Fall sports sustain success

November 19, 2015

To wrap up the season, coaches and athletes summarize their season’s successes and failures and look forward to next year.

Men’s soccer

Junior+midfielder+Seth+Anderson+runs+past+a+Loyola+defender+in+order+to+gain+possession+of+the+ball.+JC+played+Loyola+on+Oct.+16%2C+and+lost+3-1.

Caroline Cooney

Junior midfielder Seth Anderson runs past a Loyola defender in order to gain possession of the ball. JC played Loyola on Oct. 16, and lost 3-1.

The men’s varsity soccer team finished with an in-conference record of 3-12-1, and an overall record of 7-12-1. JV finished with an overall record of 10-8, and fresh-soph finished with a 1-7 record. According to miaasports.net, 12 varsity games were decided by two goals or less, six resulting in losses.

“We struggled with the consistency of our performances. Some days we played great and other days we struggled to put anything together,” varsity head coach James Fendryk said.

Playing in the A conference, they face tough competition. In their final two games they faced Archbishop Curley and nationally ranked McDonough who have overall records of 15-8 and 19-0-1 respectively.

To make it to the playoffs the team would’ve had to beat both teams. On Oct. 29 they lost to McDonough 5-1, eliminating them from playoff contention.

“Struggling has made us closer as a family and help[ed] us grow up as individuals. I’ve learned a lot this season about myself and my teammates. It is disappointing we are putting everything together so late in the season, but it has been a fun four years,” senior captain and center back Jake Dengler said.

On Sept. 25 against Mount Saint Joseph, junior midfielder Franco Caltabiano went up for a head ball and landed on his arm, snapping the bone. Caltabiano was a key player for the team and his on-field presence was missed.

According to Dengler, “many of the loses have been from little mistakes at the crucial points in games.”

“The season has been one of the most competitive in recent years, as games could have gone either way and many contests being determined by a single goal,” Fendryk said.

Mike Moxley is a Sports Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

Women’s volleyball

The varsity women’s volleyball team finished with a record of 14-4, 4-3 in conference according to head coach Greg Cullison, and placed fourth in the IAAM A conference. The JV team finished with a 9-4 record.

“Our JV team did equally well under a new energetic coach. Our departing seniors showed tremendous leadership during the year, and the underclassmen want to carry on that same spirit next year,” varsity head coach Greg Cullison said.

Besides leadership, the team bonding helped contribute to the team’s success. “Everyone worked well together because we made time for team bonding, so we had relationships with one another on and off the court. [It] made playing and communicating easier,” junior libero Shelby Umbarger said.

The team made it to the playoffs, beating McDonogh in five sets on Oct. 27. However, they were eliminated by Notre Dame Prep in three sets during the IAAM Quarterfinals on Oct. 29.

“What made our team successful was when we were excited and had positive energy surrounding us when we played. That’s when we really had our best games,” senior captain setter Parker Day said.

“Overall, it was a very fun and successful season. Everyone got so close, and it was sad to see the season end, but we are proud of the way we played,” Day said.

Megan King is a Perspectives Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

Women’s cross country

Adapting to challenging circumstances has been the story for the women’s cross country team this season. With two of the top runners for coach Robert Torres’s team going down due to injury, it became difficult to mask the loss that was left on the team.

Seniors Ellie Marindin and Holly Driver who were previously top runners on the team, both dealt with injuries this past season.

Marindin tore the three tendons that run down the calf, as well as the lisfranc ligament, and chipped the outer ankle bone in her ankle.

The injury occurred while practicing her main sport, lacrosse, and it caused her to miss the entire cross country season. She is committed to Winthrop University for lacrosse, and according to her, “getting healthy for lacrosse” is her main focus.

Driver had surgery in May of last year for bunions on both feet, and has since been recovering. She wasn’t at full strength and couldn’t compete at her normal level this past season.

“Had we had a completely healthy team, I feel we could’ve won championships. However, in our absence, runners such as junior Adria Pirozzi and sophomore Rosemary Gillam stepped up and will only get better for next season,” Driver said.

In the championship, the team ended up finishing in fifth place out eight conference teams, and fifth out of 25 teams overall. The team ended up with an overall league record of 3-4.

“We had some runners come up to varsity and they, along with our top runners, are doing well this season,” Torres said.

Struggling is not something the team is used to. Senior Faith Ensor, along with Driver and Marindin, were a part of the IAAM A conference championship team in 2013, and know what it takes to be successful.

“Considering we lost two of our top girls to injury, I’m proud of how we’ve done overall,” Torres said.

Other runners had to step up this year and try and make up for the lack of experience lost from Marindin and Driver.

“It could’ve been a lot different if we had our key runners. We did great with the talent we had, and I am thankful for everything I have experienced on cross country in my three years. I’m glad to have been part of such a kind and hardworking community of athletes,” Ensor said.

Mike Moxley is a Sports Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

Women’s Soccer

Senior+Julianna+Butta+defends+a+McDonough+player+for+the+ball+during+the+Oct.+13+match+against+McDonough+which+ended+in+a+11-0+loss+for+the+Patriots.+The+womens+varsity+soccer+team+finished+the+year+with+a+5-8-1+record.+

Azanae Barrow

Senior Julianna Butta defends a McDonough player for the ball during the Oct. 13 match against McDonough which ended in a 11-0 loss for the Patriots. The women’s varsity soccer team finished the year with a 5-8-1 record.

The varsity women’s soccer team finished with an overall record of 5-8-1. The JV team finished at 7-3.

“I thought that we could have done better, but we tried our best,” senior forward and captain Mary Kate Gerety said.

Other teammates agreed that there were positives to this season. “I think we did well even though we were sort of a new team with a lot of freshmen,” junior defender Audrey Anderson said.

Off the field, everything went well with the team, according to Gerety. “Off the field, relationships were good. I did everything I could to make the team a friendly environment, and I made a lot of new friends,” Gerety said.

However, the on the field relationships were not as good as those off the field. “Our biggest struggles were our new faces on defense. They worked well, but the gel [between them] didn’t happen until later in the season,” head coach Hayley Howe said.

One of the positives during the season was the C. Milton Wright game. Both Anderson and Gerety said that the victory was the highlight of their year. “It was my senior game, too, which made it even more special,” Gerety said.

Before the season started, the team challenged themselves to score more goals. They were successful, scoring 22 times this year, compared to only seven last year.

“The girls came to practice ready to play and ready to learn. If you came to one of our practices, you wouldn’t have been able to tell that we were on a four-game losing streak or something, and as a coach, that’s something to be proud of,” Howe said.

Daniel Robinson is a Copy Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

Football

Anthony+Magwood+tackles+the+returner+on+the+kickoff+against+St.+Pauls+which+was+a+43-0+victory+for+the+Patriots.+The+varsity+football+team+ended+their+perfect+season%2C+going+12-0%2C+with+a+win+against+Curley+in+the+championship+35-14.

Mitch Hopkins

Anthony Magwood tackles the returner on the kickoff against St. Paul’s which was a 43-0 victory for the Patriots. The varsity football team ended their perfect season, going 12-0, with a win against Curley in the championship 35-14.

When the final whistle sounded at Archbishop Spalding on Nov. 14, the varsity football team roared in celebration and ran over to the fence to sing their final rendition of “Country Roads” to their fans. The men’s varsity football team was crowned the MIAA B Conference champions to end their perfect 12-0 season.

The men’s JV football team ended their season with a record of 1-5.

“To go undefeated was the main goal we had set in our minds and to accomplish that is not an easy task but we did it and I’m sure we will reflect on it all the time 30 years from now,” senior varsity quarterback and captain Kurt Rawlings said.

The varsity football team won the MIAA B Conference Championship against Archbishop Curley, 35-14. Senior varsity linebacker and captain Damon Lloyd attributes the team success to their team motto, “next play.”

“In the offseason, we all worked together and developed a strong chemistry that no other team could have. For every mistake [made], we would tell each other ‘next play’ and encourage each other,” Lloyd said.

According to head coach Keith Rawlings, the pressure for the team to be perfect didn’t really set in until the last game. “You go 11-0 and when you get to the championship game there’s a little bit of pressure because the 11 games you played prior don’t really mean a whole lot, so I think there was a little bit of pressure to get that last win because that’s the most important one,” Rawlings said.

Rawlings said the experience was amazing this year and the team really came together as a family.

Junior wide receiver Niko Rice said all the hard work they did in the offseason brought the team the championship.

“I wouldn’t have wanted to end the season like that with any other team,” Rice said.

Azanae Barrow is a Community Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

Men’s Cross Country

Men’s varsity and JV cross country both finished with records of 6-1. The varsity team finished second place in the MIAA “B” Conference, coming second to Boys Latin in the championship meet.

“We didn’t have guys running consistently throughout the season,” JV and varsity head coach Michael Monaghan said.

However, the team had one runner who led the team. Senior and varsity captain Evan Moore finished first in the MIAA B conference in the championship race with a time of 16:51.

“Our season went well. We struggled in areas, one being consistency, but we had a lot of freshmen and sophomores step up throughout the season when we needed them to,” Moore said.

According to Moore, the team lost eight races last season and only won one in the A conference. This season they won six after dropping down to the B conference.

“We worked hard to be competitive this season, and it was heartbreaking to come up short,” senior Michael Imbierowicz said.

Mike Moxley is a Sports Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

Women’s Tennis

Seniors+Vanilla+Tong+and+Lucy+Chen+prepare+for+a+serve+in+a+doubles+match.+The+varsity+womens+tennis+team+finished+their+season+with+a+2-4+record.

Kelly Foulk

Seniors Vanilla Tong and Lucy Chen prepare for a serve in a doubles match. The varsity women’s tennis team finished their season with a 2-4 record.

Women’s Tennis finished its season with a record of 2-4.

Junior Alexa Martinez won first place in the singles division, and senior Luisa Schulte won second in the singles division in the IAAM B conference. “I was really thankful for all of the support I got from my family, the coaches, and my teammates,” Martinez said.

For the doubles pairs, there were many new players. “A lot of players were new to varsity tennis this year, and I was new to tennis entirely,” junior Emily Schiavone said.

Head coach George Panin helped these new players tremendously. “He really focused on helping us with the fundamentals and also strategies so that we were able to win the matches,” Schiavone said.

“I think that [the doubles pairs] improved as the season continued,” junior Hailey Ishak said.

“I was really happy, and I had a great time with the team. I definitely made some awesome memories,” Martinez said.

Adriana Guidi is an Entertainment Editor for the Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

Field Hockey

Ashlee+Kothenbeutel+attempts+to+take+the+ball+away+from+a+Maryvale+player.+The+championship+game+was+played+at+Stevenson+University+and+resulted+in+a+1-0+victory+and+a+second+consecutive+championship+for+the+team.

Kishan Patel

Ashlee Kothenbeutel attempts to take the ball away from a Maryvale player. The championship game was played at Stevenson University and resulted in a 1-0 victory and a second consecutive championship for the team.

The varsity field hockey team continued their reign as champions, claiming their second consecutive IAAM B conference championship. The final record for their season was 14-2 and JV finished with a 6-1 record.

“Winning the championship was the perfect way to end the perfect season,” assistant coach Katie Hastings said.

On Nov. 1, the team played Maryvale in the championship game for the second consecutive year. They won the game 1-0 which was played at Stevenson University.

“I am really happy for our girls. People don’t understand how hard it is to repeat as champions, and go undefeated in order to do so, it is an amazing accomplishment,” head coach Gary Scholl said.

The team leaned on their defense this season, only giving up seven goals, but scoring 54 on the season. These statistics made them the best defense in the conference. The defensive stands were led by their junior goalie Emma Gromacki. Gromacki saved 98 of 108 shots, giving her a 91 percent save rating.

Hastings loved her experience with the team and believes they were very motivated to work and to win each game. “I had never worked with young athletes that worked so hard and came motivated and excited to be at practice everyday. Those 22 girls are every coach’s dream,” Hastings said.

In addition to their championship run, seven of the total 22 players on varsity were honored as being on the All-Harford County team: defensemen Claire Grunewald and Sam Carey, goalie Emma Gromacki, midfielders Charlotte Haggerty and Carly Lyon, and forwards Emily Stancliff and Katie Sullivan.

Senior varsity captain and right defender Sam Carey feels that this season was very special and achieved something great together. “The girls all wanted to play for each other and wanted to win,” Carey said.

Grant Sharretts is a Sports Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

Men’s Volleyball

The men’s volleyball season did not go as well as the players had hoped. They finished with a record of 4-14 and did not make the playoffs. JV went 5-10.

“My favorite part of the season was seeing how far we came from the beginning of the season to the end of the season, and seeing the improvement of head coach Eric Moss,” junior libero Franklen Lockhart said.

However, despite the lack of success on the court, the season was positive behind the scenes. “For the most part of the season, the team atmosphere was very positive. There were only a couple people that would get down on themselves,” junior left back Garrett Hefner said.

The relationships between the members of the team also grew. ”I got along well with all of my teammates. There was very good companionship [between us],” Hefner said.

“My least favorite part of the whole season was playing with the seniors for the last time,” Lockhart said.

The seniors gained respect from the rest of the team. “[Senior] Drew Isennock was probably our best player. He is good all-around and our captain,” Hefner said.

While the team did not find success in MIAA conference games, they were successful against Harford County schools, beating C. Milton Wright 3 sets to 1, and Bel Air, winning 3 sets to none.

The team is expecting to grow in the years to come. “This season was a building year for the team. With our great new coach, we are confident to bring home a title within the next five years,” Isennock said.

Although this season did not live up to expectations, next year looks to be better with hopes of more success. “Next year looks promising. We have a lot of good JV players,” Hefner said.

Daniel Robinson is a Copy Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

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