BY JOE SCOTCHIE
jscotchie@antonmediagroup.com
The Roslyn High School boys’ basketball team, with their full-court press, high-scoring offense and their ability to pack the gymnasium for exciting home games gets its share of publicity. But Roslyn High School has other teams besides the Fighting Bulldogs that also deserve mention.
Most notable is the boys’ varsity wrestling team. These young strongmen finished the 2015-16 season with a 6-3 overall mark and a 5-1 record in Conference A-II play. Most impressive was a 70-7 shellacking of Lawrence in mid-January. The Bulldogs also scored decisive wins over Roosevelt, Sewanhaka and Oyster Bay.
When a team has a winning season, everyone pitches in. Such was true of the wrestling squad. All year long, Head Coach Andy Marlow could count on gutsy performances by a string of impressive mat men: Alex Mulchinski, Devin Simmons, Jack Lubin, Anthony Barisano, Jackson Rich, Jordan Friedman, Alexandros Vazouros, Andrei Castelblanco, Austin Scalavino, Ryan Chen, Zachary Gordon, Michael Sun and the remarkable brother trio of Joey Gonzalez, Steven Gonzalez and Christian Gonzalez.
And let’s not forget the girls’ varisty basketball team, which performed heroically under difficult circumstances all year long. Injuries depleted the girls’ roster, but the Lady Bulldogs carried on, scoring impressive wins over New Hyde Park and Hewlett.
All year, the Lady Bulldogs were paced by the offensive heroics of Samantha Busch, Jordan Tullman and Samantha Weibe. Busch had a season-high 22 points in the win over Hewlett. She nearly matched that with 18 points in two games against Plainedge. Tullman scored in double digits in five games, including 17 points in the win over New Hyde Park. Weibe’s top games included an 18-point performance in that same New Hyde Park, victory. Meanwhile, Kendall Reichbach, Morgan Davy, Nicole Nissian, Emily Cohen and Laura Cardillo all gave hard-fought performances all year, assisting Busch, Tullman and Weibe on both ends of the court.
Another highlights of the season came on Jan. 15, when the Lady Bulldogs, in a game against Roosevelt, found themselves with only four players in uniform once another player fouled out. When the contest was five-on-five, Roslyn held a slight lead. Playing at a four-on-five disadvantage, Roslyn could not hold the lead, but their grit earned them Island-wide recognition.
All throughout the 2015-16 campaign, Roslyn has had to battle injuries, which left them in an underdog situation. But battle they have. Roslyn School District officials note that the girls’ exceptional determination and cohesion in the face of many challenges has been noticed by fans as well as by opposing teams and coaches.
“The team has formed unbreakable bonds on and off the court,” said Noreen Naughton, head coach. “The girls have rallied together all season long to compete every time they step onto the court. Their competitive nature never seems to wane, despite playing at an undeniable disadvantage.”
Roslyn’s Interim Director of Athletics Tom Howard noted how the girls’ play exemplifies the ideal of high school sports.
“In high school athletics, we always say that teamwork and character building are the most important qualities we teach,” said Howard. “This team is a shining example of what happens when those lessons are taken to heart.”
