This year in fall sports, all of our teams had winning seasons. They performed to achieve amazing accomplishments. In cross country, Connor Nisbet won the New Castle County Race. The volleyball team shut down Tower Hill in the regular season game and made it to the DIAA Tournament Quarterfinals. As of writing this article, the football team will most likely make the state tournament. Field Hockey reached the quarter-final round of the state tournament. The soccer team finished 15th in the state and had a winning season. In this article, you will find out what makes all of these teams work so well together and what their strongest traits are.

The volleyball team had a fantastic season and ended up with an outstanding 10-4 record. Senior captain Alyssa Nathan ’17 commented on the reason for success: “Our teamwork and mentality. It sounds cliché, but it truly was. Everyday whether it was a practice or a game, everyone came in ready to give their all and work their hardest. The hard work showed in the really tough games. Everyone on the team got along very well which made it easy to act as a united front. I think our biggest asset was our drive. We always wanted to win and work our hardest. We didn’t always win, but we never gave up.” Clearly, the team is very connected and has lots of passion towards the sport.

At the time this article is written, the football team has a 11-1 record and will compete in the State Championship Division Two final after beating Saint Georges 20-6. Senior and captain, Andrew Jaworski ’17 noted, “We definitely have everyone contributing to our team’s success. From the freshman up to the seniors, everyone has helped us get to where we are. The years of experience the starters have also helped us this year. To answer the second question, our line has helped us tremendously this year. That goes along with the experience that our team has. We have mostly returners on the line this year and they have helped us dominate both offensively and defensively.” The team is looking forward to the final game and are practicing hard to get the best results.

Cross Country had a very successful year where Connor Nisbet ’19, won every race he competed in, including the state and county race. Nisbet mentioned, “I think Andrew Slomski ’17 and I performed extremely well during the second half of the season because of how well we worked together in training and persevered to win.” This training showed in how well both runners performed throughout the season. Nisbet added, “Next year, I think we have a really strong chance of winning the state run as a team and be able to bring home a trophy for the school.” Hopefully, you will achieve your high hopes. Good luck, Connor!

The field hockey team also had a successful season ending in the state quarterfinal round with an impressive of 11-2-2. Captain and senior, Simone Veale ’17 stated, “The main factor that contributed to our success was the fact that we have raw talent. Everyone on our team is athletic and talented on their own, so when you combine that with all of the hours of hard work we put into practicing, the result was a solid team. Our strongest asset this year was our field sense. This was easily the smartest team I’ve played on in the sense that we made smart decisions and smart passes.” Passing is a key aspect in most sports, especially field hockey, and it was clear they excelled.

The soccer season ended with an 8-7 record, which means that this is the second year in a row they ended with a winning season. Captain Max Pickles ’18 shared, “This season, we had four or five starting freshmen. Their ability to move on and off the ball and their passing ability allowed the team to play real soccer. Next year, the freshman will be older, more experienced, and more skilled. It will be a very strong year, and we are making a big playoff push. Our strongest asset is probably our team chemistry. We all love each other on and off the field and that really helps our playing ability.” Inevitably, with such a young team that performs so well, the team will be even stronger next year.

All of the teams concurred that teamwork is what makes them win, whether it is on or off the field. Richard Kittle, the Wilmington Friends School Athletic Director, added, “One important aspect is the relationship of the players on the team and their willingness to work towards a common goal. Once you have unity within a group it makes them more coachable and easier to obtain success. Relationship between players is a strong start.” Looking ahead to the next sports season, in order to maintain the success in the coming winter season, we need to keep strong relationships between the players to ensure teamwork. Go Quakers!