STONINGTON, Conn. – On Thursday, Feb. 5, honors physical education, along with other juniors and seniors, traveled to Stonington High School to compete in the annual “Drawbridge Tourney” pickleball tournament.

Fifteen pairs of boys, girls, and co-ed teams from Fitch High School and Stonington High School competed in a 3-round bracket. Facilitated by Fitch P.E. teacher Jason Wolfradt, teacher Harry Esposito, and the Stonington P.E. teacher, the teams congregated in the Stonington High School gym to start the tournament. 

The tournament started with three all-boys matches and three all-girls matches happening simultaneously. Each match would play to 20 points, with the winning team moving on to the next round and the losing team being admitted to the losing bracket, where they would play another round to determine if they would be eliminated or have another chance at the championship.

At the conclusion of both the boys’ and girls’ brackets, Stonington came out on top. This contrasts with last year’s results, where Fitch took home the girls’ championship. 

About halfway through the tournament, lunch was provided by a local pizza restaurant. Meanwhile, students conversed and prepared for the upcoming rounds. 

Directly following lunch, the mixed teams began their bracket. The courts were competitive, with both schools repping promising teams. However, as the action came to a close, the “bear cave” saw an all-Stonington final. 

With their mixed bracket win, the Bears added another victory to the day’s accolades. As the overall winner, Stonington was awarded prize money to be donated to its local food bank. 

In addition to the players at the tournament, members from social media teams and volunteers were present from both schools.