E n guarde and showing their sabre finesse, the varsity girls’ fencing team triumphed over the Urban Blues, winning 7–2, on March 16 at Lowell. Meanwhile the boys division came down with a case of “the blues,” suffering their first loss of the season in a close 5–4 match.
Going into the one-on-one bouts, the expectation for the boys was to continue their undefeated season. Knowing the Blues to have an extremely experienced fencer on their team, head coach Scott Cunningham brought his best team members to the match. “I knew [Urban] had a very experienced guy on their roster, so I had a strong feeling he would come to [our match] because we were the champions from last year,” Cunningham said.
The boys started off strong, with senior Ben Hadler winning the first bout 5–1. However, by the fifth bout, the Cardinals began to lose their momentum. Unable to block the Blues’ fast lunges and thrusts, the boys lost three consecutive bouts. By the eighth bout, Hadler was able to successfully break the slump, winning 5–1, and tying the Cardinals with the Blues 4–4 for the final bout.
With the Blues and Cardinals tied, the pressure was on for the boys’ last bout. Using quick, strong lunges to secure each touch, junior Kerry Lu matched the Blues point for point. With only a short amount of time left on the clock, the bout was tied 4–4 and Cunningham reminded Lu to “relax and focus.” Ultimately, Lu was unable to maintain the Cardinals’ undefeated season. They lost the match to the Blues 5–4.
After watching the boys in their match against Urban, it was the girls’ turn to face the Blues. The girls started out on the wrong foot, losing the opening bout, 3–5. However, the Cardinals soon regained their balance. With sophomore Jordyn Kosai winning the second bout 5–1, and the fourth bout 5–0, she set the stage for a Cardinal victory. The girls continued to dominate the match, winning all but one of their ensuing bouts. They left the match with a final score of 7–2.
The Cardinals will take on the Academy Wolves at 3:30 p.m. on April 3 at Academy.
