Sports Update: End of Fall and Beginning of Winter Sports

by Jonah Herbst, SSLI '29

With the fall season coming to an end and winter sports beginning, Schechter sports have been in full swing. This past fall, Girls Varsity Tennis and Co-Ed Varsity Cross Country competed in the PSAA league. In the winter, Boys Varsity Hockey and Girls Varsity Volleyball will be playing in the Yeshiva League.

Girls Varsity Tennis

Unfortunately, the girls were unable to win any matches against their opponents this year. However, players felt that the team, and themselves as individuals, improved throughout the season.

Freshman Anna Siegel said that even though they did not have many practices, she still feels as if she “improved a lot over the season…on serving and hitting harder.” Siegel felt that they would have benefited from more communication and focus on improving certain skills.

Senior and captain Jamie Bokhour felt that the girls “had great attitude and attendance all season...." Bokhour added, "... we worked really hard and communicated well as a team.”

Bokhour felt pleased with the team's performance this season. She said, “The team played great, we really gave it our all, showed up, and supported each other every game.” Despite having limited time to practice because of the High Holidays, she “saw so much improvement in every single player throughout the season.”

Bokhour said, “I am so grateful to have played on this amazing team for the past four years. I know Coach Josh [Jurysta] will continue to do an incredible job leading the team in the future.”

The team honored Senior Jamie Bokhour at their last match. (L. Levine)

Cross Country

Last week, Varsity Cross Country competed in the championship meet at The Stony Brook School. Following the meet was a short award ceremony for the top teams and runners in the league. Junior Sam Levenson said that because this was the championship, “The meet had a much more competitive feel, and it was cool to see the running bibs, the timer, and the other elements that made it feel much more serious and professional.”

Reflecting on this past season, Co-Captain and Senior Micah Bidner said, “I feel the season went very well. I’m so happy with the progress made by all of our teammates. We not only had a great time, but we really did an amazing job.”

Levenson said that this year it was “a very different season from what we had before because a lot of our time was off during the holidays, so we had to do a lot of practice at home.”

“It felt like a really short season, but I really improved since the start, and it’s been a lot of fun running as we start the new school year,” Levenson continued.

Bidner felt that everyone improved a lot during the season. “I remember in the beginning, some of us could barely run a mile, but now we have people running two or three miles without stopping,” he said.

The team was supposed to participate in a final meet on Thursday, but it was cancelled due to the weather. Instead, they celebrated at school to close off the season and honor the seniors and captains. The captains, Micah Bidner, Jordan Bitton, and Shir Levenson, all spoke, as well as Cross Country coach Mr. Connelly. They celebrated with food, drinks, games, and dancing, and had a special cake for Jordan Bitton’s birthday.

Reflecting on the season, Bidner said, “It was a great year, and I’m so honored to be your captain, and it’s crazy that it’s the end of the road for me.”

  

The Varsity Cross Country team at their end-of-the-season party. (M. Resnick)

Boys Varsity Hockey

This week, the Schechter Storm kicked off their season with a game at YDE. Although they lost with a score of 16-1, the players felt they learned a lot from their first game and are looking forward to improvement throughout the season.

SSLI Alumni (‘09) and hockey coach Noah Roth felt that this first game was a “good learning experience for a lot of the group.” Roth explained that this year is a big transition from last year because last year’s seniors, who made up most of the team, graduated, and this year, most of the players are new.

Senior and captain Jonah Resnick felt that the team “did not come out with the right intensity and right mindset.” Resnick said they had “a lot of issues with being coordinated with each other and communicating.” For the next game, he noted that the boys need to have more communication, stamina, and unity.

In preparation for future games, Roth stated that they will “need to find a better way for the group to be ready to go in the first minute.” Roth said, “There’s a high level of enthusiasm despite the loss, and we hope to have a good home opener on Monday.”

Resnick said, “We can’t always expect to win, and if we can’t win, I at least want us to have fun. I do believe we will win, but most importantly, everybody learns and has a good time. Go Storm!”

The Storm continues their season on Monday, November 3, at home against JEC.

The Boys Varsity Hockey team before their first game. (M. Resnick)

Girls Varsity Volleyball

The team has been practicing since September, and their season is right around the corner. Senior and Co-Captain Shay Ginzburg said that the girls have been practicing serving, receiving, stacking, and rotations. Ginzburg said, “With so many people on the court, it can be difficult to know which spot is yours; that’s why we always make it a priority to teach these skills first.”

Junior Madison Hoffman said, “In addition to working on skills, we have all been bonding and have created a positive and hard-working environment where we all help and uplift each other.”

Hoffman shared that she is looking forward to all the games this season, and she is “so excited for the new members of the team to experience what games are like.”

Coach Josh Jurysta wants “The girls to work hard and keep improving throughout the season.”

Ginzburg has a few goals for herself this season. She said, "I hope to learn how to serve more competitively. I’ve always relied on a serve I know works, but I want to take risks and see what I can achieve." Hoffman also set personal goals, like working on her passing, "which," she said, "is something that I have had troubles with in the past."

As the seniors enter their last year, Ginzburg said, “Before the season began, we captains had a heart-to-heart conversation with the captains who led before us. They told us the tricks of the trade and secrets to success. I remember that conversation often, and it helps me stay positive and motivated.”

Coach Jurysta said, “I am looking forward to a good season. I think it’s going to be an exciting one, and it’s going to be fun.” They open up the season on Monday at Magen David.

Wishing all the winter sports teams a successful season! Go lions!

Jonah Herbst is a writer for Paw Print Now and has been published on the site since October 2025. Jonah is currently a freshman at Schechter School of Long Island and can be reached at the following email address: jherbst29@schechterli.org