On Sept. 17, 2021, JFKMHS held their annual Fall Sports Awards, honoring student athletes and their accomplishments for the fall sports season. 

Staff and students were thrilled for the award ceremony to be in person as the last four sports awards were held virtually due to COVID-19. It took many safety precautions to make a successful season take off, but student athletes were eager to make it happen. Staff and students were unaware of how many games would potentially end up getting cancelled, or if the entire season would end short, however, athletes did not take a moment on the field or court for granted and ended up finishing their season strong.

Student athletes received their varsity letters and pins, and players that were notably recognized for their commitment, dedication and success on and off the field, earned one of four plaque awards chosen by their coach(es): MIP (Most Improved Player) award, Sportsmanship Award, MVP (Most Valuable Player) award and the Mustang Award.

Before each team came up to the stage, Mr. Rotella announced the following students who were selected to the All-Division Team: Sidney De Voogd (Girls Volleyball), Jessica Rohlfs (Girls Volleyball), Sarah Budzaku (Girls Volleyball), Chris Guallpa (Boys Soccer) and Katelyn Figueiredo (Girls Soccer). Additionally, Michelle Solano (Girls Soccer), Melany Gomez (Girls Volleyball), Luke Tolley (Boys Soccer) and Hamza Akhtar (Football) were selected to be the Fall 2021 GMC Athletes of the Season. Girls Tennis received the GMC White Sportsmanship Award, and Girls Volleyball were the 2021 White Division Champions.

Athletes that were presented one of the four plaque awards spoke on their experiences. 

Sara Budzaku (Girls Volleyball) – Most Improved Player 

When did you start playing volleyball and how have you progressed as a player from where you started to where you are now? 

I started playing volleyball in 8th grade and then freshman year. My brother played volleyball at JFK so he just kept teaching me, and from there on, I just kept getting better and better. 

What did it take for you to get better? How were you able to show that to your team and coach?

So how I got better was, I used to practice in Port Reading with a guys net so that would make me work harder, and then once that became easy to me, then I would do better on a girls net because obviously, it was shorter, so I feel like grinding on a men’s net made me do better on a girls net, which allowed me to play better.

What does this award mean to you and what advice would you give to an athlete that wants to get better at their sport? 

This award means a lot because I was actually very, very, very dedicated, so getting it I was actually very proud. Advice to an athlete, I would just say watch a bunch of videos on YouTube. Like, I think I would just watch videos every night and just learn a bunch of things, and when you… mentally do it in your head constantly, you begin to have muscle memory and then you’re able to do it in real life.

Miniyah Aristilde (Cheerleading) – Sportsmanship

What is most important about having good sportsmanship as an athlete? How does it help lead your team to success? 

I think having good sportsmanship means being positive, even if our team is losing, like still having good energy, making everybody happy around you, even if we’re sad about losing; being energetic basically. How it helps lead my team to success… I feel like when they’re all sad and I’m happy, it brings them up in a good way, like they’ll all get happy. I feel like we’re all in a good place mentally.

During hardships or setbacks during your season, what did you do to motivate both yourself and your teammates to persevere? 

So recently we went to GMC’s and we got last place. I was always like, ‘You guys got it next year, It’s okay!’.  All we needed was more energy, and yes, we needed some critiques, but I feel like as a team we did good if we did lose in last place.”

Did you expect to win this award, how were you feeling when you got it, and how is it important to you? 

I did not know I was winning that award at all! Everybody saw my reaction… I was mad happy I got it because I do have good sportsmanship when you think about it. I really am energetic, I stand up for people when they need, like when they’re bullied, and my energy I feel like is there, so yeah, I was really happy!

Kirushna Ranjan (Girls Cross Country) – Most Valuable Player

What was it like to medal first against all the schools in the county? How did you mentally and physically prepare yourself for each meet? 

Well, during a meet against Woodbridge and Colonia, it was… going in it was scary because they looked very, you know, tight. Especially Woodbridge because we never actually saw them practice, so it was hard to know if they were going to be good. I just went in and ran at a comfortable pace, like I would tell myself, ‘be comfortable, it doesn’t matter if you win or not.’ 

What qualities/strengths do you think you possess that helped lead to your achievements this season? 

Definitely, you know, having a good team, having a strong bond with the team, and just being happy and positive.

Olivia Horter (Marching Band) – Mustang Award 

How does it feel to get rewarded with the Mustang Award and what does it mean to you? 

To be rewarded with the Mustang Award, it feels really good. It feels really validating because it shows that the blood, sweat and tears that I put into my work as a musician, like, it all pays off. To me, it just means that it’s worth it to, you know, take pride in what you do, and to be a team player and to be passionate about your sport or your music or whatever it is. 

What is something you or your team accomplished this season that you’re most proud of? 

Something that my team accomplished this season would be having a strong sense of unity that wasn’t there in past seasons, but I feel like it was there this year. It just made everyone, I feel, stronger and work better together.

The Mustang Award goes to the player who epitomizes what it means to be a Mustang and a person who brings honor and pride to our school for their integrity and how they played the game. How do you think you represented that as a drum captain? 

As a drum captain, I think I represented that by always trying to bring my team together and making sure that even when we were working hard, we still had a good time and got things done.

The Fall Sports Awards concluded with a short slideshow of pictures from the season. Everybody cheered as photos of their captains, teammates, friends and coaches were shown. Athletes celebrated the end of their sports season, and for some, their last year as a Mustang. Congratulations to all varsity athletes for your accomplishments this season!