Caleb Hopkins (285)

As we round out another year of sports, it’s time to take a moment and look back at what our spring athletes have accomplished this season. 

Starting off, the Boys Varsity Baseball team capped off their undefeated public league campaign with a dominant 6-1 win against Franklin Towne Charter in the championship. Led by Senior and Bucknell commit Tyler Seidman (284), who pitched five shutout innings while striking out nine on his way to earning the championship MVP, the Lancers defended their title for the second year in a row. The team did not let the cancellations or the rain slow them down, as Pitcher Manik Narula (285) still called the game and atmosphere “electric” despite the poor weather. With eight All-Public First and Second Team selections, multiple no-hitters, and big wins over Archbishop Wood, Father Judge, and a nationally ranked Malvern Prep, this title just adds on to the team’s incredibly successful season. This win also sends them to the District XII championship game where they will play for an opportunity to go to states.

Speaking of defended titles, the Boys Varsity Tennis team also defended their Public League title with a commanding 5-0 win over Masterman. This topped off their undefeated season and marked just the third time this decade that Central took home the title. First Doubles player and Junior Teo Lampson (285) called the strong final an “accurate representation of what this team is capable of” and despite the close loss to La Salle in the district tournament that ended the Lancers season as a team, he has high hopes for the future. But this loss was far from the end of the road for some, with Cooper (284) winning the District XII singles tournament and the duo of Sam (284) and Wyatt (286) winning the District XII doubles tournament, earning their spots at the PIAA Tennis Championships. There, they competed against the best players from around the state and represented not only our school, but also our city. 

The Boys Tennis Team was not the only racket sport to successfully defend their title however as the Girls Varsity Badminton team extended their streak of titles to four with a championship victory. Fueled by the six all public players, the team ended off the season strong despite early struggles against Palumbo, managing strong wins over George Washington and Masterman en route to the finals. There they toppled Northeast despite facing two of the best singles players in the league.