In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, sports are continuing with rule changes in an attempt to keep everyone safe. Seniors reflect on past seasons and look forward to their final season, despite unprecedented circumstances. 

What are you most looking forward to in this upcoming season?

Senior captain (golf), Colby Beaman: “I think going to state; that’s the primary goal, [and] maybe winning a couple tournaments along the way. I think we’re going to have a scary good team this year. Some guys are going to step up and some guys are going to fall behind, but no matter what we’re going to have a good team.”

Senior captain (cross country), Keaton Morrison: “Definitely just being able to compete because we had track season cut short and [I want to] have time to tell college coaches [about my times] because it’s my last season. I’m looking to continue at the next level, so I need something to be recruited off of. Also, it’s the last season with my girls.”

Senior quarterback (football), Weston Conaway: “I would say playing with the guys I’ve been growing up with for the past four to six years. Playing with them, all on the same team, is a really good feeling. Nothing is better than playing with your best friends.”

How important is this season to you?

Conaway: “I would say that this is very important to me because I want to further my football career and play at the collegiate level. Having a good season will help me accomplish that goal.”

Senior point guard (basketball), David Deal: “I’d say it’s important because last year we didn’t have that good of a season and because this is my last year I want to end on a good note. Especially now that a majority of my teammates are seniors and we’ve known each other for a long time, we just want to make this year a good year.”

What will be the most challenging thing for the team this season?

Beaman: “Keeping a good mental game; that’s something that we’ve struggled with, or at least I’ve struggled, with for all three years of my high school golf career, and I think this year we are going to really strive to work on that.”

Conaway: “The most challenging thing would be having a young team. We have a lot of new starters that we didn’t have last year. The chemistry and not having a lot of experience will be the most challenging this year.”

Morrison: “I think the biggest challenge will be just everyone staying healthy because we have about 100 kids on our cross country team. That’s just a lot of interaction every day for me, and if one person gets [COVID-19], then it goes to the entire team and we’re out for a couple of weeks. That puts us back in training that puts us back in competition.”

How have things changed due to the pandemic?

Senior midfielder (soccer), Ava Meyer: “We have to wear masks and we can’t be next to the same person for longer than 15 minutes, so in the weight room we can’t be with the same partners and we have to always be rotating, and then obviously the masks while we’re running sucks.”

Deal: “It’s changed a lot now. We’re grouped up and have to wear our masks during practice. While we’re not doing drills, we have to be socially distanced on the sidelines. In the weight room we have to be in two different groups, and on top of that, we have to pair up and still be socially distanced, so it’s very different.”

How have you continued to practice and get better with everything being shut down such as gyms being closed, practices getting canceled, etc.?

Conaway: “When quarantine was really bad and gyms got closed and whatnot, I still had my own personal quarterback trainer. My dad, my brother and I tried building a gym in my garage. We found weights on Craigslist and built a little gym, so that’s how I got my lifting in and working out in.”

Morrison: “Coach [Chris] Capeau has been really good about sending runs and being in touch with us about what to do.Whenever we can be together, we try and run, but it’s also just a lot of self dedication to just get out and get your training in.”

Deal: “I have a [basketball] goal outside, and especially when I’m bored in the house, I’ll just go outside and shoot or workout to pass the time. Some of my other teammates will hit each other up and go to an outside court or go workout.”

What do you think will be the most important thing in order to be successful this year?

Meyer: “Always giving 110%.”

Beaman: “Keeping ourselves in the now. A big thing in golf is the mental game, and like I said earlier, we have a pretty weak mental game and I think if we keep in the now and not focus too much on the past, then we can set ourselves up for success in the future.”

Deal: “I think just making sure we gel as a team and having confidence in ourselves. I feel like we’re good when we play like it, and when we have confidence, we are one of the best teams. Definitely just having that confidence and just gelling even more to make sure we have a good season.”

What has been your favorite part about competing over the last three years?

Conaway: “The relationships I’ve built with a lot of other guys not only in my grade, but the grades above me and past people who have played football for Hebron and all the things I’ve learned from them.”

Deal: “Playing with my friends, [and] certain teammates you can definitely hangout with off the court. Just having that friendship on and off the court makes basketball much more fun.”

Beaman: “All the team bonding; you can’t even make up some of the stories that I have. I really enjoy all the camaraderie of the game, all the teammates and friends that I’m going to have for later years in life past college and even my 20s and 30s. Those are all going to be good friends of mine.”

Meyer: “All of the friends I’ve made in soccer over the years. I made a lot of connections through it and I’m very grateful for that.”

Morrison: “Definitely the team and the support system. I don’t know what my high school career would’ve been like without my team. I made some of my best friends and some of my best memories on the track. We’ve been through the best and the worst together.”