Athletics Year In Review

ATHLETICS 2021-2022

A YEAR IN REVIEW

FALL SPORTS

CROSS COUNTRY

Coach Lisa Reid

Head coach Lisa Reid’s 2021 cross country team was one of the best in recent school history. Led by senior captains Sam Macris, Liam McClure, and Owen Reid, who consistently have been top runners for the Lakers since their freshman year, the Lakers finished their regular season with a record of 5-1. The regular season was highlighted by senior Sam Macris’ record setting 16:28 5k time at the Park meet, the fastest time by any Laker in the last several years. Unfortunately, runners Owen Galiani ‘24 and Finn Hopkins ‘22, who contributed crucially throughout the season, suffered injuries in late October that prevented them from running in the final championship race. That disappointment was compounded during the MIAA “B” Conference Championship race when the Lakers earned second place with 64 points to first place Severn’s 61 points, an absurdly close Cross Country margin. Despite the heartbreak, the Lakers boasted an incredible three of the first five Conference finishers; these three, Sam Macris, Liam McClure, and Owen Reid, earned all MIAA honors. The nine graduating seniors will be remembered for their dedication and meaningful contributions to the cross country program. The future is promising for the Laker cross country team. Glen Roe ‘23, Owen Galiani ‘24, and most improved award winner Tristan Roubi ‘24 will look to lead the Lakers as they move (or run) forward.

VARSITY FOOTBALL

Coach Ritchie Schell

Head coach Ritchie Schell and the Laker football team finished their regular season with an overall record of 6-4, and a conference record of 3-3. The season was highlighted by the annual St. Paul’s football game, where the Lakers won a closely contested battle 24-21 at St. Paul’s. Offensive Coordinator Tony Rinaudo’s offense was highlighted by three-year starting quarterback and captain Kaden Lymon ‘22. Seniors Braden Hammett, unsung hero award winner Kernan Brooks, and Nathan Crouse, played both sides of the game brilliantly, contributing meaningfully on offense and defense. Defensive Coordinator Alfonso Bigger’s defense, defensive end Gavin Proutt ‘22 and linebacker Brayden Garland ‘22 were both tremendous. Proutt, Garland, Hammett, and punter/kicker Nicky Brown ’22, who split time between football and soccer, earned all MIAA honors. The season came to an abrupt stop in the MIAA “B” Conference semifinals where the Lakers faced an outstanding Loyola Blakefield team who had just moved down to the “B” conference. The Dons would actually go on to beat the “A” Conference winners later in the season. Lucas Hazard ‘22 won the scholar-athlete award, and will play collegiately at Carnegie Mellon University; seniors Braden Hammett and Chance Brown will also play collegiately. The Lakers will be led by junior captain Tripp Ready, Parker Jones ‘23 and Sean Crowley ‘24 during next year’s season.

VOLLEYBALL

Coach Mason Figdore

This year was a rebuilding year for head coach Mason Figdore’s varsity volleyball team. After graduating over 10 seniors in 2019 and seeing the 2020 season lost to COVID, the Lakers were left with only one player who had seen MIAA conference minutes before: senior captain David Gaines. As the only returner and starting senior, Gaines led the young volleyball team this year, which included a majority-sophomore roster. In an incredibly competitive MIAA “A” Conference, the Lakers finished the season 3-15. As the Lakers continued to experiment with the young team, Micah Reid ‘24 was moved to the important setter position in the middle of the season. Reid won the Most-Improved Award. John Stellman ‘22, who won the Team Spirit Award, and Jackson Voelkel ‘22 helped to energize the team in difficult times this season. The Lakers will look for leadership from Reid, Chris Knapp ‘24, Graeme Stephenson ‘23, and the several other rising juniors and seniors in the coming years.

VARSITY SOCCER

Coach Aaron Urban-Zuckerberg

In 2019, the Boys’ Latin soccer program decided to make the jump from the MIAA “B” Conference to the “A’’ Conference. Since this transition, Laker soccer has struggled to find its footing in the one of the

most competitive and talented soccer conferences in the nation. With the loss of conference play in the 2020 season, the 2021 roster included only three returning starters, and the Lakers finished the season with a record of 4-15-1. Though the record may not reflect it, there were many moments to be celebrated: the Lakers won the season opener in OT against Loyola, beat St. Paul’s at home, bested Archbishop Spalding on Fall Festival Day, and edged Mt. St. Joe on Senior Day. The team was highlighted by four-year starters Owen Reid ‘22 and Luke Thomas ‘22. Reid, team MVP and the first Laker to ever be named to the all MIAA “A” Conference team, and Thomas captained the team alongside Cardin Stoller ‘22 and Nicky Brown ‘22, who split time between both “football” teams, leading Laker soccer in goals for the season, and earning all Metro honors as a punter/kicker. Jake Blibaum ‘22 made substantial contributions, earning the most improved award. Though they graduated over ten seniors, Laker soccer is filled with young talent, starting six underclassmen this past year. Next season, head coach Aaron Urban-Zukerberg will look to Ben Thomas ‘23, Owen Allen-Worrall ‘23, and the several starting rising juniors to propel the team into its first “A” Conference playoff appearance.

WINTER SPORTS

VARSITY ICE HOCKEY

Coach Butch Maisel

Head coach Butch Maisel’s Laker ice hockey team is in a rebuilding phase. To put it simply, the boys were undermanned and inexperienced; a regular ice hockey roster holds ~16 players, Maisel’s team had only 11. In fact, the Laker icemen only had one player with prior varsity experience: senior captain Luke Thomas, who led the team alongside fellow senior captain Teddy Fleming. These two were the motivators of the team, and held the team together in a difficult season that saw the Lakers finish 1-10-1 in conference play. The standout and MVP for the Lakers was Nick Chan ‘24, who set a Boys’ Latin record by scoring 44 goals and 51 total points in just 12 games. He and Thomas and he were named to the all-MIAA “B” Conference team. Despite a season where Laker ice hockey was often undermanned and inexperienced, Maisel is optimistic about the future. Nine of the eleven varsity players will return, with the hope of gaining the addition of several other experienced skaters next year. The team will look to Nick Chan and goaltender Dylan Graney ‘25 to lead them in the coming seasons.

VARSITY BASKETBALL

Coach Adam Spinella

This past season, Boys’ Latin welcomed new varsity basketball head coach Adam Spinella. Under his new leadership, the Lakers had a tough road in one of the best basketball conferences in the country. With the off season departures of some talented boys, this season was made even more challenging. Although winless in MIAA A conference play, the growth of the young group, which often started only one senior, was evident. Junior Jake Stout, named to the All MIAA Team, led the Lakers in scoring and rebounding, proving his worth as one of the most valuable assets to the team. Senior Adam Navarre was a tremendous leader and grew into a primary scoring role for the Lakers. Fellow seniors Jake Blibaum and Ben Mallon were steady hands in the backcourt, providing experience and toughness to a squad filled with newcomers. Although there was not much overt success, this past season was a crucial developing period for Spinella and his young team. Spinella will have the advantage of seeing many players who have already been exposed to his ideas and strategy return in the coming seasons.

VARSITY WRESTLING

Coach Justin Fitch

Head coach Justin Fitch ’05’s varsity wrestling team enjoyed a fantastic year full of exceptional individual performances across weight classes and throughout the season. The over 30-man roster was captained by six seniors: Cedric Tyson, Riley McClure, Gavin Proutt, Teddy Davies, Paul Clark, and Nathan Crouse. A strong start to the season with two conference wins was followed by outstanding performances at the annual Parkville Knightmare tournament: Proutt, wrestling at 182 lbs, and McClure, wrestling at 195 lbs, both won their weight classes. These two victories were

complemented by several third, fourth, and fifth place finishes across all weight classes. The Lakers continued their form later into the season when they defeated Curley and McDonogh, the first time the latter has happened in over 20 years. That momentum propelled them into the state championships, which saw Proutt, McClure and Tyson, wrestling at 132 lbs, place in the top six, meaning they qualified for the National Prep Tournament. Sending close to 10% of the team’s roster to nationals was a truly impressive accomplishment. At nationals, McClure was one win away from earning the title of All-American. This year saw many tremendous senior athletes graduate from the team, but also saw many young wrestlers gain valuable experience that can propel them to the same level this year’s seniors rose to. The Lakers will look to Glen Roe ‘23, EJ Hill ‘24, Sean Crowley ‘24 and Will Bagby ‘25 as stand-outs in the future.

VARSITY SQUASH

Coach Mason Figdore

Despite tough competition, the Laker squash team played with heart and resilience all season long. The squad was led by senior captain Markus Engel, who had a tremendous season at the always challenging #1 singles spot. Markus led by example with his work ethic and determination. Senior Paul O’Connor also had a very successful season playing in the #2 spot and was a significant contributor to the team. Although the team only went 2-5 in conference play, defeating both Park and Friends, they went on to Philadelphia to compete in the US Squash Nationals event, where they posted a winning record. The boys faced national caliber competition and came away victorious in two of the three matches. Congratulations to Marcus Engel for an outstanding squash career at Boys’ Latin and for being named to the All-MIAA “B” Conference team. Even though the team graduated strong seniors, the young squad shows tremendous promise for next season.

SPRING SPORTS

VARSITY BASEBALL

Coach Bill Greenwell

performed at a high level. The 2021 season’s MIAA “B” Conference Championship saw the team graduate an outstanding group of seniors, leaving this 2022 group with a mixture of returning seniors and youth. Captained by seniors Antonious Aikaterinidis, Kaden Lymon and Braeden Hammett, the Lakers finished conference play 13-3 as the #1 seed going into the playoffs. Unfortunately, injuries sidelined many key players, including Aikaterinidis for the whole season and Lymon for more than a month, but those injuries did not stop the team from going on a ten-game winning streak during conference play. This consistency is explained by the solid pitching and hitting the Lakers boasted. Matt Richmond ’22, Andrew Cochran ’23, Kalen Stockton ’22, and Colton Bordick ’25 comprised the pitchers roster. Bordick also contributed with his bat; he, Lymon, Hammett, Jack Corrado ‘22, Peter Makris ‘22, and the other hitters clicked throughout the season offensively. Outfielders Lymon and Hammett, Bordick, and Corrado were named all-MIAA. The team struggled to find their same mid-season form during the playoffs. The Lakers dropped two back-to-back games that prematurely eliminated them from the playoffs, making this the first year since 2014 that Boys’ Latin hasn’t been in the “B” Conference Championship. With many players returning, head coach Bill Greenwell’s baseball program will assuredly return to its championship ways soon.

VARSITY GOLF

Coach Geoff Lindsay

The 2022 spring season proved to be very successful for newly appointed Head Coach Geoff Lindsay. With a Ben and Ben duo (Ben Thomas ’23 and Ben Mallon ’22) serving as team captains and playing in the #1 and #2 spots, the team finished conference play with an outstanding record of 9-2-1, securing the #2 seed as they moved into the playoffs. Ben Thomas ’23, playing #1, earned the MVP award and all MIAA honors. Ben Mallon ‘22 impressively earned the #2 spot in his first year of competitive golf; his leadership and character won him the Mason Champion award. After cleanly beating Annapolis Area Christian School (AACS) in the MIAA “B” Conference team semifinals, the team moved on to face a very talented Severn program in the finals at Caves Valley Golf Course. Despite a valiant

effort top to bottom, the team fell just short, but the future is very promising for the Boys’ Latin golf program; five of the six boys competing in the ladder were underclassmen. With many returning players, Coach Lindsay is optimistic that a conference championship is in the team’s future.

VARSITY LACROSSE

Coach Brian Farrell

The Boys’ Latin lacrosse team enjoyed a tremendously successful 2022 season. Head coach Brian Farrell’s seventh season saw the Lakers finish with a record of 8-2 in MIAA “A” Conference play (134 overall), securing the #1 seed in what is regarded as the most talented and competitive lacrosse conference in the nation. Seniors Cardin Stoller (Rutgers commit), Hopper Zappitello (Dartmouth commit), and Dom and Nick Pietramala (UNC commits) captained the Lakers, keeping the team solid and consistent throughout the season. Stoller, playing goalie, and Dom Pietramala at attack were simply outstanding; both earned all-MIAA and all-American honors. Dom Pietramala won the VSN Player of the Year and the C. Markland Kelly award for the best high-school lacrosse player in Maryland. Kyle Foster ’23 impressed as a defensive long pole, earning all-MIAA honors. The 2022 season was highlighted by a thrilling 11-10 OT victory against St. Paul’s which cemented the team’s #1 seed moving into playoffs. In abrupt fashion, the Lakers suffered a heartbreaking semi-final 11-10 loss against McDonogh in the dying seconds of the game, ending what seemed to be a championship-worthy season. In total, ten graduating seniors will play collegiately. Boys’ Latin continues to cement its reputation as a national high-school lacrosse powerhouse. Laker lacrosse will look to the many talented underclassmen on the team for leadership and success next year and in the years to follow.

VARSITY TENNIS

Coach Rich Zielaskiewicz

Rich Zielaskiewicz started out coaching the middle school B team more than 15 years ago; he then moved to the middle school A team, then transitioned to junior varsity, and some 15 years later, Coach Z has earned the title of varsity head coach. And in only his first year, Boys’ Latin tennis enjoyed the finest year in program history. Backboned by four-year varsity singles player and #1 seed Paul O’Connor ‘22 and the senior duo of Markus Engel and Finn Hopkins playing #1 doubles, Laker tennis went undefeated through the conference season, finishing 5-0 as the #1 seed. That momentum continued into the playoffs, where the team won the MIAA “B” Conference Championship 3-2 over Park in thrilling fashion, the first tennis championship in school history. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the team was that three of the seven ladder players were freshmen, with one sophomore as well. To complement the conference championship, both doubles teams (Engel and Hopkins, Evan Rosen ’25 and Charlie London ’25) won the individual championships, and James London ’24 won the #2 seeded singles individual championships. O’Connor, Engel, Hopkins, Rosen, and both Londons earned all-MIAA honors. With four freshmen and one sophomore, Zielaskiewicz’s varsity tennis team is in safe hands moving forward. But don’t be mistaken; this year was a year for the history books.