Written by S. Quinn DeJoy and J. Murrer

Sep. 10, 2014:  The Bronco fall season started last week with football, soccer, and field hockey games at Chambers Field, a cross country meet at Van Cortlandt Park, and girls' tennis matches at the village courts. The girls' swim team will open its season at the Sarah Lawrence pool on Friday. Below is a preview of all eight of the fall teams: boys' and girls' cross country, field hockey, football, boys' and girls' soccer, girls' swimming and diving, and girls' tennis.

Girls' Cross Country
Coach: Jim Mitchell

The girls' cross country team won its sixth consecutive state championship last year, but it graduated four from the 2013 state championship team. Returning to the varsity team this fall are co-captains Delia Hayes and Hilary Rizzo and sophomore Kaitlin Ryan. Also looking to contribute to the team this year are freshman Olivia Scotti and junior Carlie Hoffer, both new to the team this year, sophomore Lindsay Nobles, juniors Nicola Phillips and Saige Sunier, and eighth grader Gigi Chrappa. With 32 girls on the roster, there are many others who could be running in the top seven as well.

With such a large roster, the Bronxville girls' team should have very strong varsity, junior varsity, and freshmen teams and will be highly competitive at the Westchester County Championships. The state meet is at SUNY Canton in the beginning of November. The Bronco girls have won twelve cross country state championships, but there will be some very strong competition this year from East Aurora and Greenwich.

Boys' Cross Country
Coach: Jim Agnello

Bronxville had a strong showing at the sectional championships last fall, finishing in second place and losing to Pleasantville by just two points. Of the seven runners competing for Bronxville in last year's sectional race, only three are returning this year: captain Sean Ryan, a junior, eighth grader Alex Rizzo, and sophomore Joe Dougherty. Ryan and Rizzo had a strong 2013 season, finishing 12th and 13th, respectively, at sectionals. New to the team this season is Hiroshi Kawajatsu, who is returning to The Bronxville School after living in Japan for several years. He will be a welcome addition to the squad.

Class C will be very competitive this fall, perhaps the most in many years. Pleasantville and Briarcliff should offer some fierce competition for the boys. The first big meet will be the Section 1 Coaches Invitational to be held on October 18 in Wappingers Falls.

Field Hockey
Coach: Jacquelyn Frawley

Last year, the field hockey team had a strong season, finishing with a 10-5-2 record. The team made it to the semifinals of the sectional tournament before suffering a 1-0 loss to Pawling. With nine retuning players and ten new members of the team, the Broncos hope to go further this year.

Senior captains Caroline Cahaney, Charlotte Reynolds, Chase Judkins, and Peyton Elder helped get the team off to a 3-0 start with wins against Pleasantville, Rye Neck, and Valhalla. The starting lineup includes forwards Lilly Grass, Briana Alberghine, and Caroline DePaul, midfielders Reynolds, Ellie Walsh, and Sophie Kohlhoff, defensive players Leila Ahmad, Brennan O'Toole, Elder, and Judkins, and goalie Cahaney. Coach Jacquelyn Frawley returns this season from maternity leave and is assisted by last year's coach, Cassie Sullivan.

The Broncos play away today against Briarcliff but return tomorrow with a home game against Edgemont.

Football
Jeff Napolitano

In 2013, the Broncos finished the season 6-1 and made it to the sectional semifinals before losing to a strong Rye Neck team. It looks as if Bronxville, Rye Neck, Woodlands, and Dobbs will be vying for the section title again this year. The Broncos opened the season with a 38-14 win over visiting Blind Brook. See this week's article for game details.

The Bronco team has 29 on the roster and is led by co-captains Charlie Tarry, Preston Klimley, and Luke Geiling. On the offensive side of the ball, the Broncos have several key players, including Graham Klimley at quarterback, Tarry at wide receiver, and Brendan Carty, Rob Westerfield, Nick Sutherland, and Anthony Napolitano at running back. The Bronco defense is headed up by Geiling, Ted Meyers, and Steven Ircha on the line and Westerfield, Andrew Lemberger, Zach Shively, and Sam Connors at linebacker. In Saturday's game against Blind Brook, the Bronco defense was unstoppable with Connors, Ircha, Carty, and Geiling combining for ten QB sacks.

The Broncos will face long-term rival Dobbs Ferry at Dobbs on Saturday at 2:00 pm.

Boys' Soccer
Coach: Donny Lucas

Last fall, the boys' soccer team finished the season 12-3-1 and made it all the way to the sectional finals. This year's team is bigger than ever, with 27 on the roster, including 14 seniors. The top six returning players include senior captains Michael Crawford and Guy McKhann, along with senior Matt McCloskey, juniors Sam Aherne and Joe Pepe, and sophomore Matthew Toal. Three new key players to watch are freshmen Alston Tarry, Mac Crawford, and James Burnell.

This season's schedule is loaded with many difficult opponents, including Class B favorites Valhalla, Edgemont, and Blind Brook. The team opened the season with one tie and one loss but secured its first win this past weekend with a 6-0 romp over Tuckahoe, giving Coach Donny Lucas his 200th career win. The team will play away on Thursday against Sleepy Hollow and will play in a tournament with Eastchester and Tuckahoe this coming weekend.

Girls' Soccer
Coach: Don Cupertino

Girls' soccer is alive and well in Bronxville, with 51 girls attending preseason practice. Bronco girls' soccer has been a powerhouse in Class B, having won the sectional final for the last four years. Returning key players are captains Charlie Warble, the Bronco keeper, and Killian Donohue, a midfielder. Other players who should have a big impact are forwards Caitlin Fryer and Lucy Kohlhoff, midfielder Mason Warble, and defenders Taylor Sears and Lucy Whitney. Beth Finley will be a key new starter this year, along with Charlotte Schmuck.

The Broncos opened the season with a 2-0 win over Hastings and will play neighboring Eastchester on Saturday evening at 6:00 pm.

Girls' Swimming: Bronxville/Tuckahoe
Coach: Dom Galimi

The girls' swim team will face Sleepy Hollow/Hastings/Edgemont on Friday, September 12, in its first meet of the season. It will be a home meet held at the Sarah Lawrence pool. The team lost three key seniors but return top swimmers Georgia Lazaroni and Nicole Veru, both sophomores who received All-League recognition last year. Other swimmers to watch include junior Maggie O'Reilly and eighth grader Alisa Fominykh, also All-League recipients in 2013. Diver Vivian Mroz won All-Section and All-League last season and should be poised to have a great senior season.

Girls' Tennis
Coach: Ted Garber

The girls' tennis team is in a new league this year and is well positioned to contend for the league title. The Broncos' biggest competition this fall will likely be Edgemont, Rye Neck, and Keio.

Chrissy Simon will lead the Broncos this season as the top singles player and the team captain. Last year Simon placed fourth in the Section 1 singles tournament, just missing a spot at the state championships. Simon returns for her senior season and hopes to make it to states this year. Junior Caroline Schetlick and sophomore Lucy Hanrahan will play second and third singles for the Broncos.

The tennis team has three strong doubles teams. Freshman Ava Austi and seventh grader Eva Dani will play first doubles, junior Juliet Timmins and eighth grader Lindsey Cruikshank will play second doubles, and seniors Krissy Marrinan and Isabelle Shinsato are likely to play in the third doubles spot. Sophomore Christina Brumbaugh, one of the top players from last year, will have to miss a majority of the season due to injury. Brumbaugh hopes to be back later in the season.

The Broncos defeated Pleasantville 6-1 in the first match of the season. They will play on Thursday at Blind Brook High School at 4:15 pm.

Go Broncos. 

Pictured here (rotating): The Bronxville football team defeated Blind Brook 38-14; the Bronxville soccer team defeated Tuckahoe 6-0.

Photos by S. Quinn DeJoy