The High School for Math, Science, and Engineering girls’ softball team battled an inconsistent schedule to earn a playoff appearance in the 2017 season. The team relied on contributions from all players to navigate their cancellations and make the postseason.
This year the Dragons had six games postponed due to rain issues. The constant inclement weather forced the team to play games on an erratic schedule. During a 19-day span they managed to only play one game; however, coach Crystal Downey viewed the cancellations as a chance for the team to work on their skills.
“We believed that the rainouts were an opportunity to have extra practice,” Downey said. “We used [the postponements] to our advantage.”
Despite all the changes, the Dragons were still able to return to the playoffs after winning the PSAL B League Championship in 2016. The Dragons went 8-6 and placed third in their division. The team had to reposition and move around the players to where they fit best on the field after losing some key starters like Taylor Faulds and Hillary Rodriguez. Captain and pitcher Annabelle Shultz attributed the team’s success to sticking together as a unit and playing as a whole.
“Because we’ve been practicing so much we all bonded together,” Shultz said. “Even though all the rain did mess up our schedule, we still remained a team so we played very well together.”
With the Dragons playing as infrequently as they were scheduled, they had to depend on a strong core to keep the team’s energy up. Nine of the 15 players that were on the roster were first year players, so they had to rely on guidance from the experienced veterans. Shultz was able to ascend into that role and provide the necessary leadership to propel the team into the playoffs.
“I just understood that even though things might not go your way you have to remain positive,” Shultz said. “Keep your team up and that’s all what it’s about, just spirit.”
While the Dragons lost their first round playoff game, the adversity they battled during the season made this year a success. They were able to bring a team that consisted of nine first year players and still advanced to the postseason despite losing key players from last year and an unpredictable schedule.
- Contributing author - Gabriel Cuilan
Showing posts with label Playoffs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Playoffs. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Thursday, March 2, 2017
Nathan Cates: Passion personified
Clank! The ball bounces off the rim and into the big man’s hands. He rises up strong and finishes with contact. The player screams “AND 1!” with ferocity as the crowd cheers him on. This sequence has been a normality in senior Nathan Cates’ high school career, as he’s remained an integral part of the HSMSE boys basketball varsity team.
Cates, who has played three out of the four years, wasn’t always the most dedicated and focused player. During his freshman year, Cates struggled to maintain composure on and off the court and as a result of that, only played in four games his rookie season.
“When you’re younger, you can be hot-headed,” Cates said. “As a captain, you have to keep your head cool.”
Referring to an incident earlier in his career in which he got benched for a scuffle with an opposing player after a foul, Cates said he matured over time. This year he has yet to receive a technical foul and has used his experience to instruct the underclassmen.
“Throughout the years I’ve had a change of attitude,” Cates said. “As I became an upperclassman, I was able to improve through practice and learning from those before me.”
As his focus improved on the court, so did his focus off the court. The only year Cates was not able to participate in varsity sports was his sophomore year of high school, in which subpar grades limited him from playing on the team. Motivated to get back on the team, he began to work harder in school, stating that the desire to play basketball has helped him with his academic responsibilities.
“When I’m doing my classwork I know that it’s necessary to play the game I love,” he said. “It pays off. I used to have academic issues, but it’s not worth missing basketball season.”
The maturing process he has gone through has physically and mentally changed Cates. Averaging a career high 10.7 ppg to go along with 14.7 rpg, his rebounding and his post play has been vital to the Dragons playoff push.
“Rebounding is the beginning of offense,” Cates states. “Every rebound is the start of a new possession. That’s how I get most of my points. Nothing’s better than rebounding.”
Now, as the team gets ready for its first playoff game in five years, Nathan Cates has sustained confidence in himself and his teammates. He believes a title, which would be the first in HSMSE basketball history, is not out of the question.
“We have a great team,” he said. “We have a lot of chemistry. I think we can beat any team.”
Authored by Arik Armstead, Bruce Mayfield
Cates, who has played three out of the four years, wasn’t always the most dedicated and focused player. During his freshman year, Cates struggled to maintain composure on and off the court and as a result of that, only played in four games his rookie season.
“When you’re younger, you can be hot-headed,” Cates said. “As a captain, you have to keep your head cool.”
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| Nathan Cates / Tom Henning |
“Throughout the years I’ve had a change of attitude,” Cates said. “As I became an upperclassman, I was able to improve through practice and learning from those before me.”
As his focus improved on the court, so did his focus off the court. The only year Cates was not able to participate in varsity sports was his sophomore year of high school, in which subpar grades limited him from playing on the team. Motivated to get back on the team, he began to work harder in school, stating that the desire to play basketball has helped him with his academic responsibilities.
“When I’m doing my classwork I know that it’s necessary to play the game I love,” he said. “It pays off. I used to have academic issues, but it’s not worth missing basketball season.”
The maturing process he has gone through has physically and mentally changed Cates. Averaging a career high 10.7 ppg to go along with 14.7 rpg, his rebounding and his post play has been vital to the Dragons playoff push.
“Rebounding is the beginning of offense,” Cates states. “Every rebound is the start of a new possession. That’s how I get most of my points. Nothing’s better than rebounding.”
Now, as the team gets ready for its first playoff game in five years, Nathan Cates has sustained confidence in himself and his teammates. He believes a title, which would be the first in HSMSE basketball history, is not out of the question.
“We have a great team,” he said. “We have a lot of chemistry. I think we can beat any team.”
Authored by Arik Armstead, Bruce Mayfield
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
HSMSE baseball team reaches playoffs for first time in school history
The HSMSE baseball team returned to divisional play in 2016 with authority, recording an 11-5 record and making the playoffs for the first time in school history.
After a winless 2014 season, the Dragons were demoted to the SSAL Developmental League for 2015. The boys had a strong showing with a 5-2 record. Team captain and senior Henry Schoenfeld cited determination to get back to divisional play as a main reason for their success.
“We were motivated to move our way back up [to the A League],” he said.
The team's maturation was a large factor towards their improvement. As the players have become mentally and physically stronger, they have contributed more offensively, helping the team win games.
“We had strong leadership, and we were also older this year,” Scheiman said. “When we did divisional play two years ago, the players who were freshmen and sophomores are now juniors and seniors, and they had better team spirit and a more of a meaning for our team.”
Throughout the year the team got significant contributions from their freshmen, most notably Andre Alexander and Gabriel Culian. Alexander batted .350 as the starting first baseman, while Culian batted .294 while serving as the catcher for most of the season. Scheiman realized the impact the freshmen had on the team.
“They were very meaningful to the team,” he said. “They helped us win games.”
The freshmen were helped by the strong leadership of the Dragons, who have eight upperclassmen on the team. With experienced players on the team, it was easier for the freshmen to play well.
“[The upperclassmen] really helped them develop,” he said. "They took them under their wing and showed them they did have a lot of skill and [how] to be confident in themselves.”
Although the Dragons had a great season, they are not satisfied with their accomplishments. The team would like to get back to where they were this year and advance further into the postseason going forward.
“We want to get back to the playoffs,” Scheiman said. “And we want to win a playoff game.”
After a winless 2014 season, the Dragons were demoted to the SSAL Developmental League for 2015. The boys had a strong showing with a 5-2 record. Team captain and senior Henry Schoenfeld cited determination to get back to divisional play as a main reason for their success.
“We were motivated to move our way back up [to the A League],” he said.
The team's maturation was a large factor towards their improvement. As the players have become mentally and physically stronger, they have contributed more offensively, helping the team win games.
“We had strong leadership, and we were also older this year,” Scheiman said. “When we did divisional play two years ago, the players who were freshmen and sophomores are now juniors and seniors, and they had better team spirit and a more of a meaning for our team.”
Throughout the year the team got significant contributions from their freshmen, most notably Andre Alexander and Gabriel Culian. Alexander batted .350 as the starting first baseman, while Culian batted .294 while serving as the catcher for most of the season. Scheiman realized the impact the freshmen had on the team.
“They were very meaningful to the team,” he said. “They helped us win games.”
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| HSMSE Baseball Team / Facebook |
The freshmen were helped by the strong leadership of the Dragons, who have eight upperclassmen on the team. With experienced players on the team, it was easier for the freshmen to play well.
“[The upperclassmen] really helped them develop,” he said. "They took them under their wing and showed them they did have a lot of skill and [how] to be confident in themselves.”
Although the Dragons had a great season, they are not satisfied with their accomplishments. The team would like to get back to where they were this year and advance further into the postseason going forward.
“We want to get back to the playoffs,” Scheiman said. “And we want to win a playoff game.”
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
HSMSE Boys' Soccer wins division to earn playoff spot
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| HSMSE Boys' Soccer Team / N. Diunte |
The Dragons won the Manhattan B II Division, and played into the second round of the PSAL playoffs. Coach Nicholas Diunte attributes the improvement to young players who were prepared for the competition.
“The younger players matured in a shorter amount of time,” Diunte said. “Having a year behind of playing together helped. We [also] had some freshmen who were ready to step right in.”
Throughout the entire season, the team focused on the concept that all players needed to have an impact on the game. With everyone working towards the same goal, success was easier to attain.
“[By] getting everyone to contribute, and getting everyone on the same page on what we wanted to do offensively and defensively, we got the most out of what we could do with that concept all season,” Diunte said.
Looking forward to 2016, HSMSE will be without four seniors: goalkeeper Alexei Ohotin, defender Matthew Levine, forward Onyekachi Akalonu, and defender Nick Winokur. While the team will have to adjust to the loss of these players, their coach feels that they have the personnel to fill the void of the departing seniors.
“I think that there are younger players who are ready to step in and fill their roles,” Diunte said. “The players who are sophomores and juniors are going to be juniors and seniors; the hope is that they will improve and mature, and we see who walks in the door as freshmen.”
While all the success has certainly been welcomed, the team wants to stay on track with their goals. Although duplicating their playoff run may not be easy, Diunte has faith in his players.
“We would like to [do the] same or better than what we did,” Diunte said. “I think the kids are up to the challenge and they see what they have to do to be prepared.”
Thursday, November 6, 2014
HSMSE Lady Dragons reach PSAL Class B girls' soccer playoff finals
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| HSMSE girls' soccer team - Lisa Gordis |
The Dragons comfortable win was a result of a combination of constant hustle, an aggressive mindset, and their experience in the playoffs.
“This is the best team we've ever had at MSE,” said coach Regina Zafonte. “They know how to channel their nerves into positive energy and do amazing things. These guys are now experienced playoff players and can handle the pressure.”
Freshman midfielder Alex West was seemingly everywhere on the pitch. West controlled the midfield with her aggressiveness and superb ball handling. When given the opportunity, West took shots from outside of the box, resulting in two spectacular goals. Despite her tremendous impact on both the game and the season, West remained humble in victory.
"Being aggressive, man marking their best player, and getting the step ahead by scoring the first two goals in the start [won us the match]," said West.
Another player who embodied the team’s hustle mentality was junior forward Galit Wiener. All three of her goals in the game came after sprinting for either crosses or deflections off of Lehman’s goalkeeper.
"We all came out determined," said Wiener. "We've been to the playoffs before and have been let down. We knew it could happen again and we've come so far already, so we wanted to give it our best. Everyone played 100%."
The Lady Dragons’ back line was just as impressive as their offense. The defense didn't even give Lehman a shot on goal for the first 30 minutes of the game. In fact, the most pressure sophomore goalkeeper Annabelle Shultz faced were from five corners that were easily cleared due to the great defending. The only slip up was a late goal, but the Lady Dragons were already up 6-0 at that point.
“Our defense was impenetrable," said Zafonte. “They were first to the ball and didn't allow anybody to get by them.”
The team's push to the finals has been a result of both quality leadership and great team chemistry. If the continue to play with the same sense of urgency and aggressiveness in the final, the team could bring HSMSE its first citywide varsity championship in school history.
"We have very good chances [in the final]," said West. "We're very good together working as a team and we're good at stepping up to the challenge."
Friday, April 11, 2014
Tim Hardaway Jr. the new face on the Knicks
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| Tim Hardaway Jr. (5) playing defense / Matthew D. Britt-flickr.com |
Hardaway Jr. is an efficient scorer, and taking a look at his college stats when he played on the Michigan Wolverines, he averaged 14.3 points per game with a 50% two-point field goal rate. He gives the Knicks another scorer besides Carmelo Anthony, especially since the Knicks were plagued by injuries to Amare Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani for a good portion of the year.
Hardaway Jr. started the season slowly, but improved quickly. After the All-Star break, Hardaway Jr. averaged more than 10 ppg. He is becoming more comfortable with his position on the team and is taking more shots. His improvement over the course of the year has placed him among the top performing rookies this season.
Analyst Andy Bailey from Bleacher Report speculates that Tim Hardaway Jr. is a better shooting guard than J. R. Smith. He can score more efficiently than Smith, which furthers his case for increased minutes.
“He [Tim Hardaway Jr.] should be playing the more efficient 2 [Shooting Guard]”, Bailey said in a 2014 article from Bleacher Report.
Typical of a rookie, Hardaway Jr's season has been plagued by inconsistency. On the days where he did not score over 10 points, he is shooting close to 35%. It also seems like he finds it hard to contribute to anything else besides scoring. He averages only 1.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. He is going to need to work on his other offensive and defensive abilities for the next season if he wants to have a greater impact on the team.
“Tim isn’t your ordinary rookie. He’s a bit ahead of the game,” Mike Woodson said in a 2014 article from Metro.us. “Once he gets stronger, he’ll be even better on defense.”
Fortunately Hardaway Jr. has many years to work on his game. Hopefully, the Knicks will make the playoffs this season and have a good run with Hardaway Jr. getting some playoff experience to top off the end an encouraging rookie season.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Metamorphosis of the HSMSE volleyball team
The HSMSE volleyball team is exceeding expectations this year. With a 2-0 win on April 30th over Martin Luther King Jr. High, the team clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2007. Under the coaching of Nick Diunte, the team went 7-5 this year.
Everyone contributed to the successful season. One of the key players is senior libero Kevin Chun, who is sixth in the city in digs. He kept many rallies alive and was a big factor in getting the team to the playoffs. Another key player is junior outside hitter Yassine Khaliqui, who is seventh in the league in digs and sixth in the league in kills. “I feel that my hard work becoming a good hitter has helped me become an effective player and allows me to contribute to the team,” said Khaliqui.
Coming into the season the HSMSE volleyball team had reason to doubt themselves. They were 5-7 last year and were 6-6 the year prior. They didn’t look like a playoff bound team.
Although they had reason to doubt themselves, the HSMSE volleyball team came into the season strong, believing that this year would be different. “I think that if we played our hardest, we can make it to a place where no HSMSE team has made it before,” said middle hitter Ben Moosher.
The HSMSE volleyball team went 7-5 this season and now they’re going to the out-of-bracket match up against Christopher Columbus High School. “It’s been five years since we made the playoffs. This is my third year on the team and in my first two years, we were close to making the playoffs. It felt amazing because all of our hard work finally paid off," said senior middle hitter Rudy Outar. Everyone was pleased with the win.
Coach Diunte when asked about the win said, "I was happy that we were able to clinch a spot on the playoffs. It was exciting to see the kids do what they needed to make the playoffs after coming close for the last two years."
No matter how far the team goes, they already have had a successful season. "We can at least win one game in the playoffs, not including the out-of-bracket match. We faced teams of different skills and talents, and we can match up against them," said outside hitter Thomas Kui.
2012 Boys' Volleyball Regular Season Statistics
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| HSMSE Volleyball |
Everyone contributed to the successful season. One of the key players is senior libero Kevin Chun, who is sixth in the city in digs. He kept many rallies alive and was a big factor in getting the team to the playoffs. Another key player is junior outside hitter Yassine Khaliqui, who is seventh in the league in digs and sixth in the league in kills. “I feel that my hard work becoming a good hitter has helped me become an effective player and allows me to contribute to the team,” said Khaliqui.
Coming into the season the HSMSE volleyball team had reason to doubt themselves. They were 5-7 last year and were 6-6 the year prior. They didn’t look like a playoff bound team.
Although they had reason to doubt themselves, the HSMSE volleyball team came into the season strong, believing that this year would be different. “I think that if we played our hardest, we can make it to a place where no HSMSE team has made it before,” said middle hitter Ben Moosher.
The HSMSE volleyball team went 7-5 this season and now they’re going to the out-of-bracket match up against Christopher Columbus High School. “It’s been five years since we made the playoffs. This is my third year on the team and in my first two years, we were close to making the playoffs. It felt amazing because all of our hard work finally paid off," said senior middle hitter Rudy Outar. Everyone was pleased with the win.
Coach Diunte when asked about the win said, "I was happy that we were able to clinch a spot on the playoffs. It was exciting to see the kids do what they needed to make the playoffs after coming close for the last two years."
No matter how far the team goes, they already have had a successful season. "We can at least win one game in the playoffs, not including the out-of-bracket match. We faced teams of different skills and talents, and we can match up against them," said outside hitter Thomas Kui.
2012 Boys' Volleyball Regular Season Statistics
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