As we all know, Notre Dame is the school every team wants to beat. However, talking with athletes here at school, it’s obvious that NDA teams have their own rivals they always want to beat. It is interesting to see how some teams have the same rivals, even though they are different sports.

The two captains of the boys soccer team said Luxemburg Casco is their team’s biggest rival, but they will not see LC until the playoffs. Senior captain Jabriil Nur said, “With fourteen seniors and eight returning starters, we are looking to be contenders for the conference title this year.”

If the boys soccer team would claim that title, it would be Notre Dame’s tenth boys soccer conference title.

On the girls’ side of fall sports, the girls tennis team seems to routinely be in a heated rivalry with Green Bay Southwest.

Junior Claire Rotherham explained, “Southwest is a very strong team, and they have been ever since I was a freshman. They have good players, and it’s always a good matchup when we play them.”

Then there are the big rivalries in football, especially Bay Port, Ashwaubenon and Southwest. The tension of such rivalries makes a victory like Friday night’s win over favored Ashwaubenon all the sweeter.

Girls golf competes with DePere, Preble, Edgewood and Arrowhead. The very large, and very successful, cross country program always has a target on its back. How can you not when there are 120 kids running races in packs?

Cross country rivals are Bay Port, East, Preble, Shorewood, Edgewood, McFarland, Two Rivers and Little Chute.

Girls volleyball is another competitive sport here at school. Senior Tera Leonhard said, “Luxemburg Casco is a big rivalry because we lost to them last year in the playoffs, and Manitowoc is always a big match for us conference-wise.”

Boys volleyball, the newbie of NDA fall sports teams, says that their biggest competition is Appleton East, Green Bay United and Cedarburg.

Notre Dame athletes seem to always have a target on their back, and perhaps that inspires them to work hard at practices, games, matches and races to be the best teams they can be.