With preseason soon concluding for most of the Bomber sports teams, many coaches, players, and dedicated fans have predictions for how they think their team’s season will go. As the fall typically brings many wins, district championships, and state titles for the Burroughs community, excitement can be felt from the boys’ soccer team on Beckman, to the field hockey players on their home turf. Now, here’s a look at some fall sports teams that are working towards success.

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Football: The Burroughs football team fell to their opponent in the first round of playoffs last season. The team will start this season by replacing starters Derrick Miller (‘19), Isaac Bledsoe (‘19), and Caleb Hughes (‘19). However, the program has the benefit of returning players prepared to heighten their level of play, including Chris Pittman (‘21), Malachi Chunn (21’), Carlos Hillman (‘20) and others. Pittman said, “We’re all pretty excited for the season. We have the potential to do some great things. We are pretty young, but we have big expectations for the young guys and know that they will step up to the occasion. Everyone stay tuned for game one.”  The football team opens their season on August 31 against Soldan High School.

Soccer: The boys’ soccer team will enter the season as defending state champions. Last year, the team defeated St. Charles West 3-0 to secure a state championship title following an incredible season. Not only did they win state, but they managed to obtain permission for most of the student body to leave school on a Friday afternoon to watch them defeat Monet in the state semifinals. Despite their recent success, they will be losing a number of key seniors such as John Nash (‘19), Collin Bradley (‘19), Andrew Keeney (‘19), and Matt O’Brien (‘19). However, the Bombers are not short on returning talent with John Cordia (‘22), John Gates (‘21), Jackson Miller (‘20) and many more. Although losing so many seniors will be a challenge, the boys are more than capable of repeating a season in the same victorious manner as last year. The soccer team will kick off their season on August 30 when they participate in a metro league tournament.

Field Hockey: The girls’ field hockey team lost to Cor Jesu in the quarterfinals of last year’s playoffs. Although this was not the outcome they were looking for, the Bombers have an extremely talented group of returning players and are only left with a few starting spots to fill.  However, losing captains and standout players Carolyn Herbosa (‘19) and Almira Arnold (‘19) is going to be a challenge that cannot be overlooked. The girls are fired up for the season and can be heard referring to it as “Their year.” Janie Shanahan (‘20), a standout defender for the Bombers, was asked for her thoughts on the upcoming season and said, “I have so much faith in this team, and we’ve been getting better and better every year.” The girls hope to continue their legacy as a top team in the area this year and know that hard work can get them there. They will begin their season on August 30 where they will play Nerinx in the Gateway Classic Tournament.

Tennis: The girls’ tennis team at Burroughs is flooded with returning talent. They had a successful season last year, to say the least. Not only were they metro league, district, and state champions, but they also had Gaby Thornton (‘20) and Sami Remis (‘20) earn 1st place in state doubles, while first-year student Emily Kantrovitz took 2nd place in state singles. The team also has a number of key returning players such as, Lily Walther (‘21), Ainsley Heidbreder (‘21), Stuti Sinha (‘21) and Nina Zhu (21’). When asked about the season, Thornton, a top player for the Bombers said, “I am really looking forward to spending time with the girls on the team! We all get along so well and I can’t wait to see what this season entails!” Having no shortage of talent in the program, the tennis team is looking towards another successful season. They will start their season on September 3 against Principia.

Volleyball: The girls’ volleyball team made it to the district semifinals last year. The Bombers look to build on their success. With solid returning players including Vanessa Polk (‘22) and Abby Philpott (‘21), their goals are attainable. However, the team lost almost their entire starting line of seniors such as, Bailey Hahn (‘19), Ella Schactman (‘19), Carry Smith (‘19), and Mia Meier (‘19). However, there are many promising players who are prepared to fill these gaps. The first game for will be on August 31 when they play in a tournament at Visitation.

XC: The cross country team had incredible success last year as the boys’ team were metro league champions, and Kylie Goldfarb (‘21) earned 1st place at districts and 2nd place at state. The boys’ team will be losing key seniors Sandeep Amarnath (‘19) and Greg Bishop (‘19). Both teams have a solid number of runners expected to generate success for the team, including Goldfarb, Brandon Miller (‘20), Akash Mallady (‘22), and Samuel Wang (‘21). The team kicks off their season with a meet against Principia on September 3.

Girls’ Golf: The girls’ golf team had a solid season last year, to say the least. They were metro league champions and took 1st place in districts, sectionals, and state. However, the team is losing Lucy Bloomstran (‘19), Ingrid Keane (‘19) and Margaux Ballet (‘19), all of whom were named all-district and more. Nevertheless, the Bombers are returning Claire Pan (‘20) and Ann Zhang (‘20), both of whom placed in state last year.

Boys’ Swimming: The boys’ swim team hopes to find the same success they did last year as they had several members attend and place at state events. Swimmers such as Michael Tu (‘21), Steven Busch (‘22), John Woodruff (‘20) and others hope to make a splash at state again this year. Another key member of the team is Elliott Barnes (‘22), a 1st team, all-state selection for diving. The Bombers will suffer the loss of Dylan Meyer (‘19) who placed at state last year.  They will kick off their season on September 4 against CBC.

Cheerleading: Cheerleading is finally getting the recognition it deserves as an official fall sport at Burroughs. They will be competing in their first competition this year, and they have high expectations. Although the cheerleaders will be getting to compete, they will still be at football games and pep rallies to get the crowd fired up and show us their moves!