School Spirit Fills the Hilltop at the Annual HPA Fall Sting

With students of all grades and ages packed along the South Turf fence, Varsity Field Hockey opened the Fall Sting with a bang. The 4 p.m. game started off strong for the Hornets with a powerful shot from junior Kayce Park. From then, the talented team didn’t look back with another goal from Park and the closing blow from senior captain Lulu Bednar to finish the day with a 3-1 win over Riverdale.

As cheers echoed from down below on the South Turf, Girls’ Varsity Soccer prepared to make a statement on Pickert Field. Only six minutes into the game, an intercepted pass from sophomore Gabriella Petriello led to a perfectly weighted assist to junior Brooke Koffler. With only three minutes left in the first half, freshman Gemma Lasky lobbed a pass over the defense to Petriello to seal the game for the Hornets. A well-needed victory for the team as they get their first league win 2-1 over Riverdale. 

Down at the tennis courts, Hackley suffered a close loss to Riverdale with a score of 3-2. However, two big wins show great promise for the team. Linnéa Boettner ’26 came out on top with a big win in her singles match. Remi Myers ’24 and Riya Monday ’27 also swiftly defeated their opponents to secure a doubles win. The team is using the Sting as a learning experience in their next match against Horace Mann.   

Down on the North Turf, surrounded on both sides by the beautiful Hackley Trails, the Boys’ Varsity Soccer team was locked in an intense contest against Riverdale. As the teams were about to enter halftime all tied up, senior captain Ber Bennett launched a left-footed shot in the back of the net to give Hackley the lead. However, that lead wouldn’t last long, as 10 minutes into the second half, Riverdale scored off a header. Only a couple minutes later, Riverdale capitalized on their momentum and scored again. The scrappy Hornets fought tooth and nail to the end, but to no avail. When the final whistle sounded, Riverdale had edged out a 2-1 victory over the reigning NYSAIS Champions. 

School spirit wouldn’t be deterred as hundreds of students sprinted from Saperstein Arch up to Pickert Field to cheer on the Varsity Football team facing off against Montclair Kimberley Academy (MKA). Illuminated by the bright lights, the team didn’t shy away from the main stage. The Hackley defense made MKA work for every single yard. Early in the first quarter, senior linebacker Conor Ranawat recovered a blocked punt that had the packed crowd shaking the bleachers. After a forced fumble by junior Lucas Vitale and senior Conner Kelly, captain Matt Kearns ’24 led the Hornets into the red zone. With stellar blocking from the offensive line, led by captain Jack Yalmokas ’24, Kearns snuck into the endzone as the home crowd's cheers echoed loudly into the night sky. Kearns quickly followed this up with a successful two-point conversion attempt as he ran in untouched.

One of the stars of the night was senior Ike Shaw who caught two interceptions, as well as multiple tackles and catches on the offensive end. Captain Jake Wade ’24 commanded the offense at quarterback with a mix of short checkdowns and long passes. With MKA down 8 to 6 and attempting a two-point conversion, senior Sami Khatib made the game-saving tackle to keep Hackley in the lead. As the clock struck zero, the scoreboard proclaimed Hackley the winner by a score of 8 to 6. A great win to cap off an amazing day for athletics on the Hilltop.