Marufa Kasham, ‘18

November 2015

Fall had barely begun on the hot day in which school started. Everything was humid, and you could feel the sweat lingering in the air of the rampant halls. BHSEC students were all busy, their thoughts consumed by Writing and Thinking workshop, and of course the air conditioner set on high. Still, despite it all, some students had been coming to school the past two weeks to try out for the sports they wanted to join. It was tough for the students who had devoted their time to a sport. Tough academics conjoined with practice till six everyday could be mentally stressful and physically draining, all in the interest of proudly representing our school, wearing a jersey that bore the team name: the Raptors.

The Boys soccer team finished with an impressive 9-3 record, making it the only to team that went to the playoffs. They went as far as the second round, but lost to Francis Lewis in a dramatic game that went overtime and finished with a 2-1 score. “This past season was nothing short of absolutely brilliant. We had some outstanding results throughout the season and it’s unfortunate the season ended the way it did because we were fully deserving of that victory against Francis Lewis,” said captain Rafael Misak, a Y2. He, however like the entire school, was incredibly proud of how well the team played, “During preseason it was obvious this team had a lot of potential and we undoubtedly fulfilled that.” Vinzenz Eckl, a Y2, continued to shine, beating his record last year, led the team with 12 goals in the regular season, and 2 in the playoffs. “When I look back at my BHSEC Soccer career this is undoubtedly the team I’ll remember the most,” reflected Misak.

The Girls Soccer team fell short of the playoffs with a final record of 5-8. “We played exceptionally well especially given how the beginning of the season started off,” assured captain Anna Doebele, a Y2.  “We initially only had 12 girls on the team, which slowly grew, but we were starting with a whole new group of girls. This year we were very tight knit as a team, and everyone stepped up in the games.” Beatrice Donavan, only a freshman, led the team with 4 goals throughout the season.

Like the Girls soccer team, the Girls volleyball team just missed the playoffs with a 6-6 record. They had lost most of their starting players, when the seniors from the previous year graduated. Still the team played well. “Everyone brings something special to the team,” said captain Maya Morrison, a Y1. “We did so well because we all have different skills that really complement each other nicely.” They gave it all they could, but lost to tough competition like Seward, Lab, and Stuyvesant. “We are a scrappy team in the best sense,” added Morrison, proudly.

The Girls tennis team had also given it their best, although their scores had remained 0- 12. Just like Columbia Lions football in 2012 and 2013, this was a team that did not find success on the court. It’s safe to say, they did give it all they had, but sometimes giving it your best just isn’t enough. With Bard’s tough academics, schoolwork is wisely put above athletics, and sometimes that could take a toll on the players’ performances. Still, this defeat may fuel a victory come next year. Usually, they played in the spring, but this year they played in the fall. It was an ambitious team, comprised of mostly beginners. They also endured a loss when the seniors left the previous year. “Although we lost a bunch of seniors to college, we played hard and had a very amusing season overall,” said captain Caroline Nelson, a Y2.

Cross country had a hardcore season as well. The teams performed very well with the Girls’ varsity team had finishing at 5 th place at the borough championships, and the Boys’ varsity finishing at 8th place. The most impressive finish for girls was Stasya Rodionov, who finished at 11th place. The most impressive finish for boys was Ethan Rosenblum, who finished at 35th place.

With the fall season sports ending, comes winter sports, including Boys and Girls basketball. The Girls team also lost many of its best players with last year’s graduating class. Still, there’s hope for this year’s team.