News & Events
At 62-5, They're Still 1-2-3
Josh Rosenblat '08 had never played squash before arriving at Mercersburg three and a half years ago. In fact, he had never seen the game played in his native Hamburg, Germany, though the sport does enjoy a fair degree of popularity there. He was impressed by the pristine courts at the Davenport Squash Center and intrigued by the game itself, so he borrowed on his years of tennis training and gave the game a shot.
Despite breaking an ankle that first year at Mercersburg, Rosenblat (above, right) did earn a varsity letter in squash. He continued playing each winter and now, near the end of his Mercersburg squash career, he is the team’s #2 ranked player. He is 21–2 on the season after winning both of his matches at the Mid-Atlantic Prep League Championship, which Mercersburg hosted February 16.
Both Valentin Quan Miranda ’08 (above, left) and Clayton Young ’08 (center), the team’s #1 and #3 players respectively, describe Josh as a player who can run forever. “Josh likes running and that’s really his strategy on the court. He likes to elongate rallies to tire his opponent. He plays safe and avoids hitting tins [the ‘out-of bounds’ tin board at the base of the front wall]. If he can take a match into the fourth or fifth game of the best-of-five, his chances are great.”
Quan Miranda came to Mercersburg last year from San Salvador and has held the top step on the squash ladder ever since. Squash is not a popular game in El Salvador--but Valentin has been playing for seven years. His father introduced him to squash, and soon Valentin was working three times per week with a squash trainer at the Maya Country Club. He also played two hours each day with El Salvador’s junior national team, where he worked his way to the top spot before coming to Mercersburg. Quan Miranda also won both of his matches at the MAPL Championship, moving his record to a perfect 21–0.
Valentin’s style is basically the opposite of Rosenblat. Whereas Josh runs, Valentin likes to control the ‘T,’ the critical back-center area of the court, where the half-court line meets the ‘short line.’ Controlling the ‘T,’ though, requires exceptional shooting skill. Young and Rosenblat noted that “Valentin likes to remain stable and make his opponent do most of the running. He can do that because he’s so good at hitting the right shots.”
When asked what he liked most about squash, Valentin became somewhat philosophical. “A professional player once said that squash is like chess at 100 miles per hour. Squash is a game that requires fitness, technique, agility, intelligence and, maybe most importantly, mental control.”
Young, a Chicago native, has only been playing squash for a couple of years. He grew up wrestling and boxing, and squash is Young’s first non-contact sport, though Young does employ a more ‘physical’ style. “He’s like a bull inside the court,” joke Quan Miranda and Rosenblat. “His style of play is ‘intense.’ It’s more of a ‘power play.’ Clay has been known to simply run through players at times, and it’s surprisingly effective!”
As a senior at his Chicago-area high school, Clayton began playing squash with his father. After school, he would jump on the ‘L’ and head to the Lake Shore Athletic Club. He quickly developed a passion for the game and began working with a squash pro on a regular basis. This is Clayton’s first year of real team competition, which makes his No. 3 ranking on the team all the more impressive. As with Quan Miranda and Rosenblat, Young also won both matches on Saturday, boosting his season record to 20–3.
All three players have cherished their time on the school’s top-notch courts. “These are the best courts we have ever seen, certainly at the high school level,” they note. “The lighting, the quality of the courts and the fact that there are ten courts... it’s great.”
Though the men’s squash team came close, it did not win the MAPL championship, and that is the most important statistic of all. But on an individual level, all three players had another great weekend, going 6–0 against their respective opponents.
All three plan to play at the college level. Valentin will be joining Middlebury’s team next year, while Clayton looks to compete at the Naval Academy and Josh is still waiting to hear from his colleges. Before their college careers begin, however, these three teammates and friends hope to spend one extra week this spring playing the game they have come to love. For their senior project at the end of the school year, they hope to work with inner-city kids in either New York City or Chicago as part of urban enrichment programs that combine squash and academic tutoring.
--story by Phil Kantaros; action photos by Renee Hicks
Josh Rosenblat '08 had never played squash before arriving at Mercersburg three and a half years ago. In fact, he had never seen the game played in his native Hamburg, Germany, though the sport does enjoy a fair degree of popularity there. He was impressed by the pristine courts at the Davenport Squash Center and intrigued by the game itself, so he borrowed on his years of tennis training and gave the game a shot.Despite breaking an ankle that first year at Mercersburg, Rosenblat (above, right) did earn a varsity letter in squash. He continued playing each winter and now, near the end of his Mercersburg squash career, he is the team’s #2 ranked player. He is 21–2 on the season after winning both of his matches at the Mid-Atlantic Prep League Championship, which Mercersburg hosted February 16.
Both Valentin Quan Miranda ’08 (above, left) and Clayton Young ’08 (center), the team’s #1 and #3 players respectively, describe Josh as a player who can run forever. “Josh likes running and that’s really his strategy on the court. He likes to elongate rallies to tire his opponent. He plays safe and avoids hitting tins [the ‘out-of bounds’ tin board at the base of the front wall]. If he can take a match into the fourth or fifth game of the best-of-five, his chances are great.”
Quan Miranda came to Mercersburg last year from San Salvador and has held the top step on the squash ladder ever since. Squash is not a popular game in El Salvador--but Valentin has been playing for seven years. His father introduced him to squash, and soon Valentin was working three times per week with a squash trainer at the Maya Country Club. He also played two hours each day with El Salvador’s junior national team, where he worked his way to the top spot before coming to Mercersburg. Quan Miranda also won both of his matches at the MAPL Championship, moving his record to a perfect 21–0. Valentin’s style is basically the opposite of Rosenblat. Whereas Josh runs, Valentin likes to control the ‘T,’ the critical back-center area of the court, where the half-court line meets the ‘short line.’ Controlling the ‘T,’ though, requires exceptional shooting skill. Young and Rosenblat noted that “Valentin likes to remain stable and make his opponent do most of the running. He can do that because he’s so good at hitting the right shots.”
When asked what he liked most about squash, Valentin became somewhat philosophical. “A professional player once said that squash is like chess at 100 miles per hour. Squash is a game that requires fitness, technique, agility, intelligence and, maybe most importantly, mental control.”
Young, a Chicago native, has only been playing squash for a couple of years. He grew up wrestling and boxing, and squash is Young’s first non-contact sport, though Young does employ a more ‘physical’ style. “He’s like a bull inside the court,” joke Quan Miranda and Rosenblat. “His style of play is ‘intense.’ It’s more of a ‘power play.’ Clay has been known to simply run through players at times, and it’s surprisingly effective!”
As a senior at his Chicago-area high school, Clayton began playing squash with his father. After school, he would jump on the ‘L’ and head to the Lake Shore Athletic Club. He quickly developed a passion for the game and began working with a squash pro on a regular basis. This is Clayton’s first year of real team competition, which makes his No. 3 ranking on the team all the more impressive. As with Quan Miranda and Rosenblat, Young also won both matches on Saturday, boosting his season record to 20–3. All three players have cherished their time on the school’s top-notch courts. “These are the best courts we have ever seen, certainly at the high school level,” they note. “The lighting, the quality of the courts and the fact that there are ten courts... it’s great.”
Though the men’s squash team came close, it did not win the MAPL championship, and that is the most important statistic of all. But on an individual level, all three players had another great weekend, going 6–0 against their respective opponents.
All three plan to play at the college level. Valentin will be joining Middlebury’s team next year, while Clayton looks to compete at the Naval Academy and Josh is still waiting to hear from his colleges. Before their college careers begin, however, these three teammates and friends hope to spend one extra week this spring playing the game they have come to love. For their senior project at the end of the school year, they hope to work with inner-city kids in either New York City or Chicago as part of urban enrichment programs that combine squash and academic tutoring.
--story by Phil Kantaros; action photos by Renee Hicks
