The annual NHS Dodge Ball Tournament, a highlight of spirit week every year, was held in the middle and high school gymnasiums on March 1.

  17 teams - each made up of 7 players - vied for the title, “2012 NHS Dodge Ball Tournament Champions,” but at the end of the night there was only one team left on top.

  “The Nasty Boys” were without their captain, senior Chris Warden, due to a last minute illness so team manager Julian Kaminoff, who took off the sling on his left arm to compete, had to jump in and save his team from being eliminated.  The plan worked out in favor of “The Nasty Boys” as they would go on to be crowned champions at the tournament’s end.

  The three favorites heading into the night were “Scooby-Snacks,” “The Finishers,” and “Magicians on a Mission.”  “Scooby-Snacks” was eliminated at the hands of “Red Rockets,” a group of sophomores whose mouths would allow one to believe that they won the entire tournament after beating “Scooby-Snacks.”

  “The Finishers,” led by Mitchell McCollum, was hoping to get their captain the famous senior sweep - when a senior wins The Toilet Bowl, The Dodge Ball Tournament, and Intramural Football - but their meeting with fellow favorites, “Magicians on a Mission,” proved to be too much to handle as they were ousted in the quarterfinals.

  After defeating “The Finishers,” “Magicians on a Mission” faced off against the all-freshmen team who called themselves “The Dodgefathers.”  

  “The Dodgefathers” had beaten every senior team that they had faced off against, so they were not scared of their junior opponents.  

  The match turned out to be a family affair as all three Massimino boys were involved - Mickey (“Dodgefathers”) and Matt and Leo (“Magicians”) - but, like every match, only one team could move on.  Mickey ousted his two older brothers who were upset and disappointed to say the least.

  “We had no idea Mickey could throw, honestly.  If you’ve ever seen him throw a baseball, I’m sorry, and, if you haven’t, then I would suggest you keep it that way,” said older brother Leo.

  “Let’s just say Mickey is going to be taking out the trash for the next month after bouncing us from the tournament tonight,” Matt told The Lion’s Tale, “I’m supposed to be the one winning in this family.  There isn’t enough space for more than one in the household.” To which Leo turned to him and said: “Wait, what?!”

  The championship match-up between “The Dodgefathers” and “The Nasty Boys” couldn’t have been predicted by anyone in the gym on Thursday night, but it was still an extremely entertaining conclusion to the night’s festivities.  “The Nasty Boys” were undefeated going into the final round and therefore had to be defeated twice in order to be knocked out of the double-elimination-style bracket.  

  “The Dodgefathers” had lost in the second round so they could not afford to lose even once.  

  To the surprise of no one, Kaminoff rose to the occasion and in the span of 31 seconds had caught two balls thrown in his direction and knocked out two “Dodgefathers” with two perfectly aimed fastballs.

  With Spencer Tinkel as the last line of defense, it was impossible for “The Dodgefathers” to overcome the four man deficit with only two minutes remaining.  Kaminoff laid the final blow and “The Nasty Boys” were named the 2012 NHS Dodge Ball Tournament Champions.

  All in all, the night was one full of friendly competition, sportsmanship, and excellent play of the beautiful game of dodge ball.