After over a year of primarily remote learning, Upper School students returned to campus in large numbers and were primed for a dodgeball tournament that unified the community and allowed participants to release pent-up energy. 

In addition to a bracket featuring student teams, the tournament also included faculty games and a student “all-star” game. 

Out of the 22 student teams that signed up for the tournament, only two made it to the final round: Team Playoff Burks and Team DodgeBolBol. With star-studded talent across the board, it came as no surprise that Team DodgeBolBol—with an all-junior roster—cruised past the competition. Team Playoff Burks, however, was not a clear favorite heading into the tournament, but under the leadership of dodgeball prodigy and sophomore Harrison Brown, no team has been able to stop them. But with Brown rumored to be out for Tuesday’s match, the finals could go either way.

The best of nine series is only one element of the jam-packed finals event. Things will kick off with a performance by the student a capella group Rivertones, and then players on both sides will be announced one by one. Four games in, faculty will hit the courts to face the Physical Education department to play a game of their own. The fierce matchup between Team Playoff Burks and Team DodgeBolBol will continue until a winner emerges. The event will wrap up with a ceremony, with the winning team receiving a custom-made trophy with their names engraved.

With 120 students participating, the P.E. Department refereeing, and hundreds of observers spectating, organizing the second annual dodgeball tournament required a Google Calendar mastermind: enter junior and SFC grade representative Teymour Afkhami. Afkhami, who has been called “David Stern in khakis,” stepped up to the plate, working tirelessly to put together a massively successful event. 

Students have gathered at the hill overlooking the tennis courts—makeshift dodgeball courts—during almost every lunch period for weeks on end. Though the tournament comes to a close tomorrow, it has made a wonderful addition to the spring and will be considered a highlight of the year for all those who attended and participated. 

The Riverdale Review sat down for an exclusive interview with Afkhami to hear his thoughts about the tournament, and he announced the MVP of the tournament along with his finals prediction...