Lions Sports Update 11/28

The varsity basketball team played several games over the Thanksgiving break. On Friday and Saturday, November 17-18, the Lions hosted a pair of non-conference opponents and started the season with 2 convincing wins. On Tuesday, the competition stiffened a bit with a trip to historic Forester Athletic Complex for a game against Spruce High School. The Lions jumped out to a quick start and cruised to a comfortable win. Following Thanksgiving, the squad made an early-morning trip to Wichita Falls for the Fantasy of Lights Tournament, an annual event that has a rich tradition of excellence in the DFW basketball community. In the first-round game against Hirschi HS (Wichita Falls), the Lions used 14 made three-pointers to secure a 61-51 victory, and in the afternoon contest against El Dorado HS (El Paso), five seniors (Garrett Mize, Jimmy Rodriguez, Reece Rabin, Jesse Zhong, and Sam Sussman) combined for 41 points to spearhead another winning effort. On Saturday, the Lions squared off against Greenhill in a preview of their January 19^th showdown in Hicks Gym. Despite a slow start, the Lions pulled away in the second half, thanks to a barrage of exciting fast break scores…the most emphatic of which came on a dunk from Andrew Laczkowski ’20, who finished the game with 29 points. That victory sent the Lions to the championship against the home team, Wichita Falls Rider HS. The game, played in Midwestern State University’s fabulous domed arena, was close throughout. St. Mark’s trailed by 2 at the half, led by 2 after 3 quarters, and was tied with 3 minutes to play. Thanks to several clutch free throws and tough defensive stands, the Lions pulled out a 5-point championship win. What a terrific way to start the season!!! Next up for the team is a weekend trip to the Carrollton-Farmer’s Branch Independent School District Classic. The tournament starts with a 6:30 p.m. matchup against McKinney North on Thursday evening at Ranchview High School.

 

The varsity soccer season began with a traditional home match against Kinkaid (Houston). The Lions needed less than seventeen minutes to find the back of the net thanks to junior Seth Weprin’s adept redirection of a swerving corner kick from junior Lyle Ochs. The Lions began to feel heavy legs in the second half and match turned in favor of the Falcons. A penalty kick, followed by the late winner saw St. Mark’s fall 1-2. After the match, St. Mark’s and Kinkaid shared a team dinner together to celebrate Thanksgiving and to reinforce values at the core of SPC sportsmanship: ardent competition and respect for the game and your opponent. The Lions then hosted Bishop Dunne on a beautiful Tuesday morning under ideal conditions. Weprin struck again, this time through senior Arjun Singh, allowing the Lions to lead by a goal at halftime. Bishop Dunne scored twice in the second half then withstood a furious onslaught from St. Mark’s to secure a one goal victory. Solid defensive play from newcomers Jack Rocchio ’19, Shane Ndeda ’19, and Colin Campbell ’20, as well as veterans William Haga ’19, Owen Berger ’18, and Cal Rushton ’18 kept the score close. Finally, on Monday, Nov. 27, the Lions traveled to play a young ESD team that was playing their first match of the season. Once again, captain Seth Weprin ’19 opened the scoring for the Lions in the seventh minute when he converted a corner kick from Lyle Ochs ’19, with an assist from Arjun Singh ’18. Eleven minutes later, Singh coolly converted his well-deserved penalty to double the Lion’s lead. Jack Rocchio netted his first goal of the season with a decisive finish from freshman Knobel Hunt’s service inside the Eagle goal box. Five minutes into the second half from the edge of the Eagle penalty area, Matt Power ’18 hit a cracker of a shot that struck the underside of the crossbar. The rebound was slotted home by sophomore William Holtby ’20. The Lions earned their first victory of the season in a performance that can be characterized as opportunistic and functional. This week, the Lions will host Casady (OKC) on Friday night at 7:00 p.m.

 

The varsity wrestling team traveled to ESD the weekend before Thanksgiving for a tri-match against ESD and Hillcrest. Senior Tucker Ribman, junior Chad Kim, and freshman Cooper Ribman went undefeated in their matches and freshmen Jackson Fair and Reid Fundis also had a good showing. The team will be competing in the Liberty Throw Down Tournament this weekend at Frisco – Liberty HS. 

 

The varsity swimming team has been training hard and will have their first event tonight at home in an intrasquad time trial along with Hockaday starting at 5 pm.

 

ALMUNI ATHLETE NEWS

Francis Donald ’03, who is currently working in the Admissions Office and coaching lacrosse at The Bishop’s School in San Diego, CA, has been selected to be one of the lacrosse coaches for the Uganda National Team that will be competing in the FIL World Championships that will be held in Israel in the summer of 2018. You can read more HERE.