This year’s fall sports teams have seen the lowest student-athlete participation in years after dozens of students have chosen not to partake in school athletics. The low turnout has forced sports teams to adapt to having significantly fewer players in games and practices.
As fall preseason always kicks off the new school year, fall sports teams have consistently been popular for student-athletes to join. In past years, most teams boasted over 30 players between JV and Varsity teams. However this fall, only girls’ tennis had enough numbers to support a JV squad.
Assistant Director of Athletics Deb Williams was disappointed with the lack of athletic participation this fall season.
“It’s a big difference from years past. We have had Varsity and JV teams for all sports, and now we are just fielding varsity. It’s frustrating [and] it’s disheartening because the teams are so small,” Williams shared.
Leading his first MFS sports season as the school’s new Athletic Director, Isaiah Coleman accredited juggling extracurriculars as one of the reasons behind the decrease of fall sports participation.
“I think a lot of students are involved in a lot of different activities outside of school or are involved in a lot [of] activities inside of school, whether that be drama, the arts, music, dance, or any [of] these different extracurriculars. I think students are forced to choose whether or not they do a sport or if they decide to do another activity that’s competing with sports,” he noted.
Brielle Mitchell ’25, captain of the girls’ soccer team, said she believes that academic pressure has caused many student-athletes to prioritize their grades over sports. Mitchell stated, “I feel as [if] a lot of students are overwhelmed by their schoolwork and do not have the time to participate in sports. Some people just are too busy with school.”
Former student-athletes like senior Daisy Maturo, who played varsity tennis in the fall seasons of 2022 and 2023, explained that she “quit [tennis] to focus on college app[lications] and knew [she] would need more time for homework and extracurriculars this year.” Maturo remembers that past fall sports seasons were a “big time commitment” and that she used to get home late.
Berra Deryal ’26, a former JV tennis player, quit the team for reasons similar to what Maturo described.
“Mainly, my reason for quitting tennis was that I’m a junior now, and it’s a little rough trying to balance everything, especially for me after I’m done with [the] school [day]. This year I needed to really focus on my work,” said Deryal.
Deryal also noted “feeling really unmotivated” and “so tired and so drained after going to tennis for two hours.” She said, “I could end up going home at 7-8 p.m. My workload was still a lot then, but especially now [sports] are just not something that I can afford to spare [time for].”
Teams have had to work around low player numbers and prepare for more time on the field without substitute players. Williams explained, “It’s hard physically because you can’t have [substitutes], you can’t take turns, and it’s really grueling for the team.”
Mitchell said the girls’ soccer team has struggled with injuries and illness. “We are definitely down numbers, but we have adapted by having a lot of people play new positions. We would still appreciate more players though.”
Mitchell added, “I feel [that] all the sports teams have been struggling with numbers, such as the boys’ soccer team, which doesn’t have a JV team for the first time in a while.”
Captain of the boys’ soccer team, Matthew Schlotterback ’25, has prioritized underclassmen players to secure future team rosters.
“I feel like we really [have] to include everyone on the team. I think that’s a main part, [including] the younger people that are on the team, especially [since] we are a senior-heavy team. We need to be able to include everyone to be active and get into the game,” Schlotterbeck remarked.
In terms of recruitment, Mitchell stated, “I have been constantly reaching out to my friends and other people who have previously been on the team to try and see if they will come out this year.” She said, “Our attempts have been somewhat successful, with us receiving three new players, but with injuries, we’re still down to only two or three subs.”
In the future, Coleman hopes to “figure out ways on how to make athletics here more exciting and more fun.” Coleman added, “Surrounding the community piece, [I] want to enhance the student experience [from Athletic Department support by] opening up the concession stands more often and having more community moments that are centered around athletics.”
