Athletes Honored at Maroon and White Picnic

Students, parents, faculty and coaches gathered to recognize the athletic and academic achievements of student athletes at the annual Maroon and White Spring Picnic on Tuesday, June 5. The event was sponsored by Maroon and White, the parent booster organization that supports and encourages athletics at Scarsdale High School. The night kicked off with a delectable feast on the main lawn of SHS's Brewster entrance. Student athletes and their families gathered together to take pictures and reminisce about fond past sports seasons, all while enjoying the extensive spread of hamburgers, hot dogs, Caesar salad, caprese salad, tortellini pasta and baked goods, and plenty of refreshments.

Following the meal, students and families were ushered inside the auditorium for the award ceremony. First to speak was SHS Principal Kenneth Bonamo. He showed strong support for the Scarsdale Athletic Program and all four hundred and twenty athletes that played on one of the eighteen different teams this spring. Those teams, ranging from freshman to varsity, included: Baseball, Softball, Boys' Lacrosse, Girls' Lacrosse, Boys' Tennis, Track, Golf and Crew. Principal Bonamo "saluted all of these athletes for their hard work" and "thanked the coaches for their commitment and dedication."

Next to take the stage were Maroon and White Co-Presidents Liz Whitney and Charlotte Carr, who expressed their sincerest gratitude to the following individuals that made this event possible: Beth and Danny Bernstein for "donating the hamburgers and hot dogs for the picnic," Keith and Teresa Goldberg for "donating the paper to make the Raiders Sports Journal over the years," Greg Leone for his "valuable help to the sports journal" and Bob Syracuse and his staff, who has "made sure that athletic teams and athletes maintain high standards expected at Scarsdale." They thanked them for their thorough generosity and dedication to the Scarsdale Athletics Program as a whole.

Last, but certainly not least, came the awards. Maroon and White recognizes student athletes for their excellence and dedication both on and off the field. The selected students must not only excel in their sport, lead and support their teammates and demonstrate excellent sportsmanship, but they must also be dedicated to their academics and perform honorably in the classroom. These standards are rigorous, and the five award winners were credited with excellence on the field and in the classroom.

See our photo gallery with pictures taken by SHS senior and photographer Becky Schwartz:

Here are the 2013 award recipients:

Peppers Award: The Peppers family award is a leadership and spirit award given to one male and female senior athlete. Assistant Principal Sue Peppers and her husband Jerry, for whom the award was named, were there to give the award. The female recipient of the Peppers Award was Christina Del Orto. Christina, captain of the Swim and Golf Team, "has excelled academically and integrated classroom skills with athletic ability to become a respected student athlete" says her coaches. She is a "role model" with undying "perseverance" that showed when she swam across the Hudson River to raise money for cancer research. She has displayed "leadership and sportsmanship" on the field, along with "a contagious enthusiasm" that is an "inspiration to her coaches and teammates." Jacob Cannon, varsity football captain and SHS Student Body President, was the male recipient of the Peppers Award. Jacob was described by his coach as "the type of player you wish you could clone." He is not just "big and strong" but also "has an amazing work ethic" says his coach. He "works hard in the weight room, on the practice field and has a rigorous academic course load." That work ethic is a big reason why Jacob was voted first team all league, won the David Buchanan Award, attended the senior all star game and will be playing college football at Princeton next year.

The Nina F. Mooney Memorial Award is presented to honor a female varsity player who exemplifies spirit, dedication, hard work and passion. Nina had a special place in her heart for female athletes who didn't receive enough credit for their passion. Amanda Reed of the volleyball team was the winner of this year's award. Amanda "brought the team together on and off the court and was a true role model for younger players." She "left a legacy for future volleyball players to look up to," said her coaches.

The Nonie Knopp Memorial Award is presented to a senior male varsity player who has demonstrated passion, and this year's recipient "exemplifies that attribute." Matt Mccan, a member of both the Track and Football teams, received the award for his "dedication, commitment, concern for others, spirit, enthusiasm, positive work ethic and leadership with an emphasis on leadership." When the coach was late, "Matt was the one to get warm ups started." As shot put league champion, Matt helped to "teach his teammates the fine art of throwing."

The Elizabeth Timberger Memorial Award honors a senior who helps a team, not as a player, but through some other form such as a manager, audiovisual specialist or a fan. Elizabeth was an avid fan and enthusiastic rooter on the sidelines, and this award honors her spirit. This year's recipient was Brittany Gerstein, who chose not to compete as a cheerleader, but to remain a part of the team of the manager. She attended every game, practice and competition. Her coaches "can't even describe how much of a help she has been." She "can be trusted with responsibilities inside and outside of practice." Brittney has "truly dedicated herself to the program" and is the rightful recipient of the Elizabeth Timberger Memorial Award.

Baseball
Coaches: David "DOC" Scholl, Dave Paquette

Record: 7-15
All League: Grant Goodman, Kurt Shuster
All League Honorable Mention: Raj Palekar
All Section Honorable Mention: Jacob Aboodi
Comeback Player of the Year: Raj Palekar

 

Softball
Coaches: Dave Scagnelli, Kevin Carrigan

 

Record: 7-13
All League: Greta Bodine, Dana Goldstein

 

Boy's Tennis
Coach: Jennifer Roane

 

Record: 10-5
All League: Jonny Dorf, Sam Gray, Anito Inirio-Akuetey, Zach Shulman, Richard Bennett
All Section: Jonny Dorf, Sam Gray

 

Boy's Lacrosse
Coaches: Tim Weir, Brendan Curran

 

Record: 1-14

 

Girl's Lacrosse
Coaches: Cece Berger, Genette Zonghetti

 

Record: 12-4-2, Section 1 Class A Semifinalists
All League: Lindsey Repp, Dannah Strauss, Julia Ross, Sarah Mehlman, Abigail Stone, Lindsay Root, Lauren Farfel
All Section: Lindsey Repp, Danna Strauss
All Section Honorable Mention: Julia Ross

 

Track and Field:
Coaches: Rich Clark, Devin Hoover, Patrick Healy, Chris Mullen

 

Record: Boys 2nd in League IIB and Girls 3rd in League IIB
All League: Patrick Clark, Robert Plummer, Maggie DesRosiers, Helen Clapp, Laura Cutlip, Christina Hebner, Matt McCann
All County: Patrick Clarke, Robert Plummer
All Section: Patrick Clarke, Robert Plummer

 

Crew:

 

Coach: Alex Greenberg

 

Melanie Norman and Olivia Garcia qualified for Nationals with the PCRA. They raced in the Girls Lightweight 8 Boat, which also won Gold at States.
Chris Martin won Gold at states for the PCRA Boy Novice 8

 

Boy's Golf
Coach: Andy Verboys

 

Record: 16-0, League Champions
All League: James Nicolas, Ethan Bunzel, Josh Goldenberg, Jacob Lenchner, Scott Solomon, Jonny Emmerman, Anthony Scarcella, Nikhil Sodhi
All Section: Josh Goldenberg, Anthony Scarcella, Ethan Bunzel
State Qualifiers: Josh Goldenberg, Anthony Scarcella

 

Girl's Golf
Coach: Barney Foltman

 

Record: 5-7
All League: Christina Dell'Orto, Alison Whitney