BEACON – As team captain, Rory LaDue is already gauging the Beacon girls soccer team’s chances of making the playoffs this fall.

LaDue got his first look at the team on Monday during the first day of practice for fall sports.

“I’m really excited for practice and the season,” said LaDue, a midfielder last year. “We lost 10 seniors, so we have a lot of players fighting for position. I think we’re all looking to see who shows up and stands out. Outside of soccer, I enjoy the team bond and chemistry on the field, so we all feel comfortable as teammates.”

Preseason training camp – grueling, tiring, exciting and rewarding – is a rite of passage for local high school athletes. Preparation for the fall, the big games, the deciding games and the championship runs began Monday as schools across the Hudson Valley began practice, followed by winter and spring sports to close out the school year.

“This was our first official practice, but our coaches are making sure we work hard and stay healthy all summer long,” said Sophia Semo, who runs cross country for Cornwall High. “Our team spirit is great and everyone wants to be at practice where we can build team spirit. We will all work hard to make sure we have a great season.”

The sports listed as fall sports by the New York State Public High School Athletics Association (NYSPHSAA) are football, volleyball, boys and girls soccer, cross country, girls tennis and field hockey. Per NYSPHSAA guidelines, football practices began on August 19. Teams will begin playing in about a week.

More than eight million student-athletes participated in high school sports competition during the 2023-24 school year – a record. This total marks the second consecutive increase after numbers declined during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the first post-pandemic survey, high school sports participation has increased by 444,248 in two years, marking a reversal from the decline that began the year before the pandemic.