Sports

A Successful Fall Sports Season at Blind Brook

By Jonny Hamburger

Photo Courtesy of Nick Laterza As November is now upon us many fall sports at Blind Brook are coming to an end. Many of the sports that were played this fall started practicing during the week of August 23rd to make sure they would be in shape for the start of the season. All of the varsity sports that take place in the fall are: Cross Country, Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer, Volleyball, Football and Girls Tennis. Blind Brook Football started this season feeling very good with the way they prepared over the summer. They started out with 2 losses against Dobbs Ferry and Valhalla but they bounced back to go 3-2 in their first 5 games. Blind Brook was able to pick up wins against Rye Neck, Croton Harmon and then Woodlands; all of these were double figure win margins, giving Blind Brook great confidence and momentum for the future. Senior Captain Blake Sloves said “Our hard work these past years have finally resulted in some wins. We hope that what our seniors helped build will continue on in the future.” Blind Brook ended the season 3-6, with a loss on November 5th against Irvington under the lights. Boys Varsity Soccer also had high expectations heading into the 2021 fall season. They had great depth in their roster including 11 seniors. Blind Brook went 7-9 in the regular season and was ranked #10 going into the playoffs. In the first round of the playoffs they were able to advance on the road against the #7 seed Pleasantville. Goals by Matias Otero and Jack Sassower lead Blind Brook to a huge first round road win in the playoffs. Senior Captain Damian Otero said “After the first round win against Pleasantville we all felt great because they beat us in the regular season, but we pulled out a huge win giving us momentum to the next round”. Blind Brook then faced #2 seed Westlake in the quarterfinals; Westlake finished their season with only one loss which was against Blind Brook on Blind Brook’s homecoming night. Westlake was able to win in the quarterfinals 3-1 ending the season for Blind Brook Boys Varsity Soccer. Damian Otero said “the loss was heartbreaking but I am extremely proud of how we all worked during the season and the many great wins we accomplished”. Towards the end of October, Blind Brook’s 2021 Volleyball season came to an end. After many games, the team ended with a 2-17 record. The Trojans were assigned a very tough schedule and they lost many key players to injuries during the season. Senior Captain Oliva Zahl stated “throughout the season our team trust and chemistry grew but we had a tough schedule so it was difficult to show how hard we worked all season”. Blind Brook Girls Varsity Tennis also wrapped up their season midway through October. They finished with an approximate record of 2-10. Although they had a tough schedule, 3 girls on the team were able to make it to Sectionals. Senior Jenna Kamin commented “We had a difficult season but we were all able to have fun while facing tough competition”. Blind Brook Cross Country is coming to an end and many of the runners will begin indoor track in the winter. Senior Captain Johnny Ramirez described the season as “very successful”. He said “We had a great mix of runners of all ages and grades, which really helped contribute to the team’s performance. We also stayed consistent throughout the season and had very few injuries, which helped us win many meets and ultimately get second at the conference meet.” Johnny along with many other senior runners are confident that the team will continue to dominate in the future.

The NBA is Back!

By Jacob Moore

Per tradition, the National Basketball Association’s yearly Regular Season has returned. After a short offseason, players and fans alike are eager to watch their favorite teams compete for the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. The season is about a month in, with surprising teams making their names heard, and players’ drama between them and their teams. The season is only a month in, but the excitement is back like it never left. Prior to the season, Kyrie Iriving was prohibited from playing for the Brooklyn Nets, due to his refusal to get vaccinated. Kyrie Irving has always been known to be a very independent person, to say the least. He has had controversial situations in the past, whether it be in Cleveland, or on the Celtics, it seems that he puts himself over the team, at base value. When you dig a little deeper, Kyrie is a very “spiritual” and individualistic person, and his reasons for missing games come from his own personal beliefs. The skill is there, as Kyrie has always been a top point guard in the league. The debate on whether or not he is worth the money he is being paid to him stems from the way he balances his personal life with his participation with his team. Another controversial situation is with Ben Simmons, and his reluctance to play with the Philadelphia 76ers. After a very disappointing performance by Ben Simmons in the second round of the playoffs, Ben Simmons began his isolation from the team. Reports kept coming out that he was unhappy with the organization, and he wanted to be traded. Things got so bad that Ben wouldn’t even meet with his teammates. It wasn’t until recently where Ben sporadically returned to the Sixers. It didn’t stop there though, as Ben was reportedly lazy in practice, and ultimately it was decided that he would not be playing for the Sixers at the start of their season. It remains to be seen if Ben Simmons will play for the 76ers this season, or if he will be traded. The NBA wouldn’t be the NBA without its surprises, and already there have been many. The two first seed teams, at the moment, are the Chicago Bulls and the Golden State Warriors, both teams who missed out on the playoffs last year. The Bulls had an eventful offseason, signing many big name free agents, such as Lonzo Ball, Demar Derozan, and Alex Caruso. The team is building off Zach Lavine and recently acquired Nikola Vucevic. Zach Lavine is a young all star, and surrounding him by a veteran all star, creates a situation where the Bulls are destined to succeed. Time will tell how the chemistry amongst this team develops. Another team surprising a lot of fans are the Golden State Warriors. Last year, they missed the playoffs, despite point guard Stephen Curry’s amazing season. They were critiqued, many saying that their infamous dynasty was over. While that may be true, the Warriors made strides to improve their team this offseason. They added consisten shooters, such as Otto Porter Jr, developed young talent like Jordan Poole, and drafted prospects such as Johnathan Kuminga and Moses Moody. This team, fronted by Steph Curry, arguably the best point guard in the league, has been able to take down some playoff teams, such as the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers. The Warriors and Bulls both sit at a record at the top of their respective conferences, and the best is yet to come for these teams. The NBA is a worldwide sport. The love for the game has no bounds. As the league celebrates its 75th Anniversary, fans are in store for another eventful season. It’s just the beginning of what will be an intense season, as teams get better, while good teams stay good. Not many teams will be an easy win for any team, so get ready for close wins, monstrous performances, buzzer beaters, and so much more.

Recap: The MLB Playoffs

By Benjamin Messafi

After a shortened season last year, and an extended playoff format, the league is back to its normal season format: 162 regular-season games, and 10 team playoffs, 6 of the division winners, and 4 of the Wild Card teams. The first round consisted of the 4 Wild Card teams: the teams that did not win their division but were the two best non-division winners from the American and National League. The Yankees and Red Sox played in a win-or-go-home Wild Card game in the American League, and the LA Dodgers and Atlanta Braves played in the National League Wild Card game. The Red Sox won 6-2, and the Dodgers won 3-1, meaning they would move on to play in the Division Series. The Division Series is a best of 5, so the team to win 3 games first in the series would move on to the next round. The Red Sox went on to play the Tampa Bay Rays, who had the best regular-season record in the American League this year. The Red Sox pulled off a big upset, winning the series 3-1, led by a memorable series performance by Enrique Hernandez, who set an ALDS record with hits in 7 straight at-bats. In the other ALDS series, the Houston Astros, the American League West Division Champion, played the Chicago White Sox, the American League Central Division Champion. The Astros defeated the White Sox easily in this series, by a score of 3 games to 1. In the National League Division Series, the Wild Card winner, Los Angeles Dodgers, played the team with the best record in the National League, the San Francisco Giants, in what was supposed to be the most anticipated postseason matchup this season. The two teams were only separated by one game and had the two best records in the league. Since the Giants were ahead, the Dodgers were forced to play in the winor-go-home Wild Card game. The two played a competitive and entertaining series, with the Dodgers coming back down from 2 games to 1, to win game 5, by a score of 2-1. In the other NLDS series, the National League East Division Champion, the Atlanta Braves, played the Milwaukee Brewers. The Braves beat the Brewers 3 games to 1, after a star relief pitcher for the Brewers, Devin Williams, got injured only a few days prior to the start of the Postseason. The next round is the Championship Series, which is a best of 7 series between the winners of the Division Series. The Dodgers and Braves in the National League, with the Astros and Red Sox in the American League. The Braves pulled off the upset against the defending World Series Champion Dodgers 4 games to 2, to get to their first World Series since 1999, and the Astros defeated the Red Sox, to move on to their 3rd world series in the last 5 seasons. The World Series between the Astros and Braves recently finished with the Atlanta Braves winning the World Series! The two star-studded lineups each fought to get their team a World Series Title. The Braves, without their star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr due to a torn ACL, made an unexpected run this Postseason.

Photo Courtesy of Josh Rosenblut