Baseball and the Mike Tallarida Scholarship Fund

sports

Baseball focuses on the road ahead

Austin Zhuang ’22

As a tough season comes to a close, the baseball team has its sights on a solid performance in the com-

ing weeks. Players have pushed through countless injuries and illnesses, with starters and backups out for large parts of the year. The spaces in the roster left the team in a tough spot to win close games. “As a team, it’s been very up and down,” Sixth Form Captain Ryan Reed said. “We’ve had to fight through a lot of exterior stuff and had to just roll with the punches. A lot of guys had to play positions they didn’t think that they would have to.” Despite the challenges that left the team depleted, coaches see the adversity as positive. “Things can be a distraction: scoreboard can be a distraction, fans can be a distraction,” Pitching Coach Mike Palombo said. “That stuff can be a distraction from being the best version of yourself, and that’s what we ask, ultimately, every day.” The experience received from tough losses also benefits the team as a whole. “We actually have seven guys playing who have not had Inter-Ac experience before, so the extreme positive this year is that we return almost everybody, and they’re gaining invaluable experience,” Coach Palombo said. “They might be losing the close games right now, but now they know going into next year, well, here’s what I got to do to win those games.” While next year is promising for the team, players want to see success in the last games of the year. After a close game against Episcopal Academy finally going their way, they hope to maintain their performance for the state championship tournament. “We’re trying to win all the games,” Fifth Former Jaiden Shuchman said. “We’re no longer playing for the best team in the conference, but … we’re trying to do our best and end the season on a high note so we can go into the PAISAA [Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association] tournament with some momentum.” Besides focusing on the season ahead, the team has also supported the Mike Tallarida Scholarship Fund, made in honor of the father of Michael Tallarida ’21.

“All of our families have been involved in setting up the day [honoring Mike], making donations,” Coach Palombo said. “Everyone here, all the seniors, I know their parents work hard at making sure it’s gonna be a really nice day and, obviously, getting as many people out as possible.” With another good win behind them and so much to look forward to, the players and coaches are ready to keep climbing. “The one thing that I think everyone here has taken away, and the credit I really give to the players, is that they’ve taken a lot of hits off the chin, and they’ve learned that in life that’s how it goes, you’re gonna get hit in the chin a lot,” Coach Palombo said. “And they’ve sprung back up, and they’re just ready for the next challenge.”

MR. JIM ROESE

Mark Quatrani ’23 hits the ball in a game against the Hill School, May 11, 2022

“All of our families have been involved in setting up the day [honoring Mike], making donations.”

COACH PALOMBO

Pole vautlers, cont. from the front page

the air over a target. That’s really fun, really awesome, and also dangerous.”

Gates has also enjoyed seeing the new additions to the team.

“This year we have an influx of seniors who have some natural talent,” Gates said. “Last year we didn’t have as big of a team, so it’s really nice to be able to be working with more people. The team is growing, and it’s really nice to see.”

One of the new Sixth Formers is John Zhang, who enjoys the sport, largely because of the team’s culture.

“It’s been a fun experience,” Zhang said. “It’s a really friendly team, and that’s what makes it so enjoyable. A lot of people on the team improved this year, and that’s always something that’s good to see.”

Zhang also feels that the supportive culture extends to other schools.

“My favorite part of pole vault is the meets, going out and competing against pole vaulters from all around the greater Philadelphia area,” Zhang said. “I think it’s such a friendly community and such a supportive community. Although there’s competition, everyone’s always looking out for each other.”

The sport is all about pushing the limits individually, and the Fords look to continue doing just that.

“It’s more against yourself than it is against other people,” Bond said. “It’s about how good you can become and how far you can push yourself.”

Lacrosse reflects and prepares for Inter-Ac tournament

Ethan Chan ’23

With the final stretch of the season approaching, the Fords’ lacrosse team is preparing for the Inter-Ac tournament. After a series of impressive performances this season, the Fords gained valuable experience against other top-ranked teams.

“The season started with our non-league games, the majority of which were against top-25 teams in the nation,” Sixth Former Sam Gerber said. “Coach Dawson schedules these games to prepare us for the competitive Inter-Ac schedule later in the spring. Our goal is to play our best lacrosse in May, and we feel that we are beginning to do so.” Similarly, pressure is nothing new for them. Their unique way of facing it helps contribute to the continued success of the team. “Coach Dawson has preached the mentality of ‘no big games’ all year. This means treating every game the same no matter the opponent. We will continue to have this mindset heading into our final games of the season,” Gerber said.

Gerber wants to aid the team in its endeavors.

“My personal goal was to do everything I can to put our team in a position to reach its goals. I want to make sure we walk off the field of our final game knowing we left everything on the turf,” Gerber said.

While Fords’ lacrosse has proven itself time and time again as a formidable program, the team identity is something that changes.

“With every new season comes a new team with its own identity,” Gerber said. “At the beginning of the spring, we consistently sent the message to our team that we needed to find our identity and that it wouldn’t necessarily be the same as previous teams. I can confidently say that we did find our own identity, which is a team that does all the aspects of lacrosse that don’t require skill very well: getting ground balls, riding the ball back, and giving our best effort in practice and in games.”

Another facet of Haverford’s achievements is the sense of unity that the team shares.

“One thing that’s great about Haverford School lacrosse is that we expect everyone to contribute, including underclassmen. Whether you are scoring goals, running scout team, or getting excited for your teammates, everyone in our program plays a role in our team’s success. This has a ripple effect and is one of the reasons Haverford lacrosse has such a strong history; when the younger guys become leaders of the team they will expect the same from their peers and their underclassmen,” Gerber said.

This transition of leadership is inevitable but the next generation of leaders are prepared.

“When it comes to a passing-of-thetorch moment, I don’t really see one other than after our last game of the season. The seniors, certainly the captains, have led this team all season and everyone on the team looks up to them,” Fifth Former Wills Burt said. “The juniors know that this is their time to listen and learn and do everything in their power to come out victorious at the end of the season. When it comes to the point where it is time to pass the torch to us, we will be ready because of everything we have learned from the seniors. Our goal is to win the championship at the end of May. I couldn’t think of a better group to lead us to this goal which hasn’t been accomplished since 2017.”

For senior leaders such as Gerber, these last games are bittersweet. Nonetheless, they continue to reflect on their tenure on the team and improve.

“I’m very proud of how this team has overcome adversity throughout the season,” Gerber said. “We’ve had tough losses and games we wish we could have back, but it’s the way that these guys responded to adversity that [I] and the rest of the seniors are proud of. As leaders, our goal is always to leave this program better than we found it, and we are still working to do so as we head into the final stretch of this season.”

The culmination of the team’s hard work has brought them far through thick and thin this season. Despite challenges, forming a new identity, and other factors, one thing remains the same for Fords’ lacrosse.

“Our team goals remain the same every year: compete at the national level and most importantly win an Inter-Ac championship,” Gerber said. “We have put ourselves in a position to do the latter and now we just have to go out and execute.”

Teddy Malone ’22 looks to find a gap in EA’s defense in a 14-8 win, May 13, 2022

PIERCE LAVERAN ’24

“One thing that’s great about Haverford School lacrosse is that we expect everyone to contribute, including underclassmen”

SAM GERBER ’22

“As leaders, our goal is always to leave this program better than we found it and we are still working to do so as we head into the final stretch of this season.”

SAM GERBER ’22