Jr. Bills fly to DC For Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice Conference
BY Jens Istvan and Max Marnatti Core Staff, Staff
We live in precarious times.”
These were the first words spoken at the Ignatian Family TeachIn for Justice, a national conference in Washington, D.C., for Catholic high schools and colleges that met last Saturday to Sunday. The Jr. Bills flew out Friday morning and returned Monday night, representing Saint Louis U. High in the offices of Missouri Senators Eric Schmidt and Josh Hawley.
Sports teams look for an alternative
as South Field undergoes renovations
BY Lucas Hayden and Andrew Vander Pluym News Editor, reporter
St. Louis U. High students heading into school last week from the turnaround may have noticed a peculiar sight: the South Field, located next to the Danis Field House, has been closed until spring, or most likely, summer or fall of next year.
“We’re doing field improvements for our athletics and other folks that would be using it, making it more level, seeding it, aerating it, fertilizing it, conditioning the soil, fixing all the irrigation heads, that kind of stuff, so it’s going to be in the best of condition when our Athletic Department and other folks here at the school want to use it,” said Director of Maintenance Joe Rankin. continued on page 5
Friday night the group walked around the District to see some of the nation’s most historic monuments at night. They visited the Washington Monument, the World War II memorial, Vietnam War memorial, and the Lincoln memorial. continued on page 5
Students bond with moms at annual MotherSon Mass, Brunch
BY Micah Doherty and Owen Williams Editor in Chief, reporter
St. Louis U. High mothers joined their sons this past weekend for the Mother-Son Mass. They attended Sunday Mass in the Danis Field House followed by a delicious brunch in the Si Commons.
The first half of this event was the Mass held in the Danis Field House. To fill the space and create a sense of community, the ambo and altar were
placed in the center of the gym floor while the congregation were split into two sections facing one another.
“I think (the setup) looked really nice and with the help of Mother’s Club representatives, they really made the space look nice with the decor and things like that, with the big space in the gym,” said campus minister Julie Lewis.
Students and mothers served in different roles during the Mass, singing in the choir, reading the petitions, continued on page 4
Medical Careers Club Blood Drive assists with national blood shortage
BY Thomas Juergens and Lincoln Shorley Core Staff
The semi-annual Blood Drive, run by the Medical Careers Club,
took place on this Wednesday. Eligible students, faculty, and staff signed up to donate blood at the event, which is run by Mercy Hospital and will help all sorts of people in need of blood transfusions.
Student volunteers from the Medical Careers Club helped the day run smoothly.
“I worked the check-in desk, checking in the donors and making continued on page 4
strong V2 performance at the PR Invitational. Page 7
Clues await up and down this week’s puzzle. Compete for a shoutout in next week’s edition. Page 8
photo | Courtesy of Ellen Fesler
James Unwin (left) and Michael Taylor (right) hugging their moms.
photo | Lucas Hayden
The field last Tuesday.
photo | Kathy Chott
Students on the trip in front of the Supreme Court.
photo | Theo Agniel
Members of the SLUH community giving blood.
Feature | Goodbye, cozy: SLUH furniture has gone corporate
BY Andrew Hunt News Editor
They first crawled their four stubby legs into the modern trappings of the Dill Center. They have since diversified and multiplied, inhabiting spaces from the Co-lab to the new Campus Ministry offices.
That’s right: it’s modern SLUH furniture. When construction on the Dill Center finished in summer 2022, repurposing a long-unused cafeteria space, its design established “a more modernized and sleek workspace” than the previous locations of the administration, counseling, and college counseling offices had offered, as noted in an Aug. 26, 2022 Prep News article. When the Dill Center opened for business, faculty and students praised its spaciousness and professional look, and to this day people appreciate its tall glass windows and multi-purpose of its meeting spaces.
Neat, gray carpet, clear, inconspicuous lighting, and mahogany wood siding complete the look.
The dazzling look of the Dill Center—funded by donors to the Go Forth campaign—has “gone forth” to establish a new era of interior design at SLUH (although some may give credit to the Innovation Lab): the studious era.
The Admissions center. The Global Education space. The new Campus Ministry suite. The Media Center. Even hallway corners. All have become trendified by perhaps the most crucial trend that the Dill Center set: modern, blue-and-gray furniture. Thin leather couches and standing tables dot the school. Swivel chairs have multiplied.
But do not fret: it’s not a furniture zombie apocalypse. Careful administrative decisions have guided this shift.
“The new furniture we have purchased has been an effort at having a similar aesthetic to the furniture purchased for the Dill Center,” said principal Fr. Matt Stewart, SJ.
The recently-added pieces of furniture also improve upon their dated predecessors: they are both easier to clean and more durable.
“We are looking to have furniture throughout the building that is durable,” said Stewart. “One thousand 14- to 18-year-old boys are bounding over it all day.”
But for many Jr. Bills, it is also a heartbreaking goodbye to “comfy SLUH”. Although the Co-lab, for example, is not intended to serve as a replacement to the old Campus Ministry office, the evidence that a shift has occurred overall is clear when comparing the old Campus Ministry space to the new one. With the arrival of corporate-looking, cold, blue leather couches, gone are the days of its homey, soft, brown couches. The memories of Jr. Bills sinking deep into the mouths of their gluttonous cushions grow more distant in our minds.
Of course, the furniture does provide an academic air of collaboration and formality to the work of students and faculty alike—one that many have found beneficial.
“It is promoting a more ‘locked in’ environment, trying to be more schoolfocused,” said senior Derek Nester while studying with friends at a large discussion table in the Co-lab.
Furthermore, the versatility of this furniture has been a huge benefit.
“I like the desks that have the bar on the lower right side, and the little holder beneath it,” said senior Henry Birkmeier.
“I love all the furniture out there (in the Media Center), with the nice desks, the chairs that go up and down. You can collaborate more easily with them. The tables are movable,” said senior Luke Schall.
But with only a few exclusive locations, like the rec room, the Prep News room, and the StuCo office, remaining for the same level of casual relaxation that the old Campus Ministry once offered, many students feel boxed into an environment of constant work.
“I think having more spaces to focus on academics is better, but you also still need spaces that have opportunities to relax,” said Nester. “There’s not really any more places to relax.”
“They’ve created new spaces that our students get to work in, but it’s also gotten rid of some of the comfort level,” said junior Brian Hogan.
“Old furniture at SLUH is more broken in, the leather’s broken in, it’s more beat down, so it makes it more comfortable,” said senior Isaac Basi. “I think the shift is overall a bad thing, because you can sit there and work a bit better, but I feel like on the old couches you could get a little bit of a break, and I feel like that’s really productive to learning. You’re just chilling with friends and working on something.”
“The weird little modern couches really make me mad,” said Birkmeier. “The chairs kind of make my butt hurt sometimes.”
Many note, however, that although these spaces may be less casual or homey, there are more overall hangout spaces in the school building for all students, when such an environment was once confined primarily to Campus Ministry.
“People usually have their set space
Band and orchestra shine as ten students make All-District bands
BY Aiden Erard and Theo Agniel Sports Editors
With a rat-a-tat-tat and a do-wopde-do, the St. Louis U. High band and orchestra program competed in a district band competition this past Monday. After traveling all the way to Fort Zumwalt West, seven SLUH band members made the All-District Concert Band while four made the AllDistrict Jazz Band.
SLUH had 20 combined student auditions for both district bands. Six students were chosen for the District Concert Band: sophomore John Comerford, 1st chair piccolo and 1st chair flute; sophomore Matthew Conte, 14th chair soprano clarinet; senior Blake Dorn, 1st alternate (5th place) baritone; senior Adrian Neumann, 9th chair trumpet; sophomore Edmund Reske, 1st chair trombone; and sophomore Mac O’Connell, 6th chair percussion.
Five students were chosen for the District Jazz Band: sophomore Gabe Altier, 1st chair drum set; senior Luke Jarboe, 2nd chair (jazz solo chair) trumpet; freshman Maceo Malkus, 1st alternate (2nd place) guitar; senior Evan Mullins, 1st chair alto saxophone; and junior Mose Ogunrinde, 1st chair bass.
District auditions consist of a fouryear rotation of music chosen by two organizations. The concert band music is chosen by the Missouri Band Masters Association and the jazz music is chosen by the Missouri Association for Jazz Educators. Music for each instrument is chosen from a very large selection and it is shared an entire year ahead of time, though some say it is not very smart to practice that far in
advance.
“Most people don’t recommend practicing distinct music a year ahead of time because you can really get burnt out or peak too soon,” said band director Jeff Pottinger. “They also make you learn much more music than you will have to play in the audition because they want to weed out the most talented musicians.”
Both bands are expected to work very hard in the time before their auditions. The concert band auditionees have to learn 24 scales and memorize multiple octaves while the jazz band auditionees have to do improvisation.
“For a lot of these guys it’s the first time they’re practicing every day or practicing really consistently. So it just builds a lot of rapid growth in the program,” said assistant band director Thomas Curdt. “They sound better, they have better technique, they feel more confident, and then the music they’re playing in the band feels easier.”
Despite SLUH usually hosting the event, the district decided to host the contest at Fort Zumwalt West this year, an almost 45-minute drive from St. Louis.
Everyone in attendance had a great experience and was very pleased with their performances, especially Pottinger, who is always beyond happy to see the growth of his students over the years.
“We had a lot of kids try out that have grown so much and it was really fun to watch them. From freshman Jack Williamson to senior John Powers, everyone did amazing,” said Pottinger. “I would say my favorite story was senior Evan Mullins, who was a First Alternate for the past three years. It was
that they can hang out in now,” said Schall. “You can always go different places.”
The heated debate about the visual appeal of these new spaces, however, remains up in the air.
“We need a more rustic look around the school,” said senior Marshall Prost. “I feel like more people would like that style. When I saw these new locations, I immediately thought, ‘I hate this modern style. Let’s take it back a couple
centuries.’”
“I think these new places are far more aesthetically pleasing and pleasurable to look at, and I think that contributes overall to a more positive environment,” said senior Toby Godat.
“I love the visual appeal,” said Schall. “With SLUH being a historic building, we cherish our beautiful building and structure, but I think the new furniture gives it new life, and more of a lookingahead and a vision of cleanness.”
Please Vote Letter To The Editors
To the Editors:
so exciting to see him finally make it.” Student musicians of SLUH were no less ecstatic about their auditions. Many students were returning auditionees, but many were also newcomers.
“The experience was really enjoyable and efficient,” said sophomore drummer Gabe Altier. “The judges were very nice and my audition went a lot smoother this year. I really want to thank Mr. Pottinger and Mr. Gionino for helping me prepare for my audition.”
For those who are skilled enough to make the district band, they are expected to attend four rehearsals as a group. This proves to be extremely enjoyable and helpful for the SLUH band members as they are able to play with the best musicians in the district.
After completing their rehearsals, the district bands gather at a central location to perform for anyone wanting to attend.
“One of the coolest parts about the district rehearsals is that they hire different professionals to come in and work with the musicians. These professionals are usually renowned directors and they offer a pretty school experience for the kids,” said Pottinger.
Those who make all districts as a chair or alternate are eligible to audition for the statewide band. The auditions occur in Columbia, Missouri in early December, and the program will take a bus to the University of Missouri as students vie for coveted first chairs for their respective instruments.
“We have a lot of high achieving players because when you play around people who sound good, you want to sound good,” said Curdt.
Next Tuesday, Nov. 5, is a pivotal day for the future of our country. Regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, I’d bet that there’s at least one issue you care about that will be influenced by the outcome of next Tuesday’s election. Abortion? Yes. Immigration? Check. The economy? Bingo. The media typically deems every election cycle as “the most important election cycle of our lives”, but you can’t help but think that this time, they may actually be right. This cycle, it falls on us, the next generation of Americans, to take action into our hands. I’m writing this letter today to implore you to fulfill your civic duties next Tuesday. Please vote.
Maybe you read that last statement and shrugged. You’re someone who’s unenthusiastic about either major candidate for a number of reasons. That’s perfectly ok. There’s a number of third party candidates who provide alternative views that may resonate with your opinions at every office level. Some of my favorite teachers are voting for a third party. It’s not a waste of a vote either. It’s a statement that you as a voter are displeased with what the major parties are advocating for. You’re entitled to that opinion. Your voice matters just as much as someone who’s voting Republican or Democrat. Our system is so great because it allows your voice to be heard. Let it be heard.
Maybe you’re reading this letter as an underclassmen or a senior who hasn’t turned 18 and can’t vote yet. That doesn’t mean you can’t have a role in this election. You can work as an election judge. You can phone bank for
your preferred candidate (probably). You can get in touch with your family and make sure they’re informed on whatever issue it is that you deem to be most important this time around. There’s countless ways that you can get involved. Don’t let that opportunity pass you by.
Personally, I believe voting and civic participation is especially important for people our age. Young people should inherently want what is best for our country. At the end of the day, god willing, we’re all going to be living here for the next 70 to 80 years of our lives. Our visions of a better America that we can all be proud to live in and represent should be something that serves as a uniting factor.
At some point over the next four years, we will have all walked out of this building as a student for the final time. At that time, we won’t be confined to the halls of 4970 Oakland Avenue. We won’t be worried about the lunch menu or a new change to the schedule. We’ll be faced with the hardships of the real world and forced to make real, important decisions that will impact our country for the rest of our lives. Together, we hold the keys to our future. Our responsibility of making sure our voices are heard begins next Tuesday. So, what’s the message of all of this? Stand up for what you believe in. Don’t waste this chance to make a change in our country. You only get the chance to vote for the first time once. Make the most of it. Make a difference. It’s in our hands now. Let’s not drop the ball. Let’s make our country one to be proud of.
Noah Butler, ’25 Student Body President
photo | Andrew Hunt
A sleek, new couch in Campus Ministry.
photo | McCoy Amann
Wills Dino takes a snooze on a couch in the old Campus Ministry.
Feature | 2024 election season calls student body, faculty to civic action
BY Andrew Hunt, Jens Istvan News Editor, Core Staff
With Election Day 2024 approaching on Tuesday, St. Louis U. High finds itself amidst a tense political, cultural environment. Here’s how SLUH community members—voters and nonvoters, those who identify with political parties and those who do not—have prepared for the election.
During Advisory sessions this week and last week, the Men for Life Club spearheaded one of these key initiatives by offering a presentation about orderly discourse among today’s harsh and polarized political climate. The event was titled “Mending a Broken Dialogue,” and led by Men for Life president senior Jacob Grijalva, theology teacher and Men for Life moderator Mike Lally, and theology teacher Dr. Andrew Schaperkoetter.
Because pro-life beliefs—rallying against abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty, human trafficking, and more—do not align solely with one of the two major political parties, the Men for Life Club has a crucial perspective to share from directly in the midst of these heated discussions.
“As the club that everyone knows has a ‘political’ viewpoint on something, I realized that this is perhaps a good opportunity for us to say something about the election,” said Lally. “My personal hope is that we could model what it looks like to have views that cannot be encapsulated within a single political party.”
“We have a unique experience of disagreeing with all the parties,” said Schaeperkoetter. “I think we also have an advantage in that we’re very focused on recognizing the dignity of each person, and that includes recognizing the dignity of one’s interlocutor.”
The event was prefaced by laying out the national trends of increasing polarity between Democrats and Republicans, which members of the SLUH community experience in their daily lives through social media: according to data from the Pew Research Center, from 1994 to 2022, the share of Republicans with a “very unfavorable” view of Democrats has increased from 21 percent to 62 percent, and the share of Democrats with a “very unfavorable” view of Republicans has increased from 17 percent to 54 percent.
“Reading social media posts, I’ve seen just how quickly our political discourse breaks down—how often it results in ad hominem and how often it dissolves into straw man arguments and demonization,” said Schaeperkoetter.
Notably, in 2019, 45 percent of Democrats and 35 percent of Republicans said they would be unhappy if their children married a member of the opposing party, according to data from Facing History and Ourselves.
“It seems that political division is so deep that not even love can transcend it,” said Lally at the event.
Lally then displayed data from a survey SLUH students had taken in which they responded to a variety of statements about how they view and engage with politics and political discourse. From this data, Lally emphasized how SLUH students seem to fit into a larger trend of seeing the faults in today’s political discussions. Interestingly, when asked whether they “often feel dejected or hope-
less about the direction of modern politics,” the average upperclassman responded more in agreement with this statement than the average underclassman.
“The freshman/sophomore data seemed to demonstrate that they haven’t had a lot of dialogue with people outside their political circles,” said Lally. “They also probably aren’t seeking out a lot of political dialogue. But they also marked pretty high in terms of hopefulness and in terms of their belief that perhaps there is a good and meaningful future awaiting us in the political world,” said Lally.
Lally also emphasized how young adults nationally have become more politically disillusioned: 37 percent of young adults 18-29 years of age are unfavorable to both major political parties, according to a 2022 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center.
After Lally sketched the state of American political discourse, two students in Men for Life shared how they had experienced the effects of poor political discourse and how they believe SLUH students should strive for unity and finding common ground. For the underclassmen, this student was sophomore Joe Talleur; for the upperclassmen, it was junior Jake Fitzpatrick.
“It’s very clear that there’s a lot of tension and arguments going on both inside and outside school politically, so I was preaching peace and that we need to love each other despite our beliefs,” said Fitzpatrick.
“If I do not respect or dialogue respectfully with people of differing views, then I am denying them the very dignity that I’m seeking to spread with my Men for Life advocacy,” said Talleur in his talk.
Schaeperkoetter concluded the event by proposing to students how to avoid specific pitfalls of arguments and build up more loving discourse.
“I think in this day and age of globalization, we move to people that agree with us. We go to church with people that agree with us. We talk on social media with people that agree with us … we all have this tendency to resort into tribes,” said Schaperkoetter.
“If we plan to respect the dignity of somebody we disagree with, we will respect the dignity of somebody we disagree with, and to do that, we will treat them with love when we’re talking to them … not by yelling in people’s faces,” said Grijalva.
One of Schaeperkoetter’s most impactful points was his explanation of how humans get caught in the emotions of arguing that winning becomes their sole purpose, even if they isolate that person, isolate others, or isolate themselves: “win an argument, lose a friend”.
“I would hope that freshmen and sophomores focus on forming friendships with people of different political views and prioritizing friendship and relationship above intellectual differences,” said Lally.
Beyond the Men for Life’s advocacy, these challenging times have also provided an incredible learning opportunity for students interested in government and politics. One such place for this discourse is the senior elective AP American Politics, taught by social studies teacher Tom Zinselmeyer. Each day the class opens with a group discussion on current events. While the discussions can become argumentative,
Chromakopia
Review: Tyler,
the Creator reflects on career in
chaotic new album
they are generally very productive: students come prepared with facts and news stories each day. The careful nature of the discussion promotes educated analysis of politics, not the agitating and unproductive arguments which many SLUH students expressed their dissatisfaction with. Current juniors interested in this appealing or refreshing way to discuss news and politics should consider signing up for one or both of the one-semester AP Government electives next year.
“I’ve always thought that these types of courses are super important to understand … and that’s what political science is versus political commentary,” said Zinselmeyer. “Based on my experience, building a great, good, healthy community means that people need to listen and people need to really wrestle with the power of ‘why?.’”
Other students interested in government are involved in other ways, such as working for a political campaign or working as election judges. One such student is senior Marshall Prost.
“I wanted to be an election judge because I wanted to get involved in politics more deeply, especially because I’m 17 and can’t vote yet,” said Prost.
Around the hallways of SLUH, politics isn’t all the students talk about. That being said, one would be hard-pressed to walk around the building for a day and not hear two students arguing, discussing, or joking about the presidential or state elections and their candidates. Although SLUH is a place where combating intellectual ideas can be discussed respectfully, the political tensions of the time have changed the way students talk to each other about certain things.
“I think it’s important to have mature conversations about politics because being able to communicate effectively is really essential to growing as a country,” said Prost.
“Politics influence everything in our lives, so it’s important to talk about relevant issues with maturity and genuine curiosity,” said senior Jacob Nolan.
For every genuine political disagreement among students, there are many jokes cracked about the subject, most commonly an impersonation of former president Donald Trump. Although lighthearted comments aren’t always the best way to reflect on the nation’s political climate, they’re a reality of life at SLUH, and as an American teenager in 2024.
“I think perhaps maybe a kind of a double sided part to this,” said Zinselmeyer, “Firstly, people may find it more approachable or accessible, more familiar. On the flip side, some could argue that it devalues government.”
Eighteen-year-old members of the Class of 2025 find themselves at a crucial time in history, to be voting in a presidential election just as they enter adulthood. At the end of the day, the most essential part of making sense of these politically polarized times is remembering that everyone, whether they share or dispute your political beliefs, is human and made in the image and likeness of God. While it’s easy to get frustrated with our brothers and sisters in Christ, no political ideology or belief should be able to break people apart.
BY Leo Hahn Features Editor
The wait is over, but was it worth it?
Some say yes. Tyler the Creator’s seventh studio album, Chromakopia, blends musical elements of his previous albums while filling an interesting, but sometimes out of place, role in his discography. The album, released Monday after a wait of three years, serves as a tool of self-reflection on the artist’s childhood and current career.
The style of the album is identified by a chaotic blend of genres and levels of seriousness, a style which has become synonymous with Tyler’s brand. Blending elements of R&B, hip hop, and jazz, Chromakopia is musically most similar to Tyler’s fourth studio album Flower Boy, which was released in 2017.
The blend of genre plays off well, creating multiple threads the listener can follow throughout the album. The experience of listening to Chromakopia in one sitting is made even better considering most songs on the album blend seamlessly into each other, creating a feeling of cohesion that could have easily been lost in the sometimes jarring genre switches. This is similar to Tyler’s arguably most popular album IGOR which used the same technique, even though that album was more musically similar throughout.
The track that stands out as one of the best on the album is “Darling, I (feat. Teezo Touchdown),” which uses layered vocal mixing and a groove-inducing beat to create one of the most classic Tyler-sounding songs on Chromakopia “Darling, I” also uses its lyrics to communicate a message on the natures of love and respect, and what that means to Tyler. His fear of commitment and his ideal of polyamory are at the forefront of the track.
“I can’t sign the dotted line,” says Tyler in “Darling, I,” referring to a marriage contract. “Just how long is forever?”
Chromakopia also stands out for another stylistic choice: the framing narrative. Eight out of the 14 tracks feature one or more sections of Tyler’s mother, Bonita Smith, repeating advice he would have heard growing up in Los Angeles. These tidbits range from words of encouragement, to warnings about success, and advice on family planning and relationships. The twelfth track of the album, “Like Him (feat. Lola Young),” uses this technique with the most success. The vulnerability of both Tyler and Smith in their musically-grounded discussion of Tyler’s father creates a soft and genuine moment amid the chaos of
the album as a whole.
That chaos is also the downfall of many parts of Chromakopia. This is obvious in the album’s weakest tracks, “Sticky (feat. GloRilla, Sexxy Red, & Lil Wayne)” and “Thought I Was Dead (feat. ScHoolboy Q & Santigold).” Both songs, particularly “Sticky”, seem incredibly out of place among the moments of vulnerability and characterization Tyler is experiencing throughout the album; the backing tracks are almost too distracting from the songs themselves (*cough* the whistling). The lyrics were also jarring and out of place: if I quoted any of “Sticky,” the Prep News would probably lose funding. Thankfully, songs like these were pretty rare on Chromakopia, but I feel the whole production was still hurt by their inclusion.
Chromakopia was received well after its release, and declared a success shortly after. According to the global Spotify chart the album earned over 86 million streams on its first day, with over 6 million streams per song. The entire album also occupied the top 14 spots on the US Spotify charts, making it one of the top 20 biggest hip-hop debuts of all time. These trends were similarly reflected on Apple Music.
Chromakopia was released after a long period of hype, which was amplified by the release of the singles “St. Chroma” on Oct. 16, “Noid” on Oct. 21, and “Thought I Was Dead” on Oct. 26.
In the lead up to Chromakopia’s dropping date, popular opinion rumored that alternative R&B pioneer Frank Ocean would feature on the album. These rumors were amplified further when the announcement of the album release date was on his birthday, Oct. 28. This was not the case. Ocean, who has gained a reputation as a musical hermit, didn’t appear in any of the features for Chromakopia, generating criticism and disappointment from many fans.
Overall the album can be considered as the playing out of an early mid-life crisis. All throughout Tyler revisits the ideas of entering adulthood and aging, while also confronting his paranoia as a celebrity and his ambition as an artist.
The students of St. Louis U. High, while probably listening for other reasons, can learn a lot from the messages of Chromakopia. Tyler’s dilemma balancing his own ambition and freedom is something that many of us will also have to confront at some point in our lives as we enter into jobs and careers. This album also teaches us the value of self-reflection and the insights we can gain from it.
art | Courtesy of Tyler, the Creator
The Chromakopia album cover.
Mother-Son Mass, Brunch filled with bonding time, community, gratitude
(continued from page 1)
bringing the gifts forward, and ministering communion.
“(The Mass) is a great opportunity for sons to show their appreciation to their mothers, and for the mothers to receive that, because mothers have done so much for them, and it’s very important to really keep gratitude at the heart of the matter of gratitude,” said Fr. Daniel Tesvich, SJ. “That’s why we celebrate Mass, because Mass is all about giving gratitude to God for His many good gifts, especially the gift of His only begotten Son.”
For the special occasion, the Mass was extended to demonstrate and honor the special roles that mothers have played in the Jr. Bills’ lives. Following communion, seniors Michael Taylor and James Unwin shared reflections about their moms and their gratitude and love for them.
“I loved seeing how many mothers and sons supported each other and I was excited that I was able to speak to them,” said Taylor. “Seeing my own mom that happy left me feeling fulfilled and wanting to do more for her. It is really important to show our gratitude for (mothers) because their job is so thankless. Carrying a child for nine months, giving birth, and then caring for that child requires so much effort and care. Their devoted mission to ensure their child’s best possible future is very selfless and time consuming; people do not acknowledge that as much as they should.”
“It felt good to be able to be a part of the Mass, especially the motherson mass,” said Unwin. “It meant a
lot to me to be chosen to speak on behalf of the boys here and share our gratitude with our mothers. Also, it was great seeing my mom’s reaction when I went up to speak. She had no idea it was happening and I could tell it really meant a lot to her.”
“It’s a very special point in a Mass where they’re speaking to each other a prayer for gratitude and respect,” said Lewis. “It really builds that mother-son bond.”
Another special touch to the Mother-Son Mass was when the seniors walked up to the altar to receive a white flower to give to their mom.
The Mass concluded with the Blessing of Mothers and Sons.
“It’s very special that they have that point in the Mass where they’re speaking to each other a prayer for the other person of gratitude and respect,” said Lewis.
As the closing hymn was sung, students felt more connected to their mothers and had a deeper respect and love for their moms.
“Small intimate moments like this are what really last, and are important to create with your mom when you are young and have the time,” said junior Brady Vogt.
The second half of the MotherSon event was a brunch held in the Si Commons, where all could socialize after the Mass while being served a buffet-style breakfast.
“This year, we decided to bring the brunch back just to have the community opportunity at SLUH with the Mother-Son Mass,” said Lewis.
“My favorite part of the day was the breakfast after because I know how hard my mom worked, and it was great to be with everyone and their moms,” said senior Jimmy McAuliffe.
Overall, Jr. Bills and their moms were able to share their love and thankfulness for one another, building their bond.
“I think it is important to show gratitude to mothers because they do so much for everyone, and usually when they do this they get little attention or gratitude. But this doesn’t stop them,” said McAuliffe. “I think celebrating our relationships with our moms on special days like Mother-Son Mass is a good way to bond, but also it shows them the gratitude that they deserve when we forget to tell them how much they mean to us.”
“It’s important to show gratitude for our mothers because they do so much for us without asking anything in return,” said Unwin. “They play one of the biggest roles in forming us into the men we are today.”
“Our spirituality is a very core piece of who we are at SLUH,” said Lewis. “So, to have that spiritual connection point with a very close parental group, the students’ moms, is just a really special honor, to extend that opportunity for moms to see the spirituality alive in action with a Mass that’s specifically dedicated to being with their sons at in their school with those particular blessings and being together only exclusively mothers and sons.”
Parents build community, celebrate diversity at PACES Sip and Share
BY Finn Rose and Jack Williamson reporters
The Parent Association for Cultural Enrichment at Saint Louis U. High (PACES) held its Sip and Share social event on Tuesday, Oct. 22, at El Milagro Azteca, a Mexican restaurant on The Hill. The Sip and Share event was a chance for parents who participate in PACES to get to know each other and build fellowship and community.
“The goal is to build a supportive community for families of diverse backgrounds,” said PACES president-elect Kendra Wilkins.
All parents at SLUH were welcome to join. PACES holds these events annually towards the beginning of the school year to welcome new families and welcome back current members of the organization.
“Each year, we proudly choose a minority-owned business to host the event,” said Wilkens.
This year, El Milagro Azteca was selected in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. These fellowship events have been a part of the organization since its early years. Last year, under the leadership of PACES president Dr. Dolores Gunn, it was renamed the Sip and Share.
“It was intended to be a social event that would give PACES members, and really anybody who wanted to participate, a chance to be together, to talk about what was on their mind, and just to kind of get
to know each other and to build fellowship,” said Co-Director of Equity and Inclusion and English teacher Frank Kovarik.
The event was well received by participants.
“I felt it went really well. It was a good turnout, great spirit, good food, lots of laughter, and interesting conversations. I was very happy with it,” said Kovarik.
In addition to the Sip and Share once a year, PACES also holds other events for students and parents. Last year, they held a block party event at SLUH during Black History Month with music, food, and games.
PACES is the parent counterpart of the student organization ACES, the Association for Cultural Enrichment at SLUH.
“We support them and whatever mission they would like to bring forth,” said Wilkens.
PACES has monthly meetings and invites parents to participate in supporting ACES and its various student affinity groups. At their next meeting—Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. in the Dill Center—the group will be making exam goodie bags for members of ACES.
Overall, PACES connects the SLUH community and creates a welcoming environment for a wide range of culturally-diverse families.
“It’s that fellowship and it’s those connections that really create a strong community and help to give the work of PACES a firm foundation,” said Kovarik.
Students save three people a time at Med Careers Club Blood Drive
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sure that they had their ID and Social Security numbers ready,” said junior George Fahim.
In order to participate in the Blood Drive, students and faculty had to be at least 16 and get parental consent unless they were 17 or older. The donors also needed their ID’s and the last four digits of their social security numbers in order to donate.
To get students to participate, Medical Careers Club moderator Tim O’Keefe walked around the Commons at lunch, filling slots throughout the day. He also convinced his fellow faculty members to participate in the drive as well.
“It was important for me to be there during lunches, helping people sign up and fill out the schedule so that the donors were spread out throughout the day,” said O’Keefe. “So I did that a couple weeks leading up to the blood drive, and then I also got guys from the Medical Careers Club to come help and volunteer at the blood drive; I just put it all together and encouraged faculty and staff as well.”
The day was split up from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m, leaving many shifts
to fill throughout the day while also allowing the nurses to not be rushed and overwhelmed through the process. Episodes of Phineas and Ferb played for people to watch while they donated blood.
“We set up the schedule so that there was a regular flow. It was a steady stream of donors throughout the day,” said O’Keefe. “We didn’t want a lot of people coming all at once, and we didn’t have too many holes in the schedule.”
Because of the schedule, some students had to skip class to donate, but were excused from whatever part of that class that they were going to miss. Also, participants received complimentary t-shirts with their donation.
While many students had little personal connection to motivate them to donate, others had a very significant connection to the drive.
“I chose to give blood because when my grandfather fell, he needed a blood transfusion because he lost a lot of blood from his head,”said junior Carter Murphy. “So I chose to give blood to give back to the community, because that’s what happened with my grandfather.”
The donations that were given play a key part in modern medicine, with patients all across the world in need of blood transfusions that could change the trajectory of their health.
After giving blood, the donors received a large bandage that they needed to wear for multiple hours as they recovered. They were also told to not do any intense exercise for the rest of the day.
The Medical Careers Club also set up a canteen for the donors, allowing them to eat snacks so that they had the nutrients in their blood.
As there is currently a national blood shortage, it’s never been more important to have blood drives to help out the cause.
“I get emails all the time from the Red Cross about the shortages of blood,” said junior Simon Apprill-
Sokol. “That inspired me to donate to help the cause, even though I’m afraid of needles.”
“Every time you donate blood, it can save up to three lives. And as I
always say, there’s a critical need for blood in our country,” said O’Keefe.
“So when people do take the time to (give blood), it really does help people without it.”
Senior Rudy Reitenbach gives blood.
photo | Kathy Chott
Tim O’Keefe gets blood drawn.
photo | Kathy Chott
Adam Grass and Tricia Schuler get blood drawn. photo | Kathy Chott
Delegation for Ignation Family Teach-In
advocates for social justice to
Senator
Hawley, Senator Schmitt South Field to be transformed to Belle Field
“Some students have never been to (D.C.), but others that have been typically haven’t seen the monuments at night,” said math teacher Craig Hannick, one of the trip’s moderators. “I think that’s a neat experience to walk up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and actually see how big Lincoln is sitting in that chair. It is pretty stunning. I’m with a group of wonder-eyed students who are excited to see these things in real life that they’ve seen in pictures and on video for years.”
“I think especially at night when
urday afternoon with a song from Francisco Herrera, entitled “Caminando,” which translates to “walking” from Spanish. The theme of this year’s teach-in was “Steadfast hope in precarious times,” and how although our current political, social, moral, and cultural climate seems unprecedented, the precariousness of our situation has been just as true for Americans and Catholics in the past.
The first keynote speaker of the conference, Fr. Bryan Massingale, spoke of the injustices faced by many Americans, particularly those of the African
there’s less people, you’re sort of forced to be in awe, thinking about all these great people, these founding fathers that have walked before you,” said senior Patrick McGroarty. “When you’re at the Lincoln Memorial, the lights, the inscriptions, the marble is all so stupendous. You’re (standing) where some of the most famous speeches of all time we’re given. It’s crazy stuff.”
The next morning, the group visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Because of the group’s tight schedule, they were only able to spend two hours in the museum, which was not nearly enough to explore the museum’s five floors.
“This was my third year on the teach-in, and I haven’t even gotten close to seeing the whole thing. I (only) scratched the tip of the iceberg,” said McGroarty.
Given the theme of social justice throughout the weekend of the teachin, the museum is an extremely fitting stop.
“The other thing that has become a teaching tradition for St. Louis U. High is that on Saturday morning we go to the African American History Museum,” said Hannick. “I believe that that is something that everybody should see and since we have that opportunity to go and to go as a group, it is such a neat experience.”
The IFTJ officially began on Sat-
American and LGBTQ communities. He spoke of the extreme harm caused by political polarization and the extremist views that are so common in the United States today. Massingale uniquely used the analogy of a relay race for the concept of change, saying that any progress is good, even if it doesn’t look like much in a short period of time.
Later that evening, the group split up into various breakout rooms to hear panels from experts in their respective fields of social justice. Most notably were the breakout rooms on politics in the year 2024 and one featuring one Israeli and one Palestinian Catholic.
“It gave me a perspective from their point of view and their family’s point of view that I had not really seen on the news or had read about in the reports, actually how much more horrific it is than what I thought it was, as horrific as I thought it was,” Hannick said. “I think that it’s kind of what happens to the (senate) staffers when we give our personal stories. That’s exactly what I felt, hearing personal stories from people that were sitting in the same room as I was, and not people that were on their phones from Israel or from Gaza. So these were real people telling real stories, and that’s the power of our advocacy work as well.”
what they said, advocated for him, and they got him free. And now he’s here today to tell us his story.”
The final keynote speaker, 85-yearold Sister Peggy O’Neill, gave a beautifully personal and spirited speech about how modern day Catholics must re-examine their concept of God. Her interpretation of the trinity as “Love expressed, love received, and love returned” featured a small three-step-skip every time she said the words, and the crowd repeatedly interrupted her with gracious applause.
Following this speech, the teachin attended Mass, presided over by Fr. Adam De Leon, SJ. He gave a highly political homily expressing his distaste for the words “shut up” and the value of advocacy work such as that done on the teach-in. Fr. De Leon ended his homily by quoting popular rapper Kendrick Lamar’s diss track, “Not Like Us.”
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Although some sports teams—cross country, track, ultimate frisbee, football, and soccer, to name a few—may be temporarily dismayed, the ultimate payoff will be more than worth it, with plenty of new things coming to the South Field, which will ultimately be renamed Belle Field, in the near future.
“There’s other things that we’re going to be doing in that particular field. The ideas have been thrown at me in regards to what we need to be doing, but there’s a few things that are going to be done, like adding a field goal, a soccer field goal, a football upright on one end, maybe a netting to prevent balls from going where we don’t want them to go,” said Rankin.
southern border, spoke to the teach-in. He described the precarious and terrifying conditions at the southern border and the terrible journey migrants must make to the United States. Garcia brought up the image of the women at the foot of Jesus’ crucifixion, powerless, but willing to take the most extreme risk.
Next the group attended more breakout sessions where they had options to hear from and discuss the issues brought up at the conference much more in depth. Notable highlights of this session included a discussion about the Church’s ongoing discernment of the possibility of female deacons and a testimony from a man convicted to death row.
“He was released hours before he was meant to be put to death, because two high schoolers came and visited him and made a case for him,” said sophomore Teddy Cotton. “He was accused of murder, but didn’t do it. The judge believed he was guilty, so he was sent on death row and got beaten multiple times by prison guards and then he was sent to his cell for the few hours before his death was supposed to happen. Two high schoolers came and visited him, told him that they were going to look out for him and pray for him and advocate for him, because they knew that the death penalty was wrong. So then they went out and did exactly
On Monday, the group set out for Capitol Hill to do what it had been preparing for for weeks: speaking to the offices of Schmidt and Hawley to advocate for the issues of climate change and migration. Because the senate was in recess at the time of the IFTJ due to this year’s election cycle, the group spoke to staffers representing the senators. Following a short tour of the senate offices from SLUH alumnus PJ Butler ’20, the group gave a spirited and impactful presentation featuring personal testimony, logical argument, and proposed bills for the senators to support.
Following the presentation, senior Theo Agniel offered a passionate but respectful question, asking senator Hawley to re-examine his use of offensive language such as “illegal aliens,” referring to migrants from the southern border.
“What I really loved about this trip was getting a really intimate look at Congress and our government,” said senior Paul Thibodeau, “From a distance, it is so easy to see just to think of our government as so far removed from us, so cold and isolated. Talking to staffers and meeting with people involved in our government really showed me how relational a system our government is to its people. I (recommend) going on this trip to learn how you are connected to your government and how your government works, and that it’s real people who do care about the things that are affecting this country.”
A big problem with the current field was flooding after rain, which made the field unusable for sports teams for a decent amount of time after rainfall. A major part of the project is making attempts to mitigate this issue, with a large portion of it being focusing on leveling the field.
All in all, the new developments have been a fairly expansive task to carry out within a fairly short time frame, with much of the work having to be done in the next 20 days or so before irrigation systems are shut off and the weather gets too cold to operate in.
“We’ve had to monitor this weather condition because we don’t want the irrigation to be freezing up on us,” said Rankin.
“This is kind of a specialty thing,” said Vice President for Advancement Sean Agniel. “You need professionals to come in and look at it, and grade it. None of that is flashy, but it’s important, and just beyond the day to day that our really talented facilities crew could reasonably take on.”
And although the idea to renovate the field popped up fairly quickly because of a donor stepping forward, the need to develop the field has been percolating for a long time.
“We had noticed that over the last several years, the field outside of the Danis Field House was being used constantly,” said Agniel. “Nearly every sports program in every season was making use of the field, which was great, but it wasn’t built to withstand that volume of use. We had a donor that was interested in supporting (the field’s) holistic health and wellness, and the idea of helping us to improve a training facility, not a performance facility but a training field, aligned really well with what the donor wanted to do.”
The renovations made to the field will help to add more quality spaces for sports in each season.
“Inevitably as athletics have grown, the field has become a usable and valuable practice space,” says Athletic Director Christopher Muskopf.
The improvements will not only be for sports programs. Other students and faculty who use the field for more recreational purposes shouldn’t fret.
“During the school day, if a group wants to go out during Activity Period, they can, or if there are advisories where StuCo has activities, the field can still be used for that.” says Muskopf.
The current closure of the field will allow its quality to be greatly improved for all activities.
“This will absolutely be worth it,” said Muskopf. “It’ll be a more usable field for more of our student population, it’s a process that’s going to be meaningful for sports goers, but also be a great process for people holding events or maybe just students wanting to play catch during activity period.”
The next morning, keynote speaker Ruben Garcia, who works as a volunteer to shelter immigrants from the
Senior Paul Thibodeau (center) points to the name of a SLUH grad at the Vietnam Memorial. photo | Kathy Chott
(Left to right) Theo Agniel, Jamie Cordia, and Craig Hannick with group walk across a street in D.C. photo | Kathy Chott
The group giving their presentation to Senator Eric Schmitt’s staff. photo | Kathy Chott
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SPORTS
One Last Ride
After CBC loss, Soccer bounces back to win final match of regular season
BY Theo Agniel and Andrew Chalmers Sports Editor, reporter
Despite giving up a one-goal lead in a loss to CBC, the St. Louis U. High Soccer team used the rage generated from their three-game dry spell to fuel an emphatic victory in their final game of the regular season against MICDS.
CBC
The Jr. Bills fell victim to the CBC Cadets last Thurdsay, Oct. 24, losing 2-1 after a heroic second half from the Cadets.
While the Jr. Bills held possession for most of the first half, CBC smugly sat back in their own half absorbing any attacks that came their way and then swiftly counterattacking. However, a high Jr. Bill line drew multiple offside calls. When the Cadets were able to attack behind, senior captain Nick Hammond used his size to clear
balls away.
“I think playing in the back has added a good dynamic to the team. I feel like I’ve helped add composure and communication in the backfield,” said Hammond.
With no clear winner in sight, the teams switched from thinking defensively to offensively in the second half.
The Jr. Bills found themselves with their best scoring opportunity yet when junior Henry Sanders cut across the field with 29 minutes left in the game. An acute pass from Sanders to sophomore Javi Vigil drew defenders from the left side of the field, and left junior Andrew Wolf wide open. Vigil’s pass landed perfectly on Wolf’s right foot and Wolf tucked his shot inside the near post side of the goalkeeper to open the scoring.
However, the ecstasy of taking the lead didn’t last long. The Cadets leapt back with a goal of their own off of a corner kick within five minutes of SLUH’s goal to tie it. Then, with ten
Diving deep: Swim ends regular season with win over Chaminade
BY Brendan Hunt and Henry Hassenstab reporters
The Saint Louis U. High Swim and Dive team defeated the Chaminade Red Devils last Thursday at Chaminade’s home pool. The meet was the last meet before the team heads to MCCs this weekend and then State soon after.
The meet marked the first time the Jr. Bills faced the Chaminade, one of the better teams in the area, this season, so it was a good challenge for the Jr. Bills. Chaminade placed fourth at state last year, and has several formidable swimmers on their roster, but they were no match for the Jr. Bills’ tremendous depth and talent.
The meet kicked off with the 200 medley relay, where the SLUH A relay beat the Red Devils, with seniors Ben Chumley and Evan Zimmerman having a clutch middle section. At the meet, one of Chaminade’s fastest swimmers, Spencer Kinsey, aimed to break the pool record set by Cooper Scharff, but only barely missed the time necessary.
Outside of this, the Jr. Bills had some great competition. Kinsey, as well as Chaminade sophomore Henry Mura, were threatening first place finishers for the Jr. Bills all night, and the Devils unfortunately took first in the diving portion of the meet, as well as the 400 free relay, just barely beating out SLUH in an
electric final leg of the race. One more somber note was the SLUH C relay in the 400, who missed their race entirely due to a blunder by sophomore Henry Hassenstab.
The meet wasn’t all unhappy though, as the Jr. Bills pulled away with the win, 114-68.
“Overall, the meet went very well,” said junior Connor Dunker, who swam a 1:43.8 in the 200-yard free. “We had some very fast times, and even though we were in the middle of a hard training week, everyone really showed up and put up some good times.”
However, the meet was not at all perfect, and some race times were not great due to the lack of preparation put into the meet. For smaller meets such as this one, the swimmers don’t do anything to prepare, while for larger meets such as COMO, the MCCs, or State, the swimmers eat extra carbs, have slightly easier practices, and make sure to catch up on sleep. Despite not being perfect, it was a good meet to spring the boys into gear to properly prepare for MCC’s and State.
“(The meet) gave us good, valuable lessons to learn, going into state and into the big meets at the end of the year,” said junior Will Steurer. “I think that if it was one of the bigger meets and we tried harder, we would have made sure everything was perfect. I thought it was a good learning experience for the team.”
minutes left in the game, the Cadets scored again with a rifling shot from the top of the box. After losing their lead, the Jr. Bills’ shoulders started to droop and the spirit of the team appeared crushed. CBC held their tight defense for the remainder of the game and walked away with a 2-1 victory.
“We need to focus on restarting the game offensively and defensively when something doesn’t go our way,” said Hammond. “We need to play with passion for the whole game.”
MICDS
After a tough stretch of games for the Jr. Bills, they looked to bounce back against the MICDS Rams while celebrating their beloved seniors. The Jr. Bills opened their season by beating the Rams 3-1 in the jamboree, and looked to end their season with another victory. After the senior celebrations ended, the Jr. Bills put on their game faces and started the match with nearly all seniors in the lineup.
“It felt great to celebrate one of our last games together with the teammates I’ve played alongside for the past few years,” said senior Marco Wilson.
The game began and the Jr. Bills looked slightly tired from the last week of games. The first half proved to be slow with a score of 0-0 at halftime.
After a motivating halftime talk from the SLUH coaching staff, the Jr. Bills came out with new energy. They moved the ball much better and found many runs down the field. The desired first goal came when junior Carson Hall played an over the top ball to senior captain John Hasemeier, who chipped it over the aggressive MICDS goalkeeper.
“It was special because my whole family was there watching,” said Hasemeier. “It was the first goal of my senior season and it felt great to finally get one on such a special game.”
With over 25 minutes to play, the Jr. Bills wanted to add a few more goals. They were constantly on the
attack but nothing came of it until senior Niko Vojicic found the ball at the corner of the box. He swiveled past an MICDS defender and found sophomore Paddy Byrne on a through ball, who slipped it past the MICDS goalie once again, making the score 2-0.
The Jr. Bills were not able to rest long as less than two minutes later, senior Max Tieber played an excellent through ball to Sanders, who dribbled around the goalkeeper and calmly scored.
The Rams were not going down without a little fight though, as they scored a header goal off of a corner in the final minutes of the game. The Jr. Bills closed out their regular season with a 3-1 victory and are actively looking towards the district tournament. With a victory at the end of the season, and players in new roles, the Jr. Bills hope to kick off district play strongly this Saturday at SLUH at 11:15 a.m. against the Hazelwood Central Hawks.
Fantasy Football Week 9: Starts and Sits
BY Matteo Abbate and Neil O’Connor Staff, reporter
Welcome back to another week of debatable fantasy football starts and sits. With the number of past weeks to analyze growing, we hope to bring you better and more insightful information to help you win your matchups.
(28.4% start) Bo Nix, Broncos, QB: START. Bo Nix has proven his potential this season with his consistently productive weeks. While guys like Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams are getting the “front article,” Bo Nix is someone to keep an eye on. Nix is the 9th best QB through fantasy football all while having a below average offense. Nix just came off a 3 touchdown, 284 yards passing game in Week 8. Now, against the 30th passing defense, expect Nix to thrive.
(68.2% start) Marvin Harrison Jr., Cardinals, WR: SIT. The Chicago Bears defense had Jayden Daniels very limited this past week up until the Hail Mary. This could be a similar outcome with Kyler Murray. Marvin Harrison has had four weeks where he has done very well and four games where he has done very poor. This kind of inconsistency won’t bode well when matched up against CB Jaylon Johnson.
(12.3% start) Cedric Tillman, Browns, WR: START. Ever since Jameis Winston replaced the injured Deshaun Watson, Cedric Tillman’s production has increased drastically. Throughout the past two weeks Tillman has 180 yards on 21 targets and 2 touchdowns. The Chargers may be ranked third against the pass, but I’m willing to take the gamble that Tillman has a third great week in a row.
(46.4% start) Amari Cooper, Bills, WR: SIT. The Bills have not been treating Cooper as a WR1 since acquiring him. Last week, both Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman played more snaps and ran more routes. That is not expected to change this week against the Dolphins where James Cook will be heavily utilized like he was in Week 2.
(26.9% start) Josh Downs, Colts, WR: START. QB Anthony Richardson has been benched. While that should be enough to convince you to start him, it’s also worth noting that Downs has averaged 20.0 fantasy points per game in 4 out of his last 5 games. Now, with Flacco in, and a matchup against a Vikings defense that allows the most fantasy points to wide receivers in the league, this is a no-brainer.
(43.0% start) Tucker Kraft, Packers, TE: SIT. Tucker Kraft has had a breakout year thus far. However, his productivity is very scary for fantasy owners. While he may have almost 30 points throughout two weeks, it is only on 7 targets. Now having to play the Lions who have many guys to cover Kraft, such as Kerby Joseph or Brian Branch, this divisional matchup on Sunday will prove tough for the TE. As a result, I advocate you sit Tucker Kraft this week.
Week 8 Recap: Here are the Week 8 picks and how they panned out!
(13.82 points) Russell Wilson, Steelers, QB: START.
(10.8 points) Brock Bowers, Raiders, TE: SIT.
(8.5 points) Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins, WR: START.
(5.2 points) Nick Chubb, Browns, RB: SIT.
(10.2 points) Romeo Doubs, Packers, WR: START.
(14.1 points) Malik Nabers, Giants, WR: SIT.
(9.5 points) Hunter Henry, Patriots, TE: START.
(18.2 points) Alvin Kamara, Saints, RB: SIT.
(4.9 points) DeAndre Hopkins, Chiefs, WR: START.
(17.5 points) Terry McLaurin, Commanders, WR: SIT.
Senior Henry Neff jumping to save the ball against MICDS.
photo | Courtesy of SLUH Soccer
SLUH offense falters, falls short to KC Jesuit rival Rockhurst
BY Jake Fitzpatrick and Dan Neuner Core Staff
Coming off of a commanding three game winning streak, the St. Louis U. High football squad (5-3) faced their Jesuit counterparts, the Rockhurst Hawklets (5-3) in a pivotal final regular season game. A win for the Jr. Bills would mean a desired first round bye in their district. The Hawklets made the four-hour trek from Kansas City to St. Louis to face off for the third straight year against their Jesuit rivals. However, the Jr. Bills offense sputtered, giving way to a 21-11 road win for the Hawklets.
After Rockhurst received the ball to begin the first half, SLUH forced fourth and 8 after Rockhurst advanced several yards down the field.
Junior running back Jordan Taylor barreled up the middle for a gain of seven yards to kick off SLUH’s first possession. SLUH looked to Taylor again on the following play, but he was unable to pick up the first down. After junior quarterback Kyren Eleby was stopped short on third down, the Jr. Bills reluctantly punted the ball back to Rockhurst’s 20-yard line on a disappointing three-and-out.
Field position wasn’t an issue for Rockhurst, however. On second down, Rockhurst quarterback Charles Loose connected with wide receiver Jack Bichelmeyer on a curl route, and Bichelmeyer picked up 22 yards due to a lapse in coverage from the SLUH defense.
“We need to cut down on our mistakes. Teams really don’t beat us. We beat ourselves,” said junior Keenan Harris.
On the following play, Harris clobbered a Rockhurst receiver on a 50-50 ball that landed in the hands of senior Matthew Moore for an interception that entirely shifted the momentum of the first quarter.
Harris and Moore led the way defensively for the Jr.Bills throughout the game, with Harris amassing 8 tackles, with 4 of those tackles being a tackle for loss and Moore picking up his first interception of the year.
“The defense has really bought in. They trust each other, they trust the system, and it showed early,” said head coach Adam Cruz.
After the interception, SLUH started to march down the field. After racking up an astounding 281 yards on 28 attempts against St. Mary’s, Taylor added 96 yards against Rockhurst to his season total, averaging 7.4 yards per carry against the Hawklets.
“Jordan plays at 100 percent all of the time. When the game is on the line, Jordan’s gonna give it his best effort, ” said Cruz.
Three unsuccessful rushes and a false start penalty kept SLUH out of the end zone to begin the second quarter. The Jr. Bills couldn’t turn a hard-fought drive into seven points, and senior Christian Ziegler was forced to kick a big field goal to give SLUH the 3-0 early.
As the game progressed further into the second quarter, high pressure from SLUH’s defensive line caused sloppy plays for Rockhurst, and on third and 7, junior Albert Reinberg forced Loose to throw the ball away. Rockhurst decided to keep their offense on the field on fourth down, and Loose found wide receiver Bud Fallon, who wove through SLUH defenders from the 35-yard line to the 3. There, Loose pitched the ball to running back Pierce Fisher, who waltzed into the end zone uncontested with 45 seconds left in the half.
Time expired before SLUH could move up the field and have a shot at a field goal, and both teams headed to the locker rooms with Rockhurst leading the Bills 7-3.
“Offensively, we were in it at the
first half,” said Taylor, “And I thought that our O-Line did a good job pushing forward, and I just have to use those gaps as best I can.”
After a lackluster offensive first half from both of the Jesuit rivals, the Jr. Bills looked to flip the script as they started with the ball. However, their initial run was unsuccessful as a swarm of Rockhurst defenders obliterated Eleby in the backfield for a loss of eight on first down, eventually leading to senior Jakob White punting.
“Overall, we can’t be losing it on the sidelines, blaming the refs or other people,” said senior offensive lineman John Kruse. “We know that we can’t keep turning drives into punts.”
With the Hawklets back in control, they hit the ground running with 6:41 left in the quarter when Rockhurst running back Pierce Fisher took the pitch and weaved his way to the end zone for a 28-yard score, putting the Hawklets up 14-3.
The tide shifted right back to the Jr. Bills on the kickoff as junior wide receiver/ linebacker Keenan Harris danced his way down the sideline for a 48-yard return to Rockhurst’s 43-yard line. However, Harris’ efforts were negated after Taylor was swallowed up in the backfield on the first two downs of the drive, causing the Jr. Bills to be gutsy on fourth and 3, but an underthrown ball to junior wide receiver Will Schulte, gave Rockhurst the ball right back.
The powerful Rockhurst run game continued to pound the Jr. Bills up the middle. With the Hawklets at the doorstep of yet another score on fourth and 2, senior linebacker Dominic Sansone read the running back perfectly, shooting the gap and clobbering the Hawklet carrier at the line to gain.
“Dom’s been huge,” said Pace. “But as a unit we really just have to continue to execute and do our job.”
With yet another chance to capitalize, the SLUH offense remained dormant to start the fourth quarter after short gains from Schulte and an uncommon drop from Taylor. On fourth and 9, the desperate Jr. Bill offense looked to convert on a crossing route to senior Levi Miller, but fell short as Eleby’s pass was underthrown. Eleby finished the game going 21 for 34, his third lowest completion percentage of the year.
“All of us in the wide receiver room have complete trust in Kyren,” said Miller. “We aren’t gonna doubt him because we know what he can do game after game.”
The Hawklets continued to wind down the clock with a combination of run plays that wore down the SLUH defensive line as a whole. However, after junior Sebastian Tate deflected the ball on second and ten, the Hawklets went for it on fourth and 10, but deceived the Jr. Bill defense with another quick kick from Loose, leading to a touchback that moved the Jr. Bill offense to their own 25.
The Jr. Bills still had hope with nine minutes left to play after a 16-yard gain from the elusive Taylor, but SLUH’s hopes were quickly extinguished on third and five, as blitzing Rockhurst defenders harassed Eleby in the backfield for a loss of six, which led to an incompletion on a deep attempt on fourth and 11 from Eleby.
The defensive battle continued as the Hawklets gave the ball right back to the Jr. Bills. On their final straw, the Jr. Bills made slow gains to midfield, but on second and 9, Eleby was hit in the backfield. As he went down, Eleby threw up
a prayer that was intercepted and taken to SLUH’s 5-yard line.
“We need to continue how well we’re running the ball. We need to continue taking care of the football. That interception was kind of back breaking for us. Overall, we just have to find more consistency on offense,” said Cruz.
With 1:53 left in the game, Rockhurst made it 21 unanswered points as Fisher took yet another pitch to the end zone to make it 21-3.
The Jr. Bills proceeded to storm down the field with a minute left in the game, breaking down the Hawklet defense with throws to junior Zach Allen, Miller and Taylor who were able to get out of bounds to stop the clock.
With seven seconds left to go in the game, Eleby fired a bullet to Harris who walked it in for a 17-yard passing touchdown. However, it was too little too late as Rockhurst captured their third consecutive victory against the Jr. Bills in a 21-11 win.
“We have plenty of weapons,” said Cruz. “It can be any guy on any given night, but it’s more about having all 11 guys on the same page on offense and defense, and we didn’t do that Friday.”
After not earning the first round bye, SLUH will host Hazelwood Central on Friday at 6:00 p.m. The Hawks come to Oakland Ave. with an unimpressive record of 1-8 on the season. However, the Jr. Bills will approach these playoffs as a fresh start to their season.
“We’re 0-0 now,” said Pace, “We’re all coming in with the mindset that it’s a whole new season for us. We know that we can flip the script that is written about us.”
V2 XC places 2nd at Big River, top 7 travel to Cape Girardeau for district
BY Otto Reitenbach and Tristan Kujawa Core Staff and Staff
The St. Louis U. High Cross Country team wrapped up its regular season last Saturday with a strong performance at the Big River PR Invitational, a fast flat course, placing second out of 11 teams in the varsity race and claiming the win at the JV level.
Despite resting their top seven runners, the Jr. Bills V2 squad performed admirably, fighting off a strong field for second place. The only team to top SLUH was cross-state rival Rock Bridge, who rested their top six for the day. If Rock Bridge held out seven like the Jr. Bills, SLUH’s times would have taken the win out from under the Bruins.
Leading the charge for the Jr. Bills
was junior Jake Fitzpatrick, fresh off back-to-back wins in varsity at the Hancock Invitational and JV at the MCC championships. His time of 16:27 secured seventh place, and teammates senior George Donahue (16:29; 11th place) and sophomore Luke Hartweger (16:31; 12th) weren’t far behind. Right behind those two were junior Jaden Elgin (16:38; 15th place) and sophomore Joe Talleur (16:42; 16th) rounded out the scoring five for the Jr. Bills. The SLUH scorers had a time spread of only 15.1 seconds, a powerful testament to the strong team running and their dominant depth.
“We were able to beat a good team,” said head coach Joe Porter. “That’s Fort Zumwalt West and it looks like, on paper, they’re going to be going to state as a team. And holding on seven guys, we were still able to beat that group pretty
handily. That’s a testament to those guys running well.”
Not even five seconds behind the scorers were senior Gavin Smith (16:44) and freshman Warnicke Beatty (16:45), further flexing SLUH’s depth. With junior Preston Eash finishing in 16:52, eight of the top 20 places belonged to the Jr. Bills. Last, but certainly not least, sophomores Edmund Reske (16:58) and Nathan Khouri (17:10) both snagged top 30 finishes, rounding out a fantastic varsity race.
“We really demonstrated our depth on a severely impressive scale,” said Reske. “We can hold out seven guys from racing and still have the next ten all go under 17. That’s a truly crazy feat, in the history of our program and the context of the sport.”
Much like the varsity race, Rock Bridge was the main competition in
the JV race. Senior Patrick Jones and junior Tristan Kujawa took it out hot, going one and two at the mile split. Then Jones dropped Kujawa, and the entire field, winning in 16:52.
“I’m really happy for Patrick and the way that he competed,” said Porter. “He really drove home that last 400 meters and I’m glad he got to enjoy a race like that.”
Kujawa held on for third, running 17:12. The battle was still tight with Rock Bridge with their top runners placing second and fourth in the race. However SLUH took home the victory with senior Ethan Bognar (17:22), junior Brayden Bussmann (17:31), and senior Otto Reitenbach (17:42) rounding out the scoring five. Reitenbach was a key factor in SLUH’s success as he moved up 15 places from the second mile mark, passing Rock Bridge’s
fourth guy in the process.
Overall it was a historic day for the SLUH cross country program with an astonishing 71 personal records set at this meet alone.
“Improvement is always encouraging,” said Reske. “Big improvement is even better, especially at the PR Invitational.”
Now the Jr. Bills head into postseason racing, traveling south to Cape Girardeau, Missouri for the Class 5 District 1 Championships looking to qualify for state.
“The biggest thing right now is to survive and advance,” said Porter. “District titles really mean very little, other than you’re able to advance to the state meet. You really just want to be in the top four and make sure that you’re ready and healthy for the following week.”
Junior Keenan Harris (8) diving into the end zone for a two-point conversion. photo | Vic Lewchenko
SPOOCAS HAYDEN
PN CROSSWORD: Do No Harm
23. Odd [MCU]
24. One who makes a lot of dough [Little House on the Prairie]
28. Houston MLB player
29. Idle [eponymous]
32. Letter after zeta
34. College URL ending
35. Archaic “once”
36. Anion ending
39. Fixate on [Raiders of the Lost Ark]
41. Down in the dumps
20. Iconic monster [The Modern Prometheus]
42. _____ Lisa
44. Theater chain
College Counseling crew, featuring Kevin “The Crim Reaper” Crimmins, Chris “ear to ear” Buerke, and Marina “Mrs. Worldwide” Chura conquers the cross word and return the title to the faculty.
45. Spasm
48. Unnamed TV character since 1963, and a hint to the nine theme answers
51. Largest Caribbean island
54. Common eye color [Back to the Future]
55. [The Simpsons]
58. [Phineas and Ferb]
62. Mobile app?
64. Motel chain _____ Lodge
65. Normandy battle site that sounds very familiar
66. Second-smallest planet
67. Junkyard metal
68. Follower of greater or less
69. History
70. Arizona State city
71. “Quién _____?” (Spanish “Who knows?”)
DOWN
1. Snorkeling sites
2. Phone notifications
3. Tiny sports car
4. Catch in a trap
5. “In the Hall of the Mountain King” composer Edvard
6. Creator of Christopher Robin
7. Knee tear sites
8. Rapper turned actor of “SVU”
9. Former Italian currency
10. Stream forth
11. Confuse
12. Not virtual, in textspeak
13. Gettysburg loser
21. Bowline or half hitch
22. There, in Latin
25. The Big 550
26. “Let It Go” singer
27. No longer working (abbr.)
29. Dame Judi
30. Praiseful poem
31. One of the deadly sins
33. Cracked, as 37-Down
36. Website about films
37. “When one _____ closes, ...”
38. Data entry professionals 40. Coming now, in textspeak 43. Even if everything goes wrong 46. Weapon in a silo (abbr.)
47. Painters with multiple perspectives 49. Lennon’s second wife 50. Response to a burn 52. Big _____, cannon or driver 53. Classroom for creativity 56. [Fingers crossed!] 57. Forehead-nose-chin, to a dermatologist 59. Celebration suffix 60. Behold, in Latin
Average guy? 62. Baseball arbiter 63. Barnyard sound
Last Week’s Answers
NEW CROSSWORD CONTEST RULES
The rules of the weekly crossword competition have been updated! Outside the Prep News room in the media center is a cardboard box for submissions of that week’s crossword puzzle. Submissions will be open until Wednesday, at 3:15 p.m. One puzzle will be randomly selected and, if it’s correct, the solver will receive a gift card to a local restaurant. The winner will also be recognized in that week’s paper. If you have concerns or suggestions, please contact the Prep News at prepnews@sluh.org.
