3 Springside Chestnut Hill Academy students gear up for Little League World Series

On Friday, three students from Northwest Philadelphia’s Springside Chestnut Hill Academy will play in the Little League World Series as part of the first-ever Philadelphia team to participate in the tournament. 

Mo’ne Davis of Point Breeze, Jahli Hendricks of East Oak Lane and Scott Bandura of West Mt. Airy will take the field as part of the Taney Dragons.

After celebrating an 8-0 win over Delaware-Newark National Little League on Sunday in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship game, the team headed to Williamsport on Monday to gear up for the series.

Distinguished humility

The team is one of the two left with a female athlete. Davis is the team’s star pitcher and, according to SCH Academy principal Dr. Priscilla Sands, that’s not all the rising eighth-grader is good at.

“She can pick up anything,” says Sands. “She adores basketball, too.”

All three of the SCH Academy student-athletes on the Taney Dragons are a pleasure to have in the school community, says Sands. 

“They wear the fame very gently and cautiously and are still the same threesome who travel through the school as any other students do,” she says of a trio that also plays on the school’s team. “They just couldn’t be finer young people.”

Civic pride on display

The team has caught the attention of the city over the past few days, even receiving a good-luck video from the Phillies. 

Mayor Michael Nutter will host a watch party in the City Courtyard outside City Hall on Friday. The party will kick off with a pep rally at 2 p.m. before the game against the South Nashville (Tenn.) team begins at 3 p.m. 

SCH Academy will host a watch party in the school’s courtyard for parents, students, friends and community members, as well. However, Sands won’t be there. She plans to travel to Williamsport.