By Theresa O’Connor

   There is no doubt that this middle school winter sports season looks different from past years. From new members to various skill levels, both coaches and players are shifting gears this season. 

   The winter sports teams began their practices on Nov. 8, and the teams have already had their first games. Recently, the middle school baseball team faced San Charter School on Dec. 1 and won 7-4, and had a cancelled game due to a rainout on Dec. 10. The softball team went up against North Phoenix Preparatory Academy and lost 9-14. The middle school girls’ soccer A team tied Lincoln Prep on Dec. 8. The B team won against 6-2 against Chandler Prep on Dec. 10. Lastly, the middle school boys’ soccer team lost 0-11 to Chandler Prep at their Dec. 9 game and had a rainout on their Dec. 11 game against Veritas Prep. 

MS Baseball

   This year’s middle school baseball team is led by Coach Tony Kerber, who has been coaching middle school baseball for six years. The team has 13 total members: three returning and 10 new players. Coach Kerber says that like many Tempe Prep middle school teams, there are a variety of skill levels, from players who have no experience to others who have been playing baseball for a long time. He says, “We’re going to be a very good defensive team, I can tell after three practices that it will be one of the strongest teams that I’ve coached from a defensive perspective.” Coach Kerber also hopes to integrate the values of hard work and teamwork into every practice. To prepare for its upcoming games, the team is working on hitting and bunting.

   The team is also ramping up on conditioning. “We’ll learn through conditioning how to be mentally tougher and how that translates into being physically stronger,” says Coach Kerber, “We’ll need to work together as a team to get through challenging practices and the hope is that when it comes time to play we’ll be ready to go.” With a strong defense, Coach Kerber is hoping to improve the team’s offense and strike-out ratio from last year. Their next game is Dec. 13 against Cicero Prep. 

The TPA baseball team is focusing on conditioning and mental toughness this season.

MS Softball 

The middle school softball team welcomes a new coach and several new players. Tempe Prep’s new seventh and eighth-grade Latin teacher Mr. Savage is coaching this year’s team. He coached a softball team for middle school 10 years ago when he lived in California. Coach Savage will be working with Mr. Lambros to oversee the athletes. The team has 15 players on the roster. From the first few practices, Coach Savage sees what skills the members need to develop throughout the season. He says, “The players are hitting and catching well, and many are naturally athletic, but we are inexperienced. Because of this, I’d like to teach the girls to focus, even when the ball is in another part of the field so we can work together as a team.” Their next game is Dec. 16 at Daley Park against North Pointe Prep. 

MS Girls’ Soccer 

The middle school girls’ soccer team has a huge turnout of players this year. With 24 total players, middle school girls’ soccer will be divided into A and B teams. Coach Macdonald says that these numbers are unmatched from previous years where the team had about 14 players. Coach Mac has been coaching ever since his daughter, Felicity, played for the YMCA program. He says, in his British accent, “The other parents said, ‘You have the accent so you must know what you are doing.’” Coach Mac has coached middle school and high school girls’ soccer for a combined six years. This year will be his and Felicity’s third year coaching the team together. With such a large number of players, there is a diversity of skill levels. Coach Mac says, “You always get some who have been playing since they fell out of the cradle while others are wondering what that round thing is. All of them are prepared to put in so much effort to improve.” Throughout the season, he hopes to build stamina, develop ball skills, and improve positional awareness on the field. Coach Mac also hopes to teach his players core values that he holds to. “Effort brings reward; players are not just players,” he says, “they belong to something bigger – a team [it’s their in-school family]; finally, ‘play hard but play fair.’ ” The A team’s next game is Dec. 16 against Chandler Prep at the Tempe Sports Complex. The B team will be facing North Phoenix Preparatory Academy on Dec. 17. 

MS Boys’ Soccer 

The middle school boys’ soccer team has also welcomed many players to its roster. Last year, due to the pandemic, the team had only 12 players. This year, the team has 21 players. Coach Joe Cady says that because many of the players are sixth and seventh graders, there is a lot of young talent and opportunity to grow for future seasons. Coach Cady has been coaching middle school boys’ soccer for four years. Previously, he coached the middle school girls’ soccer team for two years. Coach Cady incorporates several expectations into practices: maintaining hard work, upholding individual respect and integrity, creating a basis for teamwork, and most importantly, taking every experience as a learning opportunity. He says, “I certainly want us to win and be competitive, but even more than that, I want each athlete to get better this year, and for the team performance to grow from week to week. I want them to pursue excellence for themselves and for the team, both in terms of their athletic performance and in their behavior on and off the field.” Coach Cady is teaching basic soccer skills and striving to make sure each athlete, regardless of skill level, improves. During practices to prepare for their games, the athletes are working towards their goals. Coach Cady says, “We are working on conditioning (my “motto” is ‘we won’t ever lose a game because we got too tired”), as well as the precision of our passing and field awareness. I am hopeful for the team and the great potential the players have.” The team’s next game is Dec. 16 against Lincoln Prep at the Tempe Sports Complex.