Boys Handball Tops Division

Jimmy Lam ’20 lines up a hit. Photo Credit: Justin Chow

By RREZE KADRIJAJ

Boys handball won the Division Championships as best in Brooklyn this year but fell to Francis Lewis High School 4-1 in the citywide final May 22. This is the first time the team has made the finals since 2011.

The team, coached by Ms. Kimberly Lau and Mr. Eric Lee, beat Brooklyn Tech 5-0 to make it to the finals.

It’s Ms. Lau’s last year as coach, and she is proud of the team’s improvement over last year.

“We started conditioning in October, and there was a lot more strategic practicing this year,” said Ms. Lau. “We turned more drills into games. At one point, we turned sprints to freeze tag.”

The team traveled about two hours to Francis Lewis High School to play on supposedly “neutral” ground. 

The finals opened with second doubles Jimmy Lam ’20 and Edward Li ’20, who set the tone with a win.

The team “played their hardest, and did the best they could in the situation they were put in,” said Ms. Lau.

With the team down 3-1, first doubles Yi Hang Cen ’19 and Haoxuan Chen ’19 kept their spirits with twirls and dives.

At one moment, Jared Hwee ’19 said, “Haoxuan rolled on the floor and still got the shot.”

Although, the team lost 4-1, they remain division champs as the best in Brooklyn. 

“We left an impression that day, and that’s all that matters,” said Hwee. “We will be back next year.”  

“It’s the start of a legacy,” said Mr. Lee. “Even though the juniors lost, they will come back stronger as seniors.”

Ms. Lau said, “The boys play for the Midwood name on the front, and they make sure other schools remember their name on the back.”