Fall Sports Begin

by Elan Golan, SSLI '28

It’s a new school year, which means SSLI sports are starting back up again. In the past few weeks, teams have practiced hard after school and even on retreat.

Girls Varsity Tennis

Girls Varsity Tennis has been practicing since the first morning of retreat. The girls woke up early in the morning to get on the court with one of their coaches, Josh Jurysta. So far, the girls have played Portledge, Stony Brook, LUHI, and Staten Island. Their first match was on Tuesday, September 9.

The girls have been working hard during practices and games. Maddison Hoffman stated, “The team has improved communication and skills.” Hoffman continued, “We’ve been working on hitting, serving, communicating, and other fundamentals.”

Coach Lauren Levine talked about how much effort the girls put into tennis. “The team’s outcome has not always been in our favor," Levine said, "but the girls give their best effort all while supporting one another.”

The girls’ tennis team has yet to get its first victory, but the coaches have high hopes for one soon.

Coach Josh Jurysta shared, “I believe that if the team continues to work hard and dedicate themselves to consistent improvement each day, then anything is possible.”

Coach Lauren Levine commented, “That first win is coming, and when it does, it will be because of the dedication these girls have shown. Keep trusting the process and supporting one another—we’re on the right path, and no matter what, I am so proud of them.”

Captain Jamie Bokhour, a senior in the Class of 2026, had her best match of the season this past week. Coach Jurysta shared, “I’ve seen Jamie Bokhour improve a lot as a player since the beginning of the season, and this past Tuesday, she played her best match of the season.”

Girls Tennis posing before their game. (L. Levine)

Varsity Cross Country

Varsity Cross Country’s season started bright and early on Thursday, September 4, at 7 a.m., when the team woke up on retreat and went for a morning run together. Coach Jeffrey Connelly said, “We woke up before everyone else and logged in a few miles.” Coach Connelly talked about how amazing the conditions were at Camp Ramah: “The crisp weather, rolling hills, scenic mountains, and calmness of Ramah make for great running conditions.”

Since the beginning of the season, the runners have continued to run every Monday through Thursday after school to get miles in. Cross Country Captain Micah Bidner said, “I’ve definitely seen improvement in the whole team since the beginning of practices. People are getting faster, stronger, better, so it’s been great.”

Cross Country has not had any meets yet, but Jordan Bitton, another captain, said, “We have our first meet in only a few short weeks, with just a few practices to get ready.” Cross Country is going to continue to work hard and keep training for their upcoming meets and the remainder of their season.

Cross Country athletes training at retreat. (J. Connelly)

Varsity Soccer

Varsity Soccer had its first practice as a team on September 8. Coach Jordan Abrahamson, an alumnus of Schechter, took on the role of head coach for the team. “The first few practices have gone well. It’s always tough starting the season with only a handful of practices, but I think we have made the best use of our time together to prepare for our upcoming games,” Abrahamson said. The team has practiced daily, Monday through Thursday, at Cantiague Park.

The team has had one game so far this season and unfortunately lost. Jake Siegel, a player on the soccer team, said, “The result of our first game was a loss, but it was a lot of people’s first game, and they seemed to really like it.” Siegel proceeded to say, “The team has been working on things like ball placement, shooting, and our speed.” Siegel added, “Many players who hadn’t ever touched a soccer ball before this year can now shoot a pretty great free kick.”

Varsity Soccer has its next game on September 18 against Kew Forest. The team has been practicing for this game, hoping to pull through and get their first victory of the season.

                                                           Soccer players practicing at Cantiague Park (E. Golan)

We hope the rest of the fall season goes smoothly for the Schechter sports teams. Good luck to all of the teams, players, and coaches. Go Lions!

Elan Golan is a writer for Paw Print Now and has been published on the site since September 2025. Elan is currently a sophomore at Schechter School of Long Island and can be reached at the following email address: egolan28@schechterli.org