Athletes Holly Paharik, Callie Arthur, Ada Monopoli, and Matt Lydon are all avid fans of high school sports in addition to playing and attending as many games as they can, especially during playoff season.
Senior softball player Paharik loves watching all the different sports the high school offers. She goes to many games and cheers passionately for the players. Paharik’s favorite team to watch is the girl’s varsity soccer team.
Paharik states,“The best part of being a girl’s soccer fan is when they do really well. Taking pride in that for myself, because they’re from my school. They’re my friends. I know them. So we’re building a community.”
Junior Callie Arthur also notices the pride and comradery of high school sports. She loves playing on the varsity softball team and expressed how they are very supportive and treat each other like family, which she noticed while watching the girl’s volleyball team.
“They bring the energy all the time and always have high hopes, which I think is a great message for sports in general.”
Former teammates describe Arthur as “energetic, passionate, intense – in a good way, and zealous.” She is often the heart of the student section at Hopkinton games.
Similarly, sophomore Ada Monopoli believes that having strong connections with teammates and a safe space for everyone to enjoy their sport is the most important trait of any good team.
Monopoli loves to watch the varsity girls volleyball team. She played for the JV team this past fall and admires the offense of the girls on varsity.
“They have Evie Woodbury, which means they have really good blocks at the net. And they have amazing swings. I think offensively they’re a really strong team.”
Sophomore Matt Lydon goes to school games and takes photos for the team. Lydon played for the JV baseball team last year and plans on trying out again this year. His favorite sport to watch is baseball and he often photographs the varsity team.
“My favorite part about going to a high school sports game is hanging out with friends and cheering on the school in the student section” Lyndon says.
Another reason Paharik enjoys watching the girls soccer games is because they are so close to the field and the players. On top of that, she enjoys cheering.
“They’re really good, and also it’s very easy to chirp. Obviously, like sportsmanlike chirping. We’re usually right there. They get really close to us, and I feel like the girls on our team can hear our voices too, really well.”
Paharik explains how her presence at these games is her way of paying it forward to her classmates and friends.
“Being an athlete at the school, I want people to come to my games. So it’s only fair if I go to their games.”
Sports fans remember specific games that gave them a passion for the sport. For Arthur, it was when she witnessed the 2022 state volleball championship final where Kate Powers used her dangerously strong spike to win for the Hillers.
Similarly, Monopoli explained what made her fall in love with the volleyball team was when current sophomore and Addy Walls scored the game winning kill against Bellingham.
“That was pretty hype,” Monopoli said.
Lastly, Lydon’s moment was when senior Nick Pedroli hit a homerun to win the TVL tournament for the Hillers.
