Lion Sports Update 04/19/18

The varsity track and field team endured a long track meet because of three weather delays this past Friday at the Prince of Peace Adidas Relays. The team showed up with 15 athletes and finished third overall in the team competition and a number of PR’s and seasonal bests (SB) were set throughout the day. Leading the way was John Harbison ’19 with 2 PR’s, one in the pole vault with a jump of 13’ 0” and a discus throw of 128’ 3”, an improvement of 25’! Dominik Fronc ’19 had a PR in the 300H with a time of 43.70. Kit Colson ’21 and Seun Omonije ’18 took advantage of the big tailwind to run to PR’s in the 100m with 11.14 and 11.23, respectively. Pablo Arroyo ’20 won the 800 and finished 2^nd in the 1600 with a PR of 4:39.86. Michael Vanesko ’21 made a triumphant debut in the pole vault. Last week was his first competition and he did not make opening height. This week he started at 7’ and finished with 9’ 6”, a big improvement!  This week, the Lions compete in the SPC North Zone Meet at Greenhill on Friday (4:00) and Saturday (10:00).

 

The varsity lacrosse team traveled to Allen on Tuesday in what was an important THSLL District matchup. The game was a shootout with the Lions coming out on top by a score of 15-11. Big contributors in the game were: Josh Daniels ’18 (2 goals, 1 assist), Willie Wood ’18 (1 goal, 2 assists), Reaves White ’18 (1 goal, 2 assists), Connor Cheetham ’19 (3 goals), Sam Schroeder ’18 (4 goals, 2 assists), and Titus McGowan ’20 (2 goals, 1 assist). On Saturday, the Lions hosted The Woodlands in a rematch of last year’s THSLL State Quarterfinals. The Lions hung tight with the Highlanders, trailing 1-2 at the half. In the 2^nd half, the offenses got going a bit more. With 4 minutes left in the game, the Lions trailed 3-6, but eventually 3-9. Goalie John Gunnin ’18 had a good game in between the pipes with 9 saves and Connor Cheetham assisted on all three of the Lion goals (2 to Willie Wood and 1 to Garrett Mize ’18). The Lions take the field again on Tuesday night at home against Plano West at 7:30 pm with high District playoff seeding on the line. Then the team travels to Austin, TX to compete in the SPC Championship Tournament on Friday and Saturday hosted by St. Andrew’s School.

 

Last Tuesday, the varsity tennis team journeyed to Ft Worth to take on Trinity Valley in SPC counter play. The #1 doubles team of Adnan Khan ’19 and Kobe Roseman ’18 played a marathon match that lasted 3 hours. After dropping the first set 6-7, the duo pulled off a great 3-set victory comeback, winning the next 2 sets 6-3, 6-2. It was a fun and spirited match with the whole team cheering them on. Davis Bailey ’18 and Harris Wilson ’18 won their singles lines handily, while Mark Motlow ’21 lost an intense and very close match, 6-7, 5-7. The #2 doubles team of Jack Parolisi ’18 and Rhys Arana ’19 pulled off a solid victory 6-3, 6-3. Final score: Lions 4 - TVS 1. Then on Wednesday, the Lions visited Highland Park for a friendly match. They were an incredibly tough team but our boys competed really well, not winning any matches, but definitely giving the HP boys a good battle. Harris Wilson played a long 2+ hour match, eventually losing 6-4, 6-3, but not without giving his opponent, also a senior, a good scare. Davis Bailey and Samir Ratakonda ’19 also had some close and long singles matches. Overall, the team looked good against the top public school team in the state. This week, the Lions have 2 SPC counter matches, taking on Cistercian on Tuesday and ESD on Friday. 

 

On Tuesday the varsity baseball team traveled to Fort Worth to face Trinity Valley. In a classic pitcher’s duel with the opposition’s right-hander, senior lefty Reece Rabin scattered a couple of hits while striking out six and giving up one run in seven innings of impressive work. Senior Jimmy Rodriguez collected an RBI in the first inning after sharply grounding out up the middle. With the score knotted at one each late in the game, senior Zach Landry’s line out to CF scored sophomore Mason Rareshide, putting the Lions ahead for good, 2-1. This win pushed the St. Mark’s record to 3-1 in SPC play, and they are currently one game behind undefeated Oakridge in the standings. The next day, the Lions played Bishop Lynch in a somewhat rare night game. Sophomore Aaron Thorne opened up the game’s scoring with a double to left field, scoring two. However, Lions pitchers were unable to maintain the lead, as Bishop Lynch scored 8 runs off a couple defensive miscues and timely hitting. Senior Jimmy Rodriguez collected two hits and a couple RBIs, but the Lions fell, 5-8. This week, the Lions play a counter game on Tuesday at Cistercian (4:30 p.m.) and Friday at home (4:30 p.m.) against TACA.

 

The varsity water polo team played in the Charles Dutton Tournament this past weekend which is a men’s open tournament. The Lions defeated Texas A&M 7-6 and HOPS (Houston) 7-6 in pool play. In the tournament semifinals, the Lions lost to the Dallas Water Polo Club 10-5 and then in the 3^rd place game, the Lions fell to HOPS 5-10 and ended up placing 4^th overall. Congratulations to the St. Mark’s Middle School water polo team who won the North Texas Championships after defeating Pegasus Water Polo Club 14-13 in the finals.

 

The varsity golf team participated in the Chick-Fil-A invitational at Squaw Creek on Monday, April 16. Ten Marksmen formed two 5-man teams and competed well, but came up just short of earning some hardware. Seniors Rett Daugbjerg (75), Mike Mahowald (81), and Hill Washburne (85), along with sophomores Romil Mathur (81) and Camp Collins (94) posted a combined score of 322, while seniors Ben Clayman (88), Clay Cassidy (95), and Zoheb Khan (97) joined freshmen Rex Corey (86) and Robert Pou (103) collectively scored a 366. Unfortunately, two opponents finished with a score of 321, leaving the Lions one stroke away from victory. Next up, the Lions will square off against Greenhill in a match at Brookhaven on Wednesday afternoon.