With the change of season comes the change of sports. This year, Londonderry’s winter athletics are ready to take their leagues on.
Boys Basketball
This year’s boys’ basketball season will be a challenge, as there are many strong teams in their division, but players like juniors Mason Paquette and Jameson Seaman are prepared for the season and are ready to win some games with playoff hopes in mind.
For Seaman, he expects that his play will help the team win and bring more intensity to the team.
“My [goal] as a player is just to help our team win in any way that I can and our [goals] as a team are to turn our culture around,” Seaman said. “Bringing energy to every practice and game will help us to be the best team we can be.”
Seaman feels that the team has taken their preseason more seriously in hopes of changing the result from last season.
“We’ve been practicing hard and getting used to playing with each other,” Seman said, “Last year didn’t go how we wanted it to and we are working hard to change that this year and shift the energy.”
Currently, Seaman is getting ready for the first game of the season.
“Right now I’m focused on our season opener against Exeter and then after that just looking forward to whoever we play next,” Seaman said.
As for Paquette, he is looking to solidify as a premier playmaker in the state.
“My expectations as a player is to be a playmaker for my teammates and someone they can look for when they need a basketball,” Paquette said.
Paquette is hoping that a strong start to the season will be able to propel them to the playoffs.
“My expectation for the team is to make it deep into the playoffs by building momentum from the regular season,” Paquette said.
Paquette trusts the process of the offseason and feels he is “more prepared” because of it.
“We have had open gyms which contained a lot of conditioning as well as drills which helped to improve our skills during the offseason,” Paquette said.
Girls Basketball
Similarly, for Girls’ basketball, they are looking to add some hardware this year. Junior Kate Sloper believes her team is ready to go and hopes to add some leadership along the way.
“Our [goals] for the team are to come out on top,” Sloper said, “We have some serious talent this year and I think our goal is to make it to the championship. There is no reason why we shouldn’t be in the final four. As a player, I think my expectation is to provide leadership for the team as best as I can. making sure everyone is focused and working their hardest.”
Sloper believes the team has good chemistry and has been prepared since the beginning of their offseason.
“We have prepared for this season. We’re a close-knit group of girls and we’ve been preparing since last year,” Sloper said. “We play summer and fall league together with open gyms.”
Sloper is looking forward to the growing rivalry between Bedford and hopes that this game will be able to put the league on notice.
“I’m looking forward to our game vs Bedford,” Sloper said. “It’s a tough match up but it’ll be the most fun to watch and play. They’re our biggest competition so it should be a good one.”
Hockey
Along with Basketball, the hockey team is ready to make a push for the championship with some big names coming back for one last ride such as Owen Carey and Matt Boyon, and junior Owen Casimiro.
For Casimiro, he expects this team to be among the best.
“My expectations as a player and as a team are to win the championship this year,” Casimiro said. “We have a very talented team and I believe this is the year to win it.”
Casimiro feels that the work they put in during the summer will correlate to the season.
“During the summer our team had a summer league high school team that we all played on,” Casimiro said. “Over the fall we all played for various travel teams to prepare for the high school season.”
Casimiro is looking forward to the crowds that will come out for each of the games this season.
“I’m looking forward to the white-out game this year because there are gonna be a lot of people and it’s going to be fun,” Casimiro said.
Wrestling
While most sports get their flowers for popularity within our school, one that doesn’t is wrestling. Last year, Londonderry had 2 state champions senior Patrick O’Connor and junior David Pento.
Pento is planning to mark himself as a top wrestler in not just the state, but the region. He hopes staying undefeated will be able to help him do this.
“I like to hold myself to a very high standard,” Pento said. “I plan on going undefeated for my junior season and I hope our team can strive to take the state championship home.”
Pento’s preparation has helped him and his team get to where they want to be.
“We have prepared by putting in off-season lifts, runs, wrestling, and working on our diet,” Pento said.
Pento is looking forward to his tougher competitions this year, hoping to solidify himself as one of the best.
“I’m looking forward to the New England championship tournament which will be one of my tougher tournaments,” Pento said. “That’s the reason I like the tournament. It holds me accountable and keeps my goals straight.”
The swim team is also hoping to put their name on the map, and junior Braedon Raduazzo is hoping to influence their goal positively.
‘‘As a player, I’m hoping to work hard and encourage those around me in and out of the pool,” Raduazzo said.
Raduazzo has been working hard for the season ahead.
“We’ve worked hard on our techniques and different strokes and pushed ourselves,” Raduazzo said. “We’ve been learning from each other and our freshmen coming in have been great since the beginning”
Raduazzo is looking forward to the more fast-paced events this year, and is ecstatic to get the year started.
“Personally, I’m looking forward to the sprinting events like 50 meter and hundred meter free,” Raduazzo said, “But recently I have been working on my breaststroke and might be trying that soon. Either way, I’m excited for the season and curious to see how it goes”
Winter Track
Another young team, winter track, takes to the field this weekend in their first event, and junior Jon Inglese is hoping to start hot.
“We are a young team that has a lot of potential but I expect us to be bringing our best early on and to only improve as the season goes on,” Inglese said.
Inglese and the rest of the team have been working hard this offseason, and are ready to turn their work into results.
“Our team has prepared for this season by putting in work and attending practices after school every day,” Inglese said, “A lot of us do other sports outside of indoor track as well which also helps us get ready for the season ahead of us.”
Inglese is ready to go and is excited for the season ahead.
“I’m looking forward to every meet this season, but I am most excited about the wildcat relays.” Inglese said, “I also hope to make the division one final meet.”
