The Average Joes are heading into the spring speedball tournament looking to secure their third consecutive tournament victory and cement the foundation for the dynasty they hope to begin. The team has existed since the spring 2021 tournament and has been rolling through the competition since then. 

Speedball has been a Poolesville tradition since 2014 and is a staple of the school community. Offering a way for all students to compete with one another, speedball attracts the attention of almost all students at PHS in some capacity. For the Average Joes however, speedball has not only allowed them an opportunity to compete but also to flex their athletic prowess through back-to-back speedball championships. Success spanning multiple years is relatively unheard of according to Ms. Alexandra Hicks, SGA Sponsor and organizer of the speedball tournament.

“Teams seem to evolve through the years,” Hicks said. “It is rare to have a team that maintains its same roster from one tournament to the next.”

One team however has fought to keep its roster evolving while maintaining a core squad from tournament to tournament. The Average Joes have preserved both their roster and success for the past two years while bringing in some new blood to continue the success after the seniors graduate. However, it hasn’t been just picking the best players that led to their success — chemistry is undoubtedly one of the most important aspects of the team. 

“We are all best friends so working together comes naturally,” said Lizzie Kovacs, a senior team member of the Average Joes. “It definitely helps our chemistry because we know each other’s strengths.”

The tight-knit core of the team is key to their success and continuing to succeed through multiple tournaments builds their confidence and drive. Even so, there’s a good amount of strategy that goes into constructing a dynasty. This stretches beyond the game and goes all the way to the formation of the rosters.

“It’s important to have a mix of people who are comfortable playing the ball with their feet and those comfortable in the air,” said Kovacs. “So a mix of some soccer players with football, baseball, or basketball players is great.”

The multitude of factors that go into creating a championship roster with the chemistry to win the championships is a rare thing, which is why it is so unusual to have a team stay so strong across multiple years of tournaments. However, maintaining that success over time seems to be the biggest struggle in establishing a dynasty. Going into next year, the team will require a rebuild, as this time they have just one player who’s not graduating in May.

In spite of this, neither Kovacs nor Jack Feys, another senior team member, were worried about the future of the team. Going into this spring’s tournament, nothing but confidence echoes from the Average Joes. Feys commented that he was 100% confident in a third championship and that the team might as well be given a bye to the finals. The Average Joes have arguably cemented themselves as all-time greats when it comes to PHS Speedball, but no one truly knows what will happen inside those gym doors this time around. 

As Hicks said it’s truly anyone’s game.