Anshul Vemuri, Joshua Dong lift Jericho to fifth straight Nassau boys badminton team title
Joshua Dong of Jericho, right, and teammate Anshul Vemuri compete in first doubles during the Nassau boys badminton team championship against Great Neck South at Mattlin Middle School in Plainview on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021. The duo won two sets to one to lead the Jayhawks to a 5-2 victory. Credit: James Escher
At Jericho, the boys badminton program has continued to enter the season well aware of the remarkably high standards placed before them.
And on Thursday night, the Jayhawks lived up to those lofty expectations yet again, as their elite collection of talent added another year to their dynastic run.
Anshul Vemuri and Joshua Dong defeated Yang Wang and Aidan Din at first doubles and Howard Zheng was victorious over Haoran Xia at third singles as Jericho topped Great Neck South, 5-2, to win its fifth consecutive Nassau team championship while also finishing the fall season undefeated.
Vemuri and Dong won, 12-21, 21-14, 21-16, and Zheng claimed his match by a score of 21-13, 21-14. The title was the 11th overall in program history.
"Great Neck South took two meets from us last year," Dong said. "So we knew we had to bring our best and that was our mentality that we carried throughout the year."
Jericho moved to 13-0 while Great Neck South concluded the season at 10-3, with all three losses coming to the Jayhawks.
Jericho coach Mark Burkowsky said he immediately set the tone for the season during tryouts.
"I explained to our incoming freshmen that the expectations are extremely high," Burkowsky said. "I told them that they had to be working hard to get through the season … Everybody trying out wanted to be on the varsity team, so the competition and expectations were high and they knew it."
Vemuri was confident that this group could ultimately keep the championship streak alive.
"I think there was some pressure," Vemuri said. "We didn’t want to be the first team to lose. But I think we were good enough to know we could win this with all the depth we have."
Unlike past seasons, however, it doesn’t end here for Jericho. The Jayhawks will compete in the first boys badminton Long Island championship following the completion of Suffolk’s season in the spring, according to coordinator Jenna Cavuto.
A chorus of cheers poured out as Burkowsky exclaimed, "We’re bringing it back in the spring for Suffolk!"
But for now, another chapter has been written in this program’s historic run.
Said Dong: "At the end of the day, it’s just another brick on the dynasty that we’re building."
