Sports – A Student Publication of the Roxbury Latin School

Patriot or traitor? Brady’s departure is the end of an era

By Miles Baumal-Bardy VI

As we sit here stuck in our homes, upset that all major sports events are canceled, it is important to reflect on one of the most important people in New England sports history: Tom Brady. Some might hold a grudge against this man, but we can never repay the satisfaction he brought us. Winning six Super Bowls, he was the only man in history to accomplish such a marvelous feat. Brady started as a lowly sixth-round pick from Michigan in the 2000 NFL draft, but he would soon blossom into someone much greater.

NCAA Basketball ends amid pandemic fears

By Jamie Drachman IV

March 12th, 2020. That was the day when the collegiate and professional sports’ worlds shut down. The night before, Rudy Gobert, a Center on the Utah Jazz, tested positive for Covid-19 and the NBA subsequently suspended play from that night onwards. The following day, everything unraveled. Some NCAA conferences began their tournaments without fans, playing to empty arenas, but were shut down at the halftime of the first games. In many conferences, with no tournament played, no champion could be crowned, despite everything that had happened already in the season. Then on March 12, the NCAA dropped the hammer and cancelled all winter championships and spring seasons, leaving us fans with one thought: What a ride that would have been.

Staying in shape during quarantine

By Ben Crawford II

Without access to gyms, working out during quarantine can be complicated. To find out what RL student athletes are doing to stay in shape, I interviewed three Class II students – Frankie Lonergan, Will Specht, and Rohil Dhaliwal. Here’s what they had to say.

Varsity Wrestling toughs it out

By Mat Cefail I

Varsity Wrestling was optimistic coming out of the gates. We were already predicted to be one of the top teams in the league, and we were scheduled to compete with Governors and Nobles for second place. This held true throughout our season as we dominated. Our ISL dual meet record by the end of the year was 14-3. Those losses coming from close meets against Governors and Nobles. As many of you know this year the annual Graves Kelsey ISL Championship tournament was hosted by RL. It was one of the best-run tournaments credited by many coaches present– a big thank you to all who helped out. RL overall took 4th missing third by a small margin to Nobles.

Offseason decisions hint at the future of the Pats

By David D’Alessandro II

Let’s begin with the many, many changes that have occurred this offseason. Most notably, beloved quarterback Tom Brady is leaving after 20 seasons, and although he wrote a nice twitter post, it doesn’t change the fact that he’s moving to Tampa Bay. With weapons such as Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, the most productive wide receiver duo in the NFL last year, and the recent retiree, Rob Gronkowski, the Buccaneers have favorable odds for stealing the NFC South Crown from the Saints. The Pats will also have some big holes to fill on the defense, losing two key defensive players, Kyle Van Noy to the Dolphins and Jamie Collins to the Lions, both of whom were defensive leaders and performers.

Meet this year’s 18 Season Club athletes

Following a long-standing tradition, Tripod is proud to honor those elite athletes who have played a sport for every season of their six-year career. They are…..

Facing tough competition, Varsity Hockey never lost heart

By Peter Frates II

The 2020 varsity hockey team finished its season just under .500 this year. This group was led by captains Dante Cuzzi, Joey Ryan, and an experienced crew of seniors. Sam Ginzberg, Matt Traietti, Mikey Jones, Kevin Swan, and Kam Miller, each played a critical role in the team’s success and set examples of hard work for the underclassmen. From the freshman to the seniors, this team was extremely close, partly due to the great senior leadership.

18-5 season earns varsity basketball a playoff berth, first in a decade

By Tim Smith I

In terms of sheer results, the 2019-2020 varsity basketball team had a historic year. We finished 18-5, with wins over several league powerhouses like Lawrence Academy, Beaver Country Day, and Rivers. The team earned a Class-B playoff berth for the first time in about a decade. In the first round, we were slated to play St. Luke’s School at Cheshire Academy. We fought hard, but ended up losing 47-57. Although we came up short in the playoffs, each of us were proud of the effort we had put in, the results we achieved, and the growth we all experienced as players and people.

Professional sports grind to a halt

By Michael Allen IV

The night that we got out for spring break, the NBA’s greatest COVID-19 fear came true: a player had caught it. That player, all-star Rudy Gobert, was criticized for his carelessness towards the virus. In an interview a few days before his diagnosis where he was asked about potentially having the virus, he responded by touching all microphones in sight. Rudy’s situation was a turning point for how the virus has been handled in America. All professional sporting events were postponed or cancelled (save eSports, which continues to stand strong!).