Boys' Varsity Squash: Archives

2/24/2012

Report has not been posted.

2/22/2012

H vs Westminster School

3-4 L

Taft 3 Westminster 4

2/18/2012

A vs Hotchkiss School

5-2 W

Taft 5 Hotchkiss 2

Z def Henderson 3-0

Noah def Defour 3-1

AC def Havran 3-0

Yuga K def Wardrop 3-0

Chiulli vs Weiss 2-3

Sperry vs Dunham 2-3

Lord def Perry 3-2

Harrigan wins 3-2

2/11/2012

A vs Deerfield Academy

7-0 W

Taft 7 Deerfield 0

Z def Kaelin 6,7,9

Noah def Henderson 9,9,1

AC def Dewey 9,8,8

Yoda def Henderson 6,7,6

Braden C def Cowan 9(7)8,4

Jake L def Huffard 8,9(4)(8)5

2/8/2012

6-1 W

Taft 6 Choate 1

Z def Soper 3-0

Noah def Nagy 3-0

AC def Van 3-0

Yugak K def William G 3-1

Braden C def James G 3-1

Mark S vs Adam K 0-3

Jake L def James L 3-0

2/5/2012

3-4 L

It was a great weekend at Yale for Taft. We began the weekend at Hopkins in what turned out to be the match of the tournament. After 4 hours of intense squash, we emerged with a thrilling 4-3 win vs Lawrenceville. Senior Yuga Koda was the hero as he came back from the brink numerous times before winning 12-10 in the 5th and deciding game. The next morning we took on the #1 team in the country, Episcopal., in the quarterfinals. We had a lot of fight and we pushed them as hard as any team but in the end EHS was just too tough and we went down 2-5. Our next match was against Greenwich High School. We were sharp and emerged with a 5-2 victory. This put us in the finals of the consolation vs Haverford. In another long see-saw match, it all came down to senior Yuga Koda at #4. With the match knotted at 3-3, Yuga won the first game and went up 5-1 in the second. Unfortunately, Yuga's legs had run many miles this weekend and he was unable to keep up the pressure. Haverford prevailed and took home 5th place. Captains Zeyad Elshorafy and Andrew Cadienhead were true leaders this weekend as they were both undefeated, winning four matches. Quite a feat in a national event at this level!

2/4/2012

2-5 L

2/4/2012

5-2 W

2/3/2012

H vs Loomis Chaffee School

4-3 W

2/1/2012

6-1 W

Taft 6 Loomis 1

Z def French 6,0,1

Noah def Noah 5,6,3

AC def Wathen 4,2,11

Yoda def Steel 6,5, (10) 6

Chiulli def Casher (1)9,7,(6)6

Sperry def Apelles 4,2,6

Lord vs Lusardi (11)(6)(8)

1/28/2012

3-4 L

Taft 3 Brunswick 4

Z, Noah and AC brought us to within 1 point of victory today but Brunswick was just too strong and too deep. Loomis Chaffee on Wednesday and then the National Championships at Yale!

Taft is seeded #5.

1/25/2012

A vs Kent School

7-0 W

Taft 7 Kent 0

We moved out to 9-0 with an easy win vs Kent. We are currently ranked #5 in the USA as we gear up for our showdown with #2 Brunswick on Saturday!

1/20/2012

4-3 W

Taft 4 RCDS 3

We travelled to Rye today and had all we could handle in a seesaw match which saw two of the countries best teams battle it out to the finish. As has been the case all year, we won comfortably at 1,2,3. The surprise came at #4 where senior Yuga Koda lost in 4 games. This was not a good sign and put us in a very precarious position. Mark Sperry seemed to have things in hand as he moved out 2-0 at #6 but he sprained his ankle during the second game and ended up losing in 5 games. Braden Chiulli went down in 4 games at #5 and we were in big trouble. Sophomore Jake Lord stepped up and delivered a home run as he clinched the win for us with a 3-0 win at #7!!

1/18/2012

A vs Berkshire School

7-0 W

Taft 7 Berkshire 0

We travelled north today and came away with a 7-0 record. We were strong from top to bottom and dominated at every position. Big match vs Rye Country Day on Friday night.

1/14/2012

4-0 W

Taft went back to Wallingford today and won the Choate 5 man Invitational. We defeated Trinity of Toronto 5-0, Salisbury 5-0, Deerfield 4-1 and Choate 4-1. Very successful day for the team as we played people out of position and they came through in a big way. Andrew Cadienhead defeated the Choate #2 3-0. Mark Sperry defeated the Choate #5 just days after the Choate #5 had beaten us at the #5 position. Andrew Cadienhead defeated the Salisbury #1 as well. Berkshire on Wednesday.

1/11/2012

5-2 W

Taft 5 Choate 2

We moved out to 6-0 today with a solid win over Choate. We dominated play at the top of the ladder, winning easily at 1-4. Mark Sperry played very well at #6, winning 3-1. Matt Harrigan lost a hearbraking 5 gamer at #7 while Braden Chiulli went down in 3 games at #5. Berkshire next Wednesday.

1/9/2012

H vs Salisbury School

7-0 W

Propelled by the energy of a cheering home crowd, Taft Boys' Varsity Squash defeated Salisbury 7-0, stretching this winter season's undefeated record to 5-0. Highlights included Mark Sperry's exciting five-game match and Braden Chiulli's fierce determination. He overcame a servere stomach bug to win 3-0. The Rhinos hit the road to Wallingford, CT, this Wednesday, January 10, to face Choate.

1/7/2012

5-2 W

Taft 5 Exeter 2

We moved out to 4-0 with a solid 5-2 win vs Exeter.

We played well at all positions and look forward to our match Monday vs Salisbury.

1/7/2012

A vs Avon Old Farms School

6-1 W

Taft 6 Andover 1

We travelled north on Saturday and came away with an impressive 6-1 victory over Andover.

We play Salisbury on Monday.

12/7/2011

6-1 W

We moved out to 2-0 with a 6-1 victory at Avon.

12/6/2011

H vs Trinity-Pawling School

7-0 W

Taft 7 Trinity-Pawling 0

2010-11 Season

Date

Location/Opponent (click on Opponent for contest writeup)

Result

2/25/2012

2/27/2011

2/26/2011

The boys came through in a big way this weekend, walking away with the New England Championships. All 7 of our guys made the Semi-finals, essentially clinching the title for us on the very first day. We powered on from there, moving 4 players into the finals. We finished with a total of 107 points. The second place team had only 86. It was an unprecedented margin of victory. We came home with two New England Champions---Elroy Leong and Andrew Cadienhead. Z and Yuga finished 2nd in New England while Jake and Andy both finished 3rd. James C. finished 4th.

2/23/2011

A vs Westminster School

5-2 W

After a very tough loss to Brunswick yesterday, we bounced back with a solid win against a tough Westminster squad. The win was marked by a historic first...Zeyad lost a match for the first time in his career. He played his good friend Ahmed and went down in 3 tough games. The rest of the guys played well as we won easily at 2,3,4 and both Jake and Yuga pulled out 5 game wins. The win made us Founder League Champs!
New England Championships this weekend.

1. Zeyad vs Ahmed 0-3
2. Elroy def M Leblanc 3-0
3. Cannon def Leach 3-0
4. Cadienhead def Eder 3-0
5. Calello vs Radovich 2-3
6. Albert def Lee 3-2
7. Koda def Ganek 3-2

2/22/2011

H vs Brunswick School

3-4 L

Taft 3 Brunswick 4

Brunswick avenged their first loss in 11 years by beating us tonight on our home court in a 4-3 thriller. Ironically, we played much better tonight than we did 3 weeks ago in our historic upset but it was not enough on a night which saw two exhausted Brunswick players will themselves to 5 game victories. Taft got on the board first with Elroy taking out Briggs in 3 hard fought games. Andrew C appeared to be on the verge of giving us an insurmountable lead as he moved ahead 2-1 and 6-1. Reid Breck showed a tremendous amount of resolve, however, as he came back to push the match to 5 games and then take the fifth. Jake Albert went down in 3 tight games to give Brunswick a 2-1 lead. Meanwhile James Calello was down 0-2 and things were not looking good for the Rhinos. Zeyad was playing great squash as he took out H Murphy in 3 easy games to even things at 2. It was at this point that Taft completely turned the tables on Brunswick. James dug deep and took the next two games to even things up. His opponent was running on fumes and everyone including the Brunswick players and coaches thought Taft was on the verge of winning it. At this point, James's opponent, Michael Petrick, played one of the most heroic games I have ever seen. On the verge of collapse, he summoned the energy and kept his cool throughout the 5th game, eventually prevailing 11-9. James's senior day miracle came up just short. Andy Cannon played a fabulous last match for Taft, defeating his opponent 3-1. At 3-3, we still had a chance but Alex Baldock closed out Yuga Koda 3-1 for the victory. This is a match that we probably should have won but Brunswick really showed a lot of guts today.

Brunswick 4 Taft 3

1. Zeyad def Murphy 7,7,4

2. Leong def Briggs 9,10,11

3. Cannon def Shang 9,(9)9,8

4. Cadienhead vs Breck 8 (8) 5 (8) (8)

5. Calello vs Petrick (6)(8) 9,6, (9)

6. Albert vs Whelan (5)(10)(10)

7. Koda vs Baldock (9)(2) 13 (5)

2/19/2011

H vs Hotchkiss School

7-0 W

In our final match before playing Brunswick on Tuesday, we took care of a spirited Hotchkiss team before a large parents day crowd. The boys were motivated and sharp winning at all 7 positions. Andy Cannon was pushed to 4 games by Will Wardrop, two seniors playing each other for the last time. Two years ago, as sophomores, Will had defeated Andy in 5 tough games here at Taft so we were all glad to see Andy turn the tables on him.

2/19/2011

H vs Tabor Academy

7-0 W

Taft 7 Tabor 0

Tat 7 Hotchkiss 0

In our final tune-up before Brunswick, we defeated both Hotchkiss and Tabor in a Parent's Day double-header. The guys were pumped up and they came out firing. Elroy was particularly hot today, winning three of his games 11-0! AC was also on his game today at #4 winning all 6 of his games easily, also including a 11-0 game. Brunswick comes to town on Tuesday and we are hoping for a big crowd to carry us through!

2/16/2011

H vs Deerfield Academy

7-0 W

Taft 7 Deerfield 0

Just a few days removed from the National Championships, Taft took the courts on Wednesday against Deerfield. There were no signs of a let down as the boys came out sharp and efficient, closing out Deerfield without the loss of a game. Next up, we will be playing a double-header on Saturday as both Hotchkiss and Tabor will be coming to town.

1. Z def Hilbert 7.8.7

2. Leong def Kaelin 3,4,7

3. Cannon def Henderson 6,7,8

4. Cadienhead def Alexandre 0,2,3

5. Calello def Dewey 6,7,1

6. Albert def Knowlton 3,7,10

7. Yoda def Mulrow 9,7,3

2/13/2011

A vs Episcopal

2-5

We came out firing in the finals of the US High School National Championships. At #2, Elroy Leong won a tough 3 game match while Yuga Koda fell 0-3 at #7. Andy Cannon and James Calello, #3 and #5 respectively, went on court and fought valiantly against superior opposition. James succeeded at taking the second game to give us some hope, but he fell in 4 games as Andy went down in 3. Trailing 3-1, Zeyad got us on the board at #1 to move within 3-2 but Jake Albert fell in three games to bring our championship run to an end. Andrew Cadienhead fought hard and fell in 4 to make the final score Taft 2 Episcopal 5.

2/12/2011

A vs Chestnut Hill

4-3 W

Report has not been posted.

2/12/2011

A vs Haverford

4-3 W

2/11/2011

7-0 W

Report has not been posted.

2/9/2011

A vs Loomis Chaffee School

7-0 W

Taft 7 Choate 0

In our final tune-up before the National Championships this weekend, we travelled to Wallingford today and performed at a very high level. All of the guys were focused and ready to compete. Next stop is the US National Championships where we are the #2 seeds.

1. Z def Soper 5,7,10

2. Leong def Graham 2,2,7

3. Cannon def Nagy 7,7,6

4. Cadienhead def Van 2,5,9

5. Calello def Graham 1,1,3

6. Yoda def Sheridan 3,8,7

7. Li def Gregory 8,6 (10) 6

2/2/2011

1/29/2011

H vs Rye Country Day School

4-3 W

Taft 4 Brunswick 3

Brunswicks 11 year win streak came to an end this afternoon as Taft played brilliantly to come away with a very tight 4-3 win. The match went very much as expected with Taft winning easily at #1 and #2 and Brunswick sweeping the 5,6,7 positions. The match boiled down to the #3 and #4 matches. Andrew Cadienhead and captain Andy Cannon played the role of hero for us today, with each of them prevailing in 5 games.

1/26/2011

H vs Madison Squash Club

1/26/2011

H vs Kent School

1/21/2011

7-0 W

Taft 7 RCD 0

Great match today for the boys. Everyone was on top of their game and we dominated Rye from the first point on. We are on a roll now and putting everything into our preparations for next weeks match vs Brunswick.

1. Z def M Walsh 6,8,9

2. Elroy def M Stevens 7,8.9

3. Cannon def Galluccio 7 (9) 9,2

4. AC def Shuck 8,8,6

5. Calello def Swain (5)4,8,7

6. Li def Pierpont 5,8,6

7. Yoda def Wright 0,2,6

1/19/2011

H vs Berkshire School

6-1 W

Taft 6 Berkshire 1

We dropped our first game of the season today vs a very game Berkshire squad. Berkshire was strong up top and very deep as well and the result made for some very good squash up at the courts today. The spectators were treated to some great points and some great efforts by both teams.

1. Zeyad def A Arjoon 1,7,8

2. Elroy def Schrubb 6,3,3

3. Cannon def Chang 6,8,6

4. AC def Dunham 6,3,4

5. Calello vs Ross (5)(9)9(6)

6. Albert def Hoover 5 (8) 6,10

7. Li def Millan 5,16,3

next up: Rye Country Day on Friday afternoon

1/15/2011

We participated in the Choate invitational today and played a total of four matches. None of these matches counted so we moved our line-up around considerably and got some interesting match-ups. The guys responded to the challenge as we beat all of the participating teams. The format was 5 man rosters and 2/3 game matches. We opened up with a 5-0 win over Trinity College, a high school in Toronto. We followed that up with an exciting 3-2 win over Salisbury, a match which saw Elroy notch a win over a very talented Salisbury #1. We then defeated both Deerfield and Choate 5-0. Overall, a very successful day and a ton of squash. Next up, Berkshire on Wednesday.

1/13/2011

7-0 W

We hosted Choate today in front of a boisterous crowd. The guys were pumped up and they played perhaps their most complete match of the season.

Today's Results:

1. Zeyad def Soper 7,4,9

2. Leong def Graham 1,3,8

3. Cannon def Ross Freiman-Mendel 3,4,3

4. Cadienhead def H Graham 0,4,3

5. Calello def Van 10,8,2

6. Albert def Sheridan 7,2,4

7. Li def Bolinski 4,4,2

1/10/2011

A vs Salisbury School

7-0 W

We travelled north to Salisbury today for our inaugural match in their new facility. This match was streamed live over the internet so I hope that you all enjoyed it. The guys were sharp and we won easily at 1-6. Yoda was not on his game today at #7 and he struggled from the outset. He dropped the first 2 games, playing very nervously. Fortunately, he regained his composure and won 3 straight to finish off the match. We will be hosting Choate on Wednesday.

Taft 7 Salisbury 0

Z def Jon Lamont 7,6,7

Elroy def Barry 6,4,2

A Cannon def J Hsu 8,9,8

AC def McGlone 5,0,7

Calello def Chafee 7,10,8

Albert def Richards 6,7,3

Koda def Edson (12) (5) 1,9,1

1/8/2011

7-0 W

Taft 7 Exeter 0

We travelled to Choate today for a double dip with Exeter and Andover. We have had this match marked on our calenders for a while as it has frequently been the match-up which determines how our season will go. We began the day with New England #2 Exeter. Our guys were pumped and focused and we took it to Exeter from the very first ball. The squash was very high quality at every position but in the end we crushed them. Our boys were intent on sending a message and they did. It was a truly great day for the team and we have a little hop to our step as we take on Salisbury Monday.

1. Z def K Chen 4, 7, 8

2. Elroy L def H Li 5,4,8

3. Cannon def H Lee 8,5,8

4. AC def J Blasburg 6,6 (9)(7) 8

5. Calello def Hur 4,9,10

6. J Albert def Gastman 5,3,6

7. Koda def Koch 4,4,8

1/8/2011

H vs Avon Old Farms School

7-0 W

After an exhilerating win vs Exeter we took the courts to finish the day off vs Andover. Andover is not as strong this year and we easily emerged with a 7-0 win. The boys stayed focused and took care of business.

1. Zeyad def Schlacks 10, 9, 7

2. Elroy L def Lee 0, 1, 1

3. Cannon def Curtis 2,3, 10

4. Cadienhead def Kim 3,6,3

5. Calello def Drake 4,3,2

6. Albert def Hansen 6,3,5

7. Koda def Aronov 5,7,1

8. Andre Li def Lenzo 5,3,1

12/8/2010

7-0 W

We moved out to 2-0 today with a win vs Avon Old Farms. The team was sharp and we won easily at all positions.

ElShorafy def Hogans 4,5,4

Leong def Maran 2,4,3

Cannon def Ross 1,1,2

Cadienhead def Bernard 0,3,2

Calello def Brady 1,9,2

Albert def Galindo 4,3,2

Koda def Pranich 0,3,0

A vs Trinity-Pawling School

12/7/2010

7-0 W

We opened up the season with a solid 7-0 win vs TP. Trinity-Pawling is a much improved team this year and there was some good action, espceially at the top spots.

ElShorafy def Bottini 6,6,8

Leong def Torres 8,6,7

Cannon def Flores 1,4,2

Cadienhead def Davis 0,0,0

Calello def Zhang 5,2,2

Albert def Jiang 3,4,2

Koda def Halloran 4,3,3

2009-10 Season

Date

Location/Opponent (click on Opponent for contest writeup)

Result

2/28/2010

2/27/2010

2/26/2010

2/23/2010

H vs Brunswick School

2/20/2010

A vs Hotchkiss School

5-2 W

Boys Varsity Squash escaped from Lakeville today with a thrilling 5-2 win. Hotchkiss was pumped up and ready for us today. They took the courts with confidence and quickly raced to a 2-0 lead. Chris Dufour is one of the best #2's in the country (undefeated on the season) and he put Andy Cannon away 3-0. Will Wardrop knocked off an under the weather Max Frew and we found ourselves down 2-0 and lacking momentum. Andrew C dropped his first game and the doubts begain to creep into my mind. James Calello made a big statement at #7 and Andrew C rebounded to win 3 straight and get us on the board. James finished off his match to even things at 2 and we were out of the hole. Zeyad played well at #1 winning 3-0 and Cam Mullen and Max Kachur each won 3-1 to give us the 5-2 win. Next up: Tuesday at home vs Brunswick.

2/17/2010

A vs Deerfield Academy

6-1 W

We headed up to Historic Deerfield today for a big match with the Green. They have dominated us these past few years and we were really looking to turn the tables on them. We got off to a slow start as Andy Cannon and Max Frew both lost their first games. Andrew Cadienhead, Mr. Steady, won his match easily to get us on the board. Max Frew evened his match at 1 while Andy C went down 2-0. Max went down 2-1 but Andy got himself on the board with an exciting 12-10 win in the 3rd game. Meanwhile, James Calello continued his dominance at #7 easily winning his first game. Cam Mullen took the court at #5 and outlasted his opponent 11-9 in the first game. Max Frew, Mr. 5, evened things up at 2. Andy played hard but went down to a hard hitting Will Swindell at #2. James Calello crushed his opponent at #7 and Cam Mullen did the same at #5. Max "5" Frew notched another 5 game win on his belt to put us up 4-1. Zeyad easily dispatched of Wes Hubbard at #1. Max Kachur lost his first game but came back to take a 2-1 lead. He completely fell apart in the fourth and soon things were 2-2. Max continued his shaky ways, going down 3-7 in the 5th. He seemed to awaken from his swoon winning 7 straight points to go up 10-7. He then went back to sleep and allowed his opponent to knot things at 10. Max rebounded, though, winning the last 2 points to secure our 6-1 win.

2/13/2010

A vs Tournament

2/10/2010

2/6/2010

Max Frew clinches match against Haverford

5th

We spent the weekend in New Haven for the US High School National Championships. It was indeed a special weekend as the boys played 4 hotly contested matches and eventually emerged as the #5 ranked team in the USA. We opened things up on Friday night versus a very strong Pingry team from New Jersey. We were pushed at every position but eventually came through with a 5-2 victory that placed us in the quarterfinals. The next morning we got up early and prepared for a match-up with the #1 team in the country, Episcopal. Episcopal was amazing and very very deep. Despite some good performances from the Tafties, Episcopal dominated us and moved on to the semi-finals with a 6-1 win. Our one victory, though, was a big one as Zeyad Elshorafy defeated the #1 player in the US 3-1. Undaunted, we headed to the backdraw determined to win out and finish 5th. We first encountered Philly powerhouse, Haverford. They were very strong and soon they had moved out to a 3-1 lead. Things did not look good for us at all as Haverford led 2 of the 3 remaining matches and we needed to sweep in order to win. Andrew Cadienhead got us to 2-3 with a 4 game win but Max Frew fell behind 0-2 and our invincible #1, Zeyad, was down 1-2 to an incredibly fit Haverford #1. Zeyad summoned the strength to pull out his match and Max Frew embarked upon one of the most remarkable comebacks in Taft history. With the match knotted at 3, Max won two games in a row to even his match at 2. Max surged ahead 5-1 in the fifth, all but sealing the win. 45 seconds later Max was down 8-5 and a stunned Taft crowd looked on in disbelief. Max regrouped, though, to even things up at 9. Max moved ahead to 10-9 and match ball. After some incredibly long and hard fought points which included many reversals, Max emerged with a 12-10 win! (see link above). Taft had come back from the brink to upset a shocked Haverford team. The next morning we took the courts against Tabor for the 5/6 playoff. Things went pretty much according to form as Tabor moved out to a 3-1 lead and then Taft stormed back to win 3 in a row and take the match 4-3. Once again, Max Frew was the last man on court and thus he clinched the win for us. A spectacular weekend for Taft and all of you who came out and supported us. Thanks!!

H vs Loomis Chaffee School

2/3/2010

7-0 W

1/30/2010

1-6 L

Brunswick proved once again that they are the best team in New England. We felt like we had a chance today but it was just not to be. Zeyad got us on board early with an easy win at #1. Meanwhile, James Calello had moved out 2-0 on his opponent at #7. Cam was outmatched at #5 and Max Kachur went down 0-3 at #3. At #7, Brunswick stormed back to an amazing 3-2 comeback win. Our hopes were dashed. Andy Cannon, Max Frew, and Andrew Cadienhead fought hard but they did not have the arms to do battle with Brunswick on this day. Next up; Wednesday at home vs Loomis.

1/27/2010

A vs Kent School

7-0 W

Taft boys junior varsity squash continued its unbeaten run with a fine victory on Wednesday versus the Kent varsity team. Playing away from home on Kent's American sized courts, Taft had its hands full early on as Andre Li and Chris Yang stood at 1-1 after their first two games. Adjusting on the fly, both players brought their matches back under their control and came away with convincing 3-1 victories. Taft continued to impress with its depth as Colin Stuart, Mark Sperry and Doug Solomon all won in three games. In the final three matches, Phillippe Simard and Yuga Koda were in control from the start and won in three while Jake Albert matched a talented opponent and also left Kent without dropping a game.

1. Jake Albert 3-0
2. Andre Li, 3-1
3. Yuga Koda, 3-0
4. Chris Yang, 3-1
5. Phillippe Simard, 3-0
6. Colin Stuart, 3-0
7. Mark Sperry, 3-0
8. Doug Solomon, 3-0

1/23/2010

5-2 W

We travelled to Rye, NY yesterday for a big showdown with Rye Country Day. Both teams have been playing extremely well and we all saw this as good chance to validate these good results. The Taft guys came out hungry and outplayed Rye at key positions. We were victorious with Zeyad, Max Frew, Cam Mullen, Andrew Cadienhead and James Calello collecting wins. Of note, Max Frew won a 5 game thriller that lasted well over an hour. Next up: Brunswick!! Perhaps the two best teams in New England will be going at it next Saturday. Be there!!

1/20/2010

A vs Berkshire School

6-1 W

We went up to Berkshire today and got ourselves a very good match. Berkshire is much improved this year and they came into the match undefeated. Berkshire came out strong taking a 1-0 lead at #2 and giving us a tough time at #6. Cam Mullen was in complete control at #4, moving his opponent all over the court. Andrew C moved out to a 2-0 lead at #6 and Andy Cannon won two games in a row to go up 2-1 at #2. Cam and Andrew finished off their matches but Andy lost the 4th game and entered a 5th and deciding game. James Calello won very easily at #7 as did Max Frew at #5. Max Kachur was not sharp but he was able to regroup for a 3-0 win at #3. Andy went deep into the fifth, finally easing ahead 8-7. Andy was pumped and it looked like he had the momentum. To his credit, Berkshire's #2 stepped up and won 4 of the final 5 points for an exciting 11-9 win. Zeyad came on and finished off Jason Schrubb in short order to complete the win. Huge match vs Rye Country Day on Saturday.

1/16/2010

The Choate Invitational is a yearly event which brings together some of the best teams in New Enland for a day of squash. This year we faced off against Deerfield, Choate, Salisbury, Tabor and Lawrenceville. None of these "matches' were official as we played 5 on 5 and the matches were actually timed to enable us to get in all five matches. Our guys played very well and looked good against all of our opponents. We particularly enjoyed getting on court with Tabor and Lawrenceville as those are schools we don't traditionally get to see. All of our guys got to play a lot of high level squash and we are now ready to move on with the rest of our season. Next up is Berkshire on Wednesday.

1/13/2010

7-0 W

We travelled to Wallinford today and continued to gain momentum. We won at all positions. Most notably, Andy Cannon continued his strong play with a five game win at #2. We controlled play at all other positions. We are now 6-0 and looking forward to a big day on Saturday which will see us play both Tabor and Lawrenceville, two of the top teams in the USA.

1/11/2010

H vs Salisbury School

7-0 W

Coming off our biggest win in 3 years, we all wondered what we would bring to the courts only 48 hours later. Salisbury came to town today for a match which confirmed the direction this team will take in 2010. The guys were focused and intense and we played some of our best squash yet, crushing Salisbury in under an hour. We won easily at 2-6 with all players winning 3-0. Notably, Andy Cannon and Max Frew played outstanding squash to get us off to a great start. James Calello dropped a game at #7 before winning 3 straight to win at #7. In front of a packed house, Zeyad came on court and put on a real show in a big win against a very tough Canadian from Salisbury. We are heading to Choate on Wednesday with a 5-0 record.

1/9/2010

6-1 W

We travelled north to Andover on Saturday for a much anticipated dual match with Exeter and Andover. After beating Exeter, we took the courts against Andover. Andover was especially strong at the top as Zeyad needed to work for his 3 game win and Andy Cannon lost a very tough five game match. From there, though, Taft dominated with Kachur, Frew, Mullen, Cadienhead, Calello and Dixon all winning easily. We left Andover with a 4-0 record and we are now looking forward to welcoming Salisbury on Monday.

1/9/2010

A vs Avon Old Farms School

4-3 W

We travelled north to Andover Saturday to test ourselves against two formidable foes. The day began with Taft vs Exeter. Exeter has been the cream of the boarding school crop these past few years and we were anxious to see where we stood. The evens started things off putting Max Frew, Andy Cannon and Andrew Cadienhead on court. Andy Cannon played some of his best squash but it was not enough against a very strong Exeter #2. Exeter leads 1-0. Max Frew evened his match at 1-1 while Andrew C was also even at 1-1. If we could get both of these matches we would have felt very good about our chances. Unfortunately, Max could not maintain the quality of play needed against such a steady opponent and he went down 3-1. Meanwhile, Andrew C went down 1-2 and the match appeared to be slipping away. Andrew was exhausted and he wondered allowed what he could do to penetrate his opponent. Nonetheless, he stepped up his play and easily took the fourth game. The fifth game see-sawed back and forth until Andrew moved ahead and finally took it! We were on the board 1-2. Meanwhile, James Calello had already taken the court at #7 and he was in complete control. James controlled the tempo of his match and thus his opponent. It appeared that we were going to even things up at 2-2. Unfortunately, Max Kachur was unable to match his opponent's intensity and shot making as he quickly went down 3-0. Calello concluded his victory to put us down 2-3. Zeyad was now on court and he moved out to a 2-0 lead. The match was clearly going to rest on Cam Mullen's shoulders as he took the court at #5. Zeyad lost his third game to a very talented and athletic Andy Maruca. Maruca was exhausted, though, from his efforts in the third game and Zeyad easily won the fourth to even up the match at 3-3. The teams crowded around the court as the tension grew. Cam lost the first game 11-2 and things did not look good. Cam was out of sorts and his opponent was dominating the style and tempo of play. We urged Cam to up the intensity and to impose his game. The second game was essentially the match. It was a long game and either player could have taken it. Cam came through to even the match at 1. The momentum had shifted and it was now just a matter of time. Cam took control of his match with very long points up and down the backhand rail. Cam finished points up front with pin point drop shots, frustrating his tired opponent. Cam won 3-1 and the team erupted, giving us our first win over Exeter in 4 years! All was not done, though, as we had to regroup, refocus and take on host Andover...

12/9/2009

7-0 W

We went to Avon today for our second match of the season. Avon has a new facility which includes an all glass show court. The guys came out strong as we won all 3 even matches. Cam Mullen, James Calello and Andy Cannon gave us a big 3-0 lead. The odds took the court and Andrew Cadienhead quickly sealed the match for us with a 3-0 win. Max Kachur played solidly at #3 winning 3-0. Austen Dixon continued his strong play with a dominating 3-0 win. Zeyad then took the court and again turned in a scintillating performance in his 3-0 win. We are now 2-0 heading into the break.

12/8/2009

H vs Trinity-Pawling School

7-0 W

We got the season off to a great start this afternoon in front of a packed house which got to enjoy some great squash. While many were drawn to see Zeyad's first match at Taft, the real performance of the day came from another newcomer Andrew Cadienhead who opened up his career at Taft with a triple bagel! Flawless. The team played very well at all positions with deep rails and volleys being the order of the day. The last match on court was of course Zeyad who did not disappoint. He dazzled his opponent as well as the crowd with a wide array of dizzying shots. His opponent was game as he made a number of great gets but Zeyads precision and shot making was too much.

1. Z Elshorfy def S Forres 0,2,4
2. A Cannon def M Buttini 1,2,3
3. M Kachur def B Song 2,3,0
4. C Mullen def M Song 1,1,6
5. A Cadienhead def S Kim 0,0,0
6. J Calello def B Park 0,4,5
7. A Dixon def F Flores 0,8,0
8 A Li def M Feeravithaypinyo 1,4,3

2008-09 Season

Date

Location/Opponent (click on Opponent for contest writeup)

Result

2/24/2010

H vs Westminster School

6-1 W

We concluded our regular season today with a solid 6-1 win vs Westminster. We got off to a great start winning at #2, #4 and #6 in 3 games. Max Frew concluded his Taft career with a very satisfying win at #4. Zeyad continued his mastery with a 3-0 win at #1. Max Kachur was very steady winning 3-0 at #3. Cam Mullen had a slight hiccup before emerging victorious at #5 3-1 and James Calello fell to a very tough Westy #7 3-0. We take off Friday for the New England Championships at Exeter!

2/28/2009

2/27/2009

2/25/2009

A vs Westminster School

6-1 W

We travelled up to Simsbury today for a much anticipated match-up with Westminster. We were hungry to show our stuff as Westminster had been chosen ahead of us for the season ending New England championships. We came out of the gates with everything as Max Frew and Cam Mullen moved ahead 2-0 in their matches. Charlie Wagner was down 1-2 but I felt confident that he would be able to pull himself out of the hole. Max and Cam closed out their matches to give us a 2-0 lead. Scott Hillman took the court as did Andy Cannon and James Calello. Hillman, playing some of his best squash, moved ahead 2-0 as Wags evened things up at 2 and entered the final 5th game. Andy Cannon struggled, dropping his 1st game. James Calello lost his first game. We were up 2-0 but there was still a lot of squash to play. Wags moved out to an early lead in the 5th and concluded his Taft career with a very satisfying victory. With a 3-0 lead, Kooch took the court and Scott Hillman moved safely ahead in his 3rd game. Victory appeared to be ours! Andy Cannon lost his 2nd game and did not show signs of a comeback. James C evened things up at 1-1 and appeared to be taking control of his match. Scott concluded his Taft career with a solid 3-0 win, giving Taft the victory. Andy dropped his 3rd game as James moved out to a 2-1 advantage. James's opponent, though, showed great resilience in coming back to take the 4th game. James entered game 5 with confidence. Kooch, meanwhile was up 2-0 and cruising. Unfortunately, as has been the case throughout his career, Max had trouble closing out an exhausted opponent. Before we knew it, the match was even at 2 and Kooch was pouting. James, on the other hand, stood tall and thrashed his opponent with a very solid 11-3 fifth game. After yesterday's collapse vs Brunswick, there were a lot of doubts for Kooch going into a decisive 5th game. To his credit, Kooch stepped up to the challenge and moved ahead 10-3. There were some scary moments as Kooch once again had trouble closing out his opponent. It almost seemed like Groundhog day as his opponent won point after point to claw his way back into the match. Kooch closed the door on him today, though, giving Taft a 6-1 victory. We are off to the New Englands this weekend with a lot of confidence. Full reports will be provided throughout the weekend so stay tuned.

Results:
Kachur def Bolling 3-2
Wagner def LeBlanc 3-2
Hillman def Gomez 3-0
Frew def Gentle 3-0
Cannon vs Peikin 0-3
Mullen def Leach 3-0
Calello def Robinson 3-2

2/24/2009

H vs Brunswick School

0-7 L

The #2 ranked team in the country came to Taft this afternoon for a reprise of our earlier match-up at Brunswick back in January. We were beaten handily on that occasion so we were looking to use this match as a measuring stick of our progress. We got our answer immediately. Cam Mullen, Max Frew and Max Kachur, the first three Taft players to go on court, all took games. (something we were unable to accomplish the first time around) Max Kachur took it one step further as he tied up his match at 2-2 and then moved ahead 10-5 in the 5th. With a raucous Taft crowd behind him, victory seemed assured. Unfortunately, Max's opponent is a highly seasoned tournament player and he slowly mounted his comeback, eventually knotting things up at 10. From there, the match see-sawed back and forth until the Brunswick player eeked out a thrilling 15-13 victory. Up and down the line-up, Taft players worked hard and pushed their Brunswick opponents, earning the praise of the Brunswick coach after the match saying he could not believe the difference in our players after only a few weeks. We are inspired and confident as we head off to the New Englands this weekend. But first, a regular season finale vs Westy tomorrow.

Results:
C Wagner vs S Haig (5)(3) default
M Kachur vs M Mackin(4)8(8)3(13)
S Hillman vs P Hurst(5)(8)(3)
M Frew vs C Briggs (7)(4)9(3)
A Cannon vs J Davies (0)(3)(3)
C Mullen vs J Dudzik (9)(4)8(2)
J Calello vs C Baldock (6)(0)(7)

2/21/2009

H vs Hotchkiss School

1-6 L

In one of the more difficult losses that I have experienced, we dropped an incredibly tough match to Hotchkiss today. Four of our six losses were in 5 games. Our guys played some of their best squash today and put us in a position to win. It was not meant to be, though, as Hotchkiss came through time and again with the necessary shots. Everyone from #1 to #7 played well today and had a chance to win their match. Cam Mullen was the real bright spot as he won his match at #6, 3-0.

Results:
M Kachur vs W Campo (8) 9 (9) 11 (6)
C Wagner vs C Defour (7)(8)(9)
S Hillman vs Falcone 8, (10) 8 (5)(4)
M Frew vs R Paris (8)(8)(8)
A Cannon vs W Wardrop 7 (10)(3) 8 (1)
C Mullen def B George 10,7,11
M Sutun vs JS Kim 8,6 (7)(10)(9)

2/18/2009

H vs Deerfield Academy

0-7 L

One of New England's best came to Taft today and put on a clinic, proving why they will make some noise at next weeks NE championships. We came into the match looking to surprise them put Deerfield quickly let us know that they were not to be messed with on this day. Max Kachur quickly went down 0-2 vs his longtime rival West Hubbard. Max Frew was having some control problems as he was also behind 0-2. Cam Mullen engaged his opponent in some long rallys but it was not enough as he fell behind 0-2 as well. Max Frew began to execute the game plan and he won an exciting third game 12-10 to give us some hope. Unfortunately, the Kooch went down meekly in his third game and Cam could not quite claw out a win, going down 8-11 in the third. Max Frew fought hard but Will Swindell simply had too many weapons. Charlie Wagner took the court against one of New England's best players, Jay Dolan. Wags was overwhelmed in the first game 1-11 as he tried to exchange powerful blows with his opponent--a fateful strategy. Scott Hillman returned to the line-up today for his first match since before long weekend. Unfortunately, the rust showed as he lost his first game. M, meanwhile was engaged in a monumental struggle at #7. He had numerous game points before dropping the first game 14-16! Charlie and Scott both played better in their second games but were unable to pull through. Meanwhile, Andy Cannon was on court in a tight battle at #5. He lost the first two games but it was very close. Much like Max Frew, Andy took control of the 3rd game, winning it 11-9. Likewise, Scott Hillman started to regain his form, winning his 3rd game 12-10. Charlie continued to fight but it was in vain as he lost 3-0. Andy, Scott and M all lost their final games giving Deerfield the win. It was a great effort on our part but we did not have the firepower to hang with Deerfield. We are now gearing up for Hotchkiss this weekend.
Results:

C Wagner vs J Dolan (1),(6)(4)
M Kachur vs W Hubbard (3)(5)(5)
S Hillman vs J Ingrassia (5)(6) 9 (7)
M Frew vs W Swindell (4)(6) 11 (5)
A Cannon vs V Evans (6)(8)11(10)
C Mullen vs P Hilbert (6)(7)(6)
M Sutun vs S Gray (14)(9)(9)

2/14/2009

A vs Tournament

2/11/2009

A vs Loomis Chaffee School

5-2 W

Taft 5 Choate 2
We travelled to Wallingford today with our spirits very low. Minutes before our departure, our two captains announced that they could not go for this all important encounter. After some disappointing, close losses recently this seemed to spell certain disaster for us as Choate had already beaten us 5-2 on our own courts a few weeks ago. We got to Choate, we warmed up and the boys energy level was high. The evens were the first to take the court. Max Frew and Cam Mullen quickly got us on the board, winning their first games. James Calello lost his first game but seemed confident that he had the answer. Cam moved ahead 2-0 as Max and James were all even at 1. Cam clinched a great win, 3-0, as both Max and James inched ahead 2-1. James completed his convincing 3-1 win as Max dropped game 4 and moved into a dangerous 5th game. Andy Cannon and M took the court at this time as Max moved ahead in his 5th game. Andy Cannon went to overtime in his first game as Max clinched his match with some excellent athleticism and some timely volleys, giving us a surprising 3-0 lead! M moved out 2-0 on his opponent, putting us within 1 victory of the match. Andy fell behind 2-0 to a very strong Choate #3, but he was still playing excellent squash. Palm also moved ahead 2-0 in his match at #7 giving us 2 options to win the match. Palm lost game #3 as Andy dropped his third game, and thus the match. M completed his 3 game sweep and Palm followed suit, giving us an amazing 5-1 lead. Max Kachur took the court against one of New Englands best and played some excellent squash in his 0-3 loss. It took a minute for it all to sink in but we left Wallingford with an incredible and improbable 5-2 win. Hopefully, this will serve as an important cross-roads in our season. We have some must win matches coming up.

Results:
J Drobetsky def Max Kachur 3-0
R Quan vs Max Frew 2-3
C Lebovitz def Andy Cannon 3-0
Bell vs Cam Mullen 0-3
G Van vs M Sutun 0-3
Graham vs Calello 1-3
Fromson vs Harinsuit 1-3

2/4/2009

3-4 L

We went up to Loomis yesterday for a much anticipated match-up. We have played some very close matches with Loomis over the last few years and this proved to be no different. The match began well for Taft as Wagner, Mullen and Frew all won their first games. Wagner and Mullen continued the good vibe by winning their second games while Max F found himself tied at 1. Max was unable to find his form on this day and he went down pretty quickly 1-3. Cam Mullen sealed the deal on his 3-0 win while Charlie W found himself tied up at 2. This match went to a 5th game where Charlie moved out to a 10-7 lead. With three match points in hand, this match looked to be Taft's. Charlie lost 5 straight points, though, and Loomis moved ahead 2-1. We quickly responded with wins by M and Andy Cannon at 7 & 5 respectively to give us a 3-2 lead. Scott Hillman took the court at #3 and Max Kachur went on at #1. Either one of these matches would have given us the win. Max fought hard, losing the first game in an incredible 17-19 marathon. Unfortunately, Loomis was too strong on this day winning both matches 3-0 and taking a 4-3 thriller from us. Next up, Choate.

1/31/2009

H vs Rye Country Day School

0-7 L

We travelled to Brunswick today to play one of the best teams in the United States. Brunswick did not disappoint as they dominated us at every position. They are the deepest team that we will see this year as they boast top notch players at every position. Not a weakness to be found. Some of our guys were able to compete but Brunswick always had an answer. Charlie Wagner took a game at #2, playing some of the best squash of his career. Max Frew played a very solid first game before running out of gas. Likewise, M played a great first game before he too hit the wall. We will have to regroup on Monday and get focused for some very important matches in the weeks to come. Results: Max Kachur vs M Mackin (5)(7)(4) C Wagner vs S Haig (4)(3) 5 (3) A Cannon vs S Hurst (4)(4)(3) M Frew vs P Hurst (8)(3)(5) M Sutun vs C Briggs (6)(4)(2) C Mullen vs J Dudzik (7)(4)(3) J Calello vs C Baldock (4)(3)(0) P Harinsuit vs H Keesham (4)(4)(3)

1/28/2009

H vs Kent School

1/28/2009

1/24/2009

1/21/2009

H vs Berkshire School

7-0 W

Berkshire came to Taft today with one of their stronger teams. Cam Mullen, Max Frew and Scott Hillman got us off to a good start winning their opening games. Max peeled off the rust from 6 weeks of relative inactivity and won in 3. Cam and Scott both went up 2-0, dropped game 3 and then won in 4. From there, the matches got much more interesting. James Calello was extended to 5 games as was Charlie Wagner. Andy Cannon was up 7-4 in his first game when his opponent was forced to take an injury time-out due to excessive bleeding. Andy was "iced" by this 13 minute break and his opponent came back to win the 1st game. Disappointed, Andy asserted himself, winning 3 straight games. Max took the court at #1 vs J Shrubb, the brother of former Taft great Michael Shrubb. Kuch got off to a slow start as he fought off nerves and Shrubb's deft short game. Max regrouped and won the next two games. Shrubb rebounded to take game 4. Max took the court for game 5 and asserted himself, winning 11-7. This concluded a very satisying 7-0 win for Taft.

1/17/2009

We went to Choate today and played some fun matches vs Choate, Deerfield and Salisbury. We beat Salisbury, gaining some measure of revenge for our loss Monday and we lost to Deerfield. Deerfield was very strong but we played well and gained some invaluable experience. We concluded the day against Choate. This match came down to a coaches challenge between former Taftie and Choate coach Will Morris and myself. Will Morris has not lost a thing since his days here at Taft--I think he may even be better. Anyhow, he defeated me in a very fun 3-0 match. It was a feel good day and we all really enjoyed playing a lot of matches and seeing some new faces.

1/14/2009

2-5 L

Former Taftie Will Morris, who now coaches at Choate, led his team to an exciting 5-2 victory this afternoon at Taft. We were in the match until the end but Choate just had too much firepower for us. M Kachur vs J Drobetsky 9-11,3-11,3-11 C Wagner vs R Quan 6-11,5,9,6-11,9-11 A Cannon vs C Lebovitz 8-11,8-11,6-11 S Hillman def CJ Bell 3,3,8-11,9-11,3 J Calello vs A McComas 5-11,5-11,6-11 N Timpson vs M Sheridan 9-11,7,8-11,6-11 C Mullen def G Van 11,5,9

1/12/2009

A vs Salisbury School

3-4 L

One of the most disappointing losses of my squash coaching career. We went up 3-0, had three match points in the fourth match but could not convert them. We lost at #'s 1-4, three of them in 5 games. This was a very winnable match and we are going to have to do some soul searching as we move on. 1. M Kachur vs W Casertano 1-3 2. C Wagner vs J Dillon 2-3 3. K Sutun vs D Gonzalez 2-3 4. A Cannon vs R Kim 2-3 5. S Hillman def B Townsend 3-0 6. J Calello def D Driscoll 3-0 7. N Timpson def S Wedge 3-0 8. P Harinsuit def B McGlone 3-2

1/10/2009

1-6 L

After a tough loss to Exeter, we got right back on the court to face Andover. James Calello learned from his first match and played much better squash in the second session, eventually falling in 4 tough games. Wags continued his strong play, falling to an extremely talented Andover #2 in 4 games. Palm Harinsuit, pinch hitting for Timps, came through with our lone point downing his opponent in 4 games. Scott and Andy were unable to recreate the magic from their first matches, both falling in 3. Max, once again, had to face off against one of NE's best and he acquitted himself quite well, losing the final two games 8-11, 7-11. M continued to struggle with his knee and went down in 3. 1. Kachur vs Jalan 3-11,8-11,7-11 2. Wagner vs Miao 8-11, 5-11, 9, 6-11 3. M vs Zou 4-11,6-11,4-11 4. Cannon vs Meyer 8-11,3-11,6-11 5. Hillman vs Rhee 6-11,4-11,7-11 6. Calello vs Chou 7-11,9-11,11, 8-11 7. Harinsuit def Wong 3-11, 10,8,6

1/10/2009

H vs Avon Old Farms School

1-6 L

Andover and Exeter braved some snowy conditions on Saturday to come to Choate for a dual match. We began the day vs Exeter, perennially one of the top teams in New England. We were playing without Max Frew on this day so all of our players had to play up a spot. We got off to a great start. Andy Cannon took his first game at #4 while Timps and Charlie Wagner were engaged in hard fought first games. Likewise, at #6, newcomer James Calello was giving his opponent some trouble. We lost all four of these first matches but they were well contested. Of note was Charlie Wagner playing step for step with an outstanding Exeter #2 for the first two games. The odd number players took the court and Scott Hillman showed that he had come to play. He took a long first game 14-12. M was hobbled by a gimpy knee but he fought hard losing 9-11 in the first. The kooch was completely overmatched at #1 as Exeter fielded Andy Maruca, one of NE's top players. Nonetheless, Max played smart and was able to give Andy something to think about. While we lost at #'s 1 and 3, Scott Hillman gave us all something to think about. He fought for over an hour, coming out on top 11-9 in the 5th game. 1. M Kachur vs A Maruca 7-11,3-11,7-11 2. C Wagner vs P Haynes 10-12,10-12,4-11 3. M Sutun vs K Chen 9-11, 5-11, 0-11 4. A Cannon vs E Caine 10, 7-11, 10-12,5-11 5. S Hillman def H Rhee 12, 4-11, 10, 5-11, 9 6. J Calello vs P Chase 5-11, 6-11, 6-11 7. N Timpson vs J Blasberg 8-11, 7-11, 8-11

12/10/2008

7-0 W

Avon came to Taft today and we began the home campaign with a resounding win. We played solidly from top to bottom and capitalized on our opening season victory yesterday vs TP. We are now 2-0 going in to Christmas break. The guys are going to work hard and come back ready to build upon our early success. 1. Kachur def Hogans 6,8,4 2. Frew def Bova 7,8,7 3. Wagner def O'Brien 7,6,7 4. Sutun def Moran 11,4,5 5. Cannon def St. John 5,9,8-11,4 6. Hillman def Banes 7,3,3 7. Calello def Smith 7,9,4

A vs Trinity-Pawling School

12/9/2008

7-0 W

We opened the season today at Trinity Pawling. It was a very solid first match. We brought 10 players with us today and won at all 10 positions. Max Kachur opened the season with a resounding win at #1 and Max Frew came back from 0-2 to win in 5. Otherwise, the matches were fairly routine and served as a good warm-up for our match tomorrow vs Avon. 1. Kachur def Dunbar 4,1,4 2. Frew def Torres 15-17,5-11,9,5,5 3. Wagner def Philbrick 8,4,1 4. Sutuntivorakoon def Yoo 3,3,4 5. Cannon def Boisson 9,4,1 6. Hillman def Choi 3,3,7 7. Calello def Mo 10-12,11,6,3 8. Timpson def Song 5,3,5 9. Harinsuit def Bottini 2.6,9 10. Albert def Song 1,6,4

2007-08 Season

Date

Location/Opponent (click on Opponent for contest writeup)

Result

2/24/2008

2/23/2008

4th

We went up to Deerfield this weekend and finished 4th just behind Middlesex. Results: Max Kachur 19th place Peter Johnson 4th Tyler Morgan 9th Charlie Wagner 2nd M Sutun 8th Scott Hillman 5th Will Bunker 1st

2/20/2008

H vs Westminster

7-0 W

We concluded the season at home with a resounding win over Westminster. Tyler Morgan ended his Taft career with a "triple bagel" at #2. We played well at all positions, hopefully giving us some momentum going into the New Englands this weekend.

2/19/2008

H vs Brunswick

2-5 L

Brunswick came to town today and we gave them a little more than they bargained for. Even while dropping their top 3 guys, they are an excellent team. Our guys were more than up for the challenge as Cam Mullen, Max Frew and Will Bunker all won. The Kooch played extremely well in losing a tough 5 gamer at #1. M showed a lot of heart in a tough 4 game loss as well. Westy at home tomorrow.

2/16/2008

H vs Hotchkiss

3-4 L

Hothkiss came to town for parent's day and we played a match for the ages. The even's went on first and we got off to a quick start with Max Frew winning in 3 games. M got off to a good start, leading 2-1 while Charlie Wagner went down 2-0. PJ won the first game but lost the second handily. On court 2, Charlie Wagner went down 8-0 and looked as if he would go down meekly. But Charlie had other ideas. He dug deep and pulled out the game. He then proceeded to take the next 2 games in a row for a rousing 3-2 win. Meanwhile, M closed out his match giving Taft a 2-0 lead. PJ was deadlocked at 2-2 and heading for another 5th game. Will Bunker was now up 1-0 in his match at #7, Taft was rolling. Tyler Morgan was now on court as was Scott Hillman. PJ went down 9-7 in a thriller but Will B went up 2-0. Hillman and Morgan played strong first games but lost them and went on to lose 0-3. Will closed out his match evening the match at 3-3. Max K took the court at #1 with the entire match on the line. Bobby Burns, the Hotchkiss #1, proved to be too tough as Hotchkiss spoiled our parent's day with a 4-3 win.

2/13/2008

A vs Deerfield

2-5 L

We braved snow, ice and rain as we traveled up to Deerfield yesterday for a rematch against the team which had knocked us out of the National Championships just 4 four days ago. We had a little more spark yesterday dropping a 2-5 decision. PJ was outstanding at #2 as he outworked and outthought his opponent in a 5 game marathon. Likewise, Scott Hillman outlasted his opponent in another exciting 5 game victory. Max was still feeling the effects of a stomach bug but and was thus unable to put up much resistance at #1. Will Bunker lost in 4 games and Max Frew lost in 5. We were beaten soundly at all other positions. Overall, it was a competitive match, well worth the trip!

2/10/2008

2-5 L

We concluded a very disappointing weekend with a meek 2-5 loss to Episcopal High School. PJ continued his strong play as did Will Bunker, both of whom won 2 of their 3 matches this weekend.

2/9/2008

0-7 L

Lost to Deerfield today in a match that was much closer than the final score. We actually had more of a chance to win this match than we did yesterday against St Ann's. Max lost in 5 games as did Charlie Wagner. Will Bunker lost in 4 while PJ was forced to default as his knee was acting up on him. Final match will be today at 11 vs Episcopal.

2/8/2008

3-4 L

We went to Yale today to compete in the National Championships. We lost to a tough St. Ann's team from NYC. PJ won an incredible 5 game marathon while Scott H and Will Bunker both won 3-0. Unfortuately, the rest of the team was not up to the challenge, all losing 3-0. This was a very winnable match for us but we will head to the consolation draw tomorrow hoping to salvage the weekend.

2/6/2008

H vs Choate

0-7 L

We hosted Choate on Wednesday and while losing is never fun, we came out of this match with a collective smile on our faces. Earlier in the season Choate had beaten us very easily and thus our goal for yesterdays match was improvement. And improve we did. Max Frew was the highlight of the day for us as he won a 3-2 thriller at #8. Will Bunker took a 2-0 lead over his opponent before succombing in 5 games. Scott Hillman won his first game and had game points in the 4th in his 3-1 loss. PJ gave Mike Koh a big fight at #2 before losing in 4 games. Hopefully, this will give us the confidence we need heading into the National Championships this weekend at Yale. First match will be Friday--I will update as we go.
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1/30/2008

H vs Loomis

1-6 L

Loomis came down to Watertown today for a very important match for both teams. We fought hard and there were moments when it looked like we might steal a win, but in the end Loomis was too tough. PJ won at #2 in a thrilling five set match which saw him lose the second game 9-0 but come back to win the last three. Scott Hillman looked as if he would give us a 2-0 advantage as he moved out 2-0 on his opponent at #6. Charlie Wagner served for the first game twice at 8-6 and things were looking good for Taft. Unfortunately, Loomis turned the tide and won both of those matches. Will Bunker also led his match 2-1 before falling in five tough games. For those watching, the highlight of the day was watching Loomis #1 Jesus Pena play squash. He is one of the more talented players in New England and he put on a display against the "Kooch". Long weekend will give us a little rest before the stretch run which includes the National Championships at Yale.

1/28/2008

H vs Trinity-Pawling

6-1 W

TP came to Taft today. We played extremely well at all positions to take home a 6-1 victory. Max Frew began his Taft varsity career with a 0,0,0 pasting of his opponent at #8. Things only got better from there as Will, Scott, M and Charlie all had there way in routine 3-0 wins. Max was dominant at #1 while he did have a minor hiccup in his 3-1 win. PJ ran his opponent mercilessly in his 3-0 win. Tyler Morgan opened up a 2-0 lead at #3 before succombing to the amazing speed and resilience of his opponent. Next up, Loomis Chaffee on Wed. at home so come on out and make some noise.
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1/26/2008

A vs Brunswick

0-7 L

We travelled south to Brunswick today to face one of the top teams in the country. Brunswick did not disappoint as they put on a display from top to bottom. Despite the disparity in talent, we put up a fight at several positions. Most notably, PJ played the finest match of his Taft career, winning the first game and exetending his opponent to four games. Max Kachur played a very good Clay Blackiston at #1 and he hung tough and made Clay work. Tyler Morgan also played his best match of the season, actually reaching game point in the 3rd game before losing. We were beaten soundly at all other positions, but no one laid down. They all put up a fight and we learned a lot from today's match. We are back in action Monday afternoon vs Trinity Pawling, here at Taft.

1/23/2008

4-3 W

We travelled down to Rye today and had all we could handle before emerging with a 4-3 win. PJ was excellent in his 3-0 win. The Kuch varied from outstanding to dumbfounding as he pulled out just enough good shots in his 3-2 win. Scott H was solid in his 3-1 win and Tyler Morgan won the match for us with a great 3-2 win. We lost at 4,5 and 7 but Will Bunker made a great effort coming back from 0-2 before losing in 5. We will be going to Brunswick this Saturday.

1/19/2008

We were back at Wallingford this weekend for a USSRA tournament. PJ and Max both lost in the quarterfinals as the rest of our team lost either in the first round or in the round of 16. Max went on to win the consolation while PJ was forced to default due to injury. M got to the semi-finals of the consolation but succomed. Overall, the team got to play a lot of squash and to see some new faces. A good experience. We are playing at Rye Country Day on Wed.

1/16/2008

A vs Berkshire

7-0 W

We headed up to Berkshire today looking to get back on track. The guys came ready to play and we got off to a great start as PJ, Scott, and Cam all won their firt two games easily. Charlie Wagner was involved in a struggle at #4 but he got back on track, winning his last two games easily. PJ, Scott and Cam closed out their matches in 3 straight games. The odd numbers then took the court and Will Bunker emerged 10 minutes later with a big win. Tyler Morgan played one of his best matches of the season, dispatching of his opponent in quick fashion. M also played well at #5, winning in 3 straight games. Max--"the Kooch", opened up an early 1-0 lead, winning his first game with ease. Max then took a little break, losing the next two games in bizarre fashion. Max changed racquets and strategy and won the next two games and the match. Next up, a USSRA tournament this weekend which will give us a look at some new faces.

1/12/2008

A vs Choate Invitational

We travelled back to Wallingford today for the second time this week. We played in the Choate Invitational which is a great, fun event for all involved. Today, we brought over a 5 man team and played matches against Choate, Salisbury and Deerfield. The matches do not count in the official standings so we were able to play 3 practice matches--gaining valuable experience. We opened up play at 2:30 against Choate. Choate waxed us on Wednesday 7-0, so we approached this match apprehensively. Former Taft star, Will Morris, is now the coach over at Choate and he nicely modified his line-up to creat better match-ups. Despite this, both PJ and Max lost their matches 3-0. Tyler Morgan, playing #3 today,stepped up and won his match as did Charlie Wagner. M lost his match at #5 giving Choate a 3-2 win. I was very pleased with the play of all of our players as they showed great improvement over previous matches. We followed this up with a match against Salisbury. They beat us 4-3 in a thriller on Monday so we were hoping for some revenge. Salisbury really came to play, though, and they easily beat us 4-1. PJ was the lone bright spot as he won at #2. We concluded the day vs Deerfield. Both teams were exhausted but we pulled it out 3-2. Kudos to Max K and M who both played great squash in their respective wins. PJ also won at #2 sealing our 3-2 win. It was a fun day for all as the ambiance was competitive but friendly. We are heading up to Berkshire on Wed.

1/9/2008

A vs Choate

0-7 L

We travelled to Wallingford today for a match with Choate. They thoroughly outclassed us at every position. Choate has a very good team this year and they gave us no room to operate. Will Bunker was the highlight of the day for us as he was the only player to win a game. Tyler Morgan played solidly in defeat and Scott Hillman continued to improve his young game. We are heading back to Choate this weekend for the Choate Invitational.

1/7/2008

H vs Salisbury

3-4 L

Salisbury came to Taft today for a reprise of our 4-3 thriller last year. The match did not disappoint as once again, it came down to the final points but this time with Salisbury on top. We had numerous chances to win the match and end the suspense, especially with Max Kachur and Charlie Wagner up 2-0 in their respective matches. Unfortunately, neither of them could hold on and they both lost in 5 games. PJ, Scott and Will were all outstanding in winning their matches. We need to regroup fast as we have Choate on Wednesday.

1/5/2008

A vs Phillips Andover

1-6 L

Taft 1 Andover 6 M Kachur vs G Miad 1-9,5-9,5-9 P Johnson def A Chan 9-4,9-6,9-4 M Sutun vs F Jebsen 6-9,0-9,1-9 T Morgan vs D Koppel 4-9,9-6,9-7,2-9,4-9 S Hillman vs J Bukawyn 9-4,0-9,3-9,1-9 W Bunker vs T Meyer 3-9,6-9,10-8,6-9 P Harinsuit vs 1-9,0-9,3-9 C Mullen vs T Zou 0-9,1-9,1-9

1/5/2008

A vs Exeter

0-7 L

We travelled up to Andover on Saturday for our annual dual match with Exeter and Andover. We encountered two very strong teams who gave us a good lesson in squash. In spite of this, we had some very strong performances from some of our guys, most notably captain Peter Johnson who took a game off the Exeter #2 and beat the Andover #3. Scott Hillman and Will Bunker both showed tremendous progress taking games off of their respective opponents. Cam Mullen also looked strong at #8, taking his Exeter opponent the distance before losing. Tyler Morga overcame a painful leg injury, leading his Andover opponent 2-1 before falling in 5. Taft 0 Exeter 7 M Kachur vs O Sobhy 0-9,0-9,2-9 P Johnson vs L Lee 4-9,10-9,2-9,0-9 M vs A Maruca 2-9,2-9,0-9 T Morgan vs N Shepard 1-9,1-9,2-9 S Hillman vs J Kim 2-9,3-9, 10-8,4-9 W Bunker vs P Haynes 0-9,1-9,6-9 P Harinsuit vs K Chan 0-9,1-9,0-9 C Mullen vs J Taylor 8-10,2-9,9-6,9-10

12/5/2007

A vs Avon

7-0 W

Taft opened the season on Avon Old Farm's brand new squash courts. They have a beautiful new facility which includes an all glass show court. The guys started convincingly winning pretty routinely at all positions. Tyler Morgan had a blip at #4, going down 0-2. He pulled himself together, though, and won three straight games. Kuch and PJ were strong at 1 and 2 while Hillman, Chester, and Palm all won 3-0. M started slowly but pulled it together quickly, winning 3-1. Cam Mullen was impressive in his first varsity match at #8, dropping only 3 points. 1. Max Kuchar def Rob Patterson 8,4,4 2. Peter Johnson def AJ Hogans 4,4,8 3. M def Parker Bora 7-9,0,6,3 4. Tyler Morgan def Jared Ciejek 7-9,1-9,2,1,2 5. Scott Hillman def Ford St. John 6,4,5 6. Will Bunker def Preston Thompson 9,6,6 7. Palm Harinsuit def Brahm Wachter 1,2,4 8. Cam Mulen def Guillermo Barnes 2,1,0

2006-07 Season

Date

Location/Opponent (click on Opponent for contest writeup)

Result

2/25/2007

2/21/2007

A vs Westminster

6-1 W

We took a tired crew up to Westminster today. Our match the preceding afternoon vs Brunswick had clearly drained us and we did not play up to speed. We were also playing without Sammy as he is resting his back, body and mind before New Englands. The evens went on court first and McKay and Bobby wasted no time going up 1-0 on their opponents. Pongsak was clearly not all there as he dropped his first game. McKay and Bobby quickly closed out their matches but Pongsak went down 2-0. Oat and Alex took the court and began their matches slowly. Pongsak came back to win the next two games easily and he went into the 5th and decisive game with all the momentum. Alex, slowed by a series of difficult matches and a nagging hip problem, lost his first game. Oat struggled with his shot selection but managed to pull out the first game. Pongsak guts out a 5 game win while Oat wins his second game easily. Alex is clearly not 100% and he drops the 2nd game as well. PJ and Max are now on court. Oat struggles with his play and his focus as he goes down 8-1. Dodger limps his way through the third game but pulls it out to send his match to a 4th game. Oat does the impossible, coming back from the brink and multiple game balls to win his match. PJ is winning easily at 5 and Max is up 1-0. Dodge charges ahead 7-2 and looks to be headed for a 5th game. Max drops his second game in overtime while PJ closes out his match. Max composes himself to take the last two games, sealing a 6-1 win. A Dodge vs W Katz (5)(4)7(7) M Claghorn def H Siegel 5,0,1 O Naviroj def C LaMotte 6,3,9 B Campbell def P Creech 4,5,5 P Johnson def C King 4,1,1 P Pattamasaevi def C Latarre (8)(4)4,0,7 M Kachur def A Lewicki 6(9)3,9

2/20/2007

H vs Brunswick

0-7 L

Thanks to all of you who came up and supported the team yesterday. You created a great atmosphere but unfortunately, it was not enough. Brunswick came to town yesterday and gave us a lesson in how to play high quality squash. They thoroughly dominated us at every position and proved why they are the #2 team in the country and clearly the team to beat at this weekends New England Championships at Exeter. While the score may not indicate it, we did come out of yesterday's match with some positives. Oat Naviroj has continued his steady progress and he took a game from his Brunswick opponent at #4. He is not far from competing at that level. PJ broke out of a mini slump, playing some excellent squash at #6 and Bobby Campbell played excellently at #5. We are off to Westminster today and then on to the New Englands this weekend. We are gearing up and hoping to come home with some hardware! A Dodge vs J Clark (0) (2)(7) M Claghorn vs T Judson (7)(0)(4) S Beatt vs R Berner (5)(2)(2) O Naviroj vs C Blackiston (7)3,(3)(6) B Campbell vs W Browne (3)(0)(3) P Johnson vs C Matthews (1)(1)(5) P Pattamasaevi vs W Wynne (0)(3)(1) M Kachur vs L Von Ness (2)(4)(1)
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2/17/2007

H vs Hotchkiss

6-1 W

Hotchkiss came to Taft today. In front of a large crowd we came through with a 6-1 victory. Our only setback was at #3 where Sammy lost. He is still fighting a back problem which we hope to have corrected for the New Englands. A Dodge defeats Bobby Burns 6,(1)8,5 M Claghorn defeats I Brooks 1,2,0 S Beatt vs W Campo (4)(6)(5) O Naviroj def S Price 5,5,3 B Campbell def M Bottini 1,2,1 P Johnson def E Zwiener 5,6,4 P Pattamasaevi def B Rush 5,5,6 M Kachur def M Leib 5,6,6
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2/16/2007

H vs Salisbury

4-3 W

Salisbury came down this afternoon for a rare Friday afternoon match. We played once again with Sammy B at #3 so we knew that it would be a tough afternoon. Things started slowly as Oat lost his first game quickly as did Max. PJ looked out of sorts as he quickly dropped the first two games of his match. Oat rebouned to win 3 games in quick succession as Max came back to win the next two games. Peter wins game 4 and seems to be back in it. Max drops a tough game 4 and heads to the decisive game 5. McKay follows Oat on court and quickly begins to dissect his opponent. PJ goes down 8-0 in the 4th but then begins to mount a comeback, pumping his fist as he closed to 8-5. His opponent stepped up, though, leaving PJ with a disappointing loss. Max loses a tough 4 gamer but he played extremely well displaying some new shots that he has been working on. Pongsak follows him on court as Bobby is just getting started next door. McKay finishes punishing his opponent with an entertaining 3-0 victory. At this point we are all even at 2-2. Bobby continues his strong play from the weekend and goes up 2-0. Pongsak drops a tough first game but rebounds to take the second. Alex is on court 1 playing a very tough Christian Rosstad. He wins game 1 but they are both working hard. Bobby goes listless and drops game 3. Pongsak goes back to his old ways, losing depth and playing the ball too short. His opponent takes advantage and finishes him off. Bobby wins game 4 easily to knot things up at 3. Alex goes up 2-0 winning the second game easily. Rosstad comes out with intensity and takes it to Alex winning game 3. He has gained the momentum and he goes up 5-2 in the 4th. Alex is tired but he digs deep to even things at 5. Rosstad moves ahead 7-5 and he looks strong. Alex finds a way to get his serve back and he goes on a run taking an 8-7 lead. He serves twice more for the match but is unable to close it out. Rosstad evens it at 8 and Alex calls for 2. Alex moves ahead 9-8 but is once again unable to close it out. After a long rally finishes in a tin for Rosstad, Alex takes the ball and serves it out! Taft 4 Salisbury 3. Alex Dodge defeats C Rosstad 8,4(4)8 M Claghorn defeats JD Kirkendal 3,0,5 O Naviroj defeats L Essen (3)3,1,1 B Campbell defeats A Reid 6,1,(2)1 P Johnson vs W Phillips (2)(3)3(5) P Pattamasaevi vs L Lionneti (5)4(6)(2) M Kachur vs W Casertano (4)1,9(5)(6)
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2/14/2007

H vs Deerfield

2/11/2007

5-2,5-2 W

We defeated Episcopal in the morning 5-2 to advance to the 5/6 playoff against Haverford. We defeated Haverford 5-2 to earn 5th place in the USA!

2/10/2007

2-5 L

We lost to Brunswick 5-2, moving us into the playoff for 5th place.

2/9/2007

H vs Rye Country Day School

4-3 W

We defeated Poly Prep from NY 4-3 to advance to the quarterfinals.

2/7/2007

A vs Choate

7-0 W

We travelled to Wallingford today for our third match of the year against Choate. After a disappointing effort against Loomis last Wednesday we were looking to rebound and regain some of our confidence heading into the Nationals this weekend. The guys stepped up and turned in our best overall effort of the season, smacking Choate 7-0. Results: A Dodge def M Kow 4,0,7 M Claghorn def T Bryan 1,2.0 O Naviroj def B Gettinger 6,6,3 B Campbell def D Van Kohorn 6,0,(9)(5)7 P Johnson def G Van 2,5,2 P Pattamasaevi def I Knisley 6,1,(8)4 M Kachur def C Rewinski (8)3(9)5,3 T Morgan def A Sivaramakrishnan 3,7(4)6

1/31/2007

A vs Loomis

4-3 W

A Dodge vs J Pena (6)(8)(6) M Claghorn def M Arnold 2,1,4 O Naviraj def D Compton 2,2,0 B Campbell def B Sze(7)7,3,3 P Johnson def M Nelson 6,7,(7)6 P Pattamasaevi vs D Hyatt 8(1)9(7)(6) M Kuchar vs D Sills (2)(5)2(9)

1/27/2007

A vs Brunswick

0-7 L

A Dodge vs J Clark (7)(4)(6) M Claghorn vs T Judson (1)(2)(5) S Beatt vs B Burner (5)(1)(3) O Naviraj vs C Blackiston (6)(4)(5) B Campbell vs W Browne (2)(0)(3) P Johnson vs W Wynne (0)(2)(3) P Pattamasaevi vs C Mathews (5)(0)(0) M Kuchar vs L Van Ness (1)(1)(1)

1/24/2007

6-1 W

A Dodge vs R Endresen (6)(2)(4) M Claghorn def J Dillon 3,1,0 S Beatt def N Pearson 0,3,2 O Naviraj def A Efron 0,0,1 B Campbell def R Coughlin 0,0,0 P Johnson def H Razook 6,2,4 P Pattamasaevi def J Walsh (6)7,3,9 M Kachur def A Carbone 4,2,5
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1/20/2007

We travelled to Choate this weekend for a USSRA tournament. We left our top 3 at home, giving our other players an opportunity to advance further in the draws. Our guys were up to the challenge as both Bobby C and Oat N advanced to the semi-finals of the U19 draw. Oat beat the #1 player from Choate handily to advance to the finals were he was surprised by the #2 player from Choate who wore him down physically. Bobby played his best squash of the season to finish 4th. Max K lost in the semi-finals of the U15 draw to a nationally ranked player. Pongsak played well, finishing 5th in the U19 draw. PJ could have finished higher but he was unable to play on Sunday so he was forced to default his matches.

1/17/2007

H vs Berkshire

7-0 W

Berkshire came to Taft today for a match today. We dropped our top three players off the line-up and played with Oat Naviroj at #1 and two JV players at #s 6 and 7. Everyone played well and we won easily, 7-0. Oat and Bobby (#2) both won without losing a point. PJ won at number 3 with the loss of only 2 points while Pongsak and Max also won easily. Tyler Morgan stepped up from JV and won his match easily 3-0. Paul Kiernan was tested at #7 as he fought back from a 2-1 deficit to win 3-2. Next up will be a USSRA tournament at Choate on Saturday. 1. Oat Naviroj def Jose Rivera 0,0,0 2. Bobby Campbell def Oscar Leon 0,0,0 3. Peter Johnson def Crawford Hamilton 0,1,1 4. Pongsak Pattamasaevi def Nick Hazenberg 0,4,0 5. Max Kuchar def Alex Molo 1,4,5 6. Tyler Morgan def Lucas Millar 0,5,1 7. Paul Kiernan def Grez Nassbaum 5, (3), (8), 3,3

1/13/2007

A vs Choate Invitational

3-0 (15-0) W

We travelled to Choate on Saturday for a 5 man team tournament. We opened up play against Choate in a rematch of our dual match on Wednesday. Choate had the impression that they were close to beating us on Wednesday, so we were quite pleased to shut the door on those thoughts with a decisive 5-0 win. Most notably, Bobby Campbell responded to his disappointing loss on Wednesday with a very well played win against the same opponent on Saturday. Our second match was against a weekened Deerfield team. We were never in difficulty here and we swept all five matches 3-0. Finally, we took on a tough Salisbury team who was coming off a surprising 3-2 upset of Choate. The match of the day took place at #1. Alex Dodge overcame a case of lightheadedness to win 2-1. (this tournament employed a 3 game format)Salisbury was scrappy and we also won 2-1 at #'s 4 and 5. Sam Beatt and McKay Claghorn were very strong vs. Salisbury as they both won 3-0. Next up, Berkshire on Wednesday.

1/10/2007

H vs Choate

5-2 W

A Dodge def M Koh 3,4,7 S Beatt def T Brynan 0,2,6 M Claghorn def Z Remsen 0,1,3 O Naviroj def B Gettinger (6)3,2,6 B Campbell vs D Von Kohorn (4)(6)(4) P Pattamasaevi vs G Van (0)(7)(5) P Johnson def A Sivaramakrishran 2,6,0
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1/6/2007

A vs Phillips Andover

7-0 W

A Dodge def S Gould 8,6,2 S Beatt def G Miao 3,3,3 M Claghorn def D Silk 0,2,0 O Naviraj def A Chan 6,0,6 B Campbell def F Jebsen 0,8,6 P Pattamasaevi def M Schuber 9,6,4 P Johnson def D Koppel 5(7)4,5

1/6/2007

A vs Exeter

2-5 L

A Dodge vs M Maruca 3(4)3(3)(2) S Beatt vs E Casserly (1)5(3)(3) M Claghorn def A Maruca 3(3)6,0 O Naviroj vs O Sobhy (7)(4)6(8) B Campbell vs L Lee 7,8(4)(4)(2) P Pattamasaevi vs N Shepard (5)(6)(2) P Johnson def L Frank 8,5(2)(1)3

12/6/2006

H vs Avon

7-0 W

A Dodge def G Palermo 7,0,0 S Beatt def C Kubasek 2,1,6 M Claghorn def S Bova 1,1,0 O Naviraj def R Patterson 0,0,3 B Campbell def T Schultz 0,0,0 P Pattamasaevi def P Bova 3,0,4 P Johnson def E Quick 3,2,0 M Kuchar def P Bova 4,0,6

2005-06 Season

Date

Location/Opponent (click on Opponent for contest writeup)

Result

2/26/2006

A vs Andover (National Team Championships)

2nd

After two days of phenomenal performances, Taft placed five of its seven players in the finals of the New Englands: #3 Sam Beatt, #4 Andrew Kazakoff (who defeated Brunswick's Berner 3-1 in the semis), #5 Peter Irving, # 6 McKay Claghorn, and #7 Reid Longley all contended for the Championship crown. At the end of the tournament, Taft's # 2 Alex Dodge placed 4th, #1, Michael Shrubb, who had an epic Saturday (beating Milton's #1 in five games while nauseous and shivering with chills, then having to play again, beating Exeter's #1) placed 5th. #3 Sam Beatt, #5 Pete Irving, and #7 Reid Longley each placed 2nd in New England in their divisions after losing in the finals. Huge congratulations to #4 Andrew Kazakoff (who defeated Groton in the finals) and #6 McKay Claghorn (who defeated Brunswick's Henze) for their #1 New England Crowns. Taft finished its 2005-06 season 16-3, and ranked 2nd in New England. Class "A" Tournament Team Results: 1. Brunswick, 111 2. TAFT, 106 3. Groton, 80 4. Belmont Hill, 77 T5. Milton, 75 T5. Exeter, 75 7. St. Paul’s, 63 8. Westminster, 57 9. Andover, 55 10. Choate, 49 11. Brooks, 48 12. Suffield, 47 13. Tabor, 45 T14. Rye Country Day, 38 T14. Salisbury, 38 16. Trinity Pawling, 26 Class "B" Tournament Team Results: 1. Hotchkiss, 96 2. Loomis Chaffee, 93 3. Deerfield, 90 4. Middlesex, 84 5. Nobles, 79 6. Avon, 77 7. St. Georges, 76 8. St. Marks, 67 9. Kingswood, 62 10. Williston, 52 11. Canterbury, 42 12. Portsmouth Abbey, 36 T13. Millbrook, 34 T13. Pomfret, 34 15. Berkshire, 30 16. Concord, 23 17. Greens Farms Academy, 20 For draws and results, Squash New Englands

2/22/2006

H vs Westminster

7-0 W

A win over Westminster today finished our season at 16-3.Our only losses came at the hands of Lawrenceville and Brunswick (2x). We head to Middlesex for the New Englands this weekend. 1 Michael Shrubb def. Will Katz 9-2, 9-1, 9-2, 9-2 2 Alex Dodge def. Alex Lavoie 9-2, 9-2, 9-? 3 Sam Beatt def. Brett Morell 9-5, 9-0, 9-4 4 Andrew Kazakoff def. Andy Gomez 9-2, 9-3, 9-0 5 Pete Irving def. J.P. Morais 9-1, 9-2, 9-2 6 McKay Claghorn def. Cy Ryan 9-0, 9-1, 9-1 7 Reid Longley def. Clark LaMotte 9-4, 9-6, 9-2 Exhibition: Oat Naviroj def. Peter Creech 9-5, 9-5, 9-1

2/21/2006

H vs Brunswick

0-7 L

After our 5-2 loss in the first tilt with Brunswick, we hoped that a home court advantage and crowd (thanks for the vociferous support, Big Red cheering section!) would tip the scales in our direction. Unfortunately, Brunswick played better on the big points in this match, and left Taft with a bagel. We lost four 9-7 games that could have made a difference. Shrubb, Beatt, Irving, and Claghorn all won at least one game in their matches, and Kazakoff played long, physical points throughout his match. Longley was again struck with Bruinitis. The final two matches on court held the most hope for Taft. Shrubb, up 2-1 against Brunswick's best, needed only the fourth game to close out his match, but a tired Judson out-lasted a tired Shrubb and won the next two games to clinch. The only win of the day came from Oat Naviroj in the #8 "exhibition" match. After losing the first, Oat played hustling, intelligent squash to win 3-1. Final match of the season will be Westminster on Wednesday before heading off to the New Englands at Middlesex for a Friday night match. 1 Michael Shrubb lost to Travis Judson 9-0, 5-9, 7-9, 9-2, 9-3 2 Alex Dodge lost to James Clark 9-0, 9-7, 9-3 3 Sam Beatt lost to Will Browne 4-9, 9-2, 9-0, 9-7 4 Andrew Kazakoff lost to Robby Berner 9-4, 9-6, 9-6 5 Pete Irving lost to Clay Blackiston 7-9, 9-2, 9-1, 9-1 6 McKay Claghorn lost to Christian Henze 9-7, 9-2, 5-9, 9-4 7 Reid Longley lost to Craig Matthews 9-2, 9-4, 9-3 Exhibition: Oat Naviroj def. Wynne 7-9, 9-7, 9-6, 9-2

2/18/2006

H vs Hotchkiss

7-0 W

Hotchkiss put up a good fight, despite being hobbled by injuries. Claghorn recorded a triple bagel, Longley and Kazakoff dropped only two points, and Shrubb, after losing the first game, put on a shooting show to sweep the next three. Dodge, Beatt, and Irving all won in three straight, as did Oat Naviroj in his exhibition match. Sunday rest and a good practice Monday should put us in good shape to exact revenge on Brunswick at home on Tuesday. 1 Michael Shrubb def. Bobby Burns 5-9, 9-1, 9-2, 9-4 2 Alex Dodge def. Ian Brooks 9-3, 9-5, 9-1 3 Sam Beatt def. Spencer Price 9-7, 9-0, 9-1 4 Andrew Kazakoff def. Matt Leib 9-0, 9-1, 9-1 5 Pete Irving def. Mick MacLaverty 9-5, 9-1, 9-3 6 McKay Claghorn def. Mark Bottini 9-0, 9-0, 9-0 7 Reid Longley def. Austen Wells 9-0, 9-0, 9-2

2/15/2006

A vs Deerfield

7-0 W

1 Michael Shrubb def. Parker Voss 9-7, 9-3, 9-0 2 Alex Dodge def. Rob Stanley 9-3, 9-0, 9-2 3 Sam Beatt def. Connor Hines 9-5, 9-10, 9-7, 9-0 4 Andrew Kazakoff def. Charlie McSpadden 9-3, 10-9, 9-1 5 McKay Claghorn def. Charlie Lin 9-3, 9-6, 9-1 6 Pete Irving def. Will Pikos 9-3, 9-1, 9-0 7 Reid Longleyl def. Andrew Cherna 9-1, 9-0, 9-1

2/12/2006

6-1 W

We faced Andover for the second time this season in the semi-finals of the Consolation bracket of the Nationals. Our 6-1 win over Andover earned a berth in the finals, where we face off vs. Episcopal Academy to determine 5th or 6th in the Nation. 1 Michael Shrubb def. Derek DeDesvitch 4-9, 9-3, 9-3, 9-4 2 Alex Dodge lost to Dan Wagman 3-0 3 Sam Beatt def. Simon Keyes 9-10, 9-0, 9-1, 4 Andrew Kazakoff def. Graham Miao 9-5, 9-2, 9-4 5 McKay Claghorn def. Sam Gould 9-5, 9-2, 9-0 6 Pete Irving def. Sam Woolford 9-1, 9-0, 9-0 7 Reid Longley def. Owen Remeika 9-0, 9-0, 9-2 Exhibition 8 Oat Naviroj def. Dan Silk 5-9, 9-6, 9-3, 9-0

2/12/2006

A vs Episcopal Academy (National Team Championships)

5-2 W

After a long weekend of squash, Taft (8th seed) faced Episcopal Academy (6th seed) to determine 5th and 6th place in the Nation. We dropped #1 and #2 to the number one ranked U-19 and the number one U-17 player in the USA. In the middle and bottom of our line-up, all cruised to victory, earning Taft the #5 ranking in the Nation. 1 Michael Shrubb lost to Trevor McGuiness 9-6, 9-2, 9-2 2 Alex Dodge lost to Todd Harrity 9-2, 9-1, 9-3 3 Sam Beatt def. Ben Lurio 9-6, 9-8, 9-1 4 Andrew Kazakoff def. Brandon McLaughlin 9-2, 2-9, 3-9, 9-2, 9-1 5 McKay Claghorn def. Woody Hillyard 9-4, 9-5, 6-9, 9-0 6 Pete Irving def. Yasha Shahidy 9-2, 9-1, 9-0 7 Reid Longley def. Justin Moore 9-0, 9-1, 9-0

2/11/2006

A vs Lawrenceville (National Team Championships)

1-6 L

In the third round of the National Team Championships, Taft battled bravely but fell to the number one team in the nation, Lawrenceville. Our only win came at the number one position, where Taft Captain Michael Shrubb defeated Lawrenceville's Porter Drake 3-1. On Sunday at 12:00, we return to Yale to play Andover in the Semi-finals of the consolation bracket. If we win, we play the finals at 3:30, against Episcopal Academy. 1 Michael Shrubb def. Porter Drake 3-9, 9-6, 9-4, 9-3 2 Alex Dodge lost to V. Maatson 9-3, 9-4, 9-0 3 Sam Beatt lost to T. Maatson 9-3, 9-7, 9-7 4 Andrew Kazakoff lost to E. Buchsbaum 9-7, 9-0, 9-2 5 McKay Claghorn lost to S. Preefer 9-3, 9-1, 9-1 6 Pete Irving lost to M. Marchisswota 9-7, 9-7, 9-7 7 Oat Naviroj lost to D. DeSessa 9-3, 9-3, 9-7

2/11/2006

A vs Milton (National Team Championships)

6-1 W

In the second round of the National High School Championships, we faced a strong, undefeated Milton team and played well throughout the ladder to win 6-1. At 6PM, we face 1st seeded Lawrenceville. 1 Michael Shrubb def. Chris Vernicki 9-7, 9-0, 9-3 2 Alex Dodge def. Alex Heitzmann 10-9, 7-9, 9-4, 9-6 3 Sam Beatt lost to Will Sullivan 9-1, 8-10, 9-6, 9-6 4 Andrew Kazakoff def. Amory Bennett 9-6, 9-7, 9-0 5 McKay Claghorn def. Andy Bernard 9-1, 9-4, 6-9, 9-6 6 Pete Irving def. Alex Place 9-10, 9-2, 9-0, 9-4 7 Oat Naviroj def. Dan Charness 9-7, 9-5, 9-1

2/10/2006

A vs Pingry (National Team Championships)

6-1 W

In the first round of the National High School Championships, we defeated Pingry School 6-1. 1 Michael Shrubb def. Peter Cipriano 9-4, 7-9, 9-5, 9-7 2 Alex Dodge lost to Brian O'Toole 9-1, 9-3, 9-4 3 Sam Beatt def. Hal Lee 9-3, 9-3, 9-1 4 Andrew Kazakoff def. Josh Freedman 9-0, 9-0, 9-0 5 McKay Claghorn def. Pat Trousdale 9-0, 9-0, 9-0 6 Pete Irving def. Tanner Combias 9-0, 9-2, 9-1 7 Oat Naviroj def. Steven Roach 9-0, 9-0, 9-2

2/8/2006

H vs Choate

6-1 W

In our 2nd outing vs. Choate this season, three pairs squared off for a rematch. A gritty Eliot Jia again took a game from Shrubb, and the Boars' Tucker Bryan exacted revenge on Oat Naviroj in the match of the day, a long five-gamer filled with bloody-kneed sliding dives by Bryan. McKay Claghorn, playing his highest position of the season at #4, recorded another 3-0 win over Zach Remsen. Alex Dodge, who missed the first match with Choate, had a good three-game match against the smooth, polished strokes of Michael Koh. At #3, Kaz was relentless in his attack, limiting his opponent to only five points the whole match. Pete Irving also won in three, and in another highlight, Bobby Campbell, in his first official Varsity match, played with composure and executed intelligent shot selection to win in three. 1 Michael Shrubb def. Eliot Jia 9-2, 9-4, 3-9, 9-2 2 Alex Dodge def. Michael Koh 9-2, 9-4, 9-6 3 Andrew Kazakoff def. Franklin Hamilton 9-0, 9-4, 9-1 4 McKay Claghorn def. Zach Remsen 9-3, 9-3, 9-4 5 Pete Irving def. Chip Robe 9-5, 9-4, 9-6 6 Oat Naviroj lost to Tucker Bryan 9-4, 4-9, 9-6, 4-9, 2-9 7 Bobby Campbell def. Dae Rolee 9-3, 9-7, 9-7
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2/1/2006

H vs Loomis

6-1 W

1 Michael Shrubb def. Rob McCary 9-0, 9-0, 9-0 2 Sam Beatt lost to Brian Sze 9-5, 1-9, 9-2, 7-9, 9-4, 9-0 3 Andrew Kazakoff def. Don Sills 9-1, 9-0, 9-0 4 Pete Irving def. Dan Hyatt 9-2, 9-0, 9-1 5 McKay Claghorn def. Geoff Wang 9-1, 9-1, 9-2 6 Reid Longley def. Matt Nelson-Tertsch 9-1, 9-0, 9-2 7 Oat Naviroj def. Nate Fowles 9-1, 9-2, 9-6

1/28/2006

A vs Brunswick

2-5 L

A somewhat disappointing score after a solid effort against the #1 team in New England. We play again on February 21 at Taft, and hope the comfort of home courts will swing the match our direction. 1 Michael Shrubb lost to Travis Judson 9-4, 9-2, 9-1 2 Sam Beatt lost to James Clark 7-9, 9-4, 9-7, 9-2 3 Alex Dodge lost to Will Browne 9-7, 9-1, 10-9 4 Andrew Kazakoff lost to Robby Berner 9-7, 9-3, 9-4 5 Pete Irving def. Clay Blackiston 9-2, 6-9, 2-9, 9-1, 9-3 6 McKay Claghorn def. Christina Henze 9-1, 9-2, 9-6 7 Reid Longley lost to James Thorman 9-2, 9-1, 9-0

1/25/2006

A vs Rye Country Day

6-1 W

We didn’t lose many points in matches 2-7, so the marquee match was at number one, where two of the best players in high school squash squared off. Shrubb got off to an early lead, and served for the frist game at 8-6, but Endresen retrieved everything Shrubb threw at him, and came back to win in a tie-breaker. Endresen waltzed through the second, and Shrubb again took an early lead in the third, only to lose it too in a tie-breaker. With luck, these two will meet again this season, and Shrubb will get another shot. We face arch rival Brunswick this Saturday at Brunswick. 1 Michael Shrubb lost to Reed Endresen 8-10, 2-9, 8-10 2 Sam Beatt def. Jonathan Peters 9-0, 9-1, 9-3 3 Alex Dodge def. Jay Rosanelli 9-1, 9-1, 9-0 4 Pete Irving def. Jarrett Dillon 9-1, 9-8, 9-0 5 McKay Claghorn def. Alex Efron 9-0, 9-0, 9-3 6 Reid Longley def. Lex Cardone 9-0, 9-0, 9-3 7 Oat Naviroj def. Louis DeSantis 9-0, 9-0, 9-0

1/21/2006