Franklin High School Fall Sports Season Gets Underway

Lady Warriors took to the fields on October 1 as the seasons of the girls’ soccer and field hockey teams got underway.

Lady Warriors tennis was also playing on Oct. 1, but their season started on September 30.

The varsity tennis and field hockey teams took on Bernards, while the girls junior varsity and varsity soccer teams battled St. Thomas Aquinas. The varsity soccer team fell 3-2, while the field hockey team fell 6-0.

The Warriors football team kicks off their season on October 3, with a home game against Edison played at Middlebush Park, due to work in Warriors Stadium.

FHS athletic director Ken Margolin said he was pleased with what he saw on Oct. 1.

“We’re very excited and happy that the kids are out here and competing,” he said. “We weren’t sure if this was actually going to happen, so the fact that kids are playing and they’re with their friends and they’re working hard and they get to play in a competitive environment is awesome.”

Margolin said the athletes, coaches and officials are following all Covid-19-related safety protocols of the Centers for Disease Control, the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, and the Somerset County Department of Health.

The NJSIAA protocols can be seen here.

“We do a pre-screening when our athletes come into the facility,” he said. “Before the parents leave, they have to fill out the pre-screening form. That happens before the kids get out of the car.”

“We do temperature checks, we’re sanitizing constantly,” Margolin said. “There’s hand sanitizers for the players. In the case of soccer, we’re cleaning the balls before the game and at halftime. So we’re doing everything we can to try to keep our kids safe.”

Margolin said he could see a difference in the student’s demeanor when they hit the fields.

“You see a big difference when they’re competing and when they’re participating,” he said. “A lot of these kids were cooped up for the last four or five months with very little activity, so the fact that they’re here running around and exercising, it’s great development for their social and emotional health.”

Following are some scenes from the tennis, field hockey and soccer matches:

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