Bulldog News
Fall teams celebrate victories
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Hillside School’s Varsity Soccer and Cross Country teams ended the fall season on a strong note with high ranking victories in two seasonal tournaments.
Cross Country proves competitive
November 4 was a perfect day for running as the Hillside Harriers made the trip to Roxbury Latin School for their annual cross-country jamboree.
Members of the Hillside Cross Country team faced off against more than 186 runners from independent schools throughout the area at this highly competitive contest.
Although the Hillsiders had been battling everything from illness to injuries, they made a statement of their ability at this competition which will be long remembered. With Tomas Alvarez ’10 blazing to seventh overall and Hunter Cochran ’11 also finishing in the medals with 14th place, the Hillside Bulldogs finished third among 22 schools.
Justin Karas '11 somehow forgot his injury and raced to 22nd place, while HoBin K. ’12 managed to earn 39th and Daniel Lee ’10 sprinted in at 41st. However, every member of the team ran with guts and determination. Alex Lin ’11, Joey Mullaney ’11, Sun Hwang ’11, Zach Mayo ’11, Lucas Stillianos ’10 and Sam Bristol ’12 all ran their best races of the season.
Hillside is proud of the entire Cross Country team for its determined efforts; it has been a privilege for parents and coaches to watch our lads distinguish themselves this fall season.
Varsity Soccer takes top prize
On November 7, the Varsity Soccer Bulldogs awakened at 5:30 in the morning to get on the road to Deerfield, MA for the annual Eaglebrook Tournament.
This contest featured 16 of the best middle school soccer programs in the region competing for two prizes. Although exhausted as they left Hillside at dawn, the team members were refreshed, reinvigorated, and rewarded when they rolled back into Hillside 13 hours later.
It was a perfect fall day: crisp, cool, golden. The team’s first three games were each just 20 minutes long, so it was necessary to score quickly and step up on defense to preserve leads. This game plan worked well for the first two matchups, which were against Belmont Hill’s A and B teams, which the Hillsiders won by a combined 8-0 score.
The final match of the morning, against Eaglebrook’s B team, proved especially challenging. Down 1-0 at halftime, Hillside made some adjustments in offense to eke out a 1-1 tie. At the end of the morning, the Varsity Soccer team had the most points in its division and entered the afternoon with the potential to win its pool.
After a scrumptious lunch prepared and hand-packed by our Hillside chefs, the Bulldogs went against the Foote School in the afternoon semi-finals. Despite frigid temperatures, the Hillsiders beat Foote 2-0 in a well-executed, intense game. This placed the Varsity Soccer team in the final match against Eaglebrook B – the team which Hillside tied in the morning.
With a small but rowdy cheering section – all with the last name of Seetram, by the way – Hillside lit up Eaglebrook for three unanswered goals in the final to take first place for the day!
The Eaglebrook Tournament has been staged for 35 years, since 1974. This year, for the first time ever, Hillside School will join its many rivals on this trophy. The Hillside community is proud of every single player who contributed to this achievement, including last year’s squad, which played so well and allowed the team to take control of its division this year. Go Bulldogs!
The Cross Country team celebrates its Roxbury Latin victories with Headmaster Beecher (right).
The Varsity Soccer team raises the top place trophy at the Eaglebrook Tournament.
The Varsity Soccer team is congratulated on their win upon their return to Hillside.
