By Brahm Wieseneck’18

Middle School A Soccer won yet another championship after defeating Gil St. Bernard 4-1 in the finals of the Morris County Coaches Tournament.  With this victory, the team gained a fantastic regular season record of 9-2-1. Behind captains Rory Tell and Sam Goldenring, the team was unstoppable.

When asked why the team was so successful Coach, Mr. David Griffin, said “ These guys came into the season with strong soccer skills and a solid knowledge of the game, and they were willing to work hard and challenge each other to get better. There was a great competitive spirit on this team that led them to improve their skills and teamwork.” The team defeated an MKA; a team that they had lost to last year with a score of 4-0 at MKA. Sam Goldenring commented “ We made them pay for beating us last year.”

Coach Griffin points to the team’s dedication to improvement as a key to the winning season.  They worked very hard to play smarter soccer as the season went on.  “The best evidence of the team’s improvement is our second game against Peck this season. We played them to a scoreless tie during the regular season. It was a game in which we just couldn’t put the offense together, got desperate, and therefore sometimes did not make the smart defensive plays. By the time we met them in the playoffs, we had come together very impressively and won 2-0 with few threats in our half. It was a strong game for N.A. and indicative of how much the team improved.”

One of the things that created that improvement was the trust that Coach Griffin had for his captains.  Sam said “He trusts Rory and I to lead the team on and off the field.” The team was an eighth grade driven team with only one sixth grader, Pranay Sinha.   “We are a great group of guys. I am happy to be a part of this team. We have all made great new friends,” Said Sam.

Not only did soccer have a great season, but so did the rest of the middle school. The middle school cross-country team went undefeated and both girl’s tennis and girl’s soccer lost only one game. This was definitely a middle school sports season to remember.