Falcon athletes have finished what has been one of the strangest fall sports seasons the school has ever seen. The seasons were shortened, the stands were mostly empty, and the players were all in masks, yet that didn’t stop Rochester athletes from pushing through to have their seasons.

Despite the circumstances the football team completed their most successful season since 1993. The team finished the regular season 6-0 and were atop the OAA blue conference. The Falcons came up short in the playoffs, as they fell to their crosstown rival, Adams High School, by a score of 39-7. The season however was still one to remember for the team. Their dominant regular season performance earned nine Falcon players a spot on the all-league team, along with a league coach of the year award for head coach Erik Vernon.

“I am proud of this team for going undefeated in the regular season,” Senior wide receiver Bobby Kronner said. “A high point from this season was winning the league title against Berkley, it was awesome.”

The boys soccer season was met with ups and downs this year, as the team finished with a 7-6-1 record, and placed fifth in their league. The Falcons started off the season with a three game win streak, which included a win over rival, Adams High School. The team then lost to Oxford, however they bounced back with a win over 2019 state champions, Troy Athens High School. The team went on another three game win streak midseason, however they finished out the season with three straight losses, including a crushing double overtime loss to rival Stoney Creek. Though the season didn’t finish the way the Falcons wanted it to, the players worked hard to stay competitive all season.

“I’m just really lucky to have such a great group of kids given the circumstances of this year with all of the restrictions,” head soccer coach Chris Putgatori said. “These kids work so hard and deserve so much.”

The boys and girls cross country teams both had good seasons. The boys team finished 20th out of 33 in Oakland county. Along with this, the boys qualified as a team for the regional meet, where they finished seventh. The boys team was led by senior Evan Weglarz, who ran a time of 16:54 at regionals, and finished 21st individually. The girls team narrowly missed out on a trip to regionals; however, sophomores Lauren Wroza and Chloe Nixon qualified individually. Nixon had an incredible season for the Falcons, running a season best of 19:10, and placing first in five races.

The girls volleyball team struggled this year, as they finished the regular season with a record of 4-19, which placed them fifth in the OAA white league. The Falcons lost in the first round of the playoffs to Adams High School. Despite this, the season still had high points, including a senior night win over Royal Oak. Seniors Megan Lorenzo and Molly Rogers were both named to the all regional team. Along with this, all six seniors earned all-state academic honors, and every player earned all-league academic honors. This qualifies the team as a whole for academic all-state, and academic all-American honors for the third consecutive year.

“I am very proud of this team. First off because of the way they handled all the obstacles thrown their way this season,” head volleyball coach Kirk Gibbs said. “They adapted and worked and made good things happen the entire season. I’m proud of the way they supported each other during this time. Maybe most important is that they not only made this all work, but they did it and kept up academically as well.”

Expectations were high for a boys tennis team that ended last year’s season with a trip to the state finals. This year’s team had young leadership, as the Falcons had no seniors on the team. Four Falcons were named to the all league team, and head coach Jerry Murphy was given the regional coach of the year award. Along with this freshman, Clayton Anderson, competed in the state finals singles tournament, and was named to the all-state team.

The girls golf team has a history of success at Rochester, this year was no different, as the team finished second in the OAA white league. The girls played well all season, and finished seventh at the regional tournament. The team was led this year by Junior Reagan Engel, and Senior Hannah Bennett, who both tied for 16th place at the regional tournament, and were both named to the all league team. 

“I am most proud that we ended second in our league, and that every player improved their averages from last year,” Bennett said.

Girls swim and dive also saw success this season, as they finished second in this year’s league meet. Junior Grace Agius, and senior Jessica Hrynkiw were named to the all league team. Additionally senior divers, Abbey Vecasey and Elise Vecasey, placed second and fifth in the league individually, and both qualified for the state championship meet.

With another fall season done, Rochester athletes look ahead to the winter season which is set to begin soon.