Ryan Cheung and Darwin Zhao help Jericho boys badminton clinch 57th consecutive win
Darwin Zhao of Jericho, left, and teammate Ryan Cheung celebrate their straight sets victory in fourth doubles over Plainview Old-Bethpage JFK to secure a 4-3 win for the Jayhawks in a Nassau boys badminton match at Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK Middle School on Friday. Credit: James Escher
As Jericho’s Ryan Cheung battled through his fourth doubles match with his partner Darwin Zhao, he noticed just how silent Plainview-Old Bethpage Middle School’s gym had become.
The Jericho boys badminton team was tied with Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK, and with all the other matches finished, fourth doubles became the deciding match.
The ambiance of cheers and squeaky shoes had been replaced with the whistling of a single shuttlecock and grunts of effort.
“I could hear as I walked around the floor the wood creaking, as I prepared to receive,” Cheung said. “The focus I could get was amazing, considering how many people were here.”
Minutes later the silence was broken by the sound of people jumping to their feet to applaud Jericho’s 57th consecutive win, as it defeated Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK, 4-3, on Friday in Nassau Conference I.
It was fitting that the match came down to Cheung and Zhao, who defeated Shreeyan Binu and Jonathan Thomas, 21-16, 21-13. After all, the two duos faced off in the Nassau title game last season where Binu and Thomas won the fourth doubles match.
“Every point I had to serve or wait for my partner to serve, I was just shaking constantly,” Cheung said. “It’s really hard to focus in, but at some point you just lock on into the game and everything else is drowned out.”
“I’m unbelievably proud of them,” Jericho coach Anthony LaRosa said. “They really fought, they’re seniors… Ryan and Darwin come to practice every day, work as hard as anyone on the team, and it showed today.”
Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK was only the third team to win three points against the Jayhawks’ since their winning streak began in 2021. All but two matches on Friday went three sets as Jericho improved 7-0 and Plainview-Old Bethpage fell to 5-1.
“It’s a great thing, as much as it may give me gray hairs,” LaRosa said. “They have to realize that schools are getting much better, badminton is growing on Long Island. Nail-biters like this prepare them for county [postseason] games.”
Aiden Chen and Justin Liu kept Jericho alive at first doubles, rallying from behind to win a crucial third point by defeating Alex Ross and Sunny Wu, 19-21, 21-18, 21-17. Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK won at first and second singles behind Michael Li and Raymond Li, with both forcing Jerry Zhang and Jerry Huang to constantly be on the move with cross-court shots.
“It just shows the depth Jericho has,” LaRosa said. “There’s endless talent that comes out, and the commitment and time they put in is truly amazing.”