A Great Year To Be A Dodger

It’s almost November again, and the fall sports are near to an end at Madison High School. Once again, Madison has been doing extremely well athletically, specifically the soccer, volleyball, and field hockey team.

The Madison boys soccer team are having a record-breaking season. The team’s hard work is seen in many ways. First of all, they have a current record of 15-2, which means that they have the most wins in the school’s history. Not only has the soccer team broken the record for the number of wins, but they are also conference champions for the first time in thirty-three years, which is a very big deal. The boy’s soccer team have recently beat Summit High School, a group 3 school, with some very talented players. Even though the game did not start off the best way possible, as they were losing by three, the boys were able to score three goals to tie the game and bring it into overtime. At double overtime, the boys were able to put away a goal with two minutes left, and bring the win home. However, this game is just a small representation of the soccer team’s dedication and hard work. The boys have also qualified for states, at the number four seed, which is great since they will have home-field advantage for the first few games of the tournament. Hopefully, they finish their season with a great result as they strive for greatness.

Picture (Caption): Madison Dodgers Boys Varsity Soccer Team

The Madison girls volleyball team are also doing extremely well this year. They started off the season strong, with a 10-0 record and only lost one scrimmage in the preseason, which was to Hunterdon Central, who is a group four team. A group four team means that they are a bigger school, with many good players to choose from. The volleyball team has a great team chemistry and they are able to work well together on the court, which helps them improve their skill level even more. The team has a strong group of seven seniors, six of which are starting players. Also, they have a great group of underclassmen, who have stepped it up this year and have been ready to jump in the game whenever needed. Samantha Paske, a senior volleyball player at MHS, mentions that the season did not start the best way possible as they lost their first game, however, the team was able to move on and work harder than before. Paske states that they lost their first game to Morris Catholic, “a team we usually never worry losing to, so [the loss] gave everyone a huge wake up call.” after this game, the girls continued working to bounce back and prove how good of a team they are. As a result, their record is currently 18-4, and they have tied their conference for first place. Also, they have earned the 6th seed for states, which is higher than it has been in the past few seasons. Finally, not is only the Madison volleyball team doing extremely well this year on the court, but they also have spirit days in order to show their excitement off the court too.

The girls field hockey team has also been showing their dedication to the sport, and their pride of being able to represent Madison High School. This year, the team is working really well together, and have great connections on and off the field. Ciara Hunt, a senior field hockey player at MHS, states that they are “a huge family and [they] all love each other. We play with heart and I think that is what makes us different from other teams, since winning means a lot to us.” The girls field hockey team are county champs this year, which is truly amazing, especially since they played against great opponents. Each player is putting their heart in the game, constantly pushing themselves and each other to do better. The girls coaches are also doing an incredible job, as they put so much time and effort into coming up with drills for practice. Furthermore, the coaches are always thinking of new ways to help the girls improve, so that the girls are prepared to beat any team that they have to face.

In addition to the athletic prowess shown by the school, the more competitive extracurricular programs are seemingly performing particularly well this school year as well. As of this article being written, the Madison Marching Dodgers are exceeding the previous season’s score and is achieving great success. For its division, the Marching Dodgers are currently ranked 7th on the entire atlantic coast, with a performance score of 91.85. These results are much higher than previous years, showcasing the great expectations of the 2018-2019 year and beyond. MDO discussed this with a senior band member, and one of the low brass section coordinators, Andrew Rosica. Andrew stated that in his perspective “the band this year seems to have a much more serious commitment” which may have led to the marching band’s perceived success. He also said that in regards to previous years “the commitment was good” but not quite at the level of the 18-19 season.

Another extracurricular that seems to be meeting great success is the Madison Physics team, which competed in the pumpkin trebuchet contest this previous weekend. Achieving 2nd place at the competition – missing first by a very small almost negligible margin – this years team has been very successful. Although in the previous years the MHS physics team has been successful, this particular competition defined the great performance of the team, launching the pumpkin 440 feet.

One of the leading competitive extracurriculars is the Madison Robotics team. The award winning program that has been state champions multiple times is showing the strongest start to a season yet. MDO talked with Rachel Newburg, a founding member of the team and long-term mentor, and she said that this is “by far the best start shes seen”. The team has their official competitions in mid January, and MDO cannot wait to see what they will accomplish.

The very strong start to the school year in terms of activities and athletics will presumably continue onwards for the rest of the year. With other athletics soon to be coming into the spotlight, such as the recently revitalized bowling team, the baseball team, and the basketball team, MHS has a bright future ahead. This perceived success could be due to a number of reasons, perhaps this senior class has been dominant, or maybe a sense of community is strong within the newest teams.