Moving into November, several Cougar teams have concluded their competitive seasons on a positive note, Girls Cross Country has captured the 2023 Hudson Valley Athletic League (HVAL) trophy, and Boys Varsity Soccer, Girls Varsity Soccer, and Girls Varsity Volleyball all advanced in the HVAL championship tournaments this week. In addition, the boys cross country team will run in the NEPSAC final race to be held at Marvelwood.
It’s been an exciting season for the boys varsity soccer team. After one loss early in the season, the Cougars entered a winning streak and never looked back, adding another resounding win over the Marvelwood Pterodactyls in their final season game, 9-0. Mohanad A. ’25, Ren T. ’26, and Joao F. ’25 scored two goals each, with Justin K. ’26, Tolik T. ’25, and Logan K. ’27 scoring one goal each.
As the #1 seed in HVAL, the Cougars were unstoppable two days later when they entered the championship tournament semifinal round versus NYMA. Coach Bennett was ecstatic with the team’s performance coming out on top of the Knights 9-0, advancing them to the championship final this weekend. Ren and Tolik rallied to score three goals each, with Sagan N. ’25, Mohanad, and Joao scoring one goal each. “Their momentum is incredible. They’ve scored 18 goals in the last two games. Now, we’re going for the trophy at the championship game versus Darrow this Saturday,” commented Coach Bennett.
Season Record: 10 W – 1 L
Following their strong performance and winning score at Oakwood, the Cougars played their final league game at home versus the Marvelwood Pterodactyls. It was a nail-biting game throughout, with the Cougars down in the first half then rallying to finish with a 3-3 tie score. According to Coach Fulton, “The girls showed impressive resolve to come back from a 1-3 deficit to force a draw in our last league meeting with Marvelwood.” The Cougars hope to keep up the momentum against the Pterodactyls when they face them again in their HVAL championship game. “I’m confident that we will be very tough to beat,” continued Coach Fulton.
Season Record: 3 W – 5L – 2 T
The girls varsity volleyball team added two more wins to their record this month. After their home win against EF Academy in late October, the Cougars’ kept up the winning momentum when they faced Northern Academy on the SKS courts in early November. It was a comfortable victory in three sets for the Cougars who displayed excellent teamwork and communication on the court. Moving on the HVAL semifinal round, the Cougars seemed invincible, beating the Oakwood Lions in three sets. Their semifinal win brought them to the court at FCA the following day for the HVAL Championship game, where the Cougars fought hard for every point, but ultimately fell to their opponent 0-3. Despite the loss, Coach Cervantes was proud of the team’s progress all season: “The girls ended the season really well with players stepping up to new challenges. Our JV players took on bigger and more challenging roles on the varsity line up. The future is looking really good for SKS volleyball!”
Final Season Standing: 8 W – 7 L