Proudly wearing their blue and white jerseys with the brand new Huskies logo on the front, Epstein Hillel School soccer players took to the field for a match against The Rashi School in Dedham last September. It was the first competitive athletic interscholastic game for EHS in some time. The co-ed team, made up of 13 players from grades 6-8, had widely varying soccer experience, ranging from having never played team soccer to having played extensively on town and club teams. With only one practice prior to this first match, the gameplan was to show school spirit, play hard, and have fun. The community was thrilled for the team to represent EHS on the field – no matter the outcome. Then, in an exciting – albeit unexpected – turn of events, the Huskies won their first game, 7-3.
Riding a new wave of confidence, the EHS soccer team also won their second game against Tower School, despite having no substitutes on the sideline that day. Although EHS did not win their final match against Shore Country Day School a few weeks later, the Huskies played well, ending their first season with a winning record. Sixth grade soccer team member and Marblehead resident Ethan reflected on the season.
“I think it was great playing on the Huskies because we learned a lot and got a lot better over time. In the first game, there was not much passing, just a lot of kicking the ball away,” he said. “But by the third game — even though we lost — I think that was the game we played really well in terms of passing and communicating.”
Head Coach Natalie Maryansky — former Division 1 collegiate soccer player and current Director of Student Services and School Counselor at EHS — was a huge part of the team’s success. Along with Assistant Coach Eliana Berger (EHS ‘22 and Marblehead High ‘26), Maryansky emphasized teamwork, good sportsmanship, and supporting each other in addition to skills development.
“I’m so proud of these players. They found a way to come together to play as a cohesive group, even though they had never played together before and had such different levels of experience,” Maryansky said. “I think it’s helpful that at EHS, all of the students know each other very well, and so they went into the team environment with an existing foundation of familiarity and respect for their teammates.”
Though current students and staff may not have memory of this, team sports aren’t new to Six Community Road. Formerly known as the Hillel Hurricanes, the school soccer and basketball teams played consistently for many decades, beginning in the 1980s. The Hurricanes competed against teams from Tower School, Waring School, Covenant Christian Academy, and other private schools in the area. Jerry Madorsky, who was head coach of the Hurricanes’ basketball team for many years in the ‘80s and ‘90s, has fond memories of sports at Cohen Hillel Academy (the former name of the school).
“The basketball program thrived during that time,” he said. “The players loved the game and formed close bonds with one another as they proudly represented Cohen Hillel.”
The sports program continued to evolve after that, eventually introducing a cross country team in 2011 and establishing a joint basketball team with the JCC in 2015, a team that made it to their tournament championship game.
Unfortunately, the team sports program faded, but bringing it back was always on the minds of many members of the community.
One of the key figures behind the rebirth of the team athletics program is current upper school parent and EHS board member Carrie Berger. Professionally, Berger is a marketing and business development consultant for small businesses with a focus in the sports industry and a Sports Management Adjunct Professor at Salem State University. She provided insights from both her personal and business experience. Berger recognized the importance of rounding out the EHS extracurricular offerings with competitive sports.
“There are many benefits to being part of a team, with life lessons that take place on and off the court or field,” she said. “My kids have had such positive experiences through town sports in Marblehead as well as travel and club teams. It was time to get the EHS Huskies back on the scene.”
Discussions about the new team sports program began over a year ago, so that there would be time to prepare for fall soccer this school year.
“Head of School Amy Gold and Director of Enrollment and Community Outreach Rebecca Karen were very supportive of the plan,” Berger said. “And we were subsequently able to reach out to athletic directors at the other schools to add our games to their schedules for this year.”
Also crucial to the success of this new athletics program was the recently-expanded after-school program at Epstein Hillel School — a program whose infrastructure can support and manage the teams. Long-time EHS faculty members Lea Winkler and Jessie Winkler are in their second years as co-chairs of the after-school program, and they have made significant improvements to the club offerings for grades Pre-K-8 as well as to the schedule and registration process. There are arts and music programs, including pottery, fiber arts, and songwriting/band; there are technology clubs, including Minecraft and coding; there are free play and homework clubs, providing extra afternoon coverage for EHS families; and of course, there are athletics. The after-school program has introduced students to a wide variety of sports with traditional clinic-style programs in soccer, basketball, and running. EHS also offers pickleball, yoga, and ping-pong/board ball. It is important to the program that all athletics are taught by experienced coaches, so that students are getting quality instruction. This fall’s pickleball instructor was Danny Santanello from Northshore Tennis Club; the lower school soccer instructor was Erin Madden of Danvers Indoor Sports; and the yoga club is taught by certified yoga instructor Brianna Keating. Last spring, EHS welcomed Swampscott High coaches Temi Bailey and Matt Moran as the instructors for the after-school basketball clubs. With consistent sports offerings, the younger students who are practicing skills in these clinics will be able to eventually “graduate” to the upper school teams, and the types of sports offerings may expand as well. In other words, the program is building its self-sustainability from the ground up.
The new EHS Huskies basketball team played its first game against The Rashi School in Dedham. While EHS didn’t come away with the win, it was a close and high-scoring game, with a final tally of 60-50.
Meanwhile, the soccer team players, coaches, and families are already talking about next season.
“We loved the EHS soccer program this year,” said Emily Wiese, a Marblehead resident whose 6th grade daughter played for the team. “It was a great way for our daughter to participate in a sport she enjoys and be able to spend time with students outside her class. The coaching quality was top notch, allowing kids of all abilities to participate meaningfully. We can’t wait to see how the program will evolve and grow in the next season.”