“This has done wonders for me personally and I know the girls are psyched to have something close to normal that we can do,” said Bryant. “So I think it’s fantastic and the results will come.”

Windham’s fall teams began tryouts on Sept. 24 and started their seasons last week. Windham Athletic Director Mike McCaffrey said games that were canceled will not be rescheduled.

“It was pretty difficult with the delay but very important that we took care of things to make sure we got off on the right foot,” McCaffrey said during halftime last Tuesday. “I think my coaches all took it in stride. They did the best they could do to prepare the kids virtually while we were waiting to get going and we went through the weekend with practices. They were able to select teams and jump right into it.”

Frustration built, said Jaguars senior captain and center back Abby Husson, knowing other teams were training together while hers couldn’t. But Husson and her teammates practiced individually while seniors sent out drills and coordinated virtual team training sessions.

“I hosted a couple Zooms so we could kind of do a Zoom session and see each other’s faces because I think that was a big thing — to be able to see the team and work like that,” Husson said. “We watched some film. We did a lot of stuff like that. Just to be able to see each other is a huge thing.”

Whether it was during the uncertainty of the summer or the shutdown, Husson remained hopeful she would play her senior campaign.

“I always tried to look on the positive side and say, ‘I’m going to train for a season,’” Husson said. “And there was no not having a season. There was always, ‘We’re going to be there and we’re going to get back out on that field whenever it is. Even if it’s delayed, we’re going to get back out there at some point.’”

Bryant and Windham field hockey coach Katie Blair said their players were filled with excitement during the first practices but the quick turnaround to opening the season proved difficult.

The defending Division I champion Jaguars field hockey team began its season last Monday with a 1-0 victory over Manchester Central/West behind a second-quarter goal from senior Maddie O’Hare.

“When I was talking to my assistant coach, I was like, ‘Hey, we’ve done work all summer,’” Blair said. “But when you really get out there — three days of tryouts, one day of practice and then a game — that’s a lot in five days, especially when everyone else has had three weeks.”

During Tuesday’s game, Bryant’s team had to defend a free kick, which it did not discuss during its limited practice time before opening the season.

“It’s hard because we wanted to give enough time for us to properly evaluate but we also sort of wish we had time to put the team together and see what it would look like,” Bryant said.

Blair is taking a one-day-at-a-time approach with her team, an often-used sports cliche that has taken on new meaning this season due to the pandemic.

After remaining optimistic that the season would begin, Husson has now set her aspirations on the NHIAA open tournament.

“I’m honestly excited to be playing and excited to have a season, to say the least,” Husson said. “But I think this is a great team and I think since it’s an open tournament, we 100% have the power to go all the way and I think that with a little more practice and grit and hard work, we’ll 100% be there.”

After what he described as an anxiety-filled previous several weeks, McCaffrey is happy Windham’s fall athletes can now aim for those sort of goals.

“I just think this is a big part of who they are and what they do and it gives a great sense of belonging,” McCaffrey said. “And I think the fall season is that season we all come back to and it reintroduces us to the school and the community and there’s so much hope in the fall. I think we just wanted to bring that hope back because obviously in the spring there wasn’t much hope.”

With one of each in the Windham field hockey team’s 5-0 victory over Bishop Guertin of Nashua on Thursday, O’Hare has logged two goals and an assist over the Jaguars’ first two games. Freshman teammate Mia Gallinelli recorded her first career assist in the win.

Hanover boys soccer team junior midfielder Eric Ringer scored once in each of the team’s first three games — all victories.

His third came in the defending Division I champion Marauders’ 3-0 home win over Division II Stevens of Claremont last Tuesday.

Ringer, who Hanover coach Rob Grabill described as dynamic and a hard worker, stripped a defender, took one touch to the upper right corner of the penalty box and ripped home a rocket of a shot off the inside of the upper near post. .