Football and golf got their start over the weekend, and Monday morning the rest of the fall sports will get their chance.
With the sports of soccer, field hockey, volleyball and cross country all returning to the practice field throughout the day on Monday, the high school fall athletic season has officially begun in full.
As always, teams are not allowed to have more than 13 single practice sessions (“double sessions” count as two single practice sessions) up to and including the Friday before Labor Day (Sept. 3). Double practice sessions are not permitted on the first three days of fall practice.
As for the games, those will begin on Sept. 7.
With so many sports getting started on the same day, it’s a little difficult to put a finger on the sheer number of storylines to follow throughout the year.
Over in Lynnfield, Brent Ashley and the Pioneers volleyball team are getting back on the court after a dominant season in the spring that saw them win the Cape Ann League regular season title. A few seniors have since left the program, but star junior Ella Gizmunt will surely draw plenty of eyes over the course of this fall.
With the return of the “normal” fall sports season also comes the return of great preseason traditions in the area. The Northeastern Conference has a field hockey jamboree scheduled for Wednesday at Peabody High, while volleyball teams and soccer teams will return to holding scrimmages. In addition, season staples such as the Lynn City Soccer Tournament will also make their return after COVID-19 forced them to postpone last year.
Lynn Classical and Lynn English will play their first full schedules inside the Greater Boston League, while Masconomet will do the same inside the NEC. And let’s not forget, all of the fall sports will be getting their first state tournament since the 2019 season.
And it all gets started Monday, when teams across the North Shore will take the field and begin their quest for a state championship.
