NR Faculty vs. Students Basketball Game

The Faculty vs. Students game is a fun game of basketball that is held every year at the high school around March. It’s held purely for benefit, meaning that all of the funds raised go right back to the students and the school. Also, since graduating seniors are the only students allowed to participate, it’s always a good way for them to mess around and have fun with their teachers from the last four years.

This year continued the fun in a unique way. Although the game was delayed from its original date of March 3rd due to the Varsity Basketball Team having a playoff game that day, it was easily moved to March 8th with very few issues. Everyone still showed up excited and ready to play. There was a good showing of fans too, as a ton of students and teachers who weren’t selected to play still showed their support.

The students and teachers started warming up at around 5:30. The students team consisted of seniors like Logan Kapusinsky, Danny Barna, Jillian Fullick, Tyler Italiano, Ally Murphy, Kiara Tirado, Kevin Devine, Montana Veit, and many, many more. The faculty team consisted of teachers and administrators such as Mr. Siuta, Mr. Pena, Mr. Denmead, Mr. Kolesar, Mr. Reyes, Mr. Lefkow, and even Mrs. DaPonte herself.

The event officially began at 6:00 with Morgan Lavalley’s singing of the national anthem. After that, the action was underway! The scoring ramped up quickly, as both sides were hitting their shots left and right. During the game, senior Jesse Falek (‘23) was on the microphone calling out every play. He was joined by many volunteers in the crowd, including fan-favorite Nico Falciano (‘23), who lit up the room with his quick and witty comments.

At halftime, both teams were neck-and-neck, and tensions were at a full-time high. However, the teams took a break for a nice picture. After that, the teachers took control of the game and built up a good lead. It was at this point where controversy began, as some fans speculated that the referees were adding points to the students’ score, although the students claim they “didn’t see anything.” Regardless, the students went on a 16-point run and tied the game, pushing it into overtime.

The students sent out an all-girl “Lady Raiders” team to start overtime, and they got off to a good start with an early lead. However, the teachers were just too good to stop, and the final score ended up being 85-80. After the game, the teams shook hands and congratulated each other on a well-played game. Special thanks went out to Mr. Siuta, who organized the whole event. Hopefully the Class of 2024 was watching from the stands, ready to do better next year!