Alex Roth’s coach, Gregg Goldberg, pushed him to improve ever since he started playing tennis in fourth grade. Goldberg always told Roth if he wanted to do something, like use a one-handed backhand as opposed to two, do it right. The lesson carried over into all facets of his life. “Anything you do you should put out the effort to do it right,” Roth said. “Gregg gets in your face if you don’t do something 100 percent.” Goldberg also challenged Roth his junior year when he played second singles on varsity. Roth admits it was higher than he could play. He lost every match at second singles, but…

Melanie Small has been playing both soccer and softball since she was in elementary school. She credits her love of sports to her three older brothers, who also played baseball: she learned how to play so she could join in on their fun. Her senior year was a memorable one. She threw a one-hitter against Richmond Heights and headed in Lindsay Silver’s corner kick to seal a victory in the first round of the sectional tournament. It was the first time the team advanced during Small’s career at Beachwood. Small credits most of the team’s success to their new head coach, Art Skupniewicz. “He knew …

If Andrew Somogyi could go back in time, he’d have played soccer in addition to basketball and baseball. He almost joined the soccer team his senior year, but it would have come at the expense of his pre-season basketball workouts. After a conversation with his coach, he decided his workouts would help increase the team’s chances of advancing in the playoffs. “I’m glad I made that decision,” Somogyi said. “I really enjoyed my senior year with a lot of success thanks to those off season workouts.” A big part of that success was achieving their goal of advancing to the second round of the …

William Wolkoff needed a change after playing junior varsity soccer for two years. He kept hearing from a good friend, Alex Wertheim, how cross country was the most fun he’s ever participated in. After running with the team in a meet for the first time during his junior year, Wolkoff saw exactly what Wertheim meant. He loved how the course took him through a variety of different sceneries. He also enjoyed seeing his team thrive.  “The team was tightly bonded. We never got into any arguments.” Wolkoff said. “It was a really fun atmosphere. We were smallest team so everyone got to run.” It’s …

Maya Eddie always had to play bigger, not just because she’s listed at 5-foot 3-inches playing basketball and volleyball — sports designed for taller athletes — but because as a sophomore she was selected as team captain on both squads. “I couldn’t believe they did it,” Eddie said. “There were still seniors on the team. I don’t know what they saw in me, but I took it and ran with it.” There were plenty of hard times, at least on the basketball court. During her sophomore and junior years the Bison went 3-39 and many of those losses were decided by double digits. “When things weren’t going …

Lindsay Silver started playing soccer when she was 4 years old at the urging of her friend Laura Tramer and her mother Jen. Silver remembers dreading the first day, but once she got on the field the adrenaline took over. “I wasn’t a very sporty girl at first,” Silver said. “I wore dresses every day and I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing pants. I didn’t like mud or getting dirty, but then the aggressive side of me came out and I ended up loving it.” The Beachwood forward garnered multiple honors during her senior year: team captain, first team All CVC, first team All Greater Cleveland and All …

Jake Weiss’ biggest game almost didn’t happen. His junior year he missed part of the day at school and wound up going to the hospital because he was sore all over, but he made it back in time for the game against Wickliffe. Road football games always brought out the best in Weiss because they were usually under the lights, something Beachwood’s stadium doesn’t have. “The other team’s crowd would talk smack,” Weiss said. “I just wanted to prove everyone wrong and shut them up.” He did so with 13 tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles at defensive end. Weiss is also a standout wide receiver…

Kaulin Hooper was selected as one of the captains of the Beachwood High School soccer team as a junior. While it is not uncommon to have a junior team captain, the honor is usually bestowed upon the team’s seniors. “It was more of an opportunity than an achievement for me,” Hooper said. “I was able to show everybody that I could lead.” Show them he did. That year the Bison won the Chagrin Valley Conference championship. It certainly wasn’t easy; there were plenty of tough tests for the young Bison squad. With two games left in the season the Bison found themselves in must-win situation …