Upper School Athletics | All-Boys Private School Sports

Athletics Philosophy

In the Upper School, athletics promote physical exercise, encourage healthy competition, and teach boys how to be gracious regardless of game outcome. They create lasting friendships forged through the pursuit of a common goal. Sports give boys the chance to explore who they are through hard work, physical exertion, and emotional investment. Above all, athletics give us the opportunity to teach fairness, respect, and responsibility.

In the Upper School, fun and sportsmanship are the guiding principles of our athletic programs. At this age, boys are physically stronger and more emotionally mature—so we give them the opportunity to play on more competitive teams that align with their abilities.

Team sports allow boys the chance to exercise their bodies as well as their minds. They help boys develop skills and confidence. And whether a boy scores the winning goal, makes the assist, or tries something totally new, Fessenden athletics give him an opportunity to have fun.

Our Program

From recreational squads to competitive, championship-winning teams, Upper School athletics offer something for every boy. Fessenden boasts 18 team and individual sports at the interscholastic, intramural, and recreational levels in the fall, winter, and spring—more than 30 teams in total. Our facilities rival any secondary school, with two new turf fields (one with a track), three gyms, a wrestling center, weight room, indoor hockey rink, six lighted courts, and two outdoor swimming pools. And with access to nearby facilities for squash, sailing, crew, and skiing, there’s no shortage of options for keeping energetic boys in motion.

By removing a “win-at-all-costs” mentality, our coaches focus on sportsmanship as well as skill development. And it works: our varsity teams compete at the highest levels and have won numerous New England Junior Prep Championships.

Our coaches are also teachers, administrators, or dorm parents—so they understand boys’ development and know how to best support individual students. They maintain close relationships with their counterparts at area schools, and supervise challenging but appropriate matches with more than 60 different schools and teams. And our full-time athletic trainer works to ensure the safety of all Fessenden athletes and visiting teams.

Offerings

Our diverse athletic offerings change seasonally, giving boys the chance to participate in a wide variety of sports.

The following is an overview of every athletic offering (organized by season) available to students at Fessenden in Grades 7-9. Each boy must make one choice from each season for his athletic requirement. For the latest team news, visit our scoreboard page. For detailed team and schedule information, visit our team pages. Please note that programs that have the "team size limitation" noted in their description will have tryouts to determine the final roster.

Fall Sports: Grades 7-9

List of 7 items.

Cross Country

Competitive team for boys in grades 5-9. Workouts stress individual improvement and meet strategy. 9 meets against other schools.
Football

Varsity Football - Highly competitive program for all 8th and 9th graders. Varsity plays a competitive seven game schedule with one scrimmage.

Intermediate Football - Competitive program for all 7th graders and more advanced 6th graders. This team plays a seven game schedule with one scrimmage.
Golf

Recreational program for boys in grades 7-9 (first priority to 9th graders on down). Three days a week they hit balls at a local driving range. One to two days a week they play 9 holes at a near by course. Extra fee charged.
Mountain Biking

Daily travel off campus to dirt and paved trails near by. Grades 5-9 (with priority going to upper school boys in Grades 7-9). We transport bikes in a trailer to the various locations. This program is also offered in the Spring.
Soccer

Varsity “A” Soccer - Highly competitive program with an extensive fifteen game schedule including the New England Junior Prep Championships. This program is for 8th and 9th graders with team size limitations.

Varsity “B” Soccer - Competitive program for 8th and 9th graders with an extensive fifteen game schedule. Skill development and game experience are highly stressed. Team size limitations.

J.V. “A” Soccer - Highly competitive program for 7th graders. Extensive fifteen game schedule. Strong skill development and game experience stressed. Team size limitations.

Intermediate Soccer - Competitive team for 7th and 8th graders. Emphasis on skill development with a 9 game schedule.
Tennis

Intramural program for grades 5-9. Emphasis on fun recreational tennis for all levels on our thirteen courts.
Weight Training/Conditioning

Recreational offering for boys in grades 7-9. Use of the school's heated swimming pool will take place during the early weeks of the season, while conditioning and weight training activities will dominate the later part of the term in the school's Fitness Center.

Winter Sports: Grades 7-9

List of 6 items.

Basketball

Varsity “A” Basketball - Highly competitive team for 8th and 9th graders with a demanding 15 game schedule, that includes one tournament. Generally. this team practices late in the day and has team size limitations.

Varsity “B” Basketball - Competitive team for 8th and 9th graders with a strong 14 game schedule against other schools. Emphasis on skill development and game experience. Team size limitations and late practices.

Varsity “C” Basketball - Competitive team for 8th and 9th graders. Eight game schedule with emphasis on skill development.

J.V. “A” 1 Basketball - Highly competitive team for 7th graders with a demanding 14 game schedule. Emphasis on skill development and game experience. Team size limitations.

J.V. “A” 2 Basketball - Competitive team for 7th graders with 10 game schedule. Emphasis on skill development and game experience. Team size limitations.
Cross-Country Skiing

This recreational program is open to boys in grades 5-9 and includes daily travel to the Weston Ski Track. Extra fee charged.
Hockey

Varsity Hockey - Highly competitive team with a demanding 18 game schedule for boys in grades 8 and 9, and very strong 7th grade players. This team often practices late in the day and has roster size limitations.

J.V. “A” Hockey - Competitive team with a demanding 13 game schedule. This squad is for 7th, 8th, and strong 6th grade players. Team size limitations.

FIAA Hockey - Intramural program for grades 7-9. Emphasis on fun and improving skills for the lesser skilled player.
Squash

Varsity/J.V. Squash- Two competitive teams that have matches against other schools. Boys play on both on and off campus courts and work on fundamental skills and match strategy.

FIAA Squash - Depending on the numbers there will be one or two intramural teams (a Middle and Upper School team). Emphasis on fundamental skill development and match strategy.
Weight Training/Conditioning

Open to boys in grades 7-9 only. Extensive use of the school’s weight room and other facilities for workouts geared toward each participant's goals, age and ability.
Wrestling

Varsity Wrestling - Highly competitive program for boys in grades 7-9. This team will participate in a demanding 14 match (plus two Tournaments including the Fessenden Invitational/Junior School Wrestling Championships at Fessenden) schedule. Team size limitations.

Spring Sports: Grade 7-9

List of 9 items.

Baseball

Varsity Baseball - Highly competitive team made up of 8th and 9th grade players. They play a strong 14 game schedule including one tournament. Team size limitations.

Varsity “B” Baseball - Competitive team for 7th and 8th graders. They play a strong 14 game schedule. Skill development and game experience are highly stressed. Team size limitations.
Crew

Varsity Crew - Competitive program for grades 7-9. A limited enrollment of 18 rowers and 2 coxswains based on a pre-season physical testing. This is a physically rigorous offering that includes skills development and competition against other schools. Rowers must be in good academic standing as participants miss Help and Work daily for off campus travel to the CRI facility. Extra fee charged for this offering.
Golf

Varsity Golf - A competitive program for grades 7-9. Tryouts will determine a limited roster of up to 8 players. Practice and play will take place on local courses with Leo J. Martin Memorial being the primary course. A schedule of 4-6 matches will take place against other local private schools in the area.
Lacrosse

Varsity Lacrosse - Highly competitive team for boys in the 8th and 9th grade. Extensive 14 game schedule with one tournament make up their schedule. Team size limitations.

Varsity “B” Lacrosse - Competitive team for boys in grades 7-9. Emphasis on skill development and competitive team play. They will play a 12 game schedule against other schools.

J.V. “A” Lacrosse - Competitive team made up of boys in grades 7-9. This team will play a combination of games against other schools and Red and Gray contests. Emphasis on fundamental skills and game experience. Team size limitations.
Mountain Biking

Daily travel off campus to dirt and paved trails near by. Grades 5-9 (with priority going to upper school boys in gr.7-9). We transport bikes in a trailer to the various locations. This program is also offered in the Fall.
Sailing

Recreational program for grades 5-9. They travel daily to the Community Boat House on the Charles River in Boston for this program. Levels appropriate for all abilities. Extra fee charged.
Tennis

Varsity Tennis - A very strong team for superior players in grades 5-9. A challenging schedule of 13 matches and one tournament make up their season. Team size limitations.

J.V. “A” Tennis - A strong competitive team for skilled players made up of boys in grades 5-9. They play a challenging 10 match schedule. Team size limitations.

J.V."B" Tennis - A competitive team made of boys in grades 5-9. They play a 9 match schedule and stress fundamental skill development and match experience.

FIAA Tennis - Intramural program for grades 5-9. Emphasis on fun recreational tennis for players at all levels.
Track & Field

Varsity/J.V. Track - Competitive program for boys in grades 5-9. Extensive 12 meet (plus The Milton Invitational) schedule. Boys are encouraged to participate and improve in multiple events within their own ability range.
Weight Training/Conditioning

Open to boys in grades 7-9 only. Extensive use of the schools weight room and other facilities for workouts geared toward each participant's goals, age and ability.

Mud Week

At Fessenden, we’re continually encouraging boys to try new things, and Mud Week gives them another opportunity to do just that. This one-week period between athletic seasons allows boys to participate in, or be introduced to, the upcoming season's sports. Soccer fanatics can try wrestling, and boys who have never been on the ice learn the basics of hockey. Boys can also use this time to partake in informal, fun activities like like ultimate Frisbee, floor hockey, board games, capture the flag, and the “Fessy Cup” (an intramural hockey tournament for students in Grades 5-9).

Meet the Administrators