How Athletes Approach the Final Game of Their High School Careers

By Anna Taft

As fall sports come to a close, high school seniors begin to feel the weight of “their last.” Their last home game. Their last team huddle. The last time they wear their school’s jersey on the field, court, or track. 

For many seniors, this final season represents more than just a few last games. It marks growth, leadership, and the end of a major chapter. 

“The significance of this final season and last performance for me is marking the end of a chapter in my life,” said Valerie Merkowitz, a senior on this year's Einstein poms team. “It’s a part of my life that I’ve put so much time and energy into, so these final moments, I think, just represent all the hard work.”

“Considering our season only ends when we lose, it’s really hard to approach the end,” said Luisa Farole, a senior captain on Einstein’s girls varsity soccer team. “I definitely dwell too much on the fact that the end could be near, but once I’m in the game, I need to put all emotions aside and be able to put 110% of my focus and efforts onto the field and not let anything get to my head.” 

With the season’s end emerging, emotions are becoming harder to ignore. Many seniors are juggling excitement, anxiety, and nostalgia all at once. 

Senior cross-country runner, Zain Qureshi, had a sudden realization as the fall season approached its end, “I realized this was something I would never get to relive, and I should take advantage of every opportunity I get.” After an injury kept him out for the first half of the season, he pushed harder in the end and found it extremely rewarding, ending his last season with a personal record. 

Merkowitz feels conflicting emotions, “It’s very bittersweet. It’s crazy that this whole part of my life is going to be over, but I’m still looking forward to a new chapter after high school.”

While the competition and adrenaline are hard to give up, what most athletes say they will miss is the bond with their teammates and the flow of team life. 

“I’m going to miss the routine and the team community. I like our weekly practice/game structure,” Farole reflected.  “Although I love to go home after school on game days, it gets boring to do it every day. I’m going to miss theme days in school, and most of all, I’ll miss how close I was to my teammates during the season.” 

Though Qureshi is involved in many groups, he says, “none have such a vibrant, supportive community as our cross-country team.” He also notes, “Coach Da Silva for always pushing us to work our hardest and fostering the bond we have as teammates.”

For seniors like Merkowitz, Farole, and Qureshi, the season’s end means saying goodbye to a part of their identity, yet holding on to the memories they’ve made along the way.