Thousands of local students are back on high school fields, courses and tracks as fall sports return in full swing. Around 23,000 student-athletes in the Central New York region, including Onondaga County compete in the state high school athletic association's Section III sports, according to the organization's website.
Christian Brothers Academy senior Erin Nardella recently attended a football game to cheer on her school as it played against Cicero-North Syracuse. She said the fall season is the highlight of returning to classes.
"It's just like the most exciting time of the year," Nardella said. "It's literally the best thing ever, and everyone is just so excited."
But Cicero-North Syracuse fan, Erin Razmovski, said Section III teams don't get as much attention as they deserve.
"It's underrated, Period," Razmovski said. "We've got so much talent out here. These young boys have done so much, and I think Central New York as a whole, New York state as a whole, gets a little bit jilted on the lack of recruiting, literally in our area."
Meanwhile, athletes in winter sports are already preparing for their upcoming season. After playing in Arizona, Henninger high school basketball player Kapriece Sigler said she's ready to draw the eyes of recruiters in her native of Syracuse.
"I got invited to Nike tournaments," Sigler said. "I went to Law Vegas tournaments; it was really a good experience, and me coming back is like a really good experience to finally show my hometown what I can do."
Sigler, a senior, said she hopes to pursue basketball in college. But, her goal is to get a degree and return to Syracuse to support the next generation of athletes.
"I want more recruiters to come to Syracuse to see actual talent. We have actual talent, but it's just the violence; it's just so bad. A lot of people don't like to come out here. But, there are really good talent all around," Sigler said.
Section III represents student athletes across an 11-county region.
To hear more on CNY school sports, check out WAER's Syracuse Speaks.