Without Captain Sam Gould ’07 and John Bukawyn ’08 playing, the Boys Squash team completed its regular season this week in an exciting fashion, securing a definite spot in the Interscholastic A group tournament this weekend at Exeter. With an incredible win over Belmont Hill that came down to the final game and a solid victory over Brooks, the team celebrated its spot in the tournament. The Andover squad played its final match last Wednesday against Exeter but fell 0-7 for the second time this season. The match against Belmont Hill would determine the placement of the team at Interschols. Andover played its heart out last Friday and it pulled out an amazing 4-3 upset win. The team rallied around senior leader Danny Silk ’07 without Captain Gould, and earned several 5 game victories. Andover got off to a strong start with victories from Dave Koppel ’08 and Foster Jebsen ’08, who each dominated their Belmont Hill opponents, winning 3-1 in four games. Senior Matt Schubert also came up clutch and played some of his best squash of the season as he won a crucial five-game battle. Losing the first game by a score of 9-0, Schubert pulled himself together to take the second and third games with tight rails and flawless play. After losing the fourth, Schubert came into the fifth determined not to let his teammates down, and quickly took control of the game, winning by a final score of 9-0. With the overall team score tied at 3-3, the outcome of the match once again rested in the hands of one man, but this time it was Danny Silk who would have to pull through. With the game score tied at 2-2, Silk knew what he had to do, and realized that his final game would perhaps be the most important of the entire season. With the entire team watching, Silk played particularly well in the fifth, hitting a perfect rail to end the match and secure the victory for Andover. The team went crazy, and Silk was soon barraged with celebratory hugs and high fives. After the team score was verified that night, Andover got the news that it had officially made it to Interschols, and carried its momentum into its final home match of the season against Brooks. Playing in the last home match of their Andover careers, Silk, Schubert and Gould played spectacular squash in front of a home crowd and helped secure the team’s 6-1 victory over Brooks last Tuesday. Wins from Gould, Graham Miao ’09, Andrew Chan ’08, Silk, Jebsen, Koppel and Bukawyn sealed the team win, with the sole loss coming from Schubert who lost a five game match that came down to the final points. Andover then played its last match of the winter season against Exeter last Wednesday, but once again failed to record a victory. Ranked fourth in the nation, Andover knew how skilled Exeter was, but it hoped to pull out at least one upset match. Although several team members got close, the team came up short, and lost by a disappointing score of 0 -7. Andover will get another shot at its Exeter counterparts at Interschols over the weekend, where it hopes to finish in the top eight.
