The Lions ended the spring season with three teams advancing to playoff championships in the PVAC. Here is a rundown of
how everyone finished:
SOFTBALL
After two PVAC Championships in a row, expectations for the varsity softball team were high. The team went undefeated in the regular season with a record of 6-0.
Before the playoffs began, the team headed to East Stroudsburg Pennsylvania for the 4G NCSY softball tournament, where they lost in the semifinals. According to junior Jennifer Kelner, the tournament was a great bonding experience for the team.
“I think this has been a transformative year for our team,” Kelner said. “… We’ve seen some more challenging games this year, and it’s been good for us. It reminded us that we still have to work hard and play hard.”
While the Lions swept Don Bosco Cristo Ray 12-0 in the quarterfinals, the semifinal game against Model Secondary School for the Deaf was much closer. The Lions led most of the game, but going into the bottom of the seventh inning, the game was tied 11-11. The Lions scored the winning run when junior and captain Mia Forseter stole home on a wild pitch. In the championship game against Sandy Springs Friends School, the Lions won 12-2, mercying their opponents in the fifth inning. In the top of the third inning, Forseter pitched her 100th strikeout of the season.
“It felt really bittersweet to win,” Kelner said. “Because on the one hand I knew that it was going to be my last game played
with the JDS team, but on the other hand it was a really great way to go out.”
BASEBALL
With a record of 5-2, the varsity baseball team finished as the three seed in the regular season. The team’s final game
of the regular season against the Melvin J. Berman Cougars was a close match, but ended with the Lions on top 3-2. According to junior and captain Caden Mont, the Lions felt confident heading into the quarterfinals against the Cougars on May 7 but ended up losing by one run.
According to Mont, the abrupt end to the season was tough for many players, especially the juniors.
“As soon as the game ended, it just all hit me that it was really the last game of my high school career,” Mont said. “ … It was very emotional. I let some tears shed.”
As a smaller team with only ten players, the Lions created a tight-knit dynamic that helped them throughout their season. Despite the season’s unsatisfying end, Mont appreciated being part of this team.
“Even though we didn’t get the outcome we wanted, we still grew as a team and had fun together and played the sport we love,” Mont said.
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
With a record of 2-11, the boys varsity volleyball team didn’t make playoffs after reaching the championship game the past two years. According to junior and captain Grady Goldstein, while the team didn’t perform as well in games, they had productive practices where they focused on player development.
With few returning players and many new ones, the team’s focus was on improvement and development for future seasons.
“It was a really nice group of guys and I really liked everyone,” Goldstein said. “Everyone had their own personality, and it was just enjoyable to be around so many different kids from different grades.”
TENNIS
The boys tennis team ended their regular season with a 7-3 record. The entire team advanced to semifinals in the postseason, but only the number two doubles players, sophomore Micheal Rubinstein and eighth grade student Ethan Dvir made it to the finals.
Due to inclement weather, the team had to adjust the scheduling for matches and the championship ended up taking place later than expected. Sophomore Jonah Anker, the number two singles player for the Lions, ended his season as the number three seed for singles in the league.
“I’d say that I gained a lot of general tennis skill along with strategy of the game, I think that my serve got
a lot better,” Anker said. “Since this year I had a much larger role on the team than last year, I had to dedicate more time and focus more in practice on improving. ”
TRACK & FIELD
With a new head coach and many new members, the track and field season had a new focus on short distance races
and other field events. Many JDS records were broken this year, including freshman Abby Feffer with a 29-2 in shot put and junior Isaac Yourman in the 800 meter race with a time of 2:03. Eighth grade student Adam Nesher also broke the PVAC and JDS Meet Record in the Long Jump with a mark of 17-9.5.
Despite only having nine athletes, the varsity girls track team finished fourth, the highest JDS women’s team finish in almost ten years.
“It’s especially amazing that we got fourth considering we have such a small team,” sophomore
and captain Eve Sharp said. “Everyone stepped up and gave it their all. They didn’t rely on their teammates to pick up their slack and did everything they could.”
