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Sports
LION LEADER: FLAHERTY TAKES OVER ON SIDELINES FOR ST. MARK’S
Football coach’s Dallas ties include Cowboys connections in family
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Harry Flaherty will be the new football coach at St. Mark’s after spending the previous six seasons at a private
school in New Jersey. (PHOTO: CHRIS MCGATHEY)
By Todd Jorgenson
People Newspapers
Harry Flaherty has traveled across the country during his playing and coaching career. Now, he’s the new varsity football coach at St. Mark’s Schools of Texas.
Flaherty, 32, returns to Texas after spending six years as the head coach at Lawrenceville School in western New Jersey. Before that, he was a graduate assistant coach at the University of Tennessee, where he earned a law degree.
He takes over for Hayward Lee, a longtime coach for the football and lacrosse programs at St. Mark’s. Lee recently took a job at All Saints Episcopal in Fort Worth.
Flaherty began overseeing offseason workouts for the Lions this summer. St. Mark’s will open the 2021 season on Aug. 27 against Fort Worth Country Day.
“When the job opened up, I was excited to explore it,” Flaherty said. “It’s a school with a lot of history, tradition, and pride. With our football program, I definitely want to continue to build on that commitment to excellence.”
Flaherty is a nephew of former Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett. His father, Harry Flaherty Sr., played linebacker for the Cowboys in 1987.
The younger Flaherty was a tight end at Princeton. After graduation, he was signed briefly by the New Orleans Saints and the Cowboys but never played an NFL game.
“Fundamentally, I view the purpose of a coach as teaching life lessons through the avenue of athletics,” Flaherty said. “Be a team, be on time, be a gentleman, be your best regardless of circumstance, block out the scoreboard and focus on the next play, relentlessly pursue continuous improvement, focus on the things within your control, focus on the process over the outcome, and always finish.”
Flaherty also will teach history and physical education at St. Mark’s. The Lions played just two games during an abbreviated 2020 season, defeating Greenhill and falling to ESD.
“Harry has demonstrated outstanding character and leadership in his previous roles, and his coaching and teaching philosophy aligns with the mission of our school,” said St. Mark’s athletic director Sean Lissemore. “He strives to maximize the potential of every student and understands what it takes to have success both in the classroom and on the field. Harry’s exceptional knowledge, experience, and passion for football will make an immediate impact on our program, and we are thrilled that he will be joining us at St. Mark’s.”
North Star: ESD Alum Still Turning Heads After Setting NCAA Record
Charlotte North earns national spotlight after Boston College championship run
By Todd Jorgenson
People Newspapers
After setting a national goal-scoring record and leading Boston College to a national championship, Charlotte North’s summer has been a whirlwind.
The former ESD lacrosse standout was interviewed on national television. She was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Female Athlete of the Year across all sports. And she participated in tryouts for the U.S. national team.
That’s not bad for a woman from Preston Hollow, hundreds of miles from the sport’s traditional hotbed on the East Coast.
“Texas lacrosse is growing, and there’s so much more talent there,” North said. “The coaches there influenced me and mentored me. I’m really proud to be from Texas.”
North scored 102 goals for the season, including six against Syracuse in the national championship game, earning her Most Outstanding Player honors. Her 31 tallies during the Eagles’ NCAA tournament run also was an all-time high. During the regular season, North established a new ACC mark with 10 goals in a win over Virginia Tech.
“Our ultimate goal was winning the national championship. The individual stuff was cool,” North said. “I was playing alongside the best attackers and midfielders in the country. They made my job a lot easier. That’s why we were so successful. We worked well as a unit.” North was a two-sport star at ESD, where she holds school scoring records in lacrosse and basketball. She started her collegiate lacrosse career at Duke, where she played for two years before transferring to BC. Not only did North transition from midfield to attack after high school, but she had to adjust to the speed of the college game. She dazzled onlookers during two training-camp sessions with the national program in Maryland this summer. “It was such a great experience to see all the people I’ve watched and idolized and get to play with them,” she said. North wants to stay active in lacrosse in the future, either via the national program or in the upstart Athletes Unlimited professional league. But first, she plans to PCP_Aug2021x10Banner-DRAFT1.pdf 1 7/8/2021 12:38:16 PM play another season at BC, taking advantage of a one-time eligibility extension for
Former ESD standout Charlotte North set a new NCAA single-season record this season
with 102 goals for Boston College. (PHOTO: COURTESY BC ATHLETICS)
athletes whose careers were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re so lucky that we get a chance to play for another year in this program,” said North, who will begin work on her master’s degree this fall. “It’s been a dream come true. I don’t want my time to ever come to an end.”
