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Written by: Adam Katcher

Published: 25 October 2021

Created: 25 October 2021

Last Updated: 28 October 2021

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Third-seed Scarsdale punched their ticket to the semifinals in front of a large crowd following a 3-0 quarterfinal victory over sixth-seed North Rockland.After an excellent 11-2-2 regular season for the Scarsdale Boys’ Varsity A Soccer Team, which included securing a League I – B title thanks to a Senior-Day victory over Mamaroneck, the Raiders had to forget about the thrill of the victory over the Tigers to turn their focus to the playoffs. The first-round clash against 14th seed Ketcham on October 21st (Scarsdale the third seed) appeared to be an easy game for Scarsdale at face value. Nonetheless, the Raiders needed to take care of business, and they did so with an impressive, albeit expected, 4-1 victory.

In the quarterfinals, the Raiders came up against a more daunting opponent: sixth-seeded North Rockland. This was guaranteed to be the Raider’s final home game of the season because their first playoff opponent would be Arlington, a higher seed, with the home field advantage.

For the final game against North Rockland, the 12th man provided by the crowd helped give Scarsdale an extra edge throughout the tightly-contested affair.

In the first half both teams had a similar number of chances, with neither side really gaining an upper hand for a prolonged period. Goalkeeper Rowan Haffner did well to prevent a one-on-one breakaway for North Rockland from turning into a visitors’ lead, as Scarsdale’s co-captain rushed to the feet of the attacker to cut off an angle for a more dangerous shot.

A brutally honest halftime team talk was given, with coach Marcos Monteagudo and team seniors emphasizing the adjustments that needed to be made to give the Raiders the extra edge.

The second half took on a completely different complexion. Despite strong opposition, Scarsdale’s attack became freer flowing. The deadlock was broken thanks to a brilliant play by freshman Lorenzo Galeano. Senior Eli Gelblum played the ball to Galeano, who picked it up about 30 yards away from the net on the left-wing. His first touch directed him towards the box, giving him a one-on-one with one of the opponent’s center-backs, who subsequently fell over thanks to the Scarsdale winger’s fancy footwork. Galeano danced around the fallen player, cut the ball onto his right foot to evade two onrushing defenders, chopped the ball forward to get out of the reach of the back-on-his-feet center-back, and fired the ball into the bottom corner of the net, just beyond the goalkeeper’s outstretched right arm.

Galeano was once more involved when the Raiders doubled their lead. From a set-piece routine, Lorenzo assisted his brother Nico with a delicate ball over the top of the opposition’s high defensive line. Scarsdale’s third goal saw freshman Leo Khang whip in a pinpoint corner for an unmarked Gelblum, who still had a lot of work to do to remarkably tuck his volley into the top-left corner of the net. There was a slight bit of controversy late on as a North Rockland player was shown a red card for spitting at Scarsdale co-captain Kian Batliwalla.

The 3-0 final score in favor of the hosts was no less than what they deserved. The Raiders officially completed the season undefeated on their home fields (Quaker Ridge and Butler Field).

The Raiders are scheduled to kick off their semifinal clash at Arlington at 2 pm on October 27th. One of Scarsdale’s two losses this season came in their regular-season match at Arlington, with the team from Dutchess County emerging as 2-1 victors in that clash. The Raiders will be hoping to get their revenge to punch a ticket to the section finals on October 30th against the winner of the match between John Jay East Fishkill (first seed) and Mamaroneck (fifth seed). Regardless of what happens, this year’s Scarsdale Boys’ Varsity A Soccer Team has been the best team it has been in recent memory, so there is already so much to be proud of. Nonetheless, the players know its a win-or-go-home scenario and they will do everything they can to avoid tasting defeat with this team ever again.

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 21 September 2021

Created: 21 September 2021

Last Updated: 23 September 2021

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The SHS Girls Varsity A Tennis Team at their third match of the season.The talented Varsity A girls tennis team is off to a stunning start, barely dropping a set in the first three league matches of the year.

Junior Natalie HuWith nine seniors graduating last year, this year’s team is a mix of 2 freshman, 3 sophomores, 4 juniors and 4 seniors. They are strong, skilled and strategic on the court.

The team’s captains are first singles player Natalie Hu and first doubles player Laura Mendez. Dressed in their team uniforms of maroon skirts and white and black T’s, they greeted rivals Mamaroneck for their third match of the season on Monday September 20, 2021.

After breezing by Fox Lane 7-0 and Ursuline 7-0, Coach Jennifer Roane said that the team expected a challenge from Mamaroneck who have always been among the most capable teams in the league. But they rose to the challenge and came away with impressive results.

At first singles, junior Natalie Hu played against Regan Aylett, a player she appeared to know. Hu came out strong, serving aces that her opponent couldn’t touch. She hit deep baseline shots, wonderful net shots and came off the court quickly with a 6-0, 6-0 win.Freshman Giana Marks

Only a freshman lefty Giana Marks plays second singles for the team. She is tough and consistent and I saw one 20 hit rally, before she bested her opponent 6-0, 6-1.

Playing third singles was junior Maya Cukierman, another aggressive hitter with a strong serve. She sent her opponent running from corner to corner, beating her 6-0, 6-0.

Playing first doubles for Scarsdale are senior Laura Mendez and junior Campbell Alin. In past years Mendez partnered with her sister, but now that her sister is in college, Laura has a new teammate. They played Mamaroneck’s Annabelle Reddy and Ann Donoghue and won 6-4, 6-3.

At second doubles is the powerful team of sophomore Maya Vora and Yelena Sahakyan. They hit deep shots to the baseline and triumphed 6-1, 6-2.

In third doubles Madison Lee was paired with Lara Wellen. We couldn’t see too much of that match from the sidelines but saw Lee hit a beautiful down the line backhand, passing her opponent at the net. The third doubles team dominated their match 6-2, 6-1.

Maya CukiermanThe fourth doubles team of Natasha Pereira and Kay Cottrell had to wait until Natalie Hu was off the court. They came away 6-3, 6-4.

New this year, if the team qualifies for the states, the entire team will go, not individual players. The way they are playing now, they should have a good chance of competing.

Campbell Alin and Laura MendezMaya Vora and Yelena Sahakyan.Lara Wellen and Madison LeeNatasha Pereira and Kay Cottrell

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Published: 15 September 2021

Created: 15 September 2021

Last Updated: 16 September 2021

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Each year, the SHS senior class holds an annual chalking event early in the school year. This year at Scarsdale High School, the seniors were as enthusiastic as ever. The seniors arrived at 7:00 on September 15 to get a spot and start working on their masterpieces!

Each group chose an area for their chalk art. Each piece was intricate and thought out, and seniors used different colors, blended the chalk with their hands, and included clever phrases and pictures. Many of the phrases incorporated the class graduation year, 22 (2022). Some phrases included "Be2t For La2t" and "Keep it Cla22y". The event was a great teamwork activity to launch the senior’s last year in Scarsdale.

See photos from the event below:

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Photos by Sophia Albert

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Written by: Adam Katcher

Published: 08 September 2021

Created: 08 September 2021

Last Updated: 08 September 2021

Hits: 1817

Two scrimmages in a row. Two quickfire goals to start both matches. Two more days until the opening match. The Varsity A soccer team, after a few strong training sessions following tryouts, wasted no time getting up to match-fitness ahead of the 2021 season. Preseason friendlies against Eastchester, North Rockland, and Iona Prep were lined up, but only the first two matches were able to be played.

The Monday match at Eastchester and the Tuesday clash at Butler Field, despite their less-competitive-than-usual nature, showed there are plenty of goals in this Raiders team, finding the back of the net six total times across the two matches. Waking up on Wednesday, the team was prepared to play their final preseason match ahead of Friday’s season opener 30 miles away against Mahopac.

The remnants of Hurricane Ida proved to be its own type of storm. The wind came but did not roar, whereas the rain gradually started to come down at an intensity with which the soccer team approaches every match. By the time the school day ended on Wednesday, so too did the hopes of playing that third scrimmage. The onslaught of rain led to unplayable conditions, though that was just the beginning.

From Wednesday evening to Thursday morning, streets turned into rivers; fields turned into lakes; the final practice scheduled for Thursday before the season opener was cancelled. Thus, the Raiders had to enter their season opener following two days apart from the team. And, even though two days does not seem like much, fine margins such as missing extra days of practice can be decisive over the course of a season where the games come thick and fast.

On Friday, the team embarked on the nearly-hour-long bus ride up to Mahopac. The Raiders showed up over one hour early, so they took to the grass fields on the side of the main stadium to warm up, settle nerves, and get the blood flowing.

With 15 seniors on the team and 17 returning players from last season, a sense of a strong bond throughout the team was not difficult to forge. Even so, keeping that close-knit mentality once the starting whistle blows is not an easy task. Nonetheless, the Raiders were able to do so admirably.

Despite the match ending 0-0, it was clear that the Scarsdale team had a tremendous understanding of each other. Intricate attacking runs were made. Players knew where their teammates were at all times. Possession was dominated by the Raiders. Mahopac touches on the ball were few and far between. The opposition post was rattled and their goalie was forced into making a few spectacular saves to prevent Scarsdale from taking a victory back home. Nonetheless, it was clear the Raiders were the dominant side. Mahopac rarely, if at all, caused any trouble for a composed Rowan Haffner in the Scarsdale goal.

Even though the high school game does not have the analytics to give an exact statistic for possession, if possession percentages were calculated, they would likely show that Scarsdale had the ball for upwards of 75-80% of the match.

Senior midfielder Eli Gelblum echoed this notion, saying, “I think the team was both moving the ball well and pressing nicely as a unit. Countless times, we worked together to force a bad pass or win the ball back, something that we should definitely work to continue doing.”

He also emphasized the importance of not only improving finishing technique, but also having an “even greater hunger” to score.

Gelblum also sees the togetherness within the squad, stating, “The chemistry on our team is amazing, and it shows on the field in the form of our great communication and overall cohesive play.”

The result of a tie was not ideal, though repeating strong, united performances will yield victories if there is just that extra clinical edge to attacking moves. However, do not be surprised in the slightest if the goal-scoring woes from the season opener briskly become an anomalous memory. The chemistry that flows within the team makes for an exciting season to come, with little blips able to be remedied in training.