Spring Sports Commence At Parkway North

On Feb. 26, Parkway North High welcomed another season of spring sports. With tryouts out of the way, athletes have started to focus on games. Practice has been going on for three weeks now, with an emphasis on improving for the season

“The first couple weeks of practice were kind of hard. It’s all just conditioning,” said senior Alex Waters, who plays water polo. “I’d say the practices have been going pretty good. We’ve gotten a lot better since the beginning of the season.”

A common trend throughout all spring sports was a loss in senior players. However, most sports were able to recruit freshman to regain players. Girls varsity soccer, in particular, lost fewer senior players this year and has recruited multiple freshman players.

“Last year, we only had two seniors leave,” said girls varsity soccer coach Jeff Church. “We had twelve freshman on our varsity team last year, so we’ve got a while with this group, which is nice.”

The loss in seasoned athletes hasn’t worried the athletes, either. Junior varsity tennis player Joshua Prila has high hopes for this year’s season.

“I think this season is going to go well,” said Prila. “We might have lost a lot of seniors, but everyone here is really putting in the work to improve.”
The first game for the junior varsity tennis team is March 20 vs Parkway West at West at 4:15 p.m.

Overall, players are confident in their team, as well as all of the new athletes that have been recruited.

“We lost a couple good players from last season, but I still think we have a really strong team,” said Waters.

The varsity water polo team lost 18-3 in their first game against Parkway South on March 9. Their next game is March 20 against Pattonville at Pattonville at 4:30 p.m.
first game against Parkway South on March 9. Their next game is March 20 against Pattonville at Pattonville at 4:30 p.m.

Some sports have also seen an increase in the number of teams that are able to play.

“Last year, we only had one varsity team. This year, we’re back up to two teams, so we had a lot more girls come out this year,” said Church. “I think the spirits are better this year.”

So far, the varsity girls soccer team has participated in Pattonville Jamboree on March 13 where they tied 0-0 against Hazelwood West, lost 1-0 against Timberland, and lost 1-0 against Pattonville. Their next game is on March 20 against Parkway West at North High at 6 p.m.

“I think we’re going to start strong this year,” said Church. “I think our schedule is going to benefit us this way. I think we can build some momentum early on. Our spirits are up, so I think we’re gonna start on a positive note.”

Baseball also began its season by participating in a jamboree on March 10. The varsity team won the first game against Parkway Central 6-0, but tied the second game against Parkway West 3-3. While these games won’t count towards their standings, it was good practice. Their first official game will be on March 19 against St. Charles at North at 4:15 p.m.

Tanner Boyd, Writing Wizard