Across the country, many schools made the decision to participate in fall sports this year and loosen their guidelines and rules about COVID-19. Last year, Wayland, and many other towns, didn’t get the opportunity to play sports against other schools for most fall sports because it was deemed unsafe. This year, all sports were almost completely back to normal which led to a great season. This is a short rundown of each team’s season.

Soccer

All boys and girls soccer teams had exceptional seasons. Boys varsity soccer made it to playoffs, but they ended up losing to Masconomet 2-3 in the second round. They finished the season with a record of 10 wins, three losses and five ties. Girls soccer didn’t make it to playoffs, and their season ended with a win against Waltham. Their record for the season was six wins, one tie and 11 losses.

“I love Wayland girls soccer with all my heart, and even though we didn’t have the best record, we made the best team,” junior captain Samantha Tyska said.

Football

The football team had a lot of support this past season with fans excited to finally be able to watch. Throughout the season, the freshman team remained undefeated, finishing with a record of 10 wins and zero losses. Varsity proved they would always play their hardest, ending their season with five wins and six losses.

“I feel like the season went much better than our record showed,” senior captain Luciano Sebastianelli said. “Every one of our losses was by a one-score differential, and many of our best players were plagued by injuries. If we had been fully healthy the whole season, I think we could have done much better.”

Field Hockey

This year, the varsity field hockey team carried on Wayland’s short tradition of including boys on the team.

“Everyone was excited to continue through tournaments and face new teams we had never seen before,” senior captain Sofia Barris said.

Their season was cut off two games into playoffs by a loss against Dover-Sherborn, but it was a successful season nonetheless. The team ended with a record of six wins, one tie, and nine losses.

“Everyone on the team was great, and we all worked well together,” Barris said. “I am happy to end my field hockey career on a positive note.”

Volleyball

Varsity volleyball had an exciting season, ending with six wins and 14 losses. They made it to playoffs and ended their season against Groton-Dunstable.

“I think that all the teams were a lot closer than they have been in the past, and the overall spirit with our psychs before games made the season more fun,” senior captain Marie Popov said. “Speaking personally, I had an amazing senior year and am so proud to have been the varsity captain for the past two years. I will miss the volleyball program a lot next year.”

Crew

The Wayland-Weston crew team has dominated the water this season. All girls boats placed in every event this season. They came in first in state championships, winning gold and silver at every regatta, and they re-qualified for Head of the Charles. On top of that, the novice girls won all of their regattas.

“We improved on and off the water, and we had tons of fun as a team,” senior Lily Noyes said.

Golf

The golf team was thrilled to get back on the course this year.

“I’d say as a team we had the most fun when we went out to eat at a fast food restaurant after a match and talked about school,” freshman Spencer Kates said. “It was a great experience.”

In the end, varsity ended its season with two wins and eight losses.

Cheerleading

This year, Wayland cheer was unable to participate in many competitions, but they had a great season nevertheless. They had spirited practices and were able to cheer at Wayland football games.

“I’m so proud of the whole team for getting better in such a short amount of time because our season started later than most cheer teams,” junior captain Amartya Nagesha said.

Cross Country

The boys and girls cross-country teams put their all in this past season. The girls team ended the season with four wins and two losses while the boys team ended with one win, one tie and four losses. The boys varsity team competed in the Division 2b race where the top seven teams went to Division Two States, but they came in eighth place. Freshmen Owen Williams and Luke Chisum both individually made Division Two States as wildcard individuals. Williams and Chisum will be the first runners from Wayland to qualify for wildcard individuals since 2016.

“Honestly my favorite part of the season was the first race,” Williams said. “We lost, but competing for the first time was very cool, and it was a complete success of the season.”