David vs. Goliath. Collegiate vs. Fieldston. Three times this season the teams played, and three times Fieldston came away victorious. The Eagles needed a fourth win to claim the state championship and it was a fourth win they got, dominantly defeating the Collegiate Dutchmen, 54-32, to win the C-division NYSAIS State Championship.
Even though Fieldston hosted the game, Collegiate bussed in fans and parents to pack their side of the stadium, making the stands feel a little more neutral than expected. Clad in all-black, the Collegiate student section roared during warm-ups. They lacked sopranos. Fieldston’s section, mostly led by parents, filled up after spring sports tryouts ended. Several Fieldston faculty made celebrity appearances: notably, Gia Moreno, Rob Greenwald, Mila Martynovsky and Leslie Spalding.
Before the game, Coach Dwinell’s message to the team was clear: stay composed and relaxed. “Beating a team four times is very hard,” said Dwinell. “We took care of them easily the first three times, but we knew they were ready today.”
Fieldston won the opening tip off, with six-foot-seven center Captain Deven Chitkara (Form VI) staking his claim early. From there, Gavin Wright (Form VI) scored his first basket of many only five seconds in. Despite the quick first basket, Fieldston slowed, letting the early jitters get to them. Collegiate, feeding from their relentlessly raucous crowd, came out quick and smart, surprising Fieldston with their confidence. However, after a key defensive stop resulting in a shot-clock violation, Fieldston found their footing. The first quarter buzzer sounded with the score all tied up: 11-11.
The game remained close early in the second quarter. The teams traded points, shots from behind the arc and defensive stops. Notably, Collegiate racked up three charge calls – huge defensive and momentum-swinging plays. Fieldston had all the size and strength, but Collegiate had all the aggression, grabbing almost every rebound. With a minute left in the half, the score remained tied at 18-18. Needing a lead, Fieldston set a play leaving Ellis Lynch-Kahn (Form V) open in the corner. His three-pointer? All net. Looking to tie before halftime, Collegiate brought the ball down the court until Fieldston quickly swiped it away. With ten seconds left, Wright calmly, but quickly, took the ball across half-court. Helped by a screen, he pulled up with a mid-range shot. The buzzer rang. It splashed through the net. The crowd erupted. Fieldston 23 – Collegiate 18 at the half.
When the teams came out in the third quarter, both fan bases were alive and making themselves vocally known. They greeted their players with cheers, foot-stomps and pom-poms. The Fieldston Eagles greeted their fans right back, coming out with high energy and a need to enforce their height and strength advantage. However, Collegiate stayed quick and the score remained close. The student sections traded “Score-board! Score-board!” chants at every lead change. Just when a late Collegiate surge seemed possible, a pair of threes from Lynch-Kahn and Wright helped Fieldston build a comfortable lead, going into the 4th quarter up by 12.
The fourth quarter was the Gavin Wright show; his shooting and crafty dribbling were on point and his teammates fed off of his aggression. After the lead grew to 15, the Fieldston crowd began to chant, “Start the buses! Start the buses!” They were met with near silence from the broken Collegiate crowd. Fieldston kept their dogged determination and racked up nine points in the last two minutes. The buzzer rang. Final score: Fieldston 54 – Collegiate 32There was a human dogpile on the floor, players flying everywhere, parents crying, students cheering and in the middle of it all was the Fieldston team – state champions.
After the award ceremony and a post-game talk from Coach Dwinell, Fieldston poured out of the locker room, hard-fought sweat and emotion all over their faces. For seniors, Captain Deven Chitkara, Charlie Gelernt, Isaiah Fletcher, Captain Max Frei, Henry Kaiden, Devin Schlachter, Justin Ampofo and Captain Gavin Wright, it was the last game as part of Fieldston and Dwinell’s program. For Wright, it meant the world to go out on top. “It’s sad because I love all these guys and I won’t get to play with them anymore,” said Wright. “But I’m ecstatic we got to go out on a win like this.” He admitted it hadn’t hit him yet: “I think later I might shed a tear or two, but right now I’m in shock.” Coach Dwinell came out of the locker room with tears already in his eyes. When asked about his emotions he said, “I just love my guys.” He glanced at his team, already enjoying their victory pizza and cookies, with a proud smile. “We work so hard and we do all the things that make a champion. It’s so important to put the effort in and have them see the reward. It’s all about them. I’m so proud.”
