As the school year comes to a close, it will not be long before the fall sports teams begin Sanford POWER and their regular practices in August. The 2015 fall sports saw some success but as the 2016 season quickly approaches, all of the teams have high aspirations.

Football: After going into the season with high expectations and not seeing the exact results as hoped, it is to no surprise that the football team will be working extra hard this summer and throughout the season. The team’s time in the weight room will be a huge way for them to better themselves as it will make them faster and stronger. Team camp held in the summer is also important for getting a head start on learning plays and schemes.The football team will return half or more of their starters and their leadership will be a key role .

“Our team’s biggest goal is to win a state championship of course,” said Ben Schilling. “But also win not only every play, but every down.”

Volleyball: The volleyball team has spent the past few years rebuilding and it is time for them to see the results that they have been working hard for. The team only lost one starter and will have five seniors, three who have started varsity since their sophomore year. With the rule change, open gym will be more structured and will allow the team to train harder.

“The team’s biggest goal is to make it to the state tournament,” said Anezka Szabo. “And prove that we deserve to be there.”

Softball: Coming off of a season that didn’t see the exact results the girls hoped for, the athletes are ready to make some changes to see more success. They have eight of their nine starters returning and will work more on playing together and having a strong defense.

“Our goal is always to play the best we can every game,” said Baylie Embry. “If everyone is playing their best then we have a better chance at winning the most possible games.”

Girls Soccer: Last year was a winning season but didn’t end the way the girls hoped. There are seven returning seniors, with four of them returning as starters. Like most teams they will be training with POWER four days a week. They will be holding captain’s practices in order to create more team chemistry as well as work on individual skills.

“As always, our team’s biggest goal is to win the state championship because we fell short of that last season,” said Megan Landon. “This is the last year for a lot of girls to play high school soccer, so we want to go out with a bang.”

Boys Soccer: Losing 12 seniors is no easy feat to overcome. Yet, the team has already started training and putting in extra work in order to make up for the loss of seniors. The focus of the season will be to get ready for playoffs and to be playing their best when that time comes.

“Our biggest goal will be playing as a team,” said Blake Hustrulid. “We might not have the individual talent that other teams might have but that has never been what Lincoln soccer is about. Lincoln soccer is about playing as a team. Count on seeing us in the state championship.”

Girls Cross Country: This past season couldn’t have ended any better. For the first time in Lincoln history, the Girls Cross Country team took home the state title. They will return seven of their eight state qualifiers, two will be seniors. Their training program will consist of working on the little things such as abs, nutrition and sleep along with their usual training program.

“Our biggest goal is probably Nike Nationals,” said Katie Patrick.

Boys Cross Country: After a runner-up season the boys team is ready for revenge. They will have two returning seniors, both ran at State last year and Gabe Peters was the individual champion. This summer and throughout the season the boys will work on putting in more mileage.

“The team’s biggest goal is to get to Nike Nationals,” said Peters.

Girls Tennis: The team will have only two seniors this year and after coming off of a fourth place finish at State the girls are working to be more prepared for this season. Their off season training has already begun as the work to see improvement in their skills.

“Our biggest goal is to take the State Tournament,” said Meredith Benson.

Boys Golf: After a runner-up finish at State the four returning seniors, three from the varsity team, and the rest of the team are striving to become champions. As far as training goes they hope to work more on all aspects of the game and not just focusing on one part.

“This year we will hope to instead practice on our short game rather than only spend time hitting the long ball,” said George Mickelson. “Our biggest goal is to take home the championship.”