Gary Jiang, Jericho capture second straight Nassau Badminton title
Jericho's 3rd singles player Jiaqi Zhang gets rushed by teammates after win over South's Yang Wang during the Nassau High School boys badminton team final where Jericho defeated Great Neck South at Jericho High School in Jericho, New York on Nov. 2, 2018. Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
The Jericho boys badminton team is in a class of its own.
The Jayhawks defeated Great Neck South, 6-1, on Friday to win its second consecutive Nassau championship. They finish the season 18-0 and have now won eight county titles in the 12 years since badminton was introduced as a varsity sport in Nassau.
After a 7-0 victory over Calhoun in the semifinals, the host Jayhawks were just as advertised in the championship.
They picked up four points with a clean sweep at doubles, led by a straight set victory by Fahad Karim and Wesley Wang at first doubles. Anshul Vemuri and Suchir Misra were tested at fourth doubles, but ultimately persevered with a 21-19, 18-21, 21-9 win over Byron Liu and Peter Liu.
The top two players in the county matched up at first singles, with Jericho’s Gary Jiang defeating Ethan Wu, 18-21, 21-19, 21-13. Last week, Jiang defeated Wu in three sets to win the county singles title.
Both were well-earned victories.
“I had to fight hard for every point,” Jiang said. “Wu is a great opponent.”
The Rebels picked up their lone point at second singles; Ryan Wu defeated Tanish Tilak, 21-19, 21-14. In the final match of the day, Jiaqi Zhang defeated Yang Wang at third singles. Zhang hardly had time for a handshake before he was mobbed by his teammates.
As good as it feels to be a Jayhawk on Friday, for this team, it's like this every day.
“These kids never stop,” coach Mark Burkowsky said. “They don’t play for college, they’re here because they love to be here.”
“If I were to cancel a practice, they would be calling me asking why. If I have to end a practice early, they give me faces. They live for this stuff.”
The Jayhawks were a model for consistency all season, shutting out their opponent in all but four games — three matchups against Great Neck South, and one against Syosset on Oct. 17.
“We play the game like we know how to play it,” Burkowsky said. “And we don’t stop until it’s over.”
