For countless generations, athletics have brought people together. This is no different for the Ida B. Wells High School community. This fall cross country, football, women’s and men’s soccer, volleyball and cheer are hitting the fields, courts and courses. Here’s what to expect from these IBW teams this season.

Cross Country: 

With a team of over 100 athletes, it is often you will see a cross country member putting in the work it takes to be on the team, whether it’s running to Hayhurst Elementary or Gabriel Park. They started the season strong with a night meet at Wilsonville. Highlights include the girls’ freshman team placing first, reflecting the competitiveness the new athletes are bringing, and senior Knox Orchard winning his race. 

The team is only looking forward. 

“For both the boys’ and the girls’ [varsity] teams, [the goal] is definitely to make it to state and then once you make it there, we’re always looking to podium,” said Aaron Olsen, the health occupations teacher at IBW and one of the cross country coaches. Now a couple of weeks into the season, the cross country team can refine their workouts to be more effective and efficient. “We use that information [race times and personal records] to now do more specific workouts,” he said. “That kind of process gets fun because now you’re really working on breaking down the race and it’s getting into more of the nuances of racing.”

For many cross country members, being on the team is more than just being a runner. “We are welcome to everybody,” Olsen said. “I want us to be the biggest team in the state. The more the merrier. I would love for it to be all-inclusive and for everybody to be a part of it.”

“It’s like a real family,” Olsen says. 

Football:

“Football is coming off an undefeated PIL season last year, PIL champions, which is amazing,” said IBW’s athletic director Mike Nolan. They are also working with a program that is bigger than ever, with over 100 athletes this year. But, with younger faces filling the roles of a core group of last year’s seniors, there have been some growing pains. In their season opener, they fell short to Clackamas in a 16-27 loss and lost to Dallas in their second game.

This is not deterring them. In their first PIL matchup, they played the McDaniel Mountain Lions. IBW confidently won against McDaniel with a score of 52-20.

“We are excited to show off players this season who have shown tremendous improvement in the offseason,” said head coach Robby Scharf in the Athletics Weekly on Sept. 5. “[There are] some familiar faces like Wyatt Andler, Spencer Reid and Jackson Poole to go with newcomers and up and comers like Cam Hammer, Ian Kolmer, Roman Tubay and many, many others.”

Tonight they are looking to defeat the Roosevelt Riders in their second PIL match. Ultimately, however, the football team hopes to defend their title as PIL champions. “The outlook for the program – both short and long term – has never been brighter,” said Scharf.

Soccer:

This fall, the women’s team is full of new faces as 11 seniors were on the team last season. After falling short to Canby in their season opener in a 0-3 loss, the women’s team got right back up with a 4-0 win against Corvallis. “Women’s soccer [also] had a huge win last night [Sept. 10] against Sunset, which has been a traditional powerhouse,” said Nolan. 

This women’s program is taking it match-by-match, aiming to earn a state playoff game at home. “With this level of energy and dedication, we’re looking forward to a strong and competitive season ahead,” head coach Mac Weinstock said in the Athletics Weekly on Sept. 5.

On the men’s side of the program, they brought together an experienced team, made up of only juniors and seniors. They opened their season in a 2-0 win against Southridge, but then fell short to McKay in a 0-2 loss. Being farther into the season, the team is settled in. “Now, it’s seeing them grow as a team,” said Frank Mathews, the head coach of the men’s soccer team. “Everyone is going to have their moment in the sun and different people are going to step up each and every game, which is really cool. It’s a true team.” On Sept. 24, the team won against Century in a 2-0 win.

The major event for both sides of the program this season will be their games on Oct. 7 against Roosevelt, which will be held at Providence Park. The women’s team plays at 5 p.m. that night and the men’s team follows them at 7 p.m. Tickets are free and concessions will be open. “I want the whole community to know [this] and show up,” said Mathews. “We want to fill the stadium. That’d be really fun.”

Both teams want to continue their momentum from the start of the season. “I am super excited about where our soccer program is going,” said Nolan. “There is a lot of great energy in both programs.”

Volleyball:

“This season I’m so excited to bond with all of these truly beautiful and talented girls,” said senior volleyball captain Lucia Hagen. “We’ve only been playing for a few weeks so far, but I’m so thrilled to spend my last season playing with them. We have some high competition and I’m so excited.”

The team is coming off a strong performance last year with a winning record and as dominators in the PIL. Similar to the women’s soccer team, there are lots of new faces on the team due to seven seniors holding spots on the team last year. “As a team, we need to really focus, adapt and grow together as quickly as possible for a strong season,” said Hagen.

This team is seeing a tough pre-season schedule and came up short in their first three games. “After those losses, we have been pushing forward and we hope to see better results in the next few weeks,” Hagen said.

Seeing results is not what it’s all about for the players, however. “This team has been like my family for the past four years,” says Hagen. “I [have] met the most incredible role models and friends. Without this community, I wouldn’t be who I am today.”

Cheer:

“I am just really excited about their excitement,” said Sylvia Scott, the head cheer coach and health teacher at IBW. This fall cheer is armed with the biggest team they’ve had in the past few years. 

You can find this team next to the field or court every home game. “A big shout out to our cheer program, who are out there every night, working hard to get the crowd amped up and doing great things for our student body,” said Nolan. Whether it is a cheer, stunt or dance, this team brings it every night and often you will hear students saying the cheers along with the team. Their most iconic cheer, “Ida B. Wells Beat,” is well known to countless students. 

Along with this, cheer is looking to make it to nationals this year. They will begin practicing their competition choreography in the following weeks. 

When people see the cheer team, Scott hopes everyone keeps one thing in mind. “Cheer is a sport. A lot of people don’t value it as one because they don’t see the amount of work that goes into making it look so easy,” she says. “It takes a lot of athleticism to make it look so easy and fun. I think they [the team members] do a really great job of that.”

For fall sports as a whole, Nolan has one overarching goal. “Number one is kids having a great experience,” he says. “That is ultimately what it is all about.” 

Each team’s complete schedule can be found at osaa.org.