Maroon and White Celebrates Winter Athletes at the Crowne Plaza

At the Maroon and White's Winter Sports Awards dinner Tuesday night, athletes met with their teammates one last time to celebrate the season.

The Boys' swim team placed first at Conferences and Second at the Sectional competition. The team only lost one dual meet to Horace Greeley. Senior Charlie Musoff says, "I think we've made an increasing effort to engage and include swimmers in every grade in our team dynamic. I feel like the upperclassmen do a better and better job of making the underclassmen feel like they are truly on the team." With a larger team than many other winter sports, feeling valued is important. Musoff says the team's depth contributed most to their success this season. There are always a valued few who score a higher percentage of the points, but having strong swimmers in second and third place for each event can make a significant difference. The team is always reminded that 5th place scores 1 point, which makes everyone feel like they play a significant part even if it is a small one. Since the annual team lunch before Thanksgiving, Musoff says the team chemistry has been stronger every day.

The Ski team had a slushy season thanks to global warming, but did not let this misfortune prevent them from sending nine competitors to Sectionals this year. Senior Captain Sarah Weintraub, #1 Skiier for the girls' team, says "I think that having such a long dryland season, although tiring, helps contribute to our success because everyone is together during dryland, regardless of their skiing ability. This causes a lot of adhesiveness on the team and a lot of bonding. Once we got on snow, that dynamic definitely translated well and there were lots of friendships between the grades." The Raiders had only one official race and a few practice days at Thunder Ridge. Unfortunately, this meant the Seniors had a fragmented season and freshmen might not have had the full experience of being on ski team. The older skiiers hope the newcomers will stick with it. Last-minute schedule changes left students stressed, checking their email between classes. Sarah Weintraub, Cameron Swift, Connie Ferragu, Joe Weintraub, Spencer Mann, Harry Liu, John Lloyd, Jared Blinken, and Owen Marsh competed in Sectionals. Weintraub's freshman year, only two skiers were sent to Sectionals, four her sophomore year, six last year, and nine this year. The downhill Ski team is definitely on an up-hill trend.

The Hockey team, whose games are popular social events with their own hashtag #derspuck, did not go as far as they hoped this season since their widely-known "Road to Utica" journey last year. Continuing a legacy for this strong team, Seniors Noah Marinelli and Stephen Nicholas made a statement on the ice this winter. Unfortunately, the Raiders lost in the Section Semi-final in a close game against the Raider rival, the Mamaroneck Tigers.

The Boys basketball team was 12-8 this season, losing in the first round of playoffs. The guys attracted large hordes of fans to their home games, and the team's chemistry was fun to watch. The team will lose seven Seniors, so the 2016-17 squad will rely on a core of juniors to step up next season and put the Raider name back on the map.

Girls' Varsity Basketball saw an intense season come to a close with a one point loss in the Section Quarterfinals. This close result reflects the exciting ride the past few months have been for the Raiders, who worked hard day in and day out to have a memorable season to honor their five graduating star Seniors. Senior Kayle Waterhouse says, "This year we were much closer as a whole and I think that showed through our playing. I hope the closeness carries on to the team next year. This year was very, very intense and I think that improved our playing and mental toughness on the court. I think the biggest thing that must be carried over is our sportsmanship. We are all very supportive and root for one another." Emmeline Berridge, the sole freshman on the Girls Varsity Basketball team, says being the youngest on an upperclassman-dominated team was a little scary at first. Her teammates, coaches, and spectators soon saw that the pressure did not crack her and Berridge established her presence well on the court during a physical and intense season for the Raiders. "I think it isn't so much age that makes a difference on the court, but it's more about maturity. Poise on the court is what sets a mature player apart from others... Aside from talent, being calm and levelheaded is what can give you an edge against competition." Waterhouse says it was the team's intensity, and their skill in preparing both physically and mentally for every game no matter the opponent that led to their success this season. The Raiders were League Champions, winning the title after crushing rival Ursuline for a 20 point victory. This was a huge achievement for the girls since it has been twenty-one years since Scarsdale's last League title for Girls Varsity Basketball.

Unfortunately, the team did not reach their goal of returning to the County Center to play in Sectionals. There is no good way to bring a fun and exciting final season to a close, but the Senior can at least walk away knowing they met their goals and set the bar high for the legacy of their team. Waterhouse says, "We definitely had great chemistry as a team. I think that helped with us not being selfish with the ball and passing to the open player. Chemistry leads to trust." The girls knew each other's strengths each had an acute sense of her position and role. Emmeline adds, "When we were executing, nothing could stop our momentum. Off the court, all of the girls supported each other. Having this tight knit group helped us work hard and have each others backs." Looking forward to the next three years, Berridge knows a gap will be left in their team and the underclassmen will need to work hard to make the necessary adjustments. She says, "I hope to step up to the plate and help our team work really hard to be successful."

Scarsdale Raider Wrestling Team had a banner 2015-16 season. Led by an extremely talented group of seniors, the team placed in the top three of every tournament and brought home 1st place at their own Scarsdale Invitational. The team finished with a 21-7 record. The Raiders brought home the League 1A Championship finishing 5-0 in the league. The last league championship Scarsdale won was in 1999. The team qualified 8 boys for Sections and had three boys place in the top 4. The season was capped off with 113Lbs Michael Dabramo receiving a wildcard for the State tournament where he placed fifth in the State. He finished with an amazing 46-6 record. His only losses came from Nationally ranked wrestlers.

The stats for the eight wrestlers that went to Sectionals are: 99lbs Johnny Keltz,25-14,113lbs Michael DaBramo 46-6,113lbs Jack Ortner 16-13, 132lbs Seth Schulman 25-14, 170lbs Raphael Rogoff 17-16, 182lbs Andrew Braun 31-8, 195 lbs Brendan Knaack 25-10, and at heavyweight 285 lbs Ethan Raff 32-9.

The three seniors who were named All Section were Brendan Knaack, Ethan Raff took and Michael Dabramo.

As Raiders Athletics closes one chapter, the Spring teams are ready to go. Captains' practices are already in full swing in preparation for Monday's tryouts. It will be another exciting few months for SHS to continue its Athletic reputation of dedication and pride.