It may be snowing outside, but spring sports are blooming. Although the weather’s inconsistent, Groves’ spring sports remain on top. With the variety of sports from girls’ water polo to men’s lacrosse, Groves continues to showcase its athletic diversity and determination. From the competition in the pool to the intensity on the field, our athletes persevere to show their falcon pride. When it comes to our girl’s water polo team, their dedication shines through— specifically through Groves senior Alexis Auten, captain of the girls’ water polo team. Auten believes this year the team has grown stronger both in the water and out.
“We’re starting a new defense this year, and it has changed the entire game we’re playing,” Auten said.
Auten believes this new defense is helping them compete with stronger teams. No matter the distance, the team can feel confident with teams like Ann Arbor, Seaholm or Walled Lake. Last year, the team played one-on-one defense, which Auten admits made it much harder to stay on the girl they were assigned,
“Now we do what’s called zone defense; you play off your girl, that way you’re not pressing her the whole time and it makes it so there are numerous people on a girl at once. Using this technique you have bigger zones to cover, you can be on two girls while also helping someone else out,” Auten said.
She also loves the social aspect of the sport.
“[The] majority of us are swimmers, this makes it nice to hang out with them. Not having the strict schedule that we have with swimming, it’s been more fun to be able to hang out with them in a different, more relaxed, setting where we can talk with each other and bond,” Auten said.
Auten’s main piece of advice for anyone interested in taking up the sport is to stick with it.
“The first two weeks or month when starting the sport is going to be the most confusing because our rules are very different from any other sport, it can take a while to get the feel for the game, but once you do, you get a rhythm with it, that’s what makes it so much fun,” Auten said.
Out of the pool and across the lot, our girls’ tennis team rallies in the sun. Practicing serves and approaches, junior Kaela Jordan leads by example.
“To get good, to get better, to be the best. I may not be the best on the team yet, and I know that, but with practice and determination I can get there,” Jordan said.
While Jordan strives to get stronger on the courts personally, she makes sure her teammates know she’s still a team player.
“During practices and matches I hype up my teammates because when you go on the court you already have some of that mental fear in you and I just want to ease that, for me and others,” Jordan said.
On the soccer pitch, our women’s team is kicking the competition. Freshman Ellary Chung is finding her way as she begins to find out the inner workings of the team.
“I want to earn my spot on the field, and earn it for next year especially to make sure I’m not just taking this for granted,” Chung said. Chung is one of two freshmen, alongside Mallory Pepper, who made the varsity team this spring.
“It’s not easy being younger and playing with girls who are older and have more experience,” Chung said. Chung manages the stress of trying to earn her spot by staying calm and sticking to her game play. The girls’ soccer team has been crushing their opponents with two current shutouts on their season record, against Farmington High School and South Lyon High School.
Sticking on theme, out on the bases, another freshman on varsity, Maddy Drapal, has a similar experience.
“It’s scary at first being the only freshman but everyone is very welcoming and I feel like I fit in well,” Drapal said. Performing her best in the field is all based on her mindset.
“Under pressure” is when Drapal feels most confident in her fielding skills. Due to uncontrollable weather conditions, the softball team has only had one game so far this season; it ended in a 1-1 double header score against Avondale High School.
Feeling the same pressure on the bases, the men’s baseball team, sitting at ninth in the Metro Detroit rankings, fights to keep their position and possibly advance. The coaching staff have a huge class of 2024 they’re losing, with four college commits, making this year their best chance yet to advance in their rankings.
Senior Nathan Lucken looks up to his coach.
“I feel an effective coach helps lead a team to victory. They help the team improve and do well in their special way,” Lucken said.
As a leaving senior Lucken leaves his teammates with a piece of advice,
“Play every game like it’s your last,” Lucken said.
Another senior, Eylan Greggorya, leaves his track team with similar advice,
“Make your team better, bring your team up, and be the best,” Greggory said.
Track is a competitive sport and Greggory is nearing the top of the charts as his hopes of running at Michigan State are appearing closer and closer into view. Another senior runner, Zach Rogers, keeps the same mind set, while trying to accomplish the same goals.
“Never give up in your events. My favorite is the 100, so I can show off my quickness and speed and my endurance and how long I can hold my stride,” Rogers said.
Jumping over to lacrosse, both teams are crushing their competition as the girls have an even record of 4-4 and the men have a record of 5-1. Unlike our other Groves spring sports teams, lacrosse is a Birmingham United sport, pairing up with Seaholm. While some may argue this could cause some tension and division within the team, junior team captain Lily Herschelman disagrees.
“It doesn’t affect us at all, and when we’re on the field, it doesn’t matter what school we’re from,” Herschelman said.
Off the field, and on the course, the Groves men’s golf team has been training throughout the winter for their spring season. Junior Alex Lustig keeps his game on point by keeping a positive attitude.
“My motivation after a bad game is to think to myself, the sunshine is right around the corner,” Lustig said.
With the season still being primarily fresh, there’s lots of space for team improvement. With a variety of ages, the team has new opportunities to show their success.
“With the lots of work that goes on throughout the winter, I’m excited to see what we can do with this new team we have,” Lustig said.
Now that Michigan is done defrosting, and the school year is coming to an end, our sports teams are reining in success. Our class of 2024 athletes are going to leave a big hole in our programs, but our underclassmen across the board are showing promising traits to step up and fill in this gap. We’re fortunate to go to a school with a wide variety of sports, from water polo to golf, that all dominate in the Metro Detroit area.
