Another year has gone by, and it was a great year for sports.  The New Dealer is proud to recognize the Girls Softball team, as the Team of the Year! When I told Coach Papandrea that his team was the team of the year, he felt honored.  He could not be more proud of a team, especially with the group of girls he had this year. The year was not without its challenges, according to Coach Papandrea, “This year’s greatest challenge was dealing with adversity. We needed to keep our focus and concentration during tough games and for the most part we were able to overcome the obstacles we faced.” This year’s team was able to win a Division Title by showing up every day to compete. The hard work they put in all year paid off in the end. Coach Papandrea knows a team is only as good as their dedication, “Our pitcher, Giovana Rosado led us to victory in every game we played. I had a strong group of seniors, like Catlin Dejesus and Coralis Roman, that have played for me the past few seasons.  This year they really stepped it up. With the addition of Crystal Alvares, a freshmen catcher, and a solid season from sophomore Kiana Hernades, we were able to accomplish the Division Title and achieve the #4 seed in the PSAL playoffs.”

Coach Papandrea hopes to rebuild next year’s team, even though he will lose a lot of his seniors. He still has a few key players that will be returning, and he thinks that they will be competitive enough to win another Division Title. The Girls’ Softball team finished the year with 14 wins and 1 loss. Unfortunately, they fell short of their goal of winning and City Championship, but this was a special group of Lady Cougars who made us proud.  Congratulations to Coach Papandrea and all of the girls!