Flirting With First

STEPHANIE GRAY '09


The Red Sox still have their minds set on winning the AL East championship, and so long as they “play a good game” and beat the Cleveland Indians in the upcoming four game series, I think they could do it. The Sox seem to be making a good comeback after losing Manny Ramirez mid season and they have played pretty well in the weeks since then.
But even though the team has put themselves back together and played some good games, they are not cemented in first place. Currently they are down a game and a half and have been fighting with the Tampa Bay Rays for first place. The Rays and the Sox have been jumping ahead of one another, and then falling back, creating a roller coaster ride for fans everywhere. The Rays currently hold first place by a game and a half, but that could all change in one day if the Sox win and the Rays lose. I am confident that the Sox can take it all the way, yet again. We have built up a great team in the past couple of years, and with stars like Josh Beckett, Jason Varitek, David Ortiz, and Jacobe Ellesbury, we have potential to bring home another set of rings in the 2008 World Series.

On a different note, as we end the regular season, I feel it is of the utmost importance that we say farewell to Yankee stadium, regardless of what team you support. It is always sad to see such a rich historical park go, but it won’t be forgotten. The new Yankee Stadium will have a historical feel to it once pieces of the old stadium are moved in and preserved for future baseball generations.
Read more!

Manny Being...Pedro?

STEPHANIE GRAY '09


For the second time in the recent years, I find myself caught in a love hate-relationship with one of my favorite Baseball players. After losing Pedro at the end of the 2004 season, I was devastated. Pedro was, at one time, the heart and soul of the team.
He was the one joking around in the dugout and in the locker rooms to keep the team’s spirits up. I will never forget that Pedro, because that is the player I fell in love with, not the Pedro that was in it for the money and glory. But the feeling of personal loss I felt when Pedro left was nothing compared to when I realized that Manny was not going to be around anymore, or at least he wouldn’t be playing with the Red Sox. Manny, like Pedro was formerly the player that others turned to when they needed to laugh. He was the goofy, smiling, extremely talented (in a seemingly accidental way) player that people watched and revered. Whether he was on the field, or in the dugout, Manny was always in the spotlight. What he brought to the team was priceless, because he brought more than just talent. Manny brought back the meaning of Baseball; to play a great game and to have a good time doing it. For this, I will always remember him. In my mind, Manny will always be Manny, and nothing he says or does will taint that memory. There are too many players in today’s society that play for the money, and have lost the old-time meaning of Baseball. Part of the reason why I love the Red Sox so much, is because they haven’t forgotten what Baseball is all about, like so many have, and they play as a team. People don’t play for the Red Sox, they play with the Red Sox, and that makes all the difference.
Read more!

Week of 4/23-4/25 Sports Wrap Up

TYLER STARR '10

Varsity Baseball
Last Wednesday, the team lost to LCA 12-2 at home. The game started out poorly for Beaver and they had a hard time coming back. On Friday, the team dug themselves a hole, by giving up early runs, which they could not get out of in their 15-0 loss against Landmark.

Varsity Softball
Softball had only one game last week which they won by the slaughter rule against Chapel Hill 17-2. This was their first win this season, bringing their record to 1-6. Kat Rosenthal (shown batting above) was also featured in this Sunday’s Boston Globe as one of the top 10 high school softball hitters in Massachusetts.

Ultimate Frisbee
The Frisbee team got their first two wins last week. On Wednesday, they beat Chapel Hill 15-3. The team, with terrific defense by Adam Offit and Charles Haverty, did not allow a single touchdown in the second half. The team continued their strong defense in their 21-0 win against Cambridge. Zach Dareshori and Noah Kulick, two of the three freshmen on the team, both had touchdowns.

Boys Varsity Lacrosse
The lacrosse team played one game last week which they lost to Chapel Hill 19-13. They were losing early on and could not turn the game around.

Girls Varsity Lacrosse
The girls lacrosse team last week went 0-2 with losses to Newton Country Day and Dana Hall. Sabrina Brown had a hat-trick in the first game and Maddy Kiefer also had a hat-trick in the second game.

Boys Varsity Tennis
The tennis team went 2-0 last week with wins against Portsmouth Abbey and Bancroft. Pierre Planche had an exciting win in the first match against Portsmouth Abbey where he came back after losing the first set 6-4 to win the next two sets 6-4 and 6-3. In its match against Bancroft, the team got its first sweep of the season with a 5-0 win.

Girls Varsity Tennis
The girls tennis team beat Portsmouth Abbey 3-2 last week to get their first win of the season. Melissa Lefkowitz, Sydney Hass, and Sara Marsh all won their matches.

Girls JV Tennis
JV tennis team had their third game last week in which they were swept, losing 0-5.


Read more!

BCDS Spring 2008 Sports Preview

TYLER STARR '10

Boys Varsity Tennis

Last Season: The '07 BCDS Varsity Boys Tennis team was very successful. It had four EIL All-stars, three of which are returning this season. They were co-champions of the EIL, and only lost one match.

Biggest Loss: Graham Loyd. He was not a huge loss, he is the only non-returning.

Biggest Gain: Time to improve. Over the past year, several of the tennis players have been getting better by going to tournaments, clinics, and taking lessons. Pierre Planche ’10 and Lukas Mead ’10, both EIL All-stars, told me that everyone has improved their games since last year.
Strength: The tennis team is still young. Three of the seven starting players are sophomores; one is the number one on the ladder.

Projected Record: 12-1. Almost undefeated last year, this year they are determined to learn minor mistakes and play another almost perfect season.

Girls Junior Varsity Tennis

Last Season: The 2007 season was a building year for Girls Junior Varsity Tennis team. There were many of new tennis players, who had never played tennis before. Though the team only had one win, Hayley Peck ’10 and Brook Marram ’10 both had strong seasons.

Biggest Loss: Peck and Marram. Some experts considered them the best on the team last year and this season they will most likely be moved up to the varsity team.

Biggest Gain: Freshmen. There is a plethora of new freshman on the team, including Nicole Penn and Kasjah Scarlett who are very talented players.

Strength: Depth. The team does not have one stand out player, but will have a strong line up every match.

Projected Record: 6-3. The team looks very strong this year, and will shock everyone with a over 500 average.

Boys Varsity Baseball

Last season: The varsity baseball team had a rough ‘07 season. They had talent but they did not win many games. The team had a lot of talented young players, but unfortunately did not have a successful season.

Biggest Loss: Lamarre Rey. He was the on of the team’s captains for this year and the main pitcher on the team. Rey is currently attending the Pingree school.

Biggest Gain: Freshmen. There are some skilled freshmen who joined the team this year. The best part about these freshmen is that they will only improve over the next three years.

Strength: Fielding. There are plenty of gifted fielders on the team including infielders Shane Bourque ‘10 and Sam Packard ’08.

Projected Record: 9-6. The team has ten games scheduled for this year on upper-field. Due to fan support they should win almost every one. The team will be looking to prove themselves after last year’s upsetting season.

Girls Varsity Softball

Last season: The team had a challenging season last year with only one win. The team grew and learned from their hardships and should improve this year.

Biggest Loss: Dayo Oyedele ‘07. She was an overall strong athlete and a team player.

Biggest Gain: Coach Kaplan. Kaplan, as she told the upper school learned in a Wednesday Forum, played catcher in college. She has a lot of experience playing softball. She plans to share her valuable knowledge with the team this season.

Strength: Young, number of team members, lower field. The team is very young which will help them in the upcoming years. There are a lot of young women on the team this year which will keep the team rested. After last year’s construction fiasco, the team kicked Ultimate Frisbee off their turf this spring and will have Lower Field to play on this year.

Projected Record: 6-9. The team will have a rough slow start to the beginning of the season; out of their first six games, only one of them is home.

Boys Varsity Lacrosse

Last season: The team had an average record last year. They were only a par last year and they plan on being an elite team this year. Peter Jackson ‘07, and David Miller ’07 were last year’s captains.

Biggest Loss: Peter Jackson. He was one of the most skilled players on the team. Jackson was also the leader of their offense. Peter Jackson was the team’s leading goal scorer.

Biggest Gain: There is no single biggest gain known to the team other than experience. Players have been improving better throughout the last year by going to camps, and playing indoor lacrosse during the winter.

Strength: Defense. The defensemen on the team are excellent at playing their position. Jon Paul ’08 is a very devoted player to the team and has greatly improved his strength by wrestling in the winter. The goalies are also very good. Parker Barrell ’10 and Tory Fruciano ’09 are the goalies for the team and have been getting better since last season.

Projected Record: 9-5. The five seniors on the team are extremely devoted and want to prove themselves in their last year with Coach Brooks.

Girls Varsity Lacrosse

Last season: The ’07 season was a building year for the lacrosse team. They had no wins but improved consistently throughout the season.
Biggest Loss: Molly Swain. Swain was a exceptionally skillful player who was very devoted to the team.

Biggest Gain: Freshman. There is a new group of freshman to join that have joined the team this year. All of them are eager to play and will aid the team tremendously.

Strength: Communication. The team works very hard on communicating to each other during practices, which pays off in their games.

Projected Record: 5-7. With the help of a new coach, is expected to perform better than in the past.

Ultimate Frisbee

Last season: The ’07 season was a character building year for the Frisbee team. They only had two wins last year, but progressively got better throughout the season.

Biggest Loss: Will Knight ’07 and Josh Raab ‘07. Will Night was the tallest player on the team and scored the most out of all the players. Josh Raab was captain last year and used his leadership skills to teach the younger players how to play Frisbee.

Biggest Gain: Coach John Schatz and Chris Rush ‘08. Coach Schatz is a great athlete, and is teaching the team how to keep in shape. He coached cross country in the fall and brings some of his endurance building skills to the Frisbee team. With the loss of Will Knight, the team was without a “big man”. Rush has proven himself during preseason as the team’s newest “big man”. He has a large reach and can jump high as well. Rush is projected to have the most touch downs this year on the Frisbee team.

Strength: Heart. The Frisbee team plays with a lot of spirit. Adam Offit ’09 is one of the many devoted players who gives his all every practice and game.

Projected Record: 5-5. The team has a tough schedule playing Gann Academy twice. Based on last year’s final scores against the Gann team (losing by 10 touch downs) these two games will most likely be losses. The team is better than last years team, but will have a slow start because it will take the team a few games to learn how to function together due to limited practice space.

Read more!