The first annual March Madness Ping Pong tournament held at Scituate High School created a strong sense of competition. With numerous students and teachers participating, we decided to listen to their game plans and their thoughts about the tournament.

Two weeks into the tournament, the stakes were high: two more Elite Eight games between mathematics teacher Jonathon Schindler vs. senior Cooper McDonald and senior Johnny Donahue vs. senior Will Cahill remained. The victor of Schindler and McDonald would face up against senior Michael Porter, and the winner of Donahue vs. Cahill would compete against senior Ben DiPesa.

We asked a few students close to the action to discuss who would take home the prize.

When we interviewed Porter, he responded with a high level of confidence: “The first matches–those were a breeze. I can already sense sweet victory coming soon.” Porter had very high hopes; however, he acknowledged his biggest challenge: “Everyone believes that Ben will be the winner of this tournament, but just wait until the final game and see who is the victor.” 

When we asked DiPesa about his previous opponents, he had a humble response: “They were all great opponents! Just out played them.” When questioned about his journey to the championship and the opponents in his way, he said, “I mean since we are this far, everyone is going to be a great opponent.” 

We then took a side track and decided to continue with the probable Porter and DiPesa match-up in the finals. We first asked senior Brody Dunn who has played the two possible competitors. He quickly came back with his response: “I really do believe that Ben–I mean the kid plays tennis. What do you expect?”

Is DiPesa’s tennis experience helping him excel in the competition, or is he truly just a great table tennis player as well? We asked Dunn, “What do you believe is Ben’s best attribute in Ping Pong?” He took a second to respond and replied, “That’s a great question. He is really good at everything. One thing you have to be careful of is his backhand. He really has a touch with that one.” Knowing DiPesa’s game style, Dunn did not think Porter could match his intensity on the table.