Maroon and White Honors Fall Athletes at Lake Isle

The fall athletes were honored for their seasons at the annual Maroon and White dinner this Tuesday, November 14th at Lake Isle. A number of teams were successful and made promising strides this season. Maroon and White honors the senior athletes, many of them concluding their athletic careers with the end of this season.

The Football team, comprised of a large number of seniors, made an impressive run this season. Starting off 5-0, the team utilized its veteran roster, while also creating opportunities for new and younger players to contribute. The Raiders lost in the playoffs to John Jay East Fishkill. Senior Andrew Gindi noted that the highlight of his season was "being with a great group of guys and coaches, just having fun."

In their second season as an official varsity team, the Boy's Volleyball team made impressive strides. They marked their first win in program history against Eastchester. The team will lose many valuable seniors. Jack Ortner noted that he learned "The importance of being bonded with your team, so when someone messes up you pick them back up." Passing down this mindset to the younger players, the senior players have ensured that they set the precedent for boy's volleyball at the high school for years to come.

Girl's Cheerleading has just begun their competition season, but they have already made notable accomplishments. Senior Savannah Smith said that her favorite part of the season thus far has been winning sectionals. Aerin Cantor added that the team has placed third at regional competition, and they received their bid to nationals, where they will compete later this year.

The Girl's Volleyball team had an impressive season, ending with a record of 13 wins and 5 losses. The team started the season with a trip to Disney World to play against teams from across the country. Behind New Rochelle, Scarsdale finished second in a very competitive league. Ending their season at North Rockland in the playoffs like they had the previous year. Senior Cyrpian Elwes says that her favorite memory from the season was simply "spending time with [her] best friends, and developing together as a team." This camaraderie fostered by the seniors will continue for years to come in the volleyball program.

Girl's Swimming achieved many firsts this season. Senior Natalie Isak's highlight for the season was winning their first meet. She noted that it "set the precedent for the rest of the season." Additionally, Senior Sydney Vleck mentioned that this was the first time the team has had a winning record since 2011. The Raiders sent an impressive 8 swimmers and divers to represent Section 1 in the state meet in Ithaca, New York.

The Boy's Soccer team hit a rough patch in the middle of the season, but recorded a number of impressive wins to make it to the second round of the playoffs. Senior Captain Fayez Merchant said that his highlight for the season was "beating Mamaroneck away in overtime." Also notable was a win against Yorktown to secure a spot in the playoffs.

Lily Steckel of the Girl's Tennis team said that best part of their season was being able to play one of their league matches on the US Open tennis courts in Flushing, Queens. She said, "We've grown up watching our tennis idols play on those courts. It was surreal to get the chance to play there as well." The team will lose strong leadership in captains Lily Steckel and Phoebe Denison, but looks to build on the young team, with multiple freshmen playing singles this year.

The Cross Country team had another great season this fall, competing and placing at a number of important events such as the Manhattan Invitational. Senior Captain Sophia Rosset mentioned that her favorite experience in her four years has been the dedication and passion of her coaches. She said that this passion has translated to the rest of the team, as a few runners have signed up to run an extra race, Nike Cross Regionals.

Coming off of a section and regional championship last year, the Girl's Soccer team worked hard to live up to their earned reputation. Senior Olivia Haller mentioned that "this season, [the team] was the closest that it has even been. We can attribute our success on the field to our communication." Abby Glaser said that "coming off going to states last year, we all worked hard in the off season, which helped to bring us together to work hard during the season." The team was knocked out of the section contention in a nail-biting quarterfinal game against Mamaroneck.

Photos by Brooke Bensche, Text by Emmeline Berridge.