By Katie Ryan
With winter sports coming to an end, athletes at Hopkinton High School have little time to rest before the next season starts. Athletes are already busy training for the upcoming spring season as tryouts for spring sports begin March 15th.In past years, the Hopkinton Hillers have had great success in the Tri Valley League by progressing well through tournaments and winning titles. This year should be no different as the students are eager and ready to begin their sport, each hoping their team will be a top competitor in the TVL.

Varsity Lacrosse Captain, Sam MacDonald, has much hope this year as he helps lead his team towards a realistic TVL title. Although last season was great for Hiller Lacrosse, Sam commented, “We should get deeper into the playoffs this year. The TVL title is up for grabs this year again, and we have a good chance to snag it.” A senior himself, Sam says, “Most importantly, we are going to have fun. We want to send the seniors off to college with a satisfying season to end the school year.”

Having lost two key singles players, Shannon Murphy and Colleen West, the girls Varsity Tennis team is still hoping to have a successful season with many new, talented girls vying for those open spots. Seated to play first doubles this year with Gretchen Sileo, co-captain Alex Brown is helping lead the girls Varsity Tennis team this season. Alex commented, “We have a lot of potential in this new team. If we train hard, I do think we will be able to qualify for the post-season tournament and be a strong, competitive team. It will be interesting to see how everything falls together.”

Despite their loss of a few seniors, the softball team, like all other sports teams at Hopkinton High School, is hoping to have a great season. Captain and shortstop of the softball team, Kelly Sanborn explains, “We have a special group of girls who deeply care about the game and one another. If we come out this spring with the mindset that we will learn, try hard at every practice and game, and work as a team, we will be a very hard team to beat.” The varsity softball team did well in the TVL last year, is hoping to win the title this year, and even go as far as the state tournament.

One of Hopkinton’s strongest and most consistent teams is the track team. Running the 100, 200, and 4 x 10, senior sprinter Sheena Dupuy says, “We have a great track team at Hopkinton High School.” Although Hiller track has lost a few great runners, Sheena says, “We still have some of the best runners in the league. Our goals are to continue our TVL winning streak and have another perfect season. I am confident that we will have a great season!”

With fierce competition in the TVL, Hiller baseball hopes they have a chance to win the title this year. Senior captain and catcher, Chris Papadellis says, “The TVL is up for grabs and we hope to be on top. We have 12 returning seniors which will give us great experience come game time. Baseball is fun with this group of guys and I am looking forward to the season.”

The Hopkinton Hillers are certainly a force to be reckoned with, and this season should be a good one.