Now that the stress of tryouts is a thing of the past, spring sports teams are preparing to conquer the Patriot District by scrimmaging teams outside of the district. Scrimmages are a great way for coaches to evaluate players and create a starting line up. They also help coaches get an idea of how the season will go and the team’s strengths and weaknesses. In addition, new players can get a feel for the game without being in a high pressure situation.

Baseball started with a scrimmage against Marshall on March 5. The junior varsity team lost by one run, while varsity earned a 5-0 victory. The baseball team, unlike other teams, has been able to compete in two scrimmages despite the bad weather. Their second scrimmage was against George Mason High School and varsity lost 8-1 but junior varsity won 6-2.

“I like scrimmages because they do not count as an actual game during the season and they show what mistakes you need to fix for future games during the regular season,” sophomore Jonathan Pratt said.

Softball had a great first scrimmage against Yorktown with the varsity team winning 15-3. “For the first game, we really worked as a team,” said freshman Joceyln Hotter.

Girls soccer will only play one scrimmage before their season due to a rain cancellation. They played Wakefield on March 9 and both the JV and varsity teams were victorious. Varsity won 10-0 and junior varsity was close behind with a 9-0 win. “I really like having scrimmages before our games because it lets the players get used to playing with each other and helps us practice for our games that count,” freshman Gaby Camilli said. Although this was a great win for both teams, Wakefield is not on the same level as the majority of the teams in the Patriot District.

“Scrimmages are a great way to see where you are before the season starts,” sophomore tennis player Jenny Ha said.

Scrimmages are very beneficial to teams getting prepared for the season. However, regular season for the majority of teams starts on the March 14 so make sure you come and support your school!