28th Annual ICHA/Berkowitz II High School Spring Meet

BY MICHELLE HE

Will Shnae Cummings Claim the Championship Again?

Shnae Cummings from Bayside High School proved to the handball community that she goes to every tournament to win. Cummings faced Vina Weng from Fort Hamilton High School in the finals of both the Girl’s 17 & Under, and 19 & Under Singles. Both players refused to give up any points and returned deep angled volleys towards the left and right consecutively. Cummings dominated Weng with her consistent over hand returns and gained momentum for 16 straight points. Weng came back strong and built a momentum and gained 3 points. Cummings, however, had a championship title to defend and defeated Weng’s momentum immediately and took the championship once again in her division and remained undefeated with a score of 21-5.

Girl’s Singles 17 & 19 Under– Champion Shnae Cummings (Left) & Finalist Vina Weng (Right)

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Justin Saavedra and Charly Guaman Take the Match to 20-20

Justin Saavedra and Charly Guaman drew attention to their finals match of the Boy’s 17 & Under Singles, and left the audience cheering for many of their kill shots and serves. Saavedra served out in the beginning of the match and took some time to get his head in the game. This gave Guaman a head start and he scored several points off his powerful angled serve to the left. When Saavedra gained his strength, he challenged Guaman to the final match point of 20-20 and Saveedra killed the ball the minute he had the opportunity. The final point, Saavedra focused hard on his angled serve and ultimately won after Guaman hit the return out, making the final score 21-20.

Boy’s Singles 17 & Under– Champion Justin Saavedra (Left) & Finalist Charly Guaman (Left)

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Familar Faces of the Singles Divisions also Rise in the Doubles

All teams this year competed with refinement and great spirit. In the Boy’s 17 and Under Doubles, the familiar faces of Charly Guaman and Jonathan Carranza left nearly all matches under the score of 15, including the finals match against Brandon Lopez Herrera and Justin Saavedra.

Directors of tournament Cesar Sala (Far Right), Bryan Lucero (Far Left) congratulate finalists of Boy’s 17 Under Doubles– Champions Jonathan Carranza/Charly Guaman (Left) & Finalists Justin Saavedra/Brandon Lopez Herrera (Right)

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From Aviation High School, Christian Catano and Jose Quiroz came to dominate in the Boy’s 19 and Under Doubles and fought their way to the championship together with ease.

Boy’s Doubles 19 & Under A– Champions Jose Quiroz/ Christian Catano (Left) & Finalists Wilson Lu/Jared Hwee (Right)

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Yasmin Mendoza and Jenny Minchala started strong and left their opponents under 5 points in the Girl’s 17 and Under Doubles. The championship match was not as easy though against Jaydee Aguilar and Hermidine Felima. Aguilar and Felima served and returned powerful lobs, but Mendoza and Minchala stayed in the offensive and made their way to the championship title with the close score of 21-18.

Girl’s Doubles 17 & Under– Champions Jenny Minchala/ Yasmin Mendoza (Left) & Jaydee Aguilar/Hermidine Felima (Right)

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Vanessa Louie and Celeste Luna also kept their opponents on edge after making a bold statement by zipping out the first team they faced. They reached the finals match against Nancy Casimiro and Laly Prado with ease, and with their coordinated team work and quick off-the-fly shots, they pushed Casimiro and Prado back in defense. Louie and Luna displayed perfect teamwork and won with the score of 21-8.

Girl’s Doubles 19 & Under– Champions Celeste Luna/ Vanessa Louie (Left) & Finalists Nancy Casimiro/Laly Prado (Right)

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