Lions Sports Update (Sept. 17)
Water Polo
The varsity water polo team traveled to California last weekend to compete in the Villa Park Classic. The Lions opened against University High School (Irvine) on Thursday. Shaking off some early sluggishness from travel, they turned a narrow 3–2 first-quarter lead into a commanding 14–7 win, expanding the margin to 6–2 and then 12–2 before closing it out. Later that day, St. Mark’s faced El Segundo and found themselves in an early hole, trailing 2–4 after the first quarter and 4–6 at halftime. The Lions responded with strong adjustments in the third, outscoring El Segundo 5–1 to take a 9–7 lead. With continued defensive intensity in the fourth, they sealed an 11–8 victory and a spot in the tournament’s top eight.
On Friday, the Lions matched up with top-seeded Los Alamitos. A slow defensive start left St. Mark’s down 2–5 after the first quarter. Although play evened out in the second, Los Alamitos extended its lead to 8–5 at halftime. The Lions added two more goals in the third and edged Los Al 2–1 in the fourth, but it wasn’t enough, falling 13–8. Saturday’s first game paired St. Mark’s against La Serna, who had narrowly lost to the tournament’s second seed. After a 3–3 first quarter, the Lions took full control, outscoring La Serna 3–0 in the second, 4–1 in the third, and 2–2 in the fourth to earn a decisive 13–6 victory and advance to the fifth-place game.
In the tournament finale, the Lions faced Santana High School (San Diego). Despite generating quality looks, St. Mark’s struggled with accuracy, hitting the post repeatedly and going just 1 for 6 in the opening quarter. Even so, the defense held Santana to one goal. The Lions improved in the second quarter, scoring 4 of 8 shots, but Santana answered with its best frame of the game, scoring six to lead 7–5 at halftime. St. Mark’s went cold again in the second half, shooting 1 for 7 in the third and 1 for 9 in the fourth, while Santana extended the margin to secure a 13–7 win. Overall, the Lions converted just 7 of 31 chances in the fifth-place game and finished sixth in the tournament. Scoring leaders for the weekend were Oliver Geheb (18), Matthew Liu (11), Eddie Stehel (6), Max Lee (5), Doan Nguyen (4), James McGinnis (3), Nathan Hong (2), Tyson Diep (2), and Thomas Melvin (1).
St. Mark’s now turns its focus to a home doubleheader against St. Stephen’s and John Paul II this Saturday at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Volleyball
The varsity volleyball team competed in three matches last week. On Tuesday, the Lions fell in straight sets to Greenhill in a non-counter match. Traveling to Houston over the weekend, they edged Awty International in a five-set thriller—winning 18–16 in the decisive set—before topping Kinkaid 3–1 on Saturday. St. Mark’s is now 2–0 in SPC counters and will travel to Ft. Worth Country Day on Tuesday.
Cross Country
Last Saturday, the cross country team raced at the competitive Lucas Lovejoy Festival at Myers Park in McKinney. On a demanding course, the Lions excelled—16 of 24 runners set personal bests. The varsity squad of Jackson Bailey, Nicholas Cho, Ward Beasley, William Cho, Lawson Boutros, Josh Nunez, and Payton Elder claimed 3rd place out of 25 teams, while the junior varsity finished as team runner-up. The Lions will return to competition at the Jesuit Fall Classic on September 27.
Football
On Friday, the varsity football team celebrated the program’s 700th game by hosting Greenhill. After surrendering an early touchdown, the Lions scored 47 unanswered points to secure a 47–7 victory.
Junior David Dickson led the offense with three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving), while junior Braden Scott added 113 total yards and two scores. Matthew Wier and Dickson each topped 100 yards. Defensively, senior Spencer Hopkin tallied seven tackles, junior Reid Smith added a sack and fumble recovery, and senior Benjamin Weinstein contributed six tackles and two pass deflections. The Lions also collected four interceptions from juniors Ford Robinson, Jax Blalock, Tobias Pulido, and Tripp Schoellkopf.
Now 2–1, the Lions travel to Addison this Friday to face Trinity Christian Academy.
St. Mark’s School of Texas
10600 Preston Road
Dallas, Texas 75230
214-346-8000
Dallas, Texas 75230
214-346-8000
About Us
St. Mark’s School of Texas is a private, nonsectarian college-preparatory boys’ day school for students in grades 1 through 12, located in Dallas, Texas. St. Mark’s aims to prepare young men to assume leadership and responsibility in a competitive and changing world.
St. Mark’s does not discriminate in the administration of its admission and education policies on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.
St. Mark’s does not discriminate in the administration of its admission and education policies on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.
