WOODBURY — As the games play on, the rival Berkshire League crowds chant: “Start the tractors!” Nonnewaug is widely referred to as a farm school, but the Chiefs’ track record shows that Nonnewaug athletic programs are creating their own identity: one of the leagues premiere powers.  

While Nonnewaug does have an outstanding agricultural program, they also have great athletics, with more than 10 students in the past two years becoming collegiate athletes in sports such as baseball, softball, basketball, track, and soccer. 

Layla Coppola, a 2024 Nonnewaug graduate who plays Division II soccer at the University of New Haven, believes that Nonnewaug’s athletic program can be a springboard for prospective student-athletes. 

“Nonnewaug helped me prepare for college by making me into a player that was able to play under any circumstances,” Coppola said, “for instance, the conditions of a field or the amount of players we have. It helped me become an adaptive athlete overall through our difficulties.”

Nonnewaug 2024 graduate Juliette Nichols shares Coppola’s belief that NHS, despite its size, is one of the BL’s best at preparing high school athletes to be collegiate success stories.  

“The coaches and my teammates always challenged me in my sports during practice and games,” Nichols said as she prepared to take the court — and track — at Ave Maria in Naples, Florida for both basketball and track and field. “They were always super supportive while also giving enough criticism to help me grow and reach the collegiate level.”

While Coppola and Nichols begin their first seasons at the collegiate level, other recent NHS grads have seen their experience as Chiefs help in acclimating to the stressors of multiple collegiate seasons. 

Brett Davino, a 2023 NHS graduate and sophomore at Division I Stony Brook, appreciates how Nonnewaug athletics directly prepared him for his collegiate success.  

“NHS prepared me for the grind by providing well-maintained facilities such as our sports field to use either on my own time or with a team,” said Davino, who helped the Chiefs win the 2023 Class M baseball state championship. “Having practice after practice is very similar to how college works, where I have classes that fill my morning paired with 4- to 5-hour practices to finish my day.”

Not only did Nonnewaug’s athletic programs help prepare college athletes like Davino, but NHS’ academic rigors created habits that translate to success in a college classroom. 

“NHS gave me the opportunity to take college courses, which allowed me to understand how the rigor of my schedule would look in college,” Davino said. “At the same time, [NHS’ college courses] put me ahead of other kids because I took advantage of being able to earn college credits.”

Among current NHS students, senior Ellie McDonald is using her senior year to prepare for a career at Middlebury College in Vermont. 

“This season is preparing me for Middlebury by making sure I have discipline because next year even though I am doing just track, it will be all year around,” said McDonald. “I have to keep my ability to balance both academic and athletics and carry that as I head to college.”