attacking midfielder (CAM) and striker on the varsity team.  He sees his role as a creator of goal-scoring opportunities – a crucial role in the team’s success – and hopes for that to continue in the future.  Despite having superstar potential, Worltey’s primary focus is helping the team.  When discussing his goals for the upcoming seasons, he said, “My goal is to help the team go as far as possible in counties and states.”  The team has a lot of young talent that should have them in a good position to do well in the near future.

Girls Tennis

For the girl’s tennis season, breakout star Julia Scotti looks to continue her success from sophomore to junior year.  While the team may be losing a handful of seniors, Scotti, who has played tennis competitively since she was five years old, will be a big difference-maker on the team and will attempt to dominate her upcoming matches.  In her sophomore season, she won 10 of her 12 matches and was second singles on varsity.  This year it is expected that she will be first singles on varsity where she can continue to impress.  Despite just being a sophomore, Scotti already has an impressive resume.  She has held a singles spot for both years and been varsity both years as well.  Additionally, she contributed to the girls’ team participating in the state finals her freshman year and the state semi-finals this past season.  When asked about her goals for the upcoming season, she said, “For this season I hope to make it back to the finals in states and go undefeated through the entire season.”