When you think of high school sports, it’s likely that football is the first one that comes to mind. Or maybe it’s soccer, basketball, or even lacrosse. But I can almost guarantee that ski racing, golf, and bowling weren’t the sports that you would think of first. 

There’s no doubt that Wayne Valley has many talented sports teams, whether it comes to the football team, which did exceptionally this past season (including their win at the prestigious game at MetLife Stadium and their Big North Group IV Championship), or the Girls Volleyball and Girls Field Hockey teams, who both won counties. Both the Boys and Girls Soccer Teams also had great seasons of their own. 

However, some teams go unnoticed, their victories are not celebrated as greatly. This lack of recognition is often because some teams are smaller and less popular than others, and don’t have as great of a budget. For these reasons, some of Wayne Valley’s most talented teams don’t get the recognition they deserve.  Here are some highlights for those under-recognized teams:

The Dance Team is commonly recognized for its wonderful halftime performances at the Boys Varsity Basketball games. However, their accomplishments off the court go unnoticed. The team had a very successful season and made it to the DTU National Competition. They placed in the top ten in both their 2019 and 2020 seasons.

The Gymnastics Team at Wayne Valley is another one of the small yet very successful teams at our school. The majority of their roster consists of upperclassmen. Despite this, they had a strong season, with a 6-5 record this year.  

Marching Band does a lot more than just perform at halftime during football games. They compete and do extremely well, just like any other sport would. Previously, they were in the group of US BANDS, but switched to the group called Bands of America when looking for a more competitive environment. Marching Band members put in the time just like any other team does including Saturday practices that last for almost thirteen hours. They are very competitive and do extremely well in all of their competitions. 

The Cross County Teams, both boys and girls, are very small in numbers. The boys’ team, in particular, gained a lot of freshmen this past 2019 season and their future looks promising for the years ahead. The girls’ team is one of the smallest at Wayne Valley. After losing a few strong seniors this year, the roster contains only seven girls. In past years, the girls’ team had a lot of success, winning the Conference Championship in their 2018 season.

The success of the Girls and Boys Bowling Teams may be less publicized at Wayne Valley but these teams win multiple titles every year. However, their hard work pays off with strong seasons in the past and the hope for more in the future.

The Ski Racing Team is another team on the smaller side at Valley. With only 13 members, seven boys and six girls, they barely qualify to fulfill a varsity roster. Wayne Valley’s Ski Racing Team has had many successful seasons as they made it to the State Championships almost every year. The girls’ team came in first place at States in the 2018 season and placed third during the 2019 season. 

The combined Valley-Hills Ice Hockey Team, the Wayne Knights, had an exceptional season. Even though only six Wayne Valley athletes were on varsity, the team looks to improve with a lot of strong underclassmen. 

The Competition Cheer team had yet another successful season. Receiving the title of Cheerleading State Champions for the fourth year in a row, along with the state championship in three different categories; Group III Varsity Cheer Dance, Coed Cheer Dance Varsity, and Coed All Music Varsity, the team doesn’t cease to impress.

The Boys Wrestling Team had another strong season, as they placed second in the district and had seven wrestlers who advanced to the regional competitions.

The Golf Teams are among Wayne Valley’s less recognized teams. Being some of the smaller teams at Valley, both the Girls and Boys Golf Teams are not commonly known at Valley. The Girls team had a strong season last year, with an honorable mention at the Big North Tournament, many personal bests, and record for the lowest team score of 206. This year they are only a third-year team and they look forward to many more achievements. The Boys team also did exceptionally well last year, with a 16-4 record and a win in the Passaic County Tournament. 

All of Wayne Valley’s sports teams work very hard. In fact, some even train in the off-seasons. Whether it is extra lifting in the gym or captain’s practices in the preseason, all of Wayne Valley’s many teams work exceptionally hard and put a lot of time and effort into their sport. It’s time that all the hard work gets noticed, no matter how small the team or how popular the sport.