“It was a successful winter season!” Coach Harbeck bellowed to the audience as he opened the annual Winter Sports Awards Ceremony on February 26, 2018.

Each student at TBS is required to play a sport because of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin’s vision for the school, and the lessons learned from being a part of a team. The sports featured in the winter season were soccer, basketball, and dance. Many of the teams finished with winning records and qualified for the post-season, including the boys’ soccer team. They lost in the finals to The King’s Academy – the Bucs’ only loss of the season – and finished with a record of 9-1-1. At the assembly, Head Coach Mr. Bob Bayless said, “age and experience won the day,” referring to King’s older, more experienced team.

Another team that was successful was girls’ soccer, which seems to always be in the mix for a title. They finished with a record of 8-2-1, and ended up losing in the semi-finals of the league tournament to Rosarian Academy.

Even though girl’s basketball was not as successful as they wanted, Coach Filia provided a fitting example of what the season was like. She gave each member of the team a puzzle piece symbolizing how they were a collection of different skill sets and experience that was a work in progress. Although all of the pieces finally did come together, Filia said it was not easy. “It was kind of like putting the puzzle together backwards,” she quipped.

While many of the winter teams had winning records, sports are not just about winning, they are about teamwork and the lessons learned from winning and losing – lessons that Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin wanted their students to experience.

The following is a list of the award winners recognized at the assembly:

Boys’ Soccer
Coaches’ Awards – Luca Balzano, Luke Casper, Cole McIlvaine, and Jonathan Skatoff
MVP – Ignas Berciunas

Girls’ Basketball – “A” Team
MIP – Emilie Dubiel
Co-MVPs – Grace Tighe & Nicole Nicklaus

Girls’ Basketball – “B” Team
Coaches’ Awards – Maddie Domnick & Meriel Smith

Boys’ Basketball – 6th
Coaches’ Awards – Alexander Lappin, Michael Louis, and Zach Neidoff
MVP – Wilson Stewart

Dance Team
Coach’s Award – Caroline Yancey
MIP – Emma Mayberry
MVP – Sophia Liporace

Boys’ Basketball – 7th
MIP – Aadi Patel
Offensive Award – Max Mogilevsky
Defensive Award – Brady Quinn

Boys’ Basketball – 8th
Coaches’ Awards – Matt Roundtree & Will DiMaio
Co-MVPs – James Key & Jack Savery

Girls’ Soccer
MVP – Eden Josza & Bryce Weisser
MIP – Sophia Smith
Coaches’ Awards – Maddie Domnick & Lexi Lower

MS Varsity Wrestling Participants
Colby German & Anthony Pace