Boys Varsity Squash: Season Outlook

St. Luke’s boys squash Coach Brian Mathias is extremely excited for the upcoming season and expects his players to compete at a high level this year. 

Mathias has been impressed with the team and can’t wait to see what his players will produce: “Preseason was great. We had a record turnout for tryouts. We also had a few kids who were hitting after school in the fall, so that was good, too. We have a great group of players again this year, and I’m eager to watch their progress.”

There is a new look to the lineup this winter, as two new additions to the team will play at the number one and two positions. Toby Bloch ’23 will play the number one position for the Storm, and Stewart Upson ’26, a freshman new to St. Luke’s, will start in the number two spot. Mathias believes both players will have a huge impact on the team: “Toby has been playing individual tournaments at a really high level. He's setting a high bar and bumping up the team’s level of play, especially in terms of the competition we can handle. Stewart has put a lot of work into his squash game during the last few years and trains year-round. He has great character and explosive energy, which other players feed off. He is a wonderful addition to the team.”

The squad is captained again by Kaan Savasoglu ’23 and Peter Cioffi ’23, who Mathias knows will continue to do an outstanding job: “Kaan and Peter are returning captains who know what I expect of them, including to set the tone and establish a high level of commitment and enthusiasm. They will be the number three and four this season, and I think they enjoy having more competition at the top of the ladder. It's benefiting their squash and is exciting.”

Mathias believes the chemistry among the squad is very good and the players will push each other to train harder: “There's a lot of good banter among the 10 guys, and everyone feels like they have a place. The new players have done a good job integrating with the team. The entire squad wants to compete at a higher level, and I want them to be really invested in the training in order to maximize what we can accomplish.”

The Storm opened up the season with wins over King School, Canterbury School, and Rye High School, moving to 3-0. However, the players know they will face some challenges when they return from winter break: “We have had a great start, but we know our first match after the break against Greens Farms Academy will be a tough test. GFA, Brunswick, and Rye Country Day School are all strong competitors and have a lot of depth. We are definitely the underdogs in those matchups, but we will give it our best shot.”

St. Luke’s hosts Greens Farms Academy on Wednesday, Jan. 4, and Greenwich Country Day School on Friday, Jan. 6.