Stuyvesant’s boys’ handball team, the Dragons, beat the Graphic Communication Arts Devils on Wednesday, April 18. The Dragons’ utter domination of 5-0 strongly contrasted with the amicable atmosphere, with athletes from both teams chatting and rallying before each match.

In the first singles match, senior Calvin Chong took the lead and never looked back, winning the match 21-2. The second singles match was a different story as the closest game of the afternoon. Senior Richard Hsu and his opponent went head-to-head, continuing to return each other’s points, tying the match at 12-12.  At this point, Hsu took over, continuing to score unreturned points and recorded a decisive victory in the end, 21-13.

The third singles match was just as lopsided as the first: senior and co-captain Eric Han won 21-3 and recorded 15 aces. Senior Kevin Sheng and junior John Hu, first doubles, defeated their opponents easily by 14 points, 21-7, and second doubles, juniors Alexander Bu and Cody Tong closed their match with a 21-5 victory.

The statisticsdemonstrate that this match was not necessarily the most challenging of the year, but it was beneficial all the same. “It was just another chance for the guys to get experience playing with each other and honing their skills,” coach Robert Sandler said.

The Dragons have seen many changes this year, all of which seem to be working out for the better. This is Sandler’s first year on the job, but the team’s 7-1 record certainly says that he is fitting in well. Hsu and Bu have also made transitions this year, both moving into bigger roles on the team: Hsu transferred from first doubles to second singles, and Bu from the bench to second doubles, two changes which proved influential in this game.

The team has taken these changes in stride, however, and they are as confident as ever. As they look forward to playoffs at the top of the Manhattan II division, the Dragons have only one thing in mind. “The only goal we have is to take the Championship this year,” Han said. And as this season has so far proven, that goal is certainly a tangible one.