The Black and White

by Chloe Casavant

This isn’t the National Dodgeball League, but instead the Pilgrim Dodgeball Tournament!

After a one year break the annual Dodgeball tournament is back. The dodgeball tournament is a big hit at Pilgrim, being one of the most involved after-school activities. On Wednesday, March 19, the 2024-2025 dodgeball tournament ran and was the best one yet.

When you walked into Pilgirm, you were greeted by a Dodgeball sign and a desk with a teacher collecting money. Before the tournament, each team had to pay a total of $12, and to get in as a spectator, you would have to pay $2. 

 There were a total of 13 teams, with 6 players on each, as seen on the bracket with a variety of names.

 Each team chose a walk-out song that matched their themed outfits, which included jerseys, white-out, black-out, army men, and more. The teams were not co-ed, meaning the teams were fully only male and female players, although they did play against each other.

The dodgeball tournament took place inside the gymnasium on the basketball court, with standard rules applied. The teams were:

The Happy Hyperbolic Paraboloids – Grade 9 “Sweet Child O’ Mine” GNR: Cornelius Zmed, Lex Landry, Zachary Bates, Matthew Tessier, Jacoby Schmidt, and Miles Zuniga.

The Liberals – Grade 12: Brody Corcoran, Kyle Menard, Reid Handfield, Jack Sayler, Ricky Cabral, and Brandon Laudon.

Snoop Doggy Dodgers – Grade 12: Henry Kearns, Luka Ruscio, Ian Laplume, Alex Rodrigues, Jayden Ames, and Nolan Canestrari.

The Unemployed Boys – Grade 9: Grady Weaver, Connor Fitzgerald, Ayden Yehle, Ty Johnson, Cam Martin, and Christian Mainelli.

The Larry West Warriors – Grade 11: Michael Bryson, Michael Bessette, Michael Mainelli, Jack Cirelli, Justin Cramer, and Sam Shelton.

Kyle and Em – Grade 12: Kyle Renaud, Andrew Hatch, Justin Tourgee, Danny Kavanagh, Jacob Moore, and Camden Forrester.

The Dodgers – Grade 10: Paul Smith, Marc Lopes, Chad Lafontant, Roman Jimenez, Joel Vanluinen, and Christian Snead.

Matt Dean & Co – Grade 11: Jacoby Foster, Marcus Walsh, Logan Fuller, Jackson Monte, Derrick Butler, and Patrick Friel.

Team Bravo  – Grade 10: Chase DeGregorio, Kyle Rezendes, Adam Elrhazali, Brett Taylor, Braden Paesano, and Anthony Farhat.

The Fab 5 & Alijah Newton – Grade 12: Brandon Irving, Alijah Newton, Liam Holmes, Gabe Mercado, Tyler Boudreau, and Lucas Link

The Dublin Dynamos – Grade 12: Jacob Soulliere, Devin Stevens, Logan Kennedy, Hunter Schobel, Dylan Rodrigues, and Tyler Holman.

The Hot Dodgers – Grade 12: Kayli Sherlock, Madison Adams, Chloe Casavant, Larissa Stewart, Lorelai Leddy, and Marin Prest. 

If you’ve never played dodgeball before, the game consists of two opposing teams. Each team starts on their designated side of the court, with the half-court line serving as the midline which players cannot cross during the actual gameplay. As soon as the whistle blows, players race to the midline to grab the dodgeballs. Before making their first throw, they must retreat behind the three-point line. Each game lasted 2 minutes and 30 seconds. When time ran out, the rules changed—players were allowed to cross the midline and aggressively charge at the opposing team in an attempt to eliminate them. The team with the most players remaining at the end of the match was declared the winner. 

When a winner is declared, the bracket is updated, and that team is moved to the next. The team that has lost moved down to the loser’s bracket and is given another chance to play. After a team has lost a total of 2 games, that team is eliminated.

From the moment the first game started, the energy in the gym was electric. The crowd yelled with cheers along with boos. The student section was packed—around 60 students, screaming for their chosen teams. Every play was met with a roar of approval or frustration, adding to the intense atmosphere. As the game progressed, the competition grew insane. One by one, teams were eliminated, and their hopes were crushed as they walked off the court.

However, not everyone played fairly. Some teams started to bend the rules, arguing over calls and even pretending they didn’t get hit. Smack talk filled the air as the players taunted each other, calling each other names or mocking the other teams for getting knocked out. Controversy spoke to heated debates among the players as well; the intensity never slowed. Every moment between the teams felt like a battle. 

After many wins and many losses, it came to the final round: Kyle and Em vs. the Liberals. Each team decided to play offensively until the last 30 seconds, when they decided to keep the balls until the midline broke and the line could be crossed. Kyle and Em ended up with fewer players, but when the midline broke, they were able to recover and eventually ended up in a 1v1. Justin Tourgee vs. Brandon Laudon. Justin had the ball, charged at Brandon, and quickly struck him. Brandon flew down to dodge the ball, with Justin hitting him. Justin quickly celebrated by sprinting around the court with his team screaming and following behind him. But, without knowing, Justin hit Brandon in the head—headshots are not allowed.

With screams of rejection to the winner from the other teams, Justin and his team quickly stopped celebrating and ran to Mr. Gibbons to rule out this call. It was never told if Brandon purposely dove to get hit in the head or if he was just trying to dodge it. It was back and forth in front of Mr. Gibbons, demanding different rematch options: full team rematch or a 1v1. Mr. Gibbons was being talked to by 100 different people at the time, so to just satisfy everyone, he declared a full-team rematch. So again, Kyle and Em vs. the liberals. Only 1 person from each team was out when the time ran out, so it was pretty even, but Kyle and Em had 4 more balls than the liberals, which gave them the upper hand. When the line broke, again they charged at each other; by now, the crowd was at their feet, screeching their lungs out. Each team started losing players 1 by 1, but the real team won on top. 

Kyle and Em were declared winners of the 2024-2025 dodgeball tournament. They were jumping, sprinting, and filled with excitement. The announcers at this time, Devin Stevens and Luka Ruscio, started to interview Kyle and Em after they were declared winners. When Devin asked the captain of the Kyle and Em team, Kyle Renaud, “How do you feel winning the 2025 dodgeball tournament?”

Sweaty, tired, and in excitement, Kyle replied, “I mean, we came in as underdogs, and we came out as dogs.” 

After this response, Kyle and Em screamed, and in unison, everyone was hyped up and joined them. With the help of Dr. Hainy, Jacob Souliere, Carter Clifton, and Keany Bayha, the dodgeball tournament was the best one yet, and I don’t think we could ever top that night.