For the first time since 2019, Eastside’s ever-famous dodgeball event returned. The 26th dodgeball tournament took place on December 15, 2022 in the DiBart Gym. Fifteen teams made up of six to seven players competed to be crowned the “dodgeball champions.” 

As is the norm, each team came up with a creative team name. The team’s for fall dodgeball 2022 were as follows: Ball of Duty, Bromenando, Colin-izers, Daj Mabal, Goofy Goobers, Maya’s Mangos, Mo Alie-Cox, Snow Bunny Lovers, SP6, Speller Fan Club, Swole, Team Diversity, The Nooners, Titan Men, and Wheezy Academy. In the end, Speller Fan Club reigned supreme. 

The players that made up Speller Fan Club were Donny DiDonato (‘23), Peter Longo (‘23), Zach Chhabria (‘23), Will Reinert (‘23), Mike Schulke (‘24), Ethan Haddock (‘23), and Ethan Gwara (‘23). 

Gwara spoke on how they decided on their team name. He said, “Our team name was for our baseball coach, Jason Speller. Being the baseball team, we thought it was only right to include him.”

Speller Fan Club competed in multiple rounds of intense games before becoming champions. The fifteen teams were divided into three divisions (A, B, and C). Each division had ten games in which each team in that division played every other team in their division. For example, Speller Fan Club played four games in Division B. 

After the divisional rounds, the three teams with the best records in their division automatically advanced to the final round of four. The fourth spot in the final round of four was held by the team that won the wildcard round. The final four teams were Speller Fan Club, The Nooners, Daj Mabal, and Team Diversity.

Speller Fan Club came into the competition with a plan to ensure they would win. “Our plan was basically based on the fact that we’re the best athletes and we throw the hardest, catch the best, and have great chemistry,” Gwara said. 

Other teams also came up with game plans prior to the competition. Snow Bunny Lovers created a plan that included a specific formation.

“We had two outside players sprint for balls, and the other four stayed back ready
to catch. We played defensively for the first minute and aggressively for the final thirty seconds,” Snow Bunny Lovers captain Teddy Demurjian (‘24) said.

Similar to previous years, dodgeball plans to return in the spring. The teams from fall dodgeball will have another chance to compete for the title of dodgeball champion later this school year. Teams that did not participate in fall dodgeball will also have the chance to enter the heated competition. 

“We will absolutely return in the spring to defend our title,” Gwara said. “We absolutely loved playing in the dodgeball tournament and look forward to the spring!”

Teams were not the only ones who got into the dodgeball spirit. Spectators watched the intense games from the upper bleachers. 

“My favorite part of the dodgeball experience was getting to see some of my classmates giving their all on the court. It was nice to see them all working together as a team. I am really glad Eastside was able to bring back dodgeball and give us the experience that previous classes had,” spectator Eloise Kipnis (‘24) said.

Overall, East students had a “ball” at fall dodgeball. Eastside looks forward to planning the spring dodgeball competition. Stay tuned for more information later this year about spring dodgeball!