Girls and Boys Handball Teams Both Finish 10-0
Neither team lost a single match during the regular season. Photo: Continental Studios
By JOSEPH TRONTZ
After finishing the season with perfect 10-0 records, both the Girls and Boys Handball Teams made deep playoff runs before ultimately falling short of a championship.
The girls made it all the way to the finals, where they lost to Cardozo 4-1 on May 27.
“It felt terrible to lose at the end,” said Mr. Andy Xu, the team’s coach. “We felt like the best team during the season, only to fall short in the final game. However, I think it was healthy that we were beaten because we needed somebody to humble us.”
For some teams, deep playoff runs can come as a surprise. For Girls Handball, it was a case of déjà vu, as they faced off against Cardozo in the championship for the fourth year in a row. Cardozo had won two of the previous meetings.
“Going into the game, I was nervous. We had been preparing the whole year, knowing who we’d be up against in the finals,” said Chloe Eng ‘25.
“We knew we were the underdogs,” said Mr. Xu. “We wanted to win this game so we could bring our record against them to 2-2.”
“The rivalry is great,” said Angelina Chen ‘27. “Obviously Cardozo has had a strong team the past couple of years. Our team is also really strong, too, but there’s always room to improve.”
The girls were unstoppable in the regular season, not dropping a single match, including two 5-0 wins over Brooklyn Tech. They kept it up through the playoffs, sweeping Bronx Science, William C. Bryant, and Stuyvesant before the fateful clash with Cardozo.
In addition to falling short in the playoffs, the end of the season always hurts a little extra, knowing it's the seniors’ last. On a positive note, the future is looking bright for the team.
“We unfortunately have a few seniors leaving, but our newer players have a lot of potential,” said Chen. “Anyone with heart and effort can improve their game.”
“I have a lot of faith in both the current starters and the rising talent,” said Sarah Lok ‘25, the team’s captain.
On the other side of the court, the Boys Handball Team faced Aviation in the semifinals on May 20, losing 4-1.
“To be honest, I wasn’t really upset at this loss,” said Coach Eric Lee. “Although we didn’t perform the way we wanted to that day, I was very, very happy that we got this far.”
Despite coming up short in the end, Boys Handball has a lot to be proud of, going 50-0 in regular season matches, utterly steamrolling the division competition, much like the girls.
“Other teams were surprised by how well we played, and I too was impressed,” said Mr. Lee. “Everybody worked hard and developed an amazing game, and it showed in their performance.”
“The team is like a brotherhood, a chain link. If one of us breaks, we all fail,” said Elvis Wu ‘25, the team’s co-captain. “For that reason, I’m not surprised by our perfect season. It was expected of us.”
Their dominance continued in the first two playoff matchups, where the boys beat Washington Irving High School and James Madison 5-0 each. They were finally tested in the quarterfinal, a 3-2 victory over McKee/Staten Island Tech.
Six out of seven of this year’s starters are seniors and none are juniors, so the young players will need to step up big next year.
“These kids want to get better now that they’ve gotten a little taste of the playoffs. They have drive,” said Mr. Lee.
“Despite me not knowing how to hit the ball a year ago, being able to help the team in the playoffs was an honor,” said Eric Ren ‘25.
“A lot of the new players come in, not really knowing anything about the sport. They just want to learn, and by the end of the season, they leave with passion,” said Wu. “I’m hopeful for the guys that are carrying on the legacy.”