The start of the new school year and fall sports season is always a busy time for Athletic Director Kelly Wolff, but that busyness comes with a strong sense of excitement.

“Things are looking really good this fall,” said Wolff. “Participation numbers are up, the student athletes are working hard and everything is trending in a positive direction.”

Wolff said the rise in participation numbers aligns with Swampscott High School’s climb up the rankings of Massachusetts public schools.

“I think people are starting to realize that our school is top rate,” said Wolff. “We are a very strong school academically and on the athletic field. We have very high quality coaching and people are realizing that if they participate, they will likely have a positive experience.”

Swampscott High School offers boys and girls soccer, field hockey, volleyball, football, boys and girls cross country, cheerleading, golf and unified basketball during the fall sports season.

Games and matches have begun, and Wolff said the Big Blue are off to a great start overall.

“Teams that have started are doing really well,” said Wolff. “We’ve won most of the games we’ve played so far and the few losses have been close.”

Wolff said there is palpable buzz around the school when it comes to Big Blue athletics.

“It’s extremely exciting,” said Wolff. “The atmosphere is great and everyone is really excited. People are coming out and watching games. I’m very much looking forward to the rest of the season.”

One challenge coaches face early in the season is replacing the playing timeand production of last season’s graduating seniors.

“There are a lot of new faces,” said Boys Soccer Head Coach Adam Bailey. “We had 12 seniors graduate but we’re very excited for this group. They’ve been working really hard.”

In the cheerleading gym, early-season practices have been divided between competitive choreography and routines for football games this fall.

“This year we have a lot of returning upperclassmen, so we’ve been trying to build on the skills from last season,” said Cheerleading Head Coach Brittany Greenberg.

Greenberg said at football games, the team plans to interact with the Big Blue fan section more this season.

The first of three competitive meets for the cheerleading team will be held on October 18 in Wilmington.

Greenberg said building a tight bond within the team is an important part of the early season.

Cross Country Head Coach WF Newhall shared a similar sentiment, saying it’s nice having a good mix of experienced upperclassmen and younger newcomers because the freshmen have someone there to show them the ropes and answer questions.

Cross country teams got their first taste of competition on Wednesday in Salem.

“It’s a much different experience than track and field,” said Newhall. “You go uphill and downhill, run longer courses and sometimes compete on soft sand, gravel or dirt.”

Newhall said he is excited to see how the season unfolds for each team.

The Big Blue volleyball team is off to a strong start, winning its first two games of the season under first-year varsity Head Coach Brandy Wilbur.

“We have very little varsity experience with just four returning players,” said Wilbur. “We’ve been trying to get everyone ready to play at the varsity level. Speed and tempo are the biggest differences between JV and varsity. We have the mechanics down and are just getting everyone used to the speed.”

Wilbur said she thinks the team will have a great season and gets the sense that the players are “all in” and there’s a great atmosphere around the program.

The Big Blue football team kicked off its season with a win Thursday over St. Mary’s High School of Lynn, capping a week of athletic competition.

After the first week of regular season games, Swampscott varsity teams combined have five wins, three losses and one draw.