Golnick Pediatric Dental Associates "We are the Pediatricians of Dentistry" Jewish members of the Roeper boys soccer team: Ben Goldberg, Ben Katzman, Adam Alpert, Noah Gilman and Adam Kochanowski. A 1st For Roerw Steve Stein Contributing Writer H istory was made this fall at Roeper School in Bloomfield Hills. For the first time in the school's 75-year history, a team won a Michigan High School Athletic Association state cham- pionship. The boys soccer team — with five Jewish players on the roster — made the breakthrough. It came in a 4-2 victory over Grand Rapids Covenant Christian on Nov. 1 in the Division 4 state championship game at East Kentwood. While the victory was exhilarating for Roeper, it was excruciating for Covenant Christian, which has now played in three consecutive Division 4 state title games and lost them all. Roeper finished 23-1, losing only an early-season 7-6 game to Grosse Pointe University Liggett. The Roughriders avenged the loss in a regional championship game, beating Liggett 3-1 in overtime. It was one of Roeper's seven post-season wins. Like all of Roeper's teams, nobody is cut from the boys soccer team. That means everyone who came out for boys soccer and stuck with it this fall got to experience the thrill of a lifetime. There were 20 boys on the team including 10 seniors. "Our philosophy at Roeper is everyone is valued, and can learn about something if they have an interest in it," said 17th- year boys soccer coach Ed Sack Here's what Sack had to say about the Jewish players on his team: Senior defender Adam Alpert rarely came off the field and had the job each game of neutralizing the opposing team's top offensive threat. Senior midfielder Adam Kochanowski was named bench captain by his team- mates because of his enthusiasm from the sidelines. Junior defender Ben Katzman "worked so hard in practice that he wrecked our drills," Sack said. Junior midfielder Ben Goldberg scored a memorable regular-season goal against Southfield Christian, hammering home a shot off a corner kick Junior midfielder Noah Gilman got Roeper off and running in its district opener against Southfield Christian, assisting on the first goal in a 6-1 win. Roeper has a proud tradition in boys soccer. This was the fourth time a team coached by Sack made it to at least the state semifinals. Most recently, the Roughriders were 19-5 in 2013 and lost in the semifinals to eventual state champion Lansing Christian. Asked what it meant to win a state championship and make school his- tory, the Jewish players offered varying insights. "It was so cool to see all the Facebook and Twitter posts from alumni," Gilman said. "It was a crazy feeling knowing so many members of the Roeper com- munity, past and present, were affected," Kochanowski said. "It was amazing bringing the whole school together but we just did what we do best ... play soccer," Alpert said. "I'm glad we made the season some- thing to remember for a long time," Goldberg said. "It felt great to bring a state champion- ship to a deserving school," Katzman said. Why were the Roughriders so good? "We worked hard," Gilman said. "Plus, we all knew what we wanted to do when the season started and we did it. Even those who didn't see the field as much helped in any way they could:' "We pushed each other at practice to be better every day:' Goldberg said. "We could score, which took the pres- sure off our defense:' Kochanowski said. "We played as a team and stayed focused the whole season," Katzman said. "Everyone accepted their roles," Alpert said. Alpert is the son of Robert and Catrina Alpert of Farmington Hills; Gilman is the son of Gerald and Susan Gilman of Bloomfield Hills; Goldberg is the son of Andrew and Laura Goldberg of West Bloomfield; Katzman is the son of Daniel and Lisa Katzman of Bloomfield Hills; and Kochanowski is the son of Andrew and Lisa Kochanowski of Bloomfield. The team was honored last week at a pep rally at Roeper's Community Center in Bloomfield Hills. ❑ Send news to stevestein502004@yahoo.com . 41111111111" Jason Golnick DDS, MS Arnold L. Golnick DDS, MS Sam Blanchard DDS, MS Gail Molinari DDS, MS Andreina Castro DDS, MS • Positive and Friendly Staff • Convenient and Flexible Hours • Emergencies Seen Promptly • Hospital Dentistry Available • Most Insurance Accepted • Specialists in Working with Children with Special Needs and Autism • Nitrous and Sedation Available TWO Lakes Medical Center 2300 Haggerty Rd, Ste. 1180, West Bloomfield, MI 48323 21213 Ecorse Rd. 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