Cardozo High School’s varsity girls handball team has made history once again, winning the New York City PSAL championships for girls handball. This is the fourth championship win for the girls handball team, under Coach Villa.
Their last game was on Friday, May 23, against Midwood High School. The two schools have faced each other every year in the finals since 2022. The championship match was postponed several times due to bad weather, furthering the tension between the rivalries.
This is the first time ever that girls handball has become a four-peat champion, or four consecutive championship winners in a row. The team shared that none of this would be possible without Coach Villa, who has motivated and inspired the team along the way every season.
Midwood has been Cardozo’s strongest competitor and vice versa. Although Midwood is in Brooklyn, they have come a long way to meet face to face on the courts of Bayside. Although competitors, Midwood and Cardozo’s athletes have a strong connection.
Each team member worked hard through the hours they put in this season. The handball team went 10-0 this season, without one loss. The starting lineup consisted of Jessica Ta, Hana Li, Sarah Shi, Winnie Shi, Jasmeen Kaur, Hana Wong, and Julianne Lee. Every athlete played an important role for the team, and despite some hardships, they were able to persevere in the end.
Handball is one of the sports that require silence during rallies and respect for the players, coaches, and referees. Each is a key part along with the skill involved.
“This win is special and I say this every year because of all the hard work every athlete put in,” Cardozo’s Coach Villa shared. “No team in PSAL works harder than we do”.
This can be seen through the relentless practicing that the team does. Every day after school, the team practices, and sometimes even on weekends.
Playing Midwood hit close to home, for some players, even though the opposing school is located a borough away. Jessica Ta, one of the starters on the team, shared that she plays against a good friend of hers.
“Angelina and I have a good friendship…even though we’re opponents, we always like seeing each other when we have the time to,” she explained. “We don’t get a lot of chances to meet but during the handball season, we see each other more often than not”.
Along with girls handball being finished on Friday, the boys championship was held along with them. The two schools, Aviation and Bryant, have met in the finals previously but Aviation took home the win. This time around, Bryant took the win, and the title home.
Along with the girls handball team taking the win this season, the boys varsity handball team also took home a major win against Aviation High School. The handball program at Cardozo has proven year after year as a serious and growing sports department.
The championship teams for both shared their moments with their team after their wins, celebrating all of their hard work finally paying off. Although it was an intense yet thrilling game for both teams, every player showcased a bond with each other, showing that a sport can really build a family on and off the court.
