Co-ed handball currently has a record of 3-1 after beating Whitman three times. They secured the win at the county championship on Oct. 24.
Co-ed handball is led by sophomore captains Sara Pinzon and Shayna Kreiser and head coach Steve McMahon. Handball started off their season with a 27-20 win over Whitman. McMahon was satisfied with the result and said, “We’ve continued to get better offensively and defensively.”
McMahon said that the team has improved through the season. “We have improved the most in communication amongst the team as well as being able to change and move in order to help while on the court,” McMahon said.
Team captains Kreiser and Pinzon have meaningful roles in the success of the team despite some of their initial weaknesses. “Of our 12 players only three had experience, so we were a young team, which can be a weakness. Our strength was the three returning players, Sara, Shayna, and Jai Mohale, who all play very important roles on our team.”
Kreiser usually plays on the outer crease. The role of her position is “to set screens,” Kreiser said.
She is a compassionate captain who focuses on building up her teammates. “As co-captain with Sara, I was able to create a really positive and fun environment for myself and my teammates,” Kreiser said.
At this level of handball, players have more freedom in how they play the game. “In handball, there are no specific roles at the level we play. We do have our main goal scorers and able defenders but we all work together to make it work. But the part that I thrive in would be on defense and helping my teammates score goals,” sophomore Daniel Song said.
Although he focuses on defense, Song finds enjoyment in other aspects of the game. “My favorite moment of this season would probably be when I made my first goal. Although defending is an important role, the rush of hitting a bounce shot past the goalie is incomparable,” Song said.
Song values the importance of a team working in harmony in order to achieve success. “I think the most important skill a handball athlete could have is team communication. It is very important to be able to communicate with teammates about open spaces to attack and defend,” Song said.
Handball is a less popular sport than other fall sports. Not every school in MCPS has enough players to even make a team. Due to this drought of players, this school’s handball team has only been able to play one other school. “Whitman is the only school that has another handball team,” Kreiser said.
Kreiser said that the most important quality for a handball player to possess is an open mind. “When people think of handball they think that it’s a really weird, uncool sport to participate in. And I myself think this as well. But honestly it’s a lot of fun,” Kreiser said.
