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Written by: Sajiv Mehta

Published: 03 May 2023

Created: 03 May 2023

Last Updated: 03 May 2023

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Here is a round-up of seven Scarsdale High School’s teams records as of May 2, 2023.

Baseball – In the second half of last week, the Raiders played two crucial games against their biggest rival, Mamaroneck, on Wednesday, 4/26, and Friday, 4/28. They dropped both games to a strong Mamaroneck team with the same score in both games: 7-0, bringing Scarsdale’s record to 4 wins and 9 losses. In league play, Scarsdale has won twice and lost twice. Next up is a game against nearby New Rochelle on Thursday, 5/4 and against middling Lincoln on Friday, 5/5. When Scarsdale played Lincoln in early April, they demonstrated their potential, winning by an amazing 18-1. They will hope to get back on track and for a repeat performance on Friday.

Girls’ Flag Football – On Wednesday, 4/26, the team tied a strong Brewster team with only one loss, 6-6. The very next day, the strong team Clarkstown proved to be no match for Scarsdale; the Raiders overpowered them, 30-6. The 2022 Section 1 Finalists currently sit at 6 wins, 1 loss, and 2 draws. Next up is a matchup against the struggling Trailblazers on Wed, 5/3 and a game against Scarsdale’s own “B” Flag Football team on Friday, 5/5.

Boys’ Golf – On Thursday, 4/27, Scarsdale dropped their first match of the season to Bronxville at Siwanoy Golf Club. It was a windy day with difficult greens and many Raiders struggled, losing 203-209. Sophomore Leo Chu shot the best score for Scarsdale with a 3-over 38. However, on Tuesday, 5/2, the Raiders got an opportunity for revenge as they played Bronxville again, this time at their home course of Fenway Golf Club. They prevailed on yet another windy day, overwhelming Bronxville 196-207. Chu shone again with a score of 1-over 36. The Raiders currently sit at 9 wins and 1 loss. Their scoring differential is 2nd in the section behind Rye with 6 matches left in the regular season. Next up is a match against Clarkstown South at Westchester Country Club on Wednesday, 5/3.

Boys’ Lacrosse – On Thursday, 4/27, the boys engaged in a thriller against Stepinac, jumping out to an early lead and then holding on against a Stepinac charge. The final score was 12 Scarsdale, 11 Stepinac. Senior goalie Andrew Lehrmanz had 22 saves. On Tuesday, 5/2, the Raiders dominated New Rochelle – the final score was 16-1. Junior Rhett Needleman had 2 goals and 1 assist. Their record is currently 8 wins against 5 losses. In Section 1, however, they sit at 7 wins against 2 losses. On Friday, 5/5, the Raiders face Ramapo from New Jersey.

Girls’ Lacrosse – Last Thursday, 4/27, Scarsdale took a close loss against rival Mamaroneck with a score of 10-8. On Monday, 5/1, however, the team bounced back, winning a close one against Harrison, 10-9. This brought the team’s record to 4 wins against 8 losses. They are back at it on Wednesday, 5/3, against a Rye Team that currently has 8 wins against 4 losses. It will likely prove to be a tough matchup for the Raiders.

Softball – On Wednesday, 4/26, the Raiders suffered a big loss against a talented Ursuline team, losing 21-0. On Thursday, 4/27, Scarsdale lost a close one to Croton-Harmon, 10-8. And on Monday, 5/1, the team fell to Panas, 8-7. These 3 losses are part of a 4-game slide for the Raiders, bringing their record to 5 wins and 8 losses. They look to get back on track on Wednesday, 5/3, against rival team Mamaroneck.

Boys’ Tennis – Last week, the boys overwhelmed Arlington on Wednesday, 4/26, with a score of 6-1 (one match was retired). On Thursday, 4/27, the Raiders lost, 5-3, at home against Horace Mann. It was senior night. However, since the game was a non-league match, the Raider’s standing for sectionals remains in good form. They are back at it on Wednesday, 5/3, at Horace Greeley.

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Written by: Sajiv Mehta

Published: 26 April 2023

Created: 26 April 2023

Last Updated: 26 April 2023

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While athletic fans await news on what’s to become of the Raider’s name and logo, here is a round-up of the performance of Scarsdale’s sports teams this week:

Baseball – On Thursday, 4/20, the Raiders vanquished Lincoln with a score of 8-1. On Monday, 4/25, Scarsdale held on against Ardsley to yet again win, 5-3. On Tuesday, 4/25, the Raiders fell to a talented John Jay-Cross River team, 15-3, bringing their record to 4 wins and 7 losses. Next up are two critical games against rival Mamaroneck, Wednesday, 4/26, and Friday, 4/28.

Girls’ Flag Football – On Thursday, 4/20, the team overwhelmed Ossining, cruising to a 41-6 win. The next day, Friday, 4/21, Scarsdale dropped a game to Panas, losing by 7 points, 13-6. On Tuesday, 4/25, the Raiders tied Lakeland, as both the teams scored 7 points, bringing the Raiders’ record to 5 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw. The team is back at it Wednesday, 4/26, and Thursday, 4/27 against Brewster and Clarkstown, respectively. Both opponents hold a winning record and should prove to be worthy opponents for Scarsdale.

Boys’ Golf – On Wednesday, 4/19, the Raiders defeated Yorktown, 206 to 219, on a windy day at Quaker Ridge Golf Club. Junior Sajiv Mehta was the Medalist with a score of 3-over 39. The Raiders again prevailed in a three-way match at Century Country Club on Monday, 4/24 against White Plains and Horace Greeley. Scarsdale shot a team score of 197 against a 236 by Horace Greeley and 240 by White Plains. Sophomore Leo Chu shot a score of 3-over 38 to medal. They remain undefeated with a record of 9 wins to 0 losses. Next up is a crucial match against the defending section champs, Bronxville, at Siwanoy Golf Club on Thursday, 4/27.

Boys’ Lacrosse – The Raiders recorded two victories last week, both against teams with winning records – Rye and Pelham. Scarsdale dominated against both, winning 9-5 and 14-5, respectively. Junior Rhett Needleman recorded 4 goals against Rye and fellow junior Jake Goldstein accrued 8 points against Pelham – 2 goals and 6 assists. On Saturday, 4/22, the team fell to John Jay-Cross River, 9-6, and on Monday, 4/24, the Raiders played their first league game, dismantling White Plains 15-2, bringing their record to 6 wins and 2 losses in Section 1 play and 6 wins against 5 losses overall. Next up is a matchup against Stepinac on Thursday, 4/27.

Girls’ Lacrosse – On Saturday, 4/22, the Raiders defeated O’Neill, 17-7. Two days later, on Monday, 4/24, Scarsdale was overwhelmed by a strong Pelham team, dropping the game 17-10. The team’s record sits at 3 wins and 7 losses. Next up is a matchup against Mamaroneck on Thursday, 4/27.

Softball – On Thursday, 4/20, Scarsdale was vanquished by John Jay-East Fishkill, losing 16-0. On Saturday, 4/22, however, the Raiders bounced back, winning both games in a doubleheader against a Putnam Valley/Haldane team that was previously undefeated. The Raiders won by a combined 28 runs on this day, winning 27-15 in the first game and 25-9 in the second. They now
are above “.500”, with a record that sports 5 wins to 4 losses. Next up is a game against Ursuline on Wednesday, 4/26.

Boys’ Tennis – Last week, the boys edged rival Mamaroneck 4-3 on Tuesday, 4/18, and defeated Harrison 6-1 the next day. On Thursday, 4/20, a short-handed lineup lost to Byram Hills 2-5, bringing Scarsdale’s record to 5-1. On Wednesday, 4/26, the Raiders head to Arlington, and on Thursday, 4/27, they are home against a strong Horace Mann team for senior night.

Track and Field – On Monday, 4/17 and Tuesday, 4/18, Scarsdale headed to New Rochelle for the Section 1 League 1A Championships. It was, overall, a successful meet for the Raiders. In the Boys’ 200 Meter Finals, junior Darius Toosi came in 4th place with a time of 23.49 seconds. In the Boys’ 400 Meter Finals, brothers Toby and Leo Khang both placed in the top 5 and established new personal records. Toby, a senior, came in 3rd place with a time of 53.09 seconds and Leo, a sophomore, wasn’t far behind – his time was 53.32 seconds, good for 5th place. In the Boys’ 800 Meter Finals, freshman Yuhan Cruz came in 4th place, with a time of 2:04.52 minutes, a personal record. In the Girls’ 200-meter final, Scarsdale freshman Maria Roberts came in 2nd place with a personal-best time of 26.50 seconds. Roberts also won the Girls’ 400 meters with a time of 59.59 seconds, and fellow Raider Shannon Kelly came in 2nd place at 1:00.69 minutes. Sophomore Zoe Dichter came in 3rd place in the Girls’ 800-meter finals, finishing with a time of 2 minutes and 24 seconds. In the Boys’ pentathlon, senior Henry Rifkin was victorious, scoring 2248. In the Girls’ long jump, sophomore Eva Gibney placed second with a mark of 15 feet, 5 inches. In the Boys’ triple jump, junior Matthew Wong came 3rd; his jumps marked 38 feet and 8 inches, good for a personal best. In the Boys’ 4x400 relay, Scarsdale prevailed over the field with a time of 3:33.54, punching their ticket to the relays at the University of Pennsylvania, the largest track and field competition in the United States.

Some of the best Raider Track and Field Teams are headed to the Penn Relays on Thursday, 4/27, and Friday, 4/28. The next meet on the general schedule is Saturday, 4/29, when the boys are headed to Mamaroneck and the girls to Croton.

Contributor Sajiv Mehta is a junior at Scarsdale High School. He has been a member of the varsity boys' golf team for three years.

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 20 April 2023

Created: 20 April 2023

Last Updated: 20 April 2023

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Luke Peltz, a 2022 graduate of Scarsdale High School, and a four-year varsity soccer player describes his journey to playing college soccer. For those who are wondering if a post -graduate year is right for your student athlete, see below for his description of his decision making process, the post graduate year and more.

Tell us about yourself and what you enjoyed at Scarsdale High School. What sports did you play and for how many years?

My name is Luke Peltz and I grew near Greenacres School. I thoroughly enjoyed my Scarsdale experience, particularly my time at Scarsdale High School. I made an incredible group of friends, who I still contact every day. I attended many athletic events as a spectator because of my deep passion for Scarsdale sports. I had great relationships with my teachers, especially my eleventh and twelfth grade English teachers Mrs. Rosenzweig and Mr. Paul. I played varsity soccer for four years and was the captain my junior and senior year. I was the male recipient of the 2022 Scarsdale High School Athlete Honor Society Award for my work as a student-athlete during my time at SHS.

Did you pursue recruitment to a college team while you were at SHS? Tell us about that process and what happened.

I pursued soccer recruitment during the spring of my junior year. It was a difficult process because while some schools would respond and I had set up zoom calls, they couldn’t move forward because of the dead period during COVID. The dead period during my junior year was extended until July 1. Colleges that I wanted to attend were not able to see me play until a couple of weeks before they had to make their final offers. I did attend many ID camps (Identification Day) to try to show my talents to colleges. I got some interest from colleges that I wasn’t interested in but my most intriguing offer was to the Berkshire School, a prep school in Massachusetts.

I started talking to Berkshire and in August, they offered me the opportunity to repeat my junior year there and attend for two years. Even with all that, I was very close to committing to Hamilton College in Clinton, New York for the class of 2026. I told the coach I would commit to playing for them and he said they wanted me on their team but needed to make sure that I could pass the pre-read process. The pre-read process is where colleges take a prospect’s academic materials (transcript, standardized test scores, resume) and submit it to admissions before actual applications to let the coaches know if their recruits would get into the school Early Decision. submitted my pre-read to Hamilton just before my senior year soccer preseason and was told the day of my first game against Mahopac that I didn’t have enough AT courses on my transcript. It was pretty devastating but I knew that my soccer recruitment did not have to end there because I was receiving interest from several top boarding schools for soccer in New England who had seen my highlight film or in person.

Why did you decide to do a post grad year? Which schools did you look at?

I decided to take a post-grad year after our devastating sectional final loss to Mamaroneck in late October of 2021. I did not want that match to be the last competitive soccer match I ever played. In my boarding school process, I visited Taft, Berkshire, Phillips Andover, Phillips Exeter, and Hotchkiss. I absolutely loved Andover, Exeter, and Hotchkiss. I ended up receiving offers from Exeter and Hotchkiss and thought I would attend Exeter. These schools were all great academic institutions. However, I went to an ID camp in February of 2022 in Danbury, Connecticut and received an offer from Owen Finberg at South Kent to play on their prep team, who won back-to-back prep school National Championships. I spoke to some South Kent Soccer alums and a college coach in California who told me that I should take the best Athletic Opportunity for my post-graduate year. I knew that Coach Owen Finberg had the most college contacts out of any boarding school and ran the most prestigious soccer program. Even though South Kent was the campus that I liked the least and its academic reputation didn’t compare to the other schools, I trusted that the athletic prestige of the soccer program and reputation of Coach Finberg allow me to achieve my goals of playing college soccer at a high academic college/university.

A fall 2022 game at South Kent

Do these prep schools have specific one year programs for post high school athletes? Did any of the schoolwork you did qualify for college credit?

The majority of prep schools that I reached out to took multiple post-graduate high school students every year. In fact, at South Kent I am one of twelve post-graduate students. This year I took three college level courses through Syracuse University Project Advancement but none of those courses will directly translate to college credits at Bowdoin. However, taking those classes helped tremendously with my pre-read at Bowdoin.

Did you play soccer at prep school?

Soccer is the biggest part of my life at prep school this year. We play six times a week. We were undefeated in the Fall season and won the 2022 Prep Soccer.com National Championship for the third year in a row. I started in half of our games in the fall and am now a regular starter for our u-19 spring club team. We also had success with our club team as we won the 2023 Jefferson Cup two weeks ago.

Tell us about the recruitment process there - and how it differed from the one at SHS.

My soccer recruitment process, coming out of South Kent, was so much easier coming from such a reputable program. The reputation of South Kent soccer is so renowned in the college world. I reached out in the same manner that I did a year ago as a SHS athlete and got faster responses than I did the year before because of the fact that I had “South Kent Post-Graduate Center-Back” in my subject line. Last year, I had four phone calls the first week after committing to South Kent and seven in total (Middlebury, Hamilton, Bates, Bowdoin, Vassar, Washington & Lee, Colby). I also had three programs follow me on Instagram after I reached out. So, as you can see, the recruiting process was robust after I committed to South Kent. I actually committed to Bowdoin after they saw me at an ID camp before I even touched a soccer ball at South Kent. The point is now that I was a South Kent player, coaches were looking out for me as opposed to the anonymity I experienced for the most part as an SHS player.

Where did you decide to go to college and why? Did you receive several offers? Do they offer scholarships as well?

I decided to attend Bowdoin College because I really loved the coach there, I had a friend on the team, I loved the campus, and I would be able to walk away with an amazing academic degree. Although I chose my boarding school based on athletic prestige, I always valued academics the most for where I would be choosing my college. I was very close to receiving offers from NYU and Vassar and was scheduled to speak with them sometime in early August but jumped on my offer from Bowdoin before I spoke to those schools. For Division III soccer, they don’t normally offer scholarships. NESCAC schools, in particular, are very good about offering financial aid and will sometimes offer “academic money” to prospects they really want. While Division III schools don’t offer scholarship money for athletics, they will find ways to make sure the prospects that they really want are able to attend their school.

What advice would you give to current SHS students considering this path?

My advice to current SHS students considering college soccer would be to reach out to colleges that interest you with an introductory email and attach your main highlight video. If a coach responds, you want to make yourself available to talk to them and send short clips from your games as your season progresses.

Is there anyone in the Dean’s office or athletic office at SHS who can help students who wish to pursue a post grad year?

I was very open with Athletic Director Ray Pappalardi about my intentions to do a post-graduate year. We just engaged in conversations about the schools I was considering and he was very interested in my process and knew of the schools I was talking about. My dean did give me the contact of other former SHS students who took a post-graduate year, but I would say my pursuit of a post-graduate year was largely independent.

Peltz, the sixth player on the right after an Adidas Classic Championship win.

Anything else you wish to add is welcome.

I only considered Division III schools because I wanted to find a place that would give me the best academic, athletic, and social experience. Another huge positive of playing Division III is that I am able to study abroad which wouldn’t be possible at a Division I school.

What really struck me about Bowdoin was the kindness from students and faculty, the passion they showed for learning, and the diversity of the student body. I have been in contact with my soon-to-be teammates who I know will be my life-long friends.

I owe a lot of credit to Coach Owen Finberg who was my coach this year at South Kent. He has worked here for 19 years, won 6 national championships, and 11 New England Championships. He will be moving on to Woodstock Academy, so they will become the most prestigious New England boarding school for soccer. In 2021-2022, he placed 11 of his players at Division One schools and this year he placed six of my teammates at division one schools. This year I was one of three NESCAC commits on the team (Colby and Middlebury were the others)

South Kent has been a wild experience. I am proudly Jewish and have gone to co-ed public school my whole life. However, South Kent is an all-boys, episcopal school, so I am required to go to church three times a week which teaches me to respect other beliefs and to do jobs/community service such as washing the dishes, doing recycling, doing laundry, etc.

I also love the diversity of our program at South Kent. There are forty players. Three players are from Spain, three from Bermuda, two from Ghana, two from Guatemala, two from Canada, one from the UAE, one from Mozambique, one from England, one from El Salvador, one from Jamaica, one from Hong Kong, one from South Korea, and one from Colombia.

I want to thank my parents who supported me throughout this process. They had a vision for me and belief that I would be able to play college soccer at a school that would be a great fit for me. There were many, many times where I wanted to give up and would argue with them about the value of postponing college by a year, but they were reassuring that it would all work out and it couldn’t have worked out better for me!

I’m so excited to start at Bowdoin College in the fall and plan to double major in Economics and Government Studies.

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 10 April 2023

Created: 10 April 2023

Last Updated: 10 April 2023

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Both State Assemblymember Amy Paulin and State Senator Shelley Mayer issued statements about the Texas court ruling which overrides the FDA and bans the sale of mifepristone and misoprostol for abortions and treating miscarriages.

Here are their statements:

Statement of Assemblymember Amy Paulin on the Federal Court Ruling Overturning the FDA Approval of Abortion Medication

Texas Federal Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk has disregarded science, the FDA, and the will of the majority of our country by ruling to suspend the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of mifepristone — one of two drugs used together to cause an abortion — virtually banning the sale of the pills across the country.

The decision compounds the Supreme Court’s tragic overturning of Roe v. Wade as it will negatively affect the hundreds of thousands of women in the country who each year use the two-drug regimen of mifepristone and misoprostol for abortions and treating miscarriages.

This year I am introducing legislation to expand abortion access in New York by allowing pharmacists to dispense the pills used for medication abortion through the use of non-patient specific prescriptions. My bill was prompted by the FDA’s recent regulatory change allowing State Assemblymember Amy Paulinmifepristone and misoprostol to be offered in retail pharmacies. Mifepristone and misoprostol are drugs which can be safely self-administered by a patient at home over a 2-day period in order to medically induce an abortion. They can be taken up to 12 weeks into a pregnancy, greatly expanding the abortion window for women.

In 2021, over half of abortions in the United States were medication abortions, specifically using the two-drug regimen of mifepristone and misoprostol.

Texas Federal Court Judge Kacsmaryk has decided to ignore science which has proven mifepristone and misoprostol to be safe and effective, with a 0.4 percent risk of major complications and an associated mortality rate of less than 0.001 percent. They also have no risk of overdose or addiction.

Judge Kacsmaryk has overstepped the court’s judicial authority by overturning a decision made by the FDA with its rigorous testing and approval process, as well as over two decades of safe and effective use of medication abortion. Allowing the courts to overturn an FDA approval based on politics rather than science has very dangerous implications. For this reason alone the ruling must be overturned.

Judge Kacsmaryk has also chosen to ignore the public’s will, as poll after poll shows that the majority of Americans believe that abortion should be legal.

Since the Supreme Court’s devastating decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and as states around the nation are tragically banning and limiting access to abortions, New York State has taken steps to become a safe harbor for abortion access. Access to abortion is something I have fought for throughout my time as a legislator. I will fight against this tragic and destructive attempt to turn back the clock to the detriment of women and families, and will continue to ensure that New York State not only allows, but expands abortion access.

Statement from Senator Shelley Mayer on the Decision in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine vs FDA

Yesterday’s decision by Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk cannot stand. In an unprecedented ruling, a single federal district court judge has invalidated 20 plus years of the FDA 's approval of mifepristone, a key drug used in safe medication abortions. Mifepristone has been used for years as part of a safe abortion procedure. After the Dobbs decision, it was more clear than ever that medication abortion, with mifepristone, would be one of the most important methods of abortion, so millions of women could have control over their bodies.

"The United States Supreme Court must defer to the authority of the FDA and overturn this decision with due haste. If this decision stands, it will have enormous implications not only for people seeking medication abortion and providers, but also on the standard of practice of policy making in the future. This is an inappropriate exercise of federal judicial authority and is an unjust and unfounded decision that undermines the rigorous and scientifically driven processes continuously undertaken by the FDA .

State Senator Shelley Mayer"While red states have turned their back on half their constituents, New York has stepped in to provide healthcare to people in need. I am proud to have sponsored legislation which has passed the NYS Senate to protect New York health providers who prescribe and distribute mifepristone to women throughout the US, and look forward to its prompt passage by the NYS Assembly and signature by Governor Hochul. We will continue to fight to ensure women – regardless of where they live – have access to safe, full control over their health care choices, including medication abortion with mifepristone."