2020 Handball Rankings Week 1

Welcome to the 2020 Handball Power Rankings.! We will update these each week so make sure to get your forms in and sign-up soon to see where you rank! 

1. Lads of OP: This junior team looks the strongest out of the first 10 teams and will be hard to beat. Johnny Botros and Mr. Gaertner are going to be two players to watch during their extended run in the tournament. Mr. Gaertner claims that he can run 7 miles at a 6-minute pace. If he really is that athletic and can bring that speed and athleticism to the court, this team will be unbeatable. The one place where this team may need some support is goalie, but they look very strong overall.

2. Copy and Paste: This is the only senior team in the tournament so far. Led by Andrew Stauffer, Sudyut Sinha, and Jack Sula, this team definitely has a shot at making it far in the tournament. If Jack’s TikTok ability can translate to the handball court, he could really turn some heads. The only thing standing in their way is themselves. The team does not have seven players, so they may need to find one more person to put their team over the top.

3. The Lads 2.0: The Lads are arguably the most dangerous team in the tournament. They came in second last year and only lost to an all-senior team. With a baseball stacked team including Jack Greco, Liam (Hendy) Henderson, Jay Chacon, & Logan Drone, the opposing goalies should be afraid. I expect to see a lot of fastballs out there. Let’s hope for their sake that the poor hand-eye coordination of Jacob Cordeiro, the goalie, does not translate to the court, or they could be in for an early-round exit.

4. Playing of Padre: Not much is known about this seventh-grade team, but with the Padre on their side, they could make a name for themselves in the tournament this year. Hopefully, Aidan O’Dowd can channel some of his older brother’s baseball strength and carry his team to a victory. This team has been put in a position to be the most surprising team of the tournament and prove the critics wrong. Some people may be surprised by such a high ranking, but past tournaments have proven that the unknown teams can be the most dangerous, and these younger teams can make a Cinderella run deep into the tournament.

5. Free Scott: With a mix of sophomores and juniors, this team is definitely a top-five team in the tournament. Expect the Moran twins to cause some problems with lockdown defense. Matt Deangelis has a solid arm as a baseball player, and we hope his collar bone is fully recovered. Tom Lamonte can be the X-factor for this team and can really lay the hammer down on his opponents. This hockey turned handball team may be lacking in the offensive ability but could still make it very far.

6. Benthos: In honor of Mrs. Pasnik’s Envi Sci class, this is an all junior team made up of people from the class who also participate in a variety of sports. They have height with varsity basketball player Lucas (Greek Freak), speed and goalie skills from soccer player Seb, and offensive power from baseball players Patrick Milton and Matthew Kupetz which makes this team well-rounded. Their goalie has proven his worth in gym class but has not shown up in the big stages yet. Maybe a little more practice in the gym and a little less time on the slopes could benefit this team tremendously in the future.

7. Strictly Slimes: This team is composed of a lot of little brothers who are looking to step out of their older brothers’ shadows. Three of the older brothers played varsity soccer at one point, two players on varsity basketball, and one is on varsity hockey. They are probably the best freshman team so far and  – with varsity basketball player Mike Pirone – they have the ability to beat some older, more experienced competition.

8. Sorry Karen: Freshman only teams tend not to go far in the tournament but this team could surprise some unsuspecting opponents. With Blane Chestnut and little Pavlounis as the players to watch, I think this team will go further than expected. If soccer superstar Joe Catalano can find a way to kick the ball into the net on a consistent basis, this team might have a chance to do great things.

9. Calvin is Beautiful: In most cases, sophomore teams underperform and do not meet their expectations, but this team could be different. Led by sophomore basketball players Enzo Canali and Gary Saitta – if he locks it up – this team can make any game a close game. If the need arises, T.J. McCarthy could step up and be a game-changer by utilizing his extraordinary mock trial skills to persuade the referee.

10. Arnav 6.0: The sixth version of team Arnav has plenty of experience in both the handball and dodgeball tournament. However, they are still a young team made entirely of sophomores. Their experience paired with their spryness will make them an effective sophomore team. However, they will have some work to do and something to prove. We should expect them to do well, but it is not their year to win it all. With all of the baseball and hockey talent on their roster, they will have high expectations in the future as juniors and seniors.