On the field and the court, one person dominates. With eight years of soccer and four years of basketball under her belt, Brynn Berardi is the only person in the class of 2029 freshmen to make varsity for two sports.
There are a lot of things that set apart varsity and middle school sports, but being able to keep up is what sets Berardi apart. “Going from one middle school to high school sports is hard. The commitment looks different. The travel looks different. Balancing sports with school is different, but the environment’s also different. There’s a big difference between a freshman walking in and a senior who’s on their way out. The experience level, the confidence, along with things like ability and performance,” Gabby Santos, head girls’ basketball coach, said.
Berardi also has incredible commitment outside of season. “I think one of the big things that helps Brynn out at being able to compete at this level is that she shows up for everything. There were days in the summer where she would go to soccer for an hour and a half, and then come to basketball for an hour and a half. So three or four mornings a week, she’d already spent three hours playing sports before half the people got out of bed,” Santos said.
For Berardi, the difference between high school and middle school is stark.“I think the biggest difference is the skill level and keeping up with the pace of the game, because on varsity, the game is a lot faster,” Berardi said. “I think I most enjoy basketball, because we had a really long season, but it was really hard.”
Commitment and consistency are what keep Berardi ahead. “I think that’s also a really important thing in the fact that she’s playing varsity for both sports. Commitment and consistency and not waiting for the season to get ready to play makes a difference,” Santos said.
Ben Mack, soccer head coach, says coming into the girls’ soccer season he knew that Berardi would be on varsity. “I had a good feeling that she had played the game. She’s also got a really good shot. How she strikes the ball, it’s clean and kind of pure, which is really important, as well, for the varsity level,” Mack said. “I watched her over the last months, even through middle school a little bit and through the indoor season. Then, I actually went and watched one of her club games in the off season as well. I was pretty confident that she was a varsity player for us.”
For varsity basketball, a freshman on varsity only happens every few years, but when the opportunity arises it is more than welcome. “I think it’s always important to get some of these young kids, especially if they’ve worked hard and they’ve earned that opportunity, experience playing at that higher level. So, when we have an athlete who’s willing to put in the work and has the skill to be able to compete and practice with the varsity team it’s always great to give them the opportunity to be present in those spaces,” Santos said.
However, sometimes high standards can be a hurdle. “I think that she puts a lot of pressure on herself. And so sometimes that can, I think, affect her, and that’s somewhat typical of young soccer players,” Mack said.
Teammates have also noticed Berardi’s commitment and work. “She is really hardworking. She’s also really determined and handles direction really well from coaches and teammates,” Aly Perry said, (12), a teammate in both soccer and basketball.
Overall, Berardi’s dedication and commitment helps her to be the high achieving athlete that she is. “Brynn really cares about doing well in the things that she endeavors in. Whether that’s class or sports, and is just super dedicated and competitive as an athlete,” Santos said. “She wants to win more than anything else, and is really determined to be a player and a teammate that makes that happen.”
