by George Angelidis, staff reporter
Since there is no athletic program at WJPS, athletes are allowed to tryout for the Francis Lewis athletic teams. There are numerous kids who have tried out and made either junior varsity or varsity for Francis Lewis. They play in the PSAL league, one of the most competitive leagues in allbaske of New York.
There is a wide variety of sports that our athletes play, such as baseball, softball, basketball, soccer and even track and field. Some athletes have even had the luxury of making varsity in their freshman year.
Freshman Tommy Mastoras made the varsity soccer team in his first year and played quite well throughout the season scoring two goals- he even had two assists.
“In the beginning it was quite hard, since I was one of the youngest on the team. I got used to it and before I knew it, I scored my first goal and from then on, everything went better,” Mastoras said.
Several other athletes also made it to varsity in their freshmen year, a pretty impressive accomplishment.
There is practice almost everyday after school, to which most kids either carpool or take the bus to their practice at Francis Lewis. There is at least one game a week, and sometimes it is a strain on the athletes. Most teams also take public transportation to their games and travel as one unit.
“It takes a lot of hard work and determination to be a part of a winning team. Sometimes you are going to get injured and struggle a little bit, but you just have to push through it and keep playing,” junior Nikitas Troumouhis said.
It is currently baseball/softball season for Francis Lewis athletics. The varsity baseball team is currently 5-3 and are in 4th place in the Queens A East division. Both the girls varsity and junior varsity softball teams are both 5-3 as well.
We have about 15 athletes participating in softball or baseball and get a solid amount of playing time, which is always a good thing. Supporting our athletes will greatly be appreciated.
