The Dragons make the playoffs for the second year in a row

The Dragons / S. Louie

This spring the High School for Math Science and Engineering’s volleyball team made the playoffs for the second consecutive year. They finished their season with a tie for third place in their division with the  High School for Environmental Studies. Both incoming freshman and hardworking seniors carried the team to the first round of the playoffs.

The team had to overcome an 0-2 start while they were missing key seniors. “We were missing people like Jeremy [Wain Hirschberg] and Yassine [Khaliqui],” said Kofi Kordie, one of the outside hitters for the team. 

As the season progressed the team gained experience.  

“We all improved, learning to work together and becoming more comfortable with each other,” said junior setter Spencer Sharp.

The closer they got to the playoffs, the mentality of the team changed. 

“[Our attitude toward playing changed. We started to get more hype about playing,” said freshman Lemuel Burgos. 

The determination of the team netted them a 7-3 finish in their last 10 games which helped them secure a spot in the playoffs.

In the first round of the 2013 PSAL volleyball playoffs the Dragons faced Christopher Columbus High School. The Dragons went down  0-1, with the team battling hard but eventually falling in the second set. 

“The first set of the playoffs we were very nervous, the second set we were more comfortable, said Kordie. 

One of the most influential  freshman that helped the Dragons get to the playoffs was Burgos. He had to fill in for Dionys Gutierrez, the Dragon’s middle hitter, who was ineligible during the duration of the regular season. 

“Lemuel was expected to pick up Dionys’ position, he was expected to block and hit, which he delivered pretty well,” said Kordie.

Even though the Dragons were knocked out of the first round of the playoffs, they tried their hardest and hope to make it to the playoffs next year. This will mostly depend on the the development of the  underclassmen who will be taking the place of the seniors.

Contributed by Sahar Saedi and Shawn Watts

The Lady Dragons are ready to move upward

HSMSE girls' softball team - HSMSE PTA 

The HSMSE girls' softball team finished the 2013 season undefeated and will most likely advance to the Manhattan B division next spring. They were placed in the developmental league because they were a relatively new team in the PSAL but should be moving up since they finished the season with a great record.

In the 2013 season the team had six seniors, which made up more than a third of the team. Fortunately, a majority of underclassmen will make up for the loss of the seniors.The new athletes this season showed their dedication to the team and proved that they are ready play next season.

“The freshman are devoted, they come to every practice and even our games to show their support.” said coach Crystal Downey.

Of the underclassmen this season, freshman Taylor Faulds stands out from the rest of the team, mainly because of her experience as a softball player. Her pitching has been consistent, and made a difference on the team. She ended this season with a 0.70 ERA, which contributed to their undefeated season by giving the opposing teams a hard time to scoring.

The team is putting in more effort with Coach Downey, who is a big factor in their great record this season.The team doubled their practice time from two days a week, to four days a week and even started practicing on the weekends.

 “Ms. Downey is a much more thorough coach and always makes sure we are ready for the games,” said second basemen Katherine Marlowe.

contributed by Nasif Chowdhury 

Dragons' softball team step up to the plate

HSMSE Softball Team Photo/photo taken by: HSMSE PTA

For three years the High School for Math Science and Engineering softball team has been in the developmental league, but their recent and rapid improvement may be enough to promote them to the Manhattan B division in 2014. The Lady Dragons ended their regular season with a 5-0-1 record, a huge improvement from their 4-6 record in 2012.

Their coach brought out the potential that the players had. Coach Crystal Downey gave the team more time to play and get a feel for the game.

“The change in coaches was definitely positive, at the start we didn't really have real practices for fielding or hitting. Now Ms.Downey is a much more thorough with us; she is a lot more strict,” said senior outfielder Hannah Creutzfeldt.

“They were all very committed. We became more competitive,” said Coach Downey.

In addition to the increase of their overall skill level, freshman contributed a big part in the improvement of the Lady Dragons.One key freshmen that played an important role in the team’s success was Taylor Faulds. Her dominant pitching resulted in an average of one run per seven innings earning her 0.70 ERA.  

The High School for Math Science and Engineering softball team ranked at the top of the developmental league, finishing the season undefeated. Their play shows that they are ready for a higher division and Downey predicts that the team is prepared for the challenge.

“The team will do well, but will not be undefeated,” said Downey.

Contributed by: Alex Long

Dragons shutout in first season

Baseball / Wikimedia Commons

Moving up from the PSAL Developmental league to the Bronx South Division, the High School For Math Science and Engineering baseball team faced a rough 0-13 season. Elevating to a higher league did not play in the Dragons favor. This season there were several factors which affected the team’s performance, one being the change in division, which led the team to play twice as many games as last season. After the loss of last year's seniors the team acquired new players who had little to no previous experience in the sport.

This season the team had half the amount of seniors compared to last years roster. The seven seniors that played in the 2012 season had important positions on the field. The team lost most of their starting infield and outfield players. As a result they needed players to step up in order to have the necessary amount of athletes.

“Since we lost a lot of seniors last year, we had to get a lot of people who either haven't played baseball or weren't used to the game so getting to know each other and getting to work together with new players was pretty difficult,” said senior outfielder Kyle Grasing.

The baseball team also struggled this season because the players lacked motivation and the skills required at this level of competition. This was due to the fact that players found the early morning practices very inconvenient. These sessions affected the productivity level of the team and limited the team’s improvement to the few who dedicated their time.

“If someone really wants to play and if someone really wants to work hard, they’ll come no matter what time it is to improve himself,” said coach David Scheiman.

With a higher level of competition, the baseball team had trouble adjusting to the difficulty of the B-Division. They weren’t able to hit against the better pitchers and they weren't able to field the ball well during important situations in the games.

“I think we can definitely improve in our fielding, situational hitting, and in general hitting,” said Scheiman.

The baseball team will need to continue to improve and develop their skills in order to elevate their performance level to meet the demands of their league. They will need to show their commitment and dedication towards the team and attend practices so that they can improve between games. Players should also take the initiative to practice on their own time and go above and beyond league requirements. They have to find a way to navigate through the upcoming season and motivate each other in order to do better next season.

Contributed By Anya Batista and Din Islam 

HSMSE freshmen brighten the future for baseball and softball

The best way to make a name for yourself in sports is to start off strong. Many professional athletes began their careers with outstanding play that made them household names. From then on they continued to improve and help their teams win. Recent examples include Mike Trout and Justin Verlander. The High School for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering’s boys’ baseball and girls’ softball teams both have that talented young player.

Henry Schoenfeld is a freshman catcher that has added much needed experience to the team. With the loss of many veteran seniors, the Dragons had to find players quickly in time for the season. Schoenfeld played for various teams outside of school and came to the team with advanced baseball knowledge and skill. His experience might one day help the team with newer players that aren’t too familiar with baseball. He played three different positions and contributed as much as he could to the team.

“Henry tried out for catcher day one, but I had him at shortstop and third base and he did well. Pretty much wherever I put Henry, he is good as gold!” said coach David Scheiman.

Taylor Faulds, a freshman pitcher for the HSMSE girls’ softball team has the been the player they needed to help compete at a higher level. She brought much needed pitching and hitting to the team. They needed her background knowledge of the game because of the influx of inexperienced freshmen. With her passion for the game, she was able to help the other freshmen get into the game.

"She helped get the girls to practice and want to win games," said coach Crystal Downey.

With experience and skill, these two players will definitely impact the team greatly when all of the seniors graduate. As they get older, their leadership will make them even greater assets.

The replacements

Spencer Sharp / Sara Louie

The High School for Math, Science, and Engineering boys’ volleyball team is in a tough spot because of their top players graduating. The Dragons must now look to their current juniors to take their place next year and continue the teams’ success. Junior setter Spencer Sharp and junior outside hitter/defensive specialist Kofi Kordie are among these prospects.

Seniors Ardit Piroli and Jeremy Wain-Hirschberg led the team to a 7-5 season, taking them to the playoffs for the second straight year. This is the first time the Dragons have made the playoffs in back to back seasons in school history.

The Dragons’ hopes for a solid setter directed them toward Sharp. The accurate passes he contributed as the main setter were key to the team’s overall success.

“I think Spencer’s decision making as a setter will improve and that will come from more volleyball that he will play,” said coach Nick Diunte.

Kofi Kordie / Sara Louie

Kordie, a rookie to the team, will be a valuable asset next season. In his first game, he was thrust into a starting role due to complications with the availability of some of the starters.

“This was my first year playing and I had to learn very quickly,” said Kordie.

Improvement must not only come from these two if the Dragons want to enter the playoffs again next year. Other athletes who saw respectable playing time will have to harvest more of their abilities for their inevitable increased use.

“I think there is going to be more playing time for Austin Han as well and then we have to hope we get a few freshmen come in or maybe a sophomore that's in the school that wants to play that we can develop because we are losing four very talented and skilled seniors,” said Diunte.

These graduating seniors will create big gaps on the court for the athletes who will start next year. With prospects like Sharp and Kordie, the team has the capability to continue their playoff appearance streak; however, there still remains a need for a strong set of rookies.

Contributed by Velid Mulic and Kian Zadeh