Fall Sports Recap
By Aidan Dobrosielski, Sports Editor and Evan Agranoff, Jonathan Thomas, and Ethan Frank of Sports Staff
photo courtesy of LOHUD
Section Chips. League Champions. Undefeated records. Epic plays. Astonishing performances. It was an incredible Fall Sports Season for the Clarkstown North Rams. Don’t ever sleep on North!
Image Courtesy of CHSN Boys Volleyball
Another historic season for the Boys Volleyball Team as they go onto win the Section 1 Championship for the second year in a row. Not only did they go undefeated through the Section Playoffs (17-0), but they did so without dropping a set all season (51-0). Achieving absolute perfection is a difficult task, but the team was able to accomplish this feat with flying colors. Led by senior captains Matt Seigel and Matt Toplitsky, the team bumped, set, and spiked better than anyone in the county and section!
With a 3 set victory over the Yorktown Huskers (25-21, 25-12, 25-9), the Volleyball team made Section 1 history in going undefeated and winning a sectional championship without losing a set. After the game, senior Matt Seigel spoke to LOHUD: “All of our hard work we put in really paid off and we're so proud of everyone on this team and all the support we have.” Leading the way in the win against Yorktown, junior Drew Ciganek racked up 11 kills and 4 aces while senior Chris Salerno had 5 blocks with 10 kills. Cheering them on, the North Student Section was PACKED, both proud of our team and proud of our school.
Unfortunately, the Rams lost to Jamesville-Dewitt High School in Sub-Regionals at Cicero-North Syracuse High School, but the season was one Coach Gartshore and Clarkstown North will never forget.
Image courtesy of Principal Reim
After a historic season last year, not only winning the Section 1 Championship, but also making it all the way to the State Semi-Finals, the Girls Soccer Team carried over that success to the 2022 season. On senior day, Clarkstown North asserted their dominance over Clarkstown South in front of a huge North student section. The Rams won 3-1, with two goals from Alexa Buxbaum, All-Section Forward, and one goal from Ivy Levitas. With a 13-2-1 record (8-0 in-league), they became League champions.
Despite losing in the Section 1 Final to Albertus Magnus, North showed their dominance and commitment to the program. After their 1-0 win against Somers in the semis, All-Section player Hannah McKiverkin told LOHUD, “Last year, I feel like people thought it was luck, magic or whatever, but we’re here to prove that we’re meant to be in the final. We’re meant to win these types of games and our hard work just got us here.” Junior Anna Kavountzis scored a penalty kick in the first half, which ultimately was the game winner, and Syndey Ferst, Belmont Abbey commit, played great in goal, earning the shutout win. Ferst was named All-Section after the season.
With the 2022 season coming to an end, Coach Thompson will lose 9 seniors (Ivy Levitas, Sydney Ferst, Annie Digiacamo, Maya Damesek, Emma Garbowitz, Hannah McKiverkin, Alexa Buxbaum, Emily Maloney, and Michelle Robinson). Each and every one of them played a part in the team's recent success. Thank you!
North Girls Soccer celebrating their 1-0 win against Somers in the Section 1 Semi-Final
(Image courtesy of LOHUD)
Despite finishing with a losing record, the Clarkstown North Football team continued to be a unifying force, bringing the community together on Friday nights at the Turf. Led by Coach Trongone and captains Lex Mazilia, Kenny Louden, Dom Crisci, and Brian Bordas, the Rams displayed hard work and passion each and every time they stepped on the field.
Thanks to the 4th Quarter Club and coaches, the team was able to become the first North team to take a road trip to an away game in Washington DC. Sightseeing, coach bus trip, and quality time spent with teammates and friends–it will remain an experience that will never be forgotten.
We would also like to applaud senior football players Brian Bordas, Kenny Louden, Brandon Lopez, and Justin Pawelczyk for being selected to play in the 2022 Exceptional Senior Game. The All-Star game played by players from around Section 1 was brought back this year and played on the Felix Festa field at Clarkstown North on November 20th.
Senior Football Players and Coaches at the Senior Rose Ceremony
(Image courtesy of the 4th Quarter Club)
It was another great season for the Girls Varsity Tennis Team, led by long-time Head Coach Alan Schwartz. The team went 6-4, placing 3rd in their league behind Suffern and Nyack. Senior captain Bekah Chan capped off her great high school career with an 8-2 record at the 1st singles position. At 2nd Singles, sophomore Kiki Ottenheimer finished with a 9-1 record and at 3rd Singles, sophomore Sarah Weissman finished with a 6-3 record. Sophomores Sofia Martinez and Diana Marquez shared the 1st doubles spot on the team, winning 6 matches.
1st and 2nd singles players Bekah Chan and Kiki Ottenheimer decided to team up for sectionals as a doubles pair. Defeating Rye Neck (6-2, 6-1), Mamaroneck (6-2, 6-4), and Byram Hills (4-6, 6-2, 11-9), they made it all the way to the Sectional Quarterfinals!
Unfortunately the Varsity Team will lose 7 seniors (Bekah Chan, Laina Martinez, Amanda Hanlon, Gabby Prins, Hannah Weissman, Ashley Beer, and Ilyssa Milich). The Ram’s Horn applauds them for their hard work and wishes them the best of luck in their futures. Bekah Chan told the Rams Horn Staff: “The hard work and dedication from each and every player contributed to getting the team dub. Every match we went out there and competed even if we knew it was going to be a challenging match. We had a great time together as a team and always cheered each other on, especially in tough points like in a super tie breaker.” It was definitely a season to remember.
(Image courtesy of @chsngirlstennis on Instagram)
Sectional Quarterfinalists Bekah Chan and Kiki Ottenheimer
Courtesy of the Clarkstown High school Girls swimming team
It was quite the season for the Championships, but they were also competitors in the Sectional Championship Event. Clarkstown went undefeated in the regular season, defeating talented schools such as Horace-Greeley and BPVW (Briarcliff-Pleasantville-Westlake-Valhalla), who they fell short to last year. They finished the 2022 season with a perfect 9-0 record in dual meets.
Placing first in counties was an enormous accomplishment, but they were far from finished. In the Sectional Championships, Isabella Budnick, sophomore, recorded 1:51:05 in the 200 freestyle event, placing 2nd. Yet it wasn’t just individual efforts that propelled Clarkstown to 3rd place in the section (only behind Eastchester and BPVW). Clarkstown cut .32 seconds off of their previous time in the 200 meter medley event. With the help of Laura Arciniegas, Ellie Taragno, Kayla Dwyer, and Clarkstown Girls Swimming Team. Not only did they place 1st in the Rockland County Isabella Budnick, Clarkstown was able to edge out the runners-up for that event, BPVW, by a very slim margin of just .27 seconds. Overall, Clarkstown finished in 3rd place with 203 points, making Clarkstown history!
As the 2022 season comes to a close, this will conclude the high school careers of many of Clarkstown’s seniors such as Laura Londono-Arias, Jasmine Lee, Sarah Beshay, Sara Lesser, Ellie Taragano, Hannah Paseltiner, and Rebekah Field. Congratulations to the entire Girls Swimming and Diving Team for their sensational accomplishments!
The Ram’s Horn would like to applaud the Dance and Cheer Teams for motivating our players and enhancing our school spirit. Incredible tricks, kicks, and routines were on full display on the turf every Friday night! Nothing short of amazing! Thank you to seniors Sophia Spagna, Zoe Poulin, Cassidy Reese, Amanda Trongone, Kayla Fleming, Rochelle Scarpelli, Alexis Diaz, Ginger Whitney, Nicole Traslavina, Marren McDonald, and Saya Samuel!
Images courtesy of @graceannepawel.photography on Instagram
The CHSN Dance Team and Senior Cheerleaders, Amanda Trongone, Kayla Fleming, Rochelle Scarpelli, and Marren McDonald
The Girls Volleyball Team was terrific this year in big moments, achieving key wins against Poughkeepsie (3-0) and Yonkers (3-1). Setter Aanya Sharma told Ram’s Horn: “Both times I could tell that we all gave our best and played amazing.” Particularly in the game against Yonkers in the Sectional Playoffs, the team was able to play to their strengths with Aliza Feffer recording 10 kills and 3 aces, Aanya Sharma earning 19 assists and 3 aces, and Mercedes Matera recording 6 aces and 4 kills.
The volleyball team posing pregame
Image credited to @chsngirlsvolleyball
The atmosphere the team created was both enjoyable and exciting. Sophomore Aanya Sharma elaborates that “We all not only got better individually, but as the season progressed we worked better together. In that way, the season can only be described as a success. The team predicates itself on interaction and team building, and lasting relationships and has created a bright future for those on the team and planning to join the team. We are excited to see what the next season has to bring, and what the team, coaches, and players have to offer.” Can’t wait for next year!
Another hard fought season from our Boys Soccer Team, led by captains Jake Acosta, Joey Antar, and Kelvin Rodriguez. While the season didn’t go as planned, the team put together some great wins, including a 4-2 comeback victory against Ramapo High School.
Unfortunately, the team fell short to Mahopac in round one of the playoffs, by a score of 4-2. Nevertheless, the Rams always played with 100% effort, and it is well known that they will come out much stronger next season!
The team was very entertaining to watch. Although they had a 5-10-1 record, the team still performed well, competing in mostly close games. When talking to Senior Ben Beattie about the season, he said that one of his favorite moments was when the team "won over Spring Valley, which sprung us into the playoffs. It was also just a huge overall win for us as they beat us out in the first game of the season." The team had a great time this year, and making the playoffs is no small feat. The win over Spring Valley also demonstrates their persistence, as they were able to come back after losing to them earlier in the season. Looking into their bright future, junior Zach Diamond stated: "We’re all gonna work very hard this off-season. We are just thinking about the future now and hoping we can be contenders next season." The future of this team is frighteningly good, and next season will be one to remember.
Courtesy of @chsnboyssoccer
Photo courtesy of @chsn.xctf
Cross Country had an amazing season this fall! Led by Captains Matt Cortelli and Jenna Schulz, the Boys and Girls teams competed in large tournaments such as the Bowdoin XC Classic and Manhattan College Invitational. In doing so, the team competed well, even finishing 32nd in the Girls Suffern Invitation Final, missing out on 27th place by a mere 20 points. One of the best things about watching these teams was seeing how much fun they had. When talking to Siya Prichard, the school leader with the fastest 5000 m time (24:23.30), she said that her "favorite moments were cheering our teammates on at the hardest points of the course because it was exciting to encourage them to keep going and do their best." This helped to lead her team to perform well, fueling them with exhilaration. She then talked about "the North Color Run, where most of the XC Team was there and we had a great time either volunteering or running and we even played frisbee with the coaches!" Both teams had a great time this year, competing in highly competitive meets and enjoying their time together. Next year shows an even greater promise of a fantastic year for this Cross Country Team. Go Rams!
Led by Captain Sam Algranati and the rest of the seniors, Jenna Hill, Olivia Leahy, and Maggie Slany, the Girls Field Hockey Team capped off their season with an exciting win at Ossining High School! After the season, seniors Jenna Hill and Olivia Leahy, and sophomore Desiree Ramirez earned All-League Honors. We congratulate the Field Hockey squad on their great accomplishments!
Photo Courtesy of the Clarkstown North Field Hockey Team
Hopefully, the Rams can carry this success indoors in the Winter Athletics Season. The school spirit and support has been amazing thus far. If we keep supporting each other at this amazing school, anything can happen. LETS GO NORTH.