We piled into D.A.’s “Green Machine” at 7:45 a.m., sleepy but somehow also ready to take on the world. Driver Andy Olanyk saw us safely to the NMH playing fields where we warmed up for a long day and a challenging 6-game tournament. The down side? Only 12 players from our 20-person team were able to get on the field today. Yikes. The up side? Our team delivered enough spirit in this tournament for a team three times our size. We’re not just bragging on this point, either. D.A. received Spirit Awards from multiple teams at the tournament; proof that our positive energy and sports-person-like play represented Deerfield Academy at its best.
We started the day with strong positive energy, and we ended it that way, too. Anna Pikarska ’22 gave a great compliment to the team after an incredibly long point against NMH. She emphasized how proud she was of every teammate who “showed up” for this tournament, and she pointed to the sense of community we have built within this team over the course of the season. Anna herself played impressively. She worked hard to get to open spaces and take the sorts of athletic chances that would make a difference, and she executed a great goal in the Hartsbook game.
Other shout-outs, from players and coaches alike, are too numerous to include in this short tournament summary. Here is the Official Shoutout List: Alice Ai ’24, for fantastic handler movement and her awesome goal in the Masco game. Sammy Sullivan ’25, for his incredible flexibility and for being in the right place at the right time. Allyson Xu ‘24, for digging deep when the going got tough to make excellent cuts on the field. Mike Lee ’24 for committing himself to the team and putting 100% into the games as soon as he got onto the field. Austin Thomas ’24 for being amazing in every way. Elannah Brennan ’25 for her “mad hype.” She certainly was a terrific cheer leader as well as player. Forrest Gao ’23 for his massive cup-breaking abilities (he is now to be known at ‘The Destroyer of Cups’). Jerry Huang ’23 for effectively leading the team and playing every point. Will Newton ’22 for being the best cheer leader even if he does not like most D.A. cheers. Miu Yatsuka for her mad catches.
And finally, the best play of the day goes to Harry Church and Bonnie Pang, both from the class of ’24. Displaying excellent movement on the field, Harry caught a deep throw while Bonnie read the field and went full speed to space. Harry put it out in front of her, and Bonnie executed a terrific layout for goal. How could we not love this day?
Game 1: DA: 0, Newton North H.S. 9
Game 2: D.A. 6, Hartsbrook 8
Game 3: D.A. 3; Frontier RHS 9
Game 4: D.A. 1, Masco 9
Game 5: D.A. 0, St. John’s Prep 9