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Boys Squash Surprise Victors in New England Prep School C Division Team Squash Championships!
Hopkins Boys Varsity Squash Surprise Victors in New England Prep School C Division Team Squash Championships! Imagine! Who in their right minds would have predicted that the Hopkins boys' varsity squash team, with a dual meet record of 3--10 coming into the New England Championships being held at the 8-court squash facility at Suffield Academy on Saturday, February 27th, would have come away both with the team title and with the individual champions at #1, #2, #3, and #4 singles? But that is exactly what happened in this storybook finish to what otherwise was a somewhat disconnected and stop and start season. The morning began with quarter-final action in each of the seven singles categories. Winners for Hopkins included TJ Dembinski, Max Martin, tri-captain Ryan Daley, tri-captain Nick Aeppel, and first year competitor Doug Schaffer at #6. Tri-captain Michael Gold at #5 battled back from 2 games down to his Kingswood--Oxford opponent, but eventually fell in five hard fought games, and freshman Jack McLean succumbed in three games to a strong opponent from Greens Farms Academy. These results put Hopkins in the midst of a 4 way battle for first place with Kingswood--Oxford, Millbrook, and host school Suffield Academy. Then, in the second round of matches, Hopkins' #1, 2, 3, & 4 players won again while Doug Schaffer at #6 was eliminated from the main draw by #1 seed Charles Norfleet of Millbrook. In the consolation bracket, both Michael Gold at #5 and Jack McLean at #7 came back to win their matches decisively, 3--0. Jack McLean's victory against Matt Dwyer of Wheeler School was particularly gratifying. At the end of the second round of matches, Kingswood--Oxford had moved into first place, just two points ahead of Hopkins. Millbrook followed six points behind in 3rd place, and Suffield Academy was just one point behind Millbrook. The third and final round began with three consolation matches for Hopkins. Jack McLean battled valiantly against a Suffield senior with 4 years experience, coming up just short 11/9 in the third game, and finished in 6th place. And Michael Gold lost another 5-game nail biter at #5 to his Concord Academy opponent, also placing 6th. This left the last consolation match pitting Doug Schaffer against a more polished and smooth stroking Suffield Academy opponent. After losing the first game, Doug dug in and determined to want to win this match more, and wound up winning the 3rd place trophy at #6 by an 8/11, 11/7, 11/7, 11/9 score. This win seemed to galvanize and to energize Hopkins' top 4 players, and Coach Ewen told them that (1) mathematically, they would need to win 3 of the remaining 4 championship matches to win the tournament, and (2) they were in the process of making history for the Hopkins boys squash team. And these 4 players were not to be denied their moment in the sun! Ryan Daley was first on the court, playing against finesse player Felipe Pantle from Millbrook School. In the dual meet earlier this year, Ryan had won by the narrowest of margins, 12--10 in the fifth game. The match was also fiercely contested this time around with Ryan's deep drives to Pantle's backhand corner being matched by Pantle's well chosen side wall shots and deft drop shots. Eventually Ryan emerged triumphant by a close 12/10, 11/9, 11/9 score and became Hopkins 1st New England Individual Champion at the #3 singles position. This was Ryan's most determined and most focused match of the year--what a time for it! Next was Hopkins #4 player, Nick Aeppel, who faced a tall and tough opponent, Brendan Sullivan, from Moses Brown School. Nick fought with grit and determination to counter the hard serves of his opponent with forceful drives of his own deep to his opponent's back corners, and eventually Nick prevailed, 12/10, 11/7, and 11/6. Congratulations on your #4 singles New England Championship win, Nick! This left Hopkins' #1 and #2 players facing determined opponents from Kingswood--Oxford School. In a repeat version of last year's #1 singles final, TJ Dembinski faced off against Mike Cascarelli and mingled well placed drives deep to his opponent's back corners with drop shots and various angled shots. The final score was 11/8, 11/3, and 11/7 in favor of Dembinski. The final match pitted 8th grade Hopkins phenom Max Martin against aggressive playing Mark Toubman of Kingswood--Oxford. Points were battled fiercely between two gritty competitors. Max used quick side wall shots up short, balanced with backhand drives that hugged the left side wall, to come up triumphant as the #2 singles New England Champion, by the close score of 11/9, 11/8, 11/9. The final team score was: Hopkins, 52 points; Kingswood--Oxford, 46; Millbrook School, 42; Suffield Academy, 36; Greens Farms Academy, 28; Concord Academy, 25; Moses Brown School, 23; and Wheeler School, 10. The Hopkins boys' team would like publicly to thank former National Intercollegiate Champion and former World Champion Victor Niederhoffer for the very helpful squash clinic he held at his home with the Hopkins team on Friday, February 19th. That session helped both to refine techniques and to produce greater mental focus and tenacity as the important New England Championships approached. Congratulations once again to the Hopkins boys' varsity squash team for their historic first New England team championship. Truly the players saved their best and most determined squash for the last day of the season! With best regards, William L. Ewen
Imagine! Who in their right minds would have predicted that the Hopkins boys' varsity squash team, with a dual meet record of 3--10 coming into the New England Championships being held at the 8-court squash facility at Suffield Academy on Saturday, February 27th, would have come away both with the team title and with the individual champions at #1, #2, #3, and #4 singles? But that is exactly what happened in this storybook finish to what otherwise was a somewhat disconnected and stop and start season.
The morning began with quarter-final action in each of the seven singles categories. Winners for Hopkins included TJ Dembinski, Max Martin, tri-captain Ryan Daley, tri-captain Nick Aeppel, and first year competitor Doug Schaffer at #6. Tri-captain Michael Gold at #5 battled back from 2 games down to his Kingswood--Oxford opponent, but eventually fell in five hard fought games, and freshman Jack McLean succumbed in three games to a strong opponent from Greens Farms Academy. These results put Hopkins in the midst of a 4 way battle for first place with Kingswood--Oxford, Millbrook, and host school Suffield Academy.
Then, in the second round of matches, Hopkins' #1, 2, 3, & 4 players won again while Doug Schaffer at #6 was eliminated from the main draw by #1 seed Charles Norfleet of Millbrook. In the consolation bracket, both Michael Gold at #5 and Jack McLean at #7 came back to win their matches decisively, 3--0. Jack McLean's victory against Matt Dwyer of Wheeler School was particularly gratifying. At the end of the second round of matches, Kingswood--Oxford had moved into first place, just two points ahead of Hopkins. Millbrook followed six points behind in 3rd place, and Suffield Academy was just one point behind Millbrook.
The third and final round began with three consolation matches for Hopkins. Jack McLean battled valiantly against a Suffield senior with 4 years experience, coming up just short 11/9 in the third game, and finished in 6th place. And Michael Gold lost another 5-game nail biter at #5 to his Concord Academy opponent, also placing 6th. This left the last consolation match pitting Doug Schaffer against a more polished and smooth stroking Suffield Academy opponent. After losing the first game, Doug dug in and determined to want to win this match more, and wound up winning the 3rd place trophy at #6 by an 8/11, 11/7, 11/7, 11/9 score. This win seemed to galvanize and to energize Hopkins' top 4 players, and Coach Ewen told them that (1) mathematically, they would need to win 3 of the remaining 4 championship matches to win the tournament, and (2) they were in the process of making history for the Hopkins boys squash team. And these 4 players were not to be denied their moment in the sun!
Ryan Daley was first on the court, playing against finesse player Felipe Pantle from Millbrook School. In the dual meet earlier this year, Ryan had won by the narrowest of margins, 12--10 in the fifth game. The match was also fiercely contested this time around with Ryan's deep drives to Pantle's backhand corner being matched by Pantle's well chosen side wall shots and deft drop shots. Eventually Ryan emerged triumphant by a close 12/10, 11/9, 11/9 score and became Hopkins 1st New England Individual Champion at the #3 singles position. This was Ryan's most determined and most focused match of the year--what a time for it!
Next was Hopkins #4 player, Nick Aeppel, who faced a tall and tough opponent, Brendan Sullivan, from Moses Brown School. Nick fought with grit and determination to counter the hard serves of his opponent with forceful drives of his own deep to his opponent's back corners, and eventually Nick prevailed, 12/10, 11/7, and 11/6. Congratulations on your #4 singles New England Championship win, Nick!
This left Hopkins' #1 and #2 players facing determined opponents from Kingswood--Oxford School. In a repeat version of last year's #1 singles final, TJ Dembinski faced off against Mike Cascarelli and mingled well placed drives deep to his opponent's back corners with drop shots and various angled shots. The final score was 11/8, 11/3, and 11/7 in favor of Dembinski.
The final match pitted 8th grade Hopkins phenom Max Martin against aggressive playing Mark Toubman of Kingswood--Oxford. Points were battled fiercely between two gritty competitors. Max used quick side wall shots up short, balanced with backhand drives that hugged the left side wall, to come up triumphant as the #2 singles New England Champion, by the close score of 11/9, 11/8, 11/9.
The final team score was: Hopkins, 52 points; Kingswood--Oxford, 46; Millbrook School, 42; Suffield Academy, 36; Greens Farms Academy, 28; Concord Academy, 25; Moses Brown School, 23; and Wheeler School, 10.
The Hopkins boys' team would like publicly to thank former National Intercollegiate Champion and former World Champion Victor Niederhoffer for the very helpful squash clinic he held at his home with the Hopkins team on Friday, February 19th. That session helped both to refine techniques and to produce greater mental focus and tenacity as the important New England Championships approached.
Congratulations once again to the Hopkins boys' varsity squash team for their historic first New England team championship. Truly the players saved their best and most determined squash for the last day of the season!
With best regards,
William L. Ewen
Back
The morning began with quarter-final action in each of the seven singles categories. Winners for Hopkins included TJ Dembinski, Max Martin, tri-captain Ryan Daley, tri-captain Nick Aeppel, and first year competitor Doug Schaffer at #6. Tri-captain Michael Gold at #5 battled back from 2 games down to his Kingswood--Oxford opponent, but eventually fell in five hard fought games, and freshman Jack McLean succumbed in three games to a strong opponent from Greens Farms Academy. These results put Hopkins in the midst of a 4 way battle for first place with Kingswood--Oxford, Millbrook, and host school Suffield Academy.
Then, in the second round of matches, Hopkins' #1, 2, 3, & 4 players won again while Doug Schaffer at #6 was eliminated from the main draw by #1 seed Charles Norfleet of Millbrook. In the consolation bracket, both Michael Gold at #5 and Jack McLean at #7 came back to win their matches decisively, 3--0. Jack McLean's victory against Matt Dwyer of Wheeler School was particularly gratifying. At the end of the second round of matches, Kingswood--Oxford had moved into first place, just two points ahead of Hopkins. Millbrook followed six points behind in 3rd place, and Suffield Academy was just one point behind Millbrook.
The third and final round began with three consolation matches for Hopkins. Jack McLean battled valiantly against a Suffield senior with 4 years experience, coming up just short 11/9 in the third game, and finished in 6th place. And Michael Gold lost another 5-game nail biter at #5 to his Concord Academy opponent, also placing 6th. This left the last consolation match pitting Doug Schaffer against a more polished and smooth stroking Suffield Academy opponent. After losing the first game, Doug dug in and determined to want to win this match more, and wound up winning the 3rd place trophy at #6 by an 8/11, 11/7, 11/7, 11/9 score. This win seemed to galvanize and to energize Hopkins' top 4 players, and Coach Ewen told them that (1) mathematically, they would need to win 3 of the remaining 4 championship matches to win the tournament, and (2) they were in the process of making history for the Hopkins boys squash team. And these 4 players were not to be denied their moment in the sun!
Ryan Daley was first on the court, playing against finesse player Felipe Pantle from Millbrook School. In the dual meet earlier this year, Ryan had won by the narrowest of margins, 12--10 in the fifth game. The match was also fiercely contested this time around with Ryan's deep drives to Pantle's backhand corner being matched by Pantle's well chosen side wall shots and deft drop shots. Eventually Ryan emerged triumphant by a close 12/10, 11/9, 11/9 score and became Hopkins 1st New England Individual Champion at the #3 singles position. This was Ryan's most determined and most focused match of the year--what a time for it!
Next was Hopkins #4 player, Nick Aeppel, who faced a tall and tough opponent, Brendan Sullivan, from Moses Brown School. Nick fought with grit and determination to counter the hard serves of his opponent with forceful drives of his own deep to his opponent's back corners, and eventually Nick prevailed, 12/10, 11/7, and 11/6. Congratulations on your #4 singles New England Championship win, Nick!
This left Hopkins' #1 and #2 players facing determined opponents from Kingswood--Oxford School. In a repeat version of last year's #1 singles final, TJ Dembinski faced off against Mike Cascarelli and mingled well placed drives deep to his opponent's back corners with drop shots and various angled shots. The final score was 11/8, 11/3, and 11/7 in favor of Dembinski.
The final match pitted 8th grade Hopkins phenom Max Martin against aggressive playing Mark Toubman of Kingswood--Oxford. Points were battled fiercely between two gritty competitors. Max used quick side wall shots up short, balanced with backhand drives that hugged the left side wall, to come up triumphant as the #2 singles New England Champion, by the close score of 11/9, 11/8, 11/9.
The final team score was: Hopkins, 52 points; Kingswood--Oxford, 46; Millbrook School, 42; Suffield Academy, 36; Greens Farms Academy, 28; Concord Academy, 25; Moses Brown School, 23; and Wheeler School, 10.
The Hopkins boys' team would like publicly to thank former National Intercollegiate Champion and former World Champion Victor Niederhoffer for the very helpful squash clinic he held at his home with the Hopkins team on Friday, February 19th. That session helped both to refine techniques and to produce greater mental focus and tenacity as the important New England Championships approached.
Congratulations once again to the Hopkins boys' varsity squash team for their historic first New England team championship. Truly the players saved their best and most determined squash for the last day of the season!
With best regards,
William L. Ewen
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