By Jarett Greben
There were two minutes left on the clock, and Griffin A. charged down the Rebels home field, deeking out player after player as he headed toward the goal. He knew it was his last chance to score for the 2011 season. He quickly reacted to the Herricks defense that was tightening in on him and chipped the ball to the back left corner of the net. The goal clinched the game and an undefeated season for South High’s Junior Varsity soccer team. They finished with an overall record of 14 wins, 0 loses, and 2 ties.
Griffin’s goal was the team’s seventy-fourth of the season, with the Rebels only giving up 10 goals to their Nassau County high school opponents. “Our strength was that we had depth at every position,” explained Coach David Bordi about the team’s success. “We had two great goalies and many different players who could score. We had an incredible defense and very fast and skillful midfielders.”
All in all, JV had a strong roster. Tenth grader Mario G. led the team with 13 regular season goals and 16 total. He was backed up by other highly skilled tenth-graders who have played for years together as part of Great Neck’s travel league: Brett A., Jordan S., Jack K., Jason H., Kevin R., Kelvin W., Griffin A., and Ariel S. Complementing their play were ninth graders Elias K., Brandon G., Andrew K., Sam S., Brett D., Robert A., Jarett G., Ethan V., Tyler N., Harrison D., Shane S., and Diego C.
One of the few true challenges the team faced this season was when they went up against Long Beach for the second time. Because of their easy previous victory, they thought they already had them beat before the opening whistle blew. The Rebels came out flat-footed, but managed to pick it up as the game proceeded, eking out a tie. “We were able to keep our composure throughout the entire season,” said Coach Bordi.  “The team had great chemistry, and that is what put us over the top.”