Well, the end of the fall season is rapidly approaching in New Hampshire. Soon, we’ll be replacing our rakes with shovels, and pumpkin spice drinks will be replaced by hot chocolate. Pumpkins to stockings, leaves to flakes, and so on. At Exeter High School, athletes will soon have to hang up their helmets, box their cleats, and put away the sticks and clubs. Is this a sad scene? Yes. But it’s not all doom and gloom. Although we have to say goodbye to the fall, it will soon be time to grab the basketballs, polish the ice, clean the mats, and sprint on the indoor tracks. Goodbye fall, hello winter.

This fall season, Exeter has been doing well. According to the NHIAA standings, we have been placed usually around the 7th to 8th spot, besides the girls' soccer team, who are ranked 1st for their division with their outstanding performances. But this winter season will definitely be unexpected for Exeter. For starters, a new season means new captains who have to step up to lead their teams to wins, and having to adjust to a whole new lineup. The other Division 1 schools have also seemed to have gotten stronger, especially during the fall. For example, Winnacunnent’s win over Exeter in the Homecoming football game left some in shock, including me. Of course, schools like Bedford and Hanover are powerhouses that are hard to defeat, but the other schools aren’t ones to shy away from, so Exeter is going to have to give it their all.

But throughout all 4 years, I’ve experienced watching Exeter in sports, whether watching the football games from the marching band stands, or sitting on the farthest bleachers watching the indoor sports games (basketball, hockey, volleyball, etc.) Exeter can be described in one word: determined. We’ve lost close battles, and some were lost by huge blowout leads. Did Exeter get stuck in the slums? No, all the sports teams accepted the loss, learned from it, and we excelled better than ever. We’ve done it in the past, and we can do it again. With the coaches preparing their playbooks and the athletes bringing their winner mentality from fall to winter, I can confidently say that our winter season will be exciting, hopeful, and successful!