Season Preview: Fall Athletics

With the school year in full swing, Gilman students anticipate a successful season for the upcoming fall sports. All five sports are in contention for the coveted MIAA title. Each program will face adversity and tremendous challenges along the way but must adapt and overcome to succeed. The Gilman News interviewed the coaches of each sport this season and received insightful information on the season ahead.

The football hounds look for a strong year this year. With a 3-6 overall record last year, placing sixth in the conference, the Hounds have room to improve. So far, the football Hounds have shown tremendous success, beating Boys Latin, Bullis, Mount Saint Joseph, and Saint Mary’s with only one (out of conference) loss to Haverford. Although Gilman’s last football championship was in 2015, Head Varsity Football Coach Scott Van Zile looks to lead his team to glory this year. Coach Van Zile mentioned that the team has “a pretty big core of experienced players coming back” and that “some guys [he] think[s] are natural leaders.” The team looks towards captains Bryce Wilson ‘25, Nadir Samuel ‘25, and Amir Arnold ‘25 to help bring home the MIAA Championship. 

With the addition of Concordia Prep and Saint Mary’s to the A conference this year, the Hounds face new challenges and look forward to exciting games. Coach Van Zile anticipates that “getting a little bit better each week” will be important for the Hounds this year. When asked about the Gilman versus McDonogh game, Coach Van Zile said consistency will help get the job done this year.

Coach Seal and the soccer team are hoping for a successful season this year, coming off a 1-9-6 record in the MIAA A conference record last year. So far, the Hounds have started off strong with a 4-3-3 overall record so far this season, and a 2-3-2 record in conference, already showing signs of improvement from last year. Crucial wins over Mount Saint Joseph and John Carroll have helped build confidence for the team.

With the loss of crucial seniors from last year, the Hounds look to new players to propel the team this season. According to Assistant Varsity Soccer Coach Richard Shock, “guys who we knew were good” like Colin Kelley ‘27 and Sean Broadbent ‘27, have stepped up this year. “Making the playoffs,” and “defending Chandlee field” will be huge for the Hounds in achieving their goals according to Coach Shock. Coach Shock also said that the team has expected a lot from players like Bashir Abou ‘26, Kris Mitchell ‘25, and “now they’re sort of living up to it.” Some other core seniors this year “are just doing really great,” according to Coach Shock. “Playing as a team,” Coach Shock said will be the key to success for the Hounds this year as they look to win an MIAA Championship.

After an extremely successful season last year, the volleyball hounds are looking to get over the hump and win the MIAA A conference title. With a 13-5 MIAA A conference record last season, the Hounds are hungry for success this year. After a strong offensive year, the absence of players like Jack Amiot ‘24, Ali Akpek ‘24, and Chase Pitruzella ‘24 may cause issues on that part of the team. That being said, Head Varsity Volleyball Coach Diego Mattoras looks towards new players to bring the team success. He is particularly excited with the junior class, reflecting, “I've never seen something like this before.” Juniors like Alex Triplett ‘26, Coco Bose ‘26, and Niko Eggers ‘26 give the team confidence for a deep playoff run this year. When asked about the key to winning a championship, Coach Mattoras remarked, “If we can continue growing, learning, and improving each week, we have the potential to beat anyone in the MIAA.” In terms of goals for the season, Coach Mattoras kept it simple saying, “When you have a group that enjoys spending time together, then it feels like, ok, the goal is accomplished.”

So far this season, the Hounds cross country team has already had immense success, with both JV and Varsity winning their first conference meet against McDonogh and Loyola. With the Hounds losing many of their crucial runners last year, Head Coaches Cody Miles and Joe Duncan have a big question to ask themselves; who is going to fill the spikes? Luckily, the cross country team has no shortage of upcoming talent with runners such as Eric Cao ‘26, Michael Johnston ‘27, Jack Mashaw ‘26, and Alex Zhao ‘26 all moving up to fill four spots alongside the returners. “People don’t understand that running has a team aspect of it, you’re like brothers in a way and it's a really cool feeling,” said a former member of the team. Last year, the team came in third in the MIAA championships losing only to Calvert Hall and Loyola. With success on the horizon, a championship is looming for the Hounds. But with the pressure on, is it possible to accomplish this goal? Team captain Jemmel Green ‘25 said, “I like the pressure, I like seeing other people do good things and get better and I want to help and encourage them.” No matter what happens, the Hounds are sure to be competitive and look to become even more dangerous as the season picks up speed. 

With a dominant season from the Hounds water polo team last year, the pressure is on to continue the success into this season. Last year, the water polo team went undefeated and defeated Loyola in the championship. But, with the loss of 12 senior players, one would think that this would cause some sort of setback. Yet, so far this season the Hounds are hot, having won all of their in-conference games against Spalding, Mount St. Joe, Loyola, and just recently dominating the “Storm the Pool” game against McDonogh with a final score of 20-3. Coach Smith said, “Most would consider this a kind of rebuilding year, but I don’t sense that from the guys. They’re more like ‘Let's just continue what we're supposed to be doing.’ Many new contributors have filled important positions this season, Coach Smith noted. “I wasn’t sure how our depth was going to play out. But, guys you know are filling the holes when necessary.” Juniors, such as Leo Eiswert ‘26, Ethan Derman ‘26, and Sam Nuermberger ‘26, and sophomores Brody Carr ‘27 and Grant Wright ‘27 have all moved up to replace those who have graduated. 

The Hounds have also adapted by changing their philosophy. Coach Smith says, “Everything starts with defense,” but this year that's something the Hounds have needed to work on. He believes that the offense has clicked, but they need to spend more time working on the defensive aspects of the game. Any way you look at it though, the Hounds just want to get out there and compete. “I love the game. Love to compete, and I just want to see the guys learn and have fun,” says Coach Smith.