After the long awaited return of high school sports, the fall seasons are finally here and underway. During the week of Aug. 17, multiple SHS sports teams played school rivals that ended in some close match ups.

The week started off with a tight win for the girls volleyball team over the Decatur Central Hawks, they squeezed through with a 3-2 win beating the Hawks in the last set. Junior Ajia Bowman played a key role in the victory with her 13 kills and 17 digs. 

“The thing our team did best was shaking off mistakes and coming back on the next one,” Bowman said.

On Aug. 18, the SHS boys and girls cross country teams took on SHS rival PMHS. For the girls cross country team, the night ended very well with them securing a 30-27 win. 

The Cards were led by freshman Lucy Hiller, who ended up getting first place. Underclassmen seemed to have a huge impact on the outcome of the meet, securing three out of the top four placing spots.

“Our underclassmen have really been stepping up to the plate, freshman Lucy Hiller and sophomore Cece Mitchell are just two great examples of leaders on the team that have been working really hard and it shows,” senior Cecelia Dunn said.

The week of winning continued for the Cards as the boys soccer team pulled out a close 1-0 win against Roncalli High School. The only goal of the night came from a penalty kick by junior Carlos Herrera. Offense was not the only impact on the game as defense was another huge component as the Cards did not allow a single goal.

“We moved the ball around very well, and it was very hard for Roncalli to defend,” senior Arohn Mantun said.

For the girls soccer team, however, they were not so successful finishing their first game against the Terre Haute South, where they gave up 8 goals with no answer and lost the game 8-0. They seemed to struggle the most with defense and due to this weren’t able to play the game to their strengths.

“We could’ve worked on our defensive shape and the gaps between our midfield and defense,” junior Natalie Tidd said.

Unfortunately for the SHS football team, they were not so lucky, having their first game of the season against Roncalli High School cancelled due to a positive COVID-19 test on the team. They have also canceled the second game of the year against PMHS to ensure the safety of the athletes and others.

As the beginning of the season officially takes off, some athletes are still unsure of how their sports seasons will go, or whether they will continue at all.

“If the season gets cancelled I would miss parts of my senior year and right now is a good time to get college scouts to look at you,” Mantun said.