The Rivers Edge - October 2008 - The Rivers School

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Page 10 The Rivers Edge October 31, 2008 Sports Football sets goal to end a successful season strong b y Kat e Vo o r h e s ‘09 Ed g e staff The Rivers Varsity Football team entered the 2008 season with little hope, but with a long list of goals. Two years ago, their record was 2-6, and last year an even 4-4. This year the team’s main goal is to finish above .500. Ending the first game of the season with a 21-14 loss at St. Mark’s, Rivers quickly rebounded during their next two opponents. They won 20-7 on the road at St. Paul’s for their first win of the season. The next weekend, Rivers crushed Thayer Academy at home, 31-10. This game was important for the team because it was the first time in fifteen years that Rivers has beaten Thayer. The football team’s fourth game of the season at Homecoming was against undefeated Lawrence Academy. Rivers definitely showed red-and-white spirit as alumni, teachers, and students gathered to watch the game on Waterman Field. Although Rivers suffered a devastating loss of 51-3, the team’s attitude remained optimistic. Senior cocaptain Steve Manning said their loss was a learning experience. “Playing Lawrence,” he said, “showed us what the best team in the league was like. Losing to them made us realize that we have a lot of work to do, but I know we can do it. We don’t want to have another game like that again.” When asked about the Homecoming game results, A.J. Walsh ‘11 and Steve Manning ‘09 in action against Thayer Academy. Photo by T. Morse. Coach Darren Sullivan said, “We are looking to redeem ourselves.” Though they lost the next week to Groton 14-9, they did redeem themselves as the game was a major improvement from the previous weekend. The rest of the season includes games against many challenging Independent School League opponents, a schedule that serves as a tough test for Rivers. Several players have distinguished themselves throughout this year’s football season. Coach Sullivan has specifically mentioned that junior linebacker Ben Patrick has performed exceptionally well, making incredible defensive plays and preventing opponents from scoring. Also worth commending are two seniors on the offensive side, Steve Manning and Drew Pappas, who have executed successful offensive plays and scored many of the team’s touchdowns. Coach Sullivan’s goal is to have a winning record for the season. If they are successful, it will be the first time in thirty years that the Rivers Varsity Football team had a record with more wins than losses. It looks like the team has a shot at accomplishing their goal. The coaching staff, comprised of Head Coach Darren Sullivan and assistant coaches Sem Aykanian, Kerry Murtagh, Dana Schneider, and Bruce “BT” Taylor, Rivers graduate of 1973, leads intense daily practices, encouraging their athletes to work hard. Coach Sullivan, beginning his third year as the head coach “Losing to them made us realize that we have a lot of work to do, but I know we can do it. We don’t want to have another game like that again.” --Steve Manning after ten years as an assistant, enjoys coaching very much, saying, “[He] and the other coaches have fun working with kids.” The coaches and the three senior captains, Steve Manning, Lenny Bautista, and Matt Robinson are looking forward to the rest of the season and leading the team to victory. The Rivers Varsity Football will continue to give supreme effort and perform well for the last few games, and hopefully, accomplish their goal of having a winning season. Go Redwings! Strong talent up front, in backfield bolsters Boys’ Soccer b y Da n Si n g e r ‘10 Co n t r i b u t i n g Wr i t e r After opening the season at 7 wins-2 losses-1 tie, the Rivers Varsity Boys’ Soccer team is looking forward to participating in the New England Class B tournament and possibly grabbing the top spot in the Independent School League (ISL) to secure a tournament home game. To accomplish this, Rivers will have to go through a tough Belmont Hill team that sits precariously atop the ISL standings, leading by just two points. With big games against Belmont Hill and St. George’s in late October, Head Coach Bob Pipe is optimistic about the team’s chances but knows the team will have to play at the same level it has been playing all year: “We have to come to play everyday, if we play Rivers soccer, play our best game, then we have a great chance of winning.” Coach Pipe has been very pleased with how the team has played so far this year, getting a big win over ISL rival Nobles. The team has been led throughout the year by seniors Charlie Rugg, Cecil Jeffrey, Eric Ander- Captain Harold Salinas ‘09 dribbles towards the opponents goal. Photo by T. Morse. son, and Harold Salinas who have had “been big for us this year,” according to Pipe. Coach Pipe’s praise rings especially true coming off a convincing win over a struggling Governor’s Academy team. Harold Salinas put in 3 goals and assisted on one of Charlie Rugg’s two goals. The team also received solid contributions from their seniors during a 4-0 Homecoming victory over Lawrence Academy, with Charlie Rugg scoring two goals and recording an assist. In addition, senior Jamie Lapides put in a goal during the sixtieth minute. Rugg leads the ISL in scoring with fourteen goals and five assists for the season. With a total of 33 points, Rugg is ahead of the second best player by an astounding fourteen points. Eric Anderson has also turned in a terrific season thus far with a very solid sixteen points, and Harold Salinas has ten points. The only stumbling point for Rivers was a 4-1 loss on the road at St. Paul’s. Coach Pipe was quick to credit the opposition: “St. Paul’s played a fantastic game that day. We had chances to score but just couldn’t finish.” On a rainy September afternoon, St. Paul’s jumped out to a twogoal lead and was winning 2-1 at the half. The lone goal came from Eric Anderson on an assist from Charlie Rugg, but it was not enough as the team suffered their first and only defeat of the season. The team was also challenged in a hard fought game against B.B.&N., which ended in a tie. Although Rivers jumped out to an early lead with two goals from Rugg, they could not hold on as B.B.& N. tied the game in the eightieth minute. Great play has not come only from the senior players. Coach Pipe noted the play of freshman John Lin on defense, “John has done a great job adjusting and learning our system.” Lin’s work has no doubt contributed to another solid season for sophomore goalie Peter Quayle who has worked three shutouts so far, most notably against a fifth place Nobles team. With signifi- “We have to come to play everyday, if we play Rivers soccer, play our best game, then we have a great chance of winning.”--Coach Pipe cant contributions coming from all players on both sides of the ball, Coach Pipe has good reason to believe that the team will do even better than their semifinals appearance last season: “We’re as talented as any team that we play, and we just have to be consistent.” The team will be tested as they face their toughest opponents yet over the final stretch of the season leading up to the New England Class B tournament.
October 31, 2008 The Rivers Edge Page 11 Sports The effect of sports specialization hurts athletic teams b y An d r e w Nav o n i ‘09 Co n t r i b u t i n g Wr i t e r On Friday nights the Natick Red and Blue have around 50 athletes on the sidelines of their football field. When they look across the field, they often outnumber their opponents. On any given Saturday however the Rivers Red Wings come out on their home field with 25 athletes at the most. They often look across the field at numbers that are much bigger than their own. Football is a game of numbers, and in many schools, it is being affected by the specialized athletes. Rivers, a school that was home to many three-sport athletes a few years ago, is now becoming engaged in specialization. The age of specialization in sports is benefiting many high school athletes, but at the same time hurting certain programs in the school. Athletes are committing themselves to a single sport instead of becoming a well-rounded athlete by playing multiple sports. It appears that these days, three sport athletes are a thing of the past. Many critics in sports specialization feel that athletes today are looking more at where they are going than where they actually are. The majority of the athletes trying to play college sports know that they have to specialize year round to achieve their goals. Some of athletes are not getting the exposure they need at their high school games. A lot of the college coaches are unable to scout players during their seasons because the coaches have their own teams playing at that time to worry about. This makes the summer tournaments a hot bed for coaches to recruit high school athletes. Field Hockey stays strong with a winning record De b r a Ed e l m a n ‘10 Ed g e Sta f f The Rivers Varsity Field Hockey team has showed a combination of skill and determination as they move toward the completion of their solid 2008 season. They stand at a record of 8 wins and 5 losses. Impressive wins thus far include an opening day 5-0 shutout over the Newton Country Day School followed by an astounding 8-1 victory at Southfield only days later. The team has proven to be able to seamlessly merge the skills of both their novice and veteran players. Junior Alexis Antonelli says, “We have a great combination of new talent and more experienced players. Every player has greatly developed their skills, making this season one of our best.” Perhaps the game where the team displayed the greatest feat of perseverance was on the road at “If you’re not playing year round, you’re getting left behind and the scholarships will go else where,” said Darren Sullivan coach of the Rivers football and baseball teams. The scholarship money is the calling card for a lot of athletes that specialize. With this year round specialization, some programs’ numbers are down. “Rivers is too small to specialize in every sport; you need two sport athletes,” said Bob Pipe Coach “I look to recruit two sport athletes, if they’re not playing two sports then they better be doing something else for the Rivers community.” -Bob Pipe of the Rivers boys’ soccer team. In 2001 Pipe’s varsity soccer team won the ISL and the class A title. That same year, the varsity basketball team was also very good and got to the semifinals of the class C playoff. This happened because there were four players who played on both of those teams that were well-rounded athletes. In the modern era of sports the two-sport athlete could help benefit a school more than the single sport athlete. “I look to recruit two sport athletes, if they’re not playing two sports then they better be doing something else for the Rivers community,” said Pipe. There are typically 40 spots T. Morse. St. Mark’s where the girls found themselves trailing 2-0 after the first half. However, after convening as a team at halftime, Rivers was able to level out the playing field with both Alexis Antonelli and sophomore Nicole Ferrara scoring goals. Although they did ultimately lose to St. Mark’s on that late September afternoon, the Rivers Varsity Field Hockey team showed great determination in ninth grade open for students that need to fill the extracurricular activities such as music, drama and athletics. There are only so many spots for recruited athletes which means the twosport athletes are twice as good as the specialized one sport athlete. An example of one of these two-sport athletes is Steve Manning who is a Captain and an All-ISL in both football and lacrosse. “There is a little pressure, but I don’t really think about it,” said Manning, who is one of the few who plays lacrosse year round but commits himself to football in the fall. With the specialization able to happen all year round for some sport, the club teams often become more important than the school teams. “There is no AAU football; it is the only game you represent your school in. You have to play at your school, there’s no alternative” said Sullivan. This makes football different than all the others and is the reason why the numbers are down. While football is hurting from the specialization this year, the soccer, lacrosse and hockey programs are benefiting from it. “ It’s a double edged sword,” said senior Mark Cornacchio, who specializes in lacrosse. “ The lacrosse team benefits but the football team loses numbers.” The Rivers football team may also be hurting for numbers because football has the highest injury rate of any sport. There are at least two to three players that get banged up in the course of a week ,and this is not counting the numerous bumps and bruises sustained through the week. “It’s a collision game. It’s tough and physically demanding, not everyone is meant to play it,” said Sullivan, who also in making a strong comeback. In addition to Alexis Antonelli and Nicole Ferrara, skilled contributors include senior captains Laura Blackett and Becca Nichols, as well as senior Jacqueline Gannon. The team happily welcomed freshman Elizabeth Hitti to the team this year. She was recently named to the USA Field Hockey 2009 Future Elite team, a highly competitive field hockey understands why some athletes don’t risk injury to their number one sport by playing football. Out of the 19 players on the boys’ varsity soccer team, 12 of them play soccer on an outside team. Of the 11 starters on the soccer team, 8 specialize in soccer, and the first four off the bench also are soccer specialists. It is clear that on a team that has the potential to be one of the best the school ever had, you need to be a year round soccer player to see significant time. The age of specialization in sports is benefiting many high school athletes, but at the same time hurting certain programs in the school. Sometimes, however, specialization can have the opposite effect for the school. The soccer team was hurt by specialization when Sheanon Williams, an All league freshman, went to a residential soccer school in Florida. “It didn’t help us, but he had to go if he wanted to play in the World Cup. I supported it, I needed to,” said Pipe. Williams could have been a multi-sport athlete when he was recruited to come to Rivers, but instead decided to specialize in soccer at the highest level. Williams is now at UNC and is starting as a freshman. This is one case where the soccer team lost a player due to specialization, but football has lost many more. “Instead of kids quitting they need to get kids Captain Laura Blackett ‘09 shows her unbeatable defensive skills during Rivers Homecoming. Photo by program that annually only invites 150 players nationwide. The Varsity Field Hockey team’s tough defensive line comprises of sophomore Abby Gilmartin, senior Meggie Woodruff, and sophomore goalie Carlie Tarbell. “We improve as a team every year,” says senior co-captain Laura Blackett, “and we’re already well on our way to beating last year’s record [5 wins-10 losses-1 tie].” to play,” says Pipe. Many kids drop out because it is easier to quit than get athletes to join with them. It is hard to convince others to play football when it is so tough and time consuming. “Practices are hard. There’s one game a week, you practice a lot more than you play, I know as a player I didn’t like practice,” said Sullivan. According to players on the football team, the practices are difficult, but when you get to Saturday, the games outweigh the week of practice. What the naked eye doesn’t see about football is the unity and team bonding of the sport. “The players on the team need to sell it to their friends, the camaraderie of the sport, the team dinners,” said Sullivan. According to many players on the team, they believe that football teaches them life lessons that are not incorporated in the classroom or on any other field. Out of six kids surveyed on specialization, all felt that football was taking a hit due to specialization. “We need to recruit more kids with football as their number one sport,” said Sullivan. There are other schools in the ISL that are having the same problems with their football teams. At St. Mark’s there are around 25 kids playing football. According to the St Mark’s website, a student has to play three sports a year, but there are still ways to get around playing football. There were sixty cross-country runners out for the fall. Among these athletes are the hockey and basketball specialists mixed in with the actual long distance runners. According to Pipe the specialized athletes have found a loophole in the system. Their hardest fought victory came at home on Davis Field against Thayer Academy. The rival teams found themselves tied 1-1 at the end of the second half, sending the game into sudden death overtime. With four minutes remaining in the extra session, Nicole Ferrara scored to put Rivers over the top. Just days later at B.B.&N., the team again forced overtime. However, this result was not as successful since Rivers suffered an unfortunate 5-4 loss in another highly competitive game. Despite losing to Lawrence Academy by one goal and Nobles by two, the Varsity Field Hockey proved to rise above their setbacks by beating Dana Hall 2-0 and Bancroft 5-1. With competitive Independent School League opponents at the end of the schedule, the team looks forward to the challenges ahead. Co-captain Becca Nichols notes, “Now is the time for us to really apply the skills we have been developing throughout the season. We have the potential for a strong season finish.”
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