On Monday, October 23rd, the Scheck Hillel Lions played against Katz Yeshiva in the championship game, coming out victorious in an 18 to 14 game. The Offensive MVP of the game was 12th-grader Nolan Senker, who had five catches for sixty yards and a touchdown. The Defensive MVP of the game was 12th-grader Joshua Wolf, who had the game-winning play.
I spoke to Head Coach TJ Johnson about the championship win. He took me through the changes that he made during half-time to allow the team to come back and win. Regarding the changes, he said, “The only changes I made were that I challenged the team. For the whole season, we had never been behind, so I challenged them. Everyone can play when they have the lead, but what can we do when we’re down at the bottom? I challenged their character and forced them to play together as a team.”
I also spoke with several players from the Lions who had their first-ever championship win. I talked to 11th-grade wide receiver Eitan Gallego about what allowed us to win our first championship. He said, “We had a lot of trust and confidence in one another and we were able to succeed due to our sheer will and determination.”
12th-grade safety Jeremy Schonfeld was asked about what stood out on defense: “Towards the end, I felt we were able to persevere through our injuries. Towards the end of the game, we were in a disadvantaged area and were giving up big plays, but we could counter with our splash plays and swung momentum on our side.”
12th-grade wide receiver and defensive back Matthew Zeer was asked about what stood out in his game on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Zeer claimed, “On defense, I felt I was able to see the plays before they happened and swarmed to the ball. On offense, I felt I was able to make some important catches in key situations.”
The 11th-grade corner and wide receiver spoke to me about how he was able to help the team while injured. The eleventh grade wide receiver said, “As a player who was injured and on the sidelines, I was able to see how my team was helping each other. During the game, I was able to take on a partial coaching role and help the team as best as possible. We were able to adapt to the adversity and situations that we were presented with.” Overall, the Lions prevailed over Katz Yeshiva by an 18-14 win. Go Lions!