Most freshmen athletes spend their first year or two of high school sports competing on junior varsity, waiting for their chance to shine on the varsity team. But this fall, several Golden Eagle ninth-graders have skipped the waiting game and are already making their mark on varsity rosters across multiple sports.

Some of these rising stars include freshman Cassie Behrer for tennis, Jocelyn Ciampoli for volleyball, Brenson Davis and Ella Savino for cross country, Reid Starr, Colton Walk, and Colton Wilson for football, and Blake Sweitzer from the golf team. 

Tennis 

Playing at the varsity level comes with intense pressure, high demands, and added strain, especially for freshmen, who often feel even more pressure than the upperclassmen.

This has been the case for freshman tennis player Cassie Behrer.  

“When I’m playing varsity, I feel pressure from my teammates and coach to be my best,” said Behrer, who has earned a starting role on the tennis team despite being just a freshman. 

Senior Nicole Ramsey is one of Behrer’s teammates and has liked what she has seen from the freshman phenom so far. 

“Being in the top seven as a freshman isn’t very common, so the fact that she has been able to do that is very impressive,” Ramsey said.

Volleyball

Upperclassmen who were once role models for these young athletes are now teammates, which can be both fun and challenging. 

Jocelyn Ciampoli, a freshman volleyball player, said that she enjoys playing alongside senior teammate Rylan Crowell, someone she has been watching play varsity from the stands for the past few years.

Crowell just recorded her 500th kill early this season, and for Ciampoli, it was very rewarding to play a small part in helping Crowell reach this milestone. 

“I’m very proud of Rylan. I know how hard she works at practice, so it is very exciting to see her accomplish her goals on the court,” Ciampoli said. 

Crowell is impressed by Ciampoli’s talent and maturity. 

“Jocelyn started the season really shy, but she’s been opening up more. She’s really settled in and learned her role, which is really exciting to see,” Crowell said.  

Ciampoli’s other freshman teammates are also happy to see one of their own classmates making an impact on the varsity level.

“I’ve played with Jocey for so many years, and I can definitely say she deserves a spot on the varsity team,” freshman Maura Gehlman said.

Soccer

For the boys’ soccer team, backup goaltender Jaryn Wilson started the season opener and gave up just one goal in his first varsity game, which Tyrone won 2-1. 

Wilson subbed for starting senior goaltender Devon Nardelli, who was injured for the season opener. 

“I was excited and nervous, but once the game started, I felt like I was ready,” Wilson said. 

Wilson is the only freshman to get a start so far this season for either the boys or girls soccer teams, and he made the most of his opportunity. 

Cross Country

Meanwhile, on the cross-country team, freshmen like Brenson Davis are working hard and setting outstanding personal records. 

Davis set a personal record of 19.03 at the Big Valley Invitational cross-country race. He placed eighth out of all the freshmen at the event.

Older cross-country teammates are also very excited about Davis’s upbringing.

“Brenson is already as fast, if not faster than me, and he’s only a freshman. I am confident that if he keeps working hard, he could break the school record,” said senior Nate Erickson.

For the girls, freshman Ella Savino has already established herself, leading the Lady Eagles at the prestigious Big Valley Invitational and, more recently, at the Altoona Invitational with a 41st-place time of 23:23.

Golf

On the golf team, freshman Blake Sweitzer has joined his older brother, Kaleb, on the Golden Eagles starting golf roster. 

“If I’m being honest, it’s pretty cool to play with my brother. He has helped me a lot,” freshman Blake Sweitzer said. 

Both of the Sweitzer brothers are excited to be playing with each other this season.

“It’s competitive, we both push each other to be better, but it’s been fun to finally be on the same team,” older brother Kaleb Sweitzer said. “I knew Blake was going to play well this year, but I didn’t know that he was going to play to the caliber that he is right now. He is playing at a very high level and even better than some of the upperclassmen.”

Football

One of the most difficult teams to make an impact as a freshman is the football team, but Head Coach John Franco said that three TAHS freshmen have been making varsity contributions this year: Reid Starr, Colton Walk, and Colton Wilson. 

All three are starters on special teams, and have contributed on offense and defense a few times late in the game after the outcome was already decided. 

“Reid has been a contributor on special teams and has even tallied a touchdown on offense. It’s not easy to do that as a freshman and to be able to hang with 17-18 year olds,” senior captain Owen Oakes said.

Brayden Parsons, a senior and a starter for the varsity team, has had his eye on these outstanding freshmen.

“Colton has been giving the offensive and defensive line a really good look ever since he got back from his injury,” said senior Parsons. “Colton is also a key piece on many of our special teams, which is a quiet, but important role for the team,” Parsons said.

These freshmen also have insights into how each other feels about playing varsity.

“Being a freshman playing varsity feels good. Being a younger player also adds to my excitement,” Wilson said.

Who will be the next freshman to step out into the spotlight?