Winter Athletes Honored by Maroon and White

Athletes, coaches, parents, and affiliates of the Maroon and White gathered at Scarsdale High School on Tuesday March 4 to honor winter athletes. The venue was changed from Lake Isle Country Club to the SHS cafeteria -- and though some were dubious about the new setting, others were grateful to enjoy cake and cookies instead of the infamous chicken parmesan dinner.

Before teams broke off into separate rooms to honor individual athletes, two distinguished athletes were honored. Junior track star Maggie OʼKeefe was named The Girls Raider of the Winter. She set the SHS Tripe Jump record early on and repeatedly broke it as the season progressed. OʼKeefeʼs record now stands at 36ʼ7." She placed 9th in New York State at the competition at Cornell University in Ithaca last week. Junior diver Evan Moretti was named Boys Raider of the Winter. He was undefeated in the regular season and was the major point contributor, helping Scarsdale win its fourth Division I title in the States. Moretti and fellow swim-mates raised $10,000 for breast cancer awareness this season.

The swim team was not the only squad to turn heads. Scarsdaleʼs attention has recently been drawn to the unprecedented success of the Raiders Hockey team. The team has become a formidable opponent for the first time in years. Coach Jim Mancuso describes his team as a "unique blend of unsound components that we have molded into a lean, mean hockey machine." The season started in early November. About 4 months have passed, and the ʻDers have only gotten stronger and stronger, working tirelessly on weekends, late weeknights, and even over break. They have only conceded three losses in the entire season, making this group the most successful in SHS history.

Beating Suffern 4-3 on February 23 made the 2014 pack the first Raider hockey team to win a Section I title. And they didnʼt stop there. Devoted parents drove to Shenendahowa School in Southern Saratoga Country, NY to film their playoff game during the week, so the Raiders could review the film before playing them. The Raiders likely knew that after this display of devotion, losing to Shenendahowa in the State Quarterfinals on Saturday, March 1 was not an option. So, they won! The Raiders will contend for a New York State Title at the Championship this Saturday, March 8 at 9:30am in the Utica Memorial Auditorium. The winner will play at 12:30PM the following day.

The roster includes 3 of the leading scorers in Section I; Matt Blakely, James Nicholas, and Devon Schell. Rob Burns, Blakely, Schell, and Nicholas were also named All-League; James Felix and Gabe Harousseau All-League Honorable Mention. Nicholas, the most highly decorated player, was also named Division I Player of the Year. Blakely, Felix, and Burns were chosen represent Scarsdale at the Division I Senior Game. These individual achievements cannot be ignored, but Mancuso says what truly makes the team special is "all the little things we do away from the puck." He means the plays that are so valuable but often go unnoticed: The exhausted defenderʼs full-sprint in the third period to keep up with his mark. The slightest flick of a stick that prevents a goal from being scored. The extra push as the forward races hungrily towards the net to score the tying goal. Those are the moments that make Raiders history. The NY State Ice Hockey Semi-Final game on Saturday between Scarsdale and Ithaca will be recorded by Dave Berry from the Scarsdale Schools. Should the Raiders advance to the finals on Sunday, that game will also be recorded. Check the Scarsdale school's website for playback times. Due to licensing restrictions, no live coverage is permitted and may not be posted on our Video-On-Demand system.

The JV cheerleading team started their season with a bang, winning 4th Place in the Eastchester competition in the fall. After, Coach Brianna Carolini says, the season took many unexpected turns. Several Varsity girls suffered injuries and top JV girls replaced them, leaving the rest of the JV team with too few members to compete. Carolini says the girls learned patience, trust and teamwork, and "how to do what seemed impossible."

The Gymnastics team, coached by Jennifer Roane and Liz Torres, also had to adapt when their home gym was re-purposed.

Since the Class of 2017 is particularly large, one gym was designated the Freshman Cafeteria. Café 9 (the glamorous name that hardly fits this stuffy, grimy eating place) had been the Gymnastics team practice space and the site of several home meets. With no home gym, the seniors on the team were not honored at the traditional "Senior Meet." Even without a home gym to attract spectators, the girls showed tremendous school spirit. Under the leadership of Senior captains Emma Bernstein, Emma Durtzman, and Alexa Pappas, the Raiders were 2-5. Though the season was bumpy, the ʻDers still managed to finish with several titles. Laura Pollack ʼ17 received an All-League title; Daniel Esses ʼ14 and Kendall Bensche ʼ17 were awarded Honorable Mention. Teammates voted Nikki Solomon ʼ17 most improved and Pollack MVP. Cara Blumstein ʼ16, who placed 2nd in the Novice Sectional Meet, will co-captain the team next year with Amanda Shuster ʼ15.

Acknowledging individual awards is clearly important, but these teamsʼ abilities to cope with unexpected conditions and make the best of their season is what being a Raider is all about.

Contributor Carly Glickenhaus is a sophomore at SHS. She is a goalkeeper on the Raiders Varsity Soccer team, and also enjoys writing and photography.

Here are the stars of the evening: