Lion Sports Update (Feb. 1)

SWIMMING
The varsity swim team hosted Ft. Worth Country Day this past Friday for Senior Night where the team recognized our 4 Seniors. Aadi Khasigwala summarized the night before the meet began. He was reminded that while the entire high school career was turned upside down with Covid, swim season was the only constant that he had all 4 years. It will be an emotional banquet when we again recognize the 4 seniors (Rowan Belvin, Michael Gao, Aadi Khasigwala and Sammy Larkin) for their contributions and achievements to the St. Mark’s Swimming program. As for the meet, the Lions performed well again with many best times recorded. Now the Lions are looking forward to the SPC Championships on Feb. 10 and 11 at the Lewisville Westside Aquatic Center. 

WRESTLING 
The varsity wrestling team hosted the Episcopal School of Dallas on Wednesday, Jan. 25, for their final dual of the season. The Lions celebrated three seniors and all three were victorious in their final dual matches in Spencer Gymnasium in front of a record crowd. Senior co-captain Stice Neuhoff had a tough and competitive match which he won 3-0. Next, first-year wrestler Luke Noack went on the attack in a hard-fought victory in which he pinned his opponent at the 5:20 minute mark. The other co-captain and two-time state champion, Hayward Metcalf, finished his opponent with a decisive pin at 4:23 minutes. The Lions won nine out of the 14 matches and had one forfeit due to illness. Final Match Results: ESD (24) vs St. Mark’s (51). This Saturday, Febr. 4, at McKinney Christian Academy, the Lion Wrestlers compete in the Prep State Tournament. The top three wrestlers in each weight category seal a berth to the Prep National Tournament in Washington D. C. and compete for All-American status. Marksmen who attend the Prep State Tournament at MCA will receive a free wrestling t-shirt for supporting their Lions.
 
SOCCER
In the most important match of the season to date, the varsity soccer team traveled to rival Greenhill. Both schools are the only north zone schools playing in SPC 4A (big schools) so the outcome of that match was crucial for seeding purposes at the SPC tournament. Despite missing several key players, the Lions set the tempo early, dominating possession while the Hornets were content to absorb pressure and counter judiciously. St. Mark’s had several players who played their best match of the season, embracing their roles with energy and passion. Nevertheless, for all their splendid play, the Lions were unable to unlock the Greenhill defense which included some timely saves from the Hornet netminder. Defenders Murphy Paul, John Charest, Dylan Taylor, John Ma and goalkeeper Tyler Tang performed admirably. Finally, in the seventy-fourth minute, with the Lions pressing, Greenhill slipped past the Lion defense and slotted a well-placed shot past Tang into the lower left corner of the net. Despite a valiant effort to equalize, St. Mark’s was unable to score, learning an important lesson in the process that quality without results is pointless. The Lions must now defeat ESD on the road Friday and Oakridge at home at 7 p.m. on Monday, and hope for some assistance, if they are to earn a favorable quarterfinal match-up at the very competitive SPC tournament.
 
BASKETBALL
Last Friday evening, the varsity basketball team traveled to Greenhill for a counter contest. The Lions roared out of the gates, seizing a huge lead, thanks to aggressive defense and a remarkable 20-point first quarter scoring barrage from sophomore Luke Laczkowski. The crowd was lively and the victory decisive! Only two games remain on St. Mark’s regular-season schedule - a 7:30 p.m. bout at ESD Friday night and a 5:30 p.m. game at home against Oakridge Monday evening. Will the Lions finish out their undefeated SPC run in style?? Come see for yourself!