It’s been rather hard to cover baseball at times this season, but the promise of 70-degree weather has me excited as we inch closer to the upcoming playoffs ahead.
In the meantime, I thought I would update readers on some of the less-covered sports of the spring season.
Over in boys’ handball, the loss of singles star Cruz Dueno, and doubles standouts Ammar Ahmed and Brandon Kwong, has not hurt the Lehman Lions too much.
Dueno, the monster of the handball court led Lehman to an 8-2 record and was 7-0, himself, with 44 aces and 25 kills. The duo of Kwong and Ahmed were 5-2 on the year, as part of what many consider to be Lehman’s greatest handball team to date.
The only team Lehman struggled against last year was the undefeated Bronx Science. The Wolverines continue to remain a thorn in the Lions’ paws, accounting for the school’s only loss in 2008. Lehman is now 7-1 on the year.
Leading the team in singles is Sabbir Chowdhury, a junior, who demonstrated a lot of potential last season and seems to improve with each passing game. Chowdhury is 7-1 on the season with 91 aces and 14 kills and seems to be leading Lehman into a promising future this year, as the playoffs loom.
Over in lacrosse, Columbus High School remains a dominant team in the Orange Division, leading with a 7-1 record that includes an amazing win over the more established Cardozo High School team, who are struggling in the more dominant Blue Division with a 5-5 record on the year.
Leading the way for Columbus has been Alejandro Gonzalez, a sophomore with 26 goals and 7 assists, and Joseph Henry, a senior, who remains strong on defense, making 43 saves as the team’s goalie this season.
Columbus and a slumping Lehman (3-5) meet this week, at time of press, and next week, at Columbus on Wednesday, May 14, at 4 p.m., in what are sure to be two great Bronx battles.
Over in volleyball, I was very impressed with the Kennedy Knights (10-0), who look like they are having much more fun as a team this year. Last year, Kennedy looked almost too serious and while they dominated the Bronx, they struggled in the playoffs. This year, I have a feeling the team will go further, because they are enjoying the game more on the court.
At the same time, it appears Lehman is struggling a bit, still boasting a 6-4 record, but nowhere near as dominant as they were last season. Instead, Bronx Science and Columbus are leading the less-competitive Bronx V Division.
In girls’ soccer, Columbus continues its slide, despite two big victories over Lehman. Those wins account for the Lady Explorers’ only wins of the season. They have an important battle with Hunter College High School this week they need to win in order to keep their playoff hopes alive.
In tennis, the High School of American Studies discovered just how hard it would be to move up to the A Division without the help of last year’s star Yevgeni Mazlina. The tennis dynamo led the school to a perfect 10-0 record and their second straight B Division championship.
This year has been a different story. American Studies has struggled, but in a very competitive division, led by Sara Yancovitz (4-6), Alana Menendez (7-3) and Elizabeth Borodkin (6-2) in singles and the teams of Naomi Burnside and Altagracia Montilla (5-4) and Mingzhu Li and Anna Rekowska (5-4), they have still managed a respectable 5-5 record. Will that be good enough for the playoffs? We shall soon find out. Playoff seeding will be determined shortly.
In girls’ handball, Clinton is struggling in its first year of competitive play, going winless on the season, but the Kennedy Lady Knights have impressed many with a 6-2 record. Kennedy is led by first singles star Lisa Zhang, who is also an amazing bowler and gymnast. Zhang is 5-2 on the season with 44 aces. The rest of her team is equally formidable on the court and should represent the Bronx proudly in the upcoming playoffs.
And that’s your update. Keep your eyes on the Bronx Times Reporter for the latest playoff news. Until next time, I will see you at the games.
