.....An iDEASCOPE MEDIA

8 Feb 2018

Brunswick captures U.S. High School Squash Team Championships


The Philadelphia Eagles weren’t the only team to enjoy a Super Sunday.
Brunswick School was indeed super at the 2018 HEAD U.S. High School Team Squash Championships.
A year after losing to Haverford School (Haverford, Pa.) in the title match, the top-seeded Bruins beat Haverford for the event’s Division I championship 5-2.
“Since we lost in the finals last season, our team has been working to make it back to the finals all season,” Brunswick coach Jim Stephens said. “They were talking about getting another chance to play Haverford in this tournament and this year, it was a nice reversal for us.
It’s a great achievement, I’m proud of our boys. Our captains provided great leadership throughout the whole season and our training trip to Spain really helped our team.”
The triumph marked the third time in four years the Bruins won the Division I bracket of the U.S. High School Championships. They garnered the title in 2015 and 2016 and have made 11 appearances in the finals since the tournament’s inception in 2004.
Max Finkelstein, a senior tri-captain, clinched the match for Brunswick, winning his match at the No. 1 spot against Peter Miller, 3-2 (9-11, 11-8, 11-7, 9-11, 11-4). He also won the title-clinching match for Brunswick when it captured the national championship in 2016.
“Max has had a great season at No. 1, he’s lost only one match all year,” Stephens said. “He puts a lot of pace on the ball, drives the ball straight and runs down every ball hard. He is an incredible retriever and has really turned himself into a great player, who will play at Dartmouth next year.”
Will Holey, also a tri-captain, was victorious at the No. 2 spot for the Bruins, winning his matchup against Spencer Yager, 11-6, 15-13, 9-11, 11-9.
The No. 2 and No. 7 matches were the first matches on the court in the finals and Holey gave the Bruins their first win of the finals. Brian Leonard notched Brunswick’s second victory of the match, defeating Haverford’s Samuel Turner, 11-9, 11-7, 11-5, at the fifth spot. Dana Santry at No. 6 topped Haverford’s Christian Shah (3-2), 7-11, 13-15, 11-8, 11-7, 11-8.
“He worked his way back into the match when it looked like he was going to lose,” Stephens said. “His teammates really pulled him through with their support.”
Nick Spizzirri of Brunswick cruised to a 3-0 victory against Graham Joyce.
“Spizzirri really played well the entire tournament,” Stephens said. “He played lights out, hit the ball really hard and dominated more than anybody else.”
Dominant is what Brunswick was in the national tournament. The Bruins posted 7-0 victories over Shipley School (first round), McDonagh School (quarterfinals) and Episcopal Academy (semifinals) to reach the championship match.
At the No. 3 spot, Haverford’s Grant Sterman beat Brunswick tri-captain Patrick Feeley 11-9, 11-9, 11-9, in a tight match. Haverford also received a win from Quintin Campbell (No. 7), who edged Brunswick’s Pierce Henderson (11-8, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8).
“Overall, we lost only two individual matches the entire tournament,” Stephens said. “I don’t think we’ve ever beaten so many teams, 7-0, at this tournament. Haverford had a great team. They were the toughest team we played all year.”
Brunswick’s B team registered a 4-3 win against Hotchkiss to finish ninth overall in the tournament’s Division I bracket. PK Keller, Will McLaren, Andrew Aube and Walter Huffman won their matches for the Bruins.

No comments:

Post a Comment

NAIJA SQUASH MEDIA ADVERT PLACEMENTS

SQUASH: The Nigeria Squash Federation starts Grassroot Development program with 16 states

The Nigeria Squash Federation NSF jump started the Grassroot development program yesterday in Kwara state with 16 states across the cou...