BY Andrew Hunt and McCoy Amann News Editor, reporter
Even as many of their club peers take to Wall Street this weekend, 29 of St. Louis U. High’s Ignatian Business Leaders looked no further than Grand Boulevard to wade knee deep into the boardrooms, sales, and spreadsheets that mark the world of business and entrepreneurship. These Jr. Bills competed against hundreds of
St. Louis high schoolers in the district stages of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) last Wednesday and DECA last Thursday, while others participated in these competitions online, and nine of them advanced to state between the two competitions.
Both FBLA and DECA are nationwide organizations that organize competitions at the local, state, and national levels in a variety of presentational, role-playing, and testing categories for aspiring business leaders.
Freshman class enjoys redesigned retreat
BY Micah Doherty and Jack Williamson Editor in Chief, reporter
As the faculty and staff gathered for a day full of meetings and presentations last Friday, the freshman class of St. Louis U. High gathered together for a day focused around God at the new Freshman Retreat, led by seniors, campus ministers, members of the Counseling and Admissions Departments, as well as other faculty and staff.
“I wanted to be a retreat leader after going on my Kairos retreat last January,” said Student Body President Noah Butler. “I was inspired by my Kairos leader, Drew Figge, to volunteer myself in hopes of giving the next generation of SLUH students similar experiences to what I had encountered on retreats.”
The weekly student newspaper of St. Louis University High School
This year’s Freshman Retreat was a completely new experience designed and headed by campus minister and theology teacher Justin Kelley, S.J. and campus minister and Biology teacher Chris Stahl.
“Mr. Stahl and I were both in charge of devising and implementing the new format of the Freshman Retreat,” said Kelley. “We divided the labor and had support from the other campus ministers as well as the pastoral teams. It was a collaborative effort to ensure every detail came together smoothly.”
“Mr. Kelley and I worked together to recreate the Freshman Retreat experience and so there was a lot of time trying to make sure we didn’t forget anything. I popped into his office dozens of times to suggest an idea or point out an issue or rearrange
Between these two competitions, 16 SLUH students competed in the in-person categories, while an additional 13 competed solely in FBLA’s online objective tests in the Accounting I, Business Law, Economics, Financial Math, Personal Finance, or Securities & Investments categories, which may ask questions like calculating net-profit.
Juniors Nash Raben and Tyler Govero advanced to state in the
continued on page 3
Let it snow! Upperclassmen enjoy annual SnoBall with Shirley Temples and Beyoncé
BY Leo Hahn and Jens Istvan Features Editor, Core Staff
Ablizzard hit for the upperclassmen members of St. Louis U. High last week—and no, it wasn’t Wednesday’s snow day. Last Saturday, upperclassmen and their dates took the Majorette by storm for this year’s much anticipated SnoBall, tearing it up on the dance floor and certainly creating a night to remember.
SnoBall is significant because it is the first off-campus SLUH dances that juniors have the opportunity to participate in, meaning that attendance is usually high. This year was the first time that tickets for a dance were sold through Finalsite.
“It was a little bit clunkier than a
Google form,” said Director of Student Activites Megan Menne. “But I think maybe people will say it’s worth it to be able to pay online, yeah?”
In total, 455 students, including their dates, bought tickets for the dance, nearly meeting the Majorette’s 500 person capacity. Overall, there was more hype among the class of 2026, as an impressive 152 juniors attended, while there were only 115 seniors. Of the 208 SLUH students with dates, a whopping 87 brought a girl from St. Joseph’s Academy, who had the most guests in attendance of any school.
Notably, SnoBall is one of the major dances that isn’t directly planned by StuCo. Due to its time in early
continued on page 4
SEEDS exhibition gives SLUH students opportunity to show artistic talent
4970 Oakland Ave. St. Louis, MO 63110 (314) 531-0330 ext. 2241 online at sluh.org/prep-news prepnews@sluh.org
news Poetry Out Loud Roses are red violets are blue, at the Poetry Out Loud Competition, second place goes to SLUH! Page 2
news Bushwacker Bills The newly-created Bushwacker Bills club braves the great outdoors at Rockpile Mountain hiking trip. Page 3
news Chess Knight to E5! Chess whoops Webster in preparation for playoffs. Page 3
sports Basketball Are these guys as good as the Prep News squad?! Feisty defense and strong offense leads to win against Urbana; team struggles in De Smet rematch.
Page 5
BY Thomas Juergens and Kane Luchun Core Staff
Three Saint Louis U. High students had their artwork featured in the inaugural St. Louis University “SEEDS” exhibition last Friday. The exhibition was created through a collaboration between professors at SLU and teachers in Catholic high schools across the greater St. Louis area.
In December, the group of teachers sent out a call for student artists in Catholic high schools to showcase their work using the skills and techniques they learned in class. To enter the show, teachers first had to submit three pieces made by the students, and then an additional two made outside of class, all showing the depth of the curriculum
entertainment
sports Athlete of the Week
If you liked it then you should’ve put a ring on it… senior Nate Lepak takes home Athlete of the Week for his incredible dancing at SnoBall.
Page 6
Page 6 Jr. Bills do business in DECA and FBLA district competitions, look to state
sports Wrestling
Silver and bronze, Wrestlebills finish second and third in weekend tournaments.
Crossword
Look for patterns and find clues up and down this week’s puzzle!
Page 8
Students enjoying the main hall of the Majorette. photo | Leo Hahn
Juniors and seniors after their victories at the DECA district competition.
photo | Rob Hill
Brady Vogt talks with a reporter, next to his sculpture, “Nike Blazer.” photo | Matty Kleinberg continued on page 4 continued on page 2
Freshmen strengthen bonds with God, classmates at annual retreat
(continued from page 1)
details of the retreat,” said Stahl. “We also prepared the senior leaders to guide the freshmen throughout the day.”
The planning for the retreat was extensive, beginning at the start of the school year.
“We began planning back in September when we met with a few teachers to start re-envisioning the retreat,” said Kelley. “Our initial focus was on the learning targets, or what we hoped the freshmen would take away from the experience. After some discussion, we settled on a single word: joy. We wanted all freshmen to experience the profound joy of the Gospel.”
“We wanted to get freshmen excited about growing closer to each other and closer to the Lord,” said Stahl. “The freshmen entering SLUH now are at a different point in their faith journey than they were when the retreat was organized several years ago. I think we wanted to meet them closer to where they are.”
Despite the long planning, executing the retreat was still quite a challenge.
“There were so many moving parts to the day,” said Kelley, “and since the retreat was new, we couldn’t draw from materials or knowledge from previous years. This meant everything had to be created from scratch, which added to the complexity.”
The day began earlier than normal, with breakfast sandwiches, orange juice, and coffee being served beginning at 7:30 in the Si Commons. After everyone had a chance to enjoy the food, students were split into five groups, each named after a Jesuit saint and given a corresponding t-shirt color.
“The decision to split the freshmen into smaller groups was intentional,” said Kelley. “Not just for logistical reasons but to make the retreat feel more personal. I didn’t want the freshmen to feel like they were part of a large, impersonal crowd, but rather to be seen and known by their classmates, the seniors, and the faculty who accompanied them.”
Shortly afterwards, each group headed to one of five different locations for a 30-minute activity specially designed for the students. Each group rotated through the activities throughout the course of the day, allowing them to experience them all.
One of the most intriguing activities for many students was the faith testimonial where seniors shared about their own personal faith journeys.
“I wanted to share my faith journey on this retreat because I think that my faith experience is relatable for many freshmen,” said Butler. “When I look back on myself in their shoes, I remember falling further and further away from God. That’s a scary thing at a faith-centered school like SLUH, and I hope that the freshmen in my group were given a sense of comfort in knowing that if that has been their experience, they aren’t alone.”
The messages that students took away from these testimonials were numerous, but they all had one thing in common, they focused on God.
“For me to go up there and discuss my very real and painful experiences was something that scared me,” added Butler. “But in discussing that, I wanted to give the freshmen a chance to confront some of the things in their own
lives that they knew existed but made them uncomfortable or scared. I wanted people to understand that developing a strong faith life takes time and often isn’t something that just magically clicks, and I wanted them to use my experience as a way to recognize their own barriers to God’s love in their lives, which is often a difficult thing to acknowledge. Finally, I wanted people to recognize the people in their lives who bring them closer to God. I think there’s a lot of people who see God most clearly through the people in their lives, but sometimes we struggle to recognize them.”
Another activity that engaged freshmen was the series of small group discussions held in classrooms located in the freshmen hallway. Rooms were packed with couches, comfortable chairs, and blankets, creating a very relaxing environment.
“My favorite part of the retreat was being in our small groups and listening to the other freshmen talk about what they love,” said freshman Jack Keaveny. “We talked about in detail what we were grateful for, what our favorite things were, and what we liked to do. I could look deeper into people’s lives who I didn’t know much about and learn more about them, and I really liked that.”
After taking part in three different activities, the five groups once again gathered together to celebrate the Mass in the Chapel of the Beloved Disciple. The choir of seniors and freshmen were led by theology teacher and campus minister Brian Gilmore, and school counselor Walter Kempf and senior Otto Reitenbach led the music section on their guitars. Theology teacher Fr. Daniel Tesvich, SJ, celebrated the Mass
and delivered a moving homily surrounding Saint John the Baptist, whose execution story was told in the Gospel.
“My favorite part of the retreat was the Mass,” said Butler. “I was lucky enough to get to serve the Mass, and there was something about it that was such a beautiful experience for me. I don’t know exactly what it was, but it felt very powerful to get to be with the Class of 2028 in that moment and to be so close to what was happening on the altar.”
“At one point, when I was standing at the back of the chapel, I looked out and saw about 250 young men kneeling in front of Christ on the altar,” said Kelley. “Each of them was wearing a shirt with “Joy of the Gospel” written beneath the SLUH crest, and I was greatly moved. The culture so often tells us that joy can only be found in power, riches, and glory, but here were 250 joyful students quietly worshiping God and experiencing true joy, the joy that comes from living the Gospel.”
Following Mass, the freshmen partook in arguably their favorite activity of the day: lunch, where Food Service staff served Chinese food for the students. Then, the students were once again divided into their groups and sent to participate in their last two activities.
In addition to the senior testimonials and the group discussions, students were given a period of silent time in the chapel to participate in Eucharistic Adoration, receive confession, or simply pray and be with God.
“I feel like this experience definitely deepened my faith,” said Keaveny. “Multiple activities successfully helped me focus on God, but the main thing that
achieved this was the silent time in the chapel. I think using this time well really helped me deepen my relationship and developed some peace within me.”
At the conclusion of the day, students gathered once more in the chapel for closing remarks and a prayer led by Stahl.
“As I addressed the class at the closing ceremony of the retreat, I could feel a lot of energy in the room,” said Stahl. “I have the overall feeling that they enjoyed it and got something out of it. With that being said, I haven’t had a meeting or sent out any surveys for feedback yet.”
Those experiences, and in fact that whole day, led many of the students to ponder why SLUH believes so firmly in retreats.
“They want to help us learn about how God is in our lives every second whether we realize it or not,” said Keaveny. “The retreat really helped me understand that everything that I am and have, God has given to me. It helped me realize God is not only there for us when we pray or when something goes poorly, and I think that sometimes we can lose that feeling in our busy day to day lives.”
“Going on a retreat allows for us to take a step back from our daily lives to deepen our faith and spend some time with God,” added Butler. “We’re granted the grace of getting to know Christ, and ourselves, better.”
“Retreats are important to the human soul, and we want to provide them with the space to encounter God and experience joy,” said Stahl. “We wanted them to have a great time and leave the retreat excited for their next retreat sophomore year.”
Thibodeau takes second in city-wide Poetry Out Loud; club grows
BY Daniel Neuner and Colton Eikermann Core Staff, reporter
Senior Paul Thibodeau wrapped up this year’s Poetry Out Loud competition last Thursday, bringing literature to life and placing second overall at the city-wide contest. The conference concluded a multi-month season of poetry where high school students from around St. Louis, including Thibodeau, senior John Powers, and sophomores Osvin Alaphat and Kingston Collins from St. Louis U. High, put a theatrical twist on classic literature.
The Poetry Out Loud competition is run by the Poetry Foundation and occurs at the school, state, and national levels. SLUH’s Poetry Out Loud competition and club, which was founded this fall by Alaphat and Collins, is moderated by English teacher Chuck Hussung.
“I’ve been the moderator of the SLUH Poetry Out Loud competition since 2007,” said Hussung. “I inform students about the competition and organize it and then help the winner prepare for the local competition— and the state and national competitions, if they are selected to move on to those.”
According to its website, Poetry Out Loud “lifts poetry off the page.”
Participants begin by choosing a well-known poem from the website’s list of pieces and then prepare to recite it live to a panel of judges, expressing their own style and interpretations of the piece.
“Many students choose their own poems from the Poetry Out Loud website, as Paul did, but sometimes a student will give me a list of many poems and I’ll advise him about which of them are best to perform,” said Hussung.
Competitors from SLUH often meet with Hussung to not only pick
out their poems but to fine-tune plans for their performance. By doing so, they draw from Hussung’s years of experience working with poetry.
“I spent a couple lunch periods with Mr. Hussung, just picking out poems, talking about them, practicing them, and refining them,” said Thibodeau.
Participants utilize a variety of techniques to bring a poem to life, drawing inspiration from coaches and the people around them.
“I enjoy the textual work of understanding the poem—what it means and how it works—and the performance-oriented work of thinking about how to make the poem’s meaning and techniques work for an audience,” said Hussung.
During the performance, competitors are judged in five categories that include physical presence, articulation, interpretation, evidence of understanding, and a section for overall performance. This scoring rubric, used by the judges, rewards deliveries that have the proper rhythm, pace, and tone. The competitor’s quality of deliverance in these areas help to indicate if the poem’s meaning has really been internalized.
“But then I just sort of try and really read the poem, understand the emotions. I love doing different things every time: even with the same poem, reading it in a different way and reciting it in a different way every time,” said Thibodeau. “That keeps it interesting for me and makes it more organic. I love focusing on the story of the poem and letting it be different.”
Thibodeau, member of the Dauphin Players Club, employs his expertise from acting in several theatrical productions at SLUH for his recitation. Many of the skills carry over and allow Thibodeau to fully delve into a role.
“I never really plan it that much.
I feel by reading the poem, just kind of like carrying it into however I deliver it, and also like thinking about the story and like letting myself turn it into a character thing helps with that,” said Thibodeau. “But I love to visualize the imagery of the poem and that, sort of like getting to encounter the poem in a new way every time helps it feel organic.”
In early December, students from SLUH competed in a preliminary Poetry Out Loud contest held on Oakland Ave. Thibodeau, who recited “Dyed Carnations” by Robyn Schiff, won the competition and advanced to the city-wide contest last Thursday. Thibodeau then earned second place in the local competition last week.
This year, SLUH competitors Alaphat and Collins founded the new Poetry Out Loud Club, which meets on Wednesdays and hopes to be another avenue for SLUH students to engage with poetry and familiarize themselves with the competition.
“Initially, I was going into the Poetry Out Loud competition and didn’t see a lot of people at the meeting for it,” said Alaphat. “So I made the club hoping people would join and then do the competition together.”
Hussung, who works as an English teacher at SLUH and now moderates the new club, has coached students on Poetry Out Loud for years because of his love for both poetry and theatrics.
“I came to SLUH to teach English and have added a strong interest and involvement in our theater program in the last fifteen years. Poetry Out Loud is a great fit for me because it combines my love of poetry—from my English classes—and my love of performance—from the theater department. Poetry Out Loud is not the only source of the rich culture of poetry at SLUH, but it’s definitely one of them,” said Hussung.
In the future, Alaphat and Collins plan to use the Poetry Out Loud club to expand their and other students’ involvement in poetry to other various competitions—beyond the local Poetry Out Loud contests they currently are involved in.
“We would like to go to some of the Poetry Slams, which happen every other week, and then maybe participate in one, which would be really interesting,” said Alaphat.
Through competing in this event, high schoolers are given the chance
to build confidence, improve their skills in public speaking, and learn about history. By assuming the different characters and living the different experiences poetry offers a person can broaden perception of the intricacies of the world.
“When you’re up on that stage performing your poem, you’re not just speaking the words. You are conveying emotion to your audience. I think that’s something that we should try to help other people understand,” said Collins.
Your move. Chess wraps up regular season with dominant win over Webster
BY Henry Hassenstab and Grant Skornia Staff, reporter
The St. Louis U. High Chess Club
beat Webster High School 23-7 in round B of the Gateway Chess League that set the stage for how their team will be seeded going into the playoffs, which will begin next week.
Chess is a battle of the minds, a war of attrition and patience, and the smart SLUH ChessBills are no stranger to the game.
“SLUH has participated in the Gateway League since the very beginning of the 70’s,” said Chess Club moderator Rich Esswein. “And quite a number of schools in the St. Louis area compete in it.”
There are no traditional confer-
ences like the Metro Catholic Conference, but a larger league with an established ranking and bids for playoff opportunities. SLUH is a force to be reckoned with, and in the play— which is what the competition is called by chess connoisseurs—SLUH more than doubled the point totals of the weaker Webster Groves team, allowing the varsity and JV teams a good glimpse into what tougher competition will be like in the playoffs. In the play, there are a total of 30 points to be scored, with certain boards, or individual games, being valued at different amounts of points.
“The boards are weighted in point value,” said Esswein. “So a victory on board one is worth eight points, a victory on board two is worth seven, a victory on three is worth six, board
four is five, four is four, but it’s a lot more valuable to win on board one, so that’s where we usually put out best player.”
Victories are worth full points, ties are worth half points, and losses net the team no points. It’s important to stack players accordingly, so the prestigious board one spot is currently held by varsity captain Max Delgado, who was up against a formidable and excellent Webster opponent.
“My goal for this game was just not to lose, especially because it was the last match of the season. If we didn’t win that match, then we wouldn’t have made the playoffs,” said Delgado. “I just tried to be very solid, not making any big mistakes or bad decisions, and I did just that and
after offering a draw, he accepted. I played basically a perfect game with 98 percent accuracy and was really proud of myself.”
With that, the tone had been set for the rest of the play, with SLUH’s boards absolutely dominating the competition, going undefeated and sweeping all of Webster’s players on Varsity. Delgado tied against Webster’s first board, sophomore Tommy Pitlyk won the second board, senior Daniel Huynh tied the third board, junior Simon Edgell won the fourth board, and senior Charlie Hill won the fifth board, bringing the total score of Jr. Bills 23, Webster 7.
It’s important to note as well that the JV team won their boards, which is crucial to the development and morale of the team. There’s only one
league that SLUH competes in, and so the club is split into A and B teams, which gives a lot of opportunities to players that wouldn’t otherwise be able to compete in plays, sharpening their skills, and giving them a way to improve until they can be on a varsity board.
Skills like staying focused, being calm under pressure, and having the ability to pace yourself in a game are all crucial skills that JV players must learn to master to become successful varsity players. The Chess team competes in the Gateway League’s playoffs next week, with their opponent still to be decided. They’re hoping to make a deep playoff run, but they’ll have to face a tough Ladue squad that’s undefeated.
Bad day to be a bush: Bushwacker Bills ascend Rockpile Mountain
BY Owen Williams and Alex Skillman Staff, reporter
Seven members of the Bushwacker Bills, a revived St. Louis U. High club, recently went on a weekend hiking trip to Rockpile Mountain. Students learned many skills, such as navigation, survival skills, and reading topographic maps. The group also experienced the many wonders of nature through encounters with extraordinary animals and places.
The Bushwacker Bills, led by science teacher Steven Kuensting, is a brand new club that was formed at the beginning of the school year. However, the idea of Bushwacker Bills started with the Science Club, also led by Kuensting, over ten years ago. The club disbanded when Kuensting left SLUH,
and when he came back this year he created the Bushwacker Bills. Since the club is in its inaugural year, it is made up of almost entirely freshmen.
The club mainly focuses on hiking and backpacking, and is planning to go on three or four trips a year. The club’s first trip of the year was scheduled for before Christmas break, but was canceled because of snow. The club’s most recent trip to Rockpile Mountain took place from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2.
In preparation for this trip, club members learned various survival skills at multiple meetings held in the weeks prior to the trip.
“They had to know what to bring, especially equipment. You can’t wear any kind of cotton, because if you get caught outdoors (in the rain) and you’re wearing cotton, it’s going to get wet, and then you’re going to get in
trouble,” said Kuensting.
The necessary meetings helped to ensure the safety of the students along with the efficiency of the trip. In addition to equipment, students had to pack their own meals in advance. Some students chose to pack meals in the form of M.R.E.s, a meal that is ready to eat out of the package. Others chose to pack pouches with foods like chicken inside.
After hours of preparation, the group left SLUH on Friday at approximately 5:00 p.m., and started the twohour drive south to Rockpile Mountain. After arriving at the parking lot around 9:00 p.m, the group began hiking in the dark of night towards their first campsite. Once the group arrived at around midnight, they pitched their tents and set up a campfire.
“My favorite part was when it was
late at night, after everyone had already finished backpacking,” said freshman Lucas Cagwin. “We all gathered around the fire and shared stories.”
The group woke up the next morning and hiked down to the shut-ins, a special type of rock formation found in streams.
“Very few people get to this spot because they don’t know how to read the map (and) it’s not marked on the map,” said Kuensting.
Throughout the rest of the day, the hikers spent their time exploring the mountain. While exploring, they saw a few different animals such as frogs and deer, but one animal truly stood out—a flying squirrel.
“That was really cool because Torch Tebb was climbing up a tree, (and then he) scared it. Then we got to see it fly twice,” said freshman Wil-
liam Doeroff.
The group set up camp in a new spot, close to the shut-ins to get some shut-eye. The next morning, the group made the long and treacherous hike back to the parking lot.
“A lot of the way back on Sunday was uphill, and we had to wake up early to get back by two for Mass,” said Cagwin.
During the trip, the Bushwacker Bills all learned valuable survival skills including navigation in the dark, how to read a topographic map, how to properly pack for a hiking trip, and much more.
“I learned how to make a fire from hot coals so I wouldn’t need any lighters or fire starter,” said freshman Fletcher Arens. “The Bushwacker Bills are extremely thankful for Mr. Kuensting giving his time and taking us out.”
Ignatian Business Leaders compete in FBLA and DECA competitions
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Securities & Investments categories, locking in at fifth place and first place, respectively, out of 14 competitors in the category. Junior Tommy Guntli qualified for state by placing fifth in the Financial Math category out of 25 competitors.
Wednesday’s FBLA in-person competition took place in SLU’s Busch Student Center. The suited-up pack of 11 Jr. Bills arrived to lay eyes upon a whole new world of high school competition. Hundreds of students in formal dress propped themselves throughout the packed event space, cramming in last minute prep for their competitions, eating, or just hanging out. Some were part of school delegations of over a hundred members, like that of Marquette.
“It was cool to see how many people are interested in this stuff,” said senior Aiden Erard.
Individual participants from SLUH typically only had one or two events during the day, each lasting about ten minutes, depending on their category. For the role play categories, students were given a case study scenario or a series of questions from a judge they had to improvise responses for as a businessman. They spent the majority of the day in between events, discussing their experiences and what they learned or just hanging out.
For Erard and junior Daniel Neuner, there was even more skin in the game that day: they had chosen to compete in the Business Plan Presentation event, in which they were tasked with designing a 20-page business outline and pitching the business to a pair of judges for seven minutes, like Shark Tank.
Their business plan was titled SOAR (Surveillance, Observation, and Aerial Reconnaissance), and outlines the establishment of a line
of police drones that utilize infrared cameras, artificial intelligence, and more to increase officer safety.
“That idea came to me because of Carson (Heller),” said Erard. “Carson and I talk about that stuff a lot … I tried to get him to hop on the team with us, but he didn’t have time.”
Going from the first sparks to the full, fleshed-out plan took a lot of time at the drawing boards for Erard and Neuner. Their final document included a comprehensive analysis of risk, competition, and target markets, and addressed financials, potential problems, revenue streams, and more for SOAR.
“Dan and I had to meet over Christmas break a couple of times,” said Erard. “We probably spent 10 to 12 hours on the plan.”
Junior McCoy Amann also chose to compete in the Sales Presentation event.
At the awards ceremony at the end of the day, Erard and Neuner closed in second place out of the seven district competitors in that event, making them one of the event’s two teams to qualify for state.
Senior Tom Schoenekase was also announced as a state qualifier for placing second in his category of Marketing Role Play out of 22 competitors, taking into account his in-person performance and online test score.
The next day, ten Jr. Bills made the trek out to Mid Rivers Mall in St. Peters for the DECA competition. The squad this time was mostly seniors, because DECA is a co-curricular activity, meaning participants must be in one of Hill’s economics classes or his advisory. Also, DECA does not have an online-only option for students who only want to take objective tests, although many of the categories still required students to take an online test portion a few weeks before. They
entered into a similar but only slightly smaller environment, as students dispersed around the mall’s hallways and food courts in between their competitions.
An even larger challenge faced Erard and Neuner for DECA: they now had to give a 15-minute presentation, rather than seven. They expanded their pitch by including a Canva slideshow. Also, the Zimmerman brothers—senior Evan and junior Nick—presented in the Financial Services Team category.
By the time of the award ceremony at the day’s end, the stakes were higher than ever. Right off the bat, the Zimmermans were announced as placing second place in their category, qualifying them for state. Schoenekase also placed second in marketing. Although junior Ryan Bean placed in fourth for his performance in the business finance category, making him an alternate just below the three-person cutoff for state, someone dropped and he was moved up. Lastly, Erard and Neuner waited with great anticipation for their announcement, after a smashing performance in the morning’s event. At long last, they were named the winners of their category. They scored a 95 overall: 40 out of 40 for their inperson presentation, and 55 out of 60 for their business document.
“We felt really good about our DECA thing,” said Erard. “We felt a lot better because we prepared more … It was hype. Everyone was proud.”
The day was overall an even bigger success.
“It was more fun the second day … I’ve gotten really close to Mr. Hill over these past couple months because he really likes our business plan. He said he was really impressed,” said Erard. “It was cool to see some guys that are also interested in the same thing as me, and Dan and I have gotten pretty
close over doing this whole thing too.”
Although the clubs are a staple to many high schools nationwide, SLUH’s chapters of DECA and FBLA were only constructed this school year. The origins trace back to this summer, when Neuner and Bean individually emailed economics teacher Rob Hill about the future of IBL, which they saw as having huge opportunities for growth and improvement given its notable size and presence in the SLUH student body.
“I previously saw a lack of handson engagement in the club,” said Neuner. “I went to guest speaker lectures, and I felt like a lot of knowledge was being thrown at me from speakers who had careers in banking or real estate. I didn’t understand the terminology, and I just couldn’t apply it to the context of my own life because there was no conduit to apply it to.”
“Sure, we were learning a lot, but we weren’t really applying a lot of that knowledge,” said Bean.
As a way to counter these concerns, Bean and Neuner brought up their ideas to get IBL members involved in DECA and FBLA, which they had individually heard were high-quality and engaging programs for competitive, business-minded high schoolers.
“I thought FBLA would be perfect for our club for students to explore specific interests in the business world that they care about and they want to go deeply into,” said Neuner.
“I participated in DECA my freshman year when I was at Kirkwood, and upon transferring to SLUH, I noticed that there wasn’t much interaction with the business world beyond IBL,” said Bean.
Bean and Neuner worked alongside Hill this fall to flesh out the details of creating chapters of FBLA and DECA, and officially unveiled the
competitions to IBL members in a club meeting in early November. Over the following weeks, Hill organized a few prep meetings on Mondays before school, during which students could prepare for their in-person or online competitions by taking online practice tests, doing role-play scenarios, or using other preparatory resources provided by FBLA or DECA.
Bean and Neuner hope that SLUH’s presence in these competitions lives on, and that in the future it may become a staple club among the vast population of SLUH students who end up going into business, finance, and economics majors in college.
“There were certain schools that had been doing this for a while, and some of them had even 130 members,” said Neuner. “So that is something that could be SLUH in the future, really generating a lot of interest and being almost like a household name in the SLUH community and going to state competitions or maybe even national competitions.”
Preparation from this junior duo and the work of Hill made SLUH’s first year in the DECA and FBLA competitions a smashing success, promising an even bigger group next year. While eyes remain on the few Jr. Bills who advanced to state, the Jr. Bills have walked away with a new attitude towards business and armed with new skills for the workforce.
“DECA and FBLA are really just a chance for people to get to practice their communication skills,” said Schoenekase.
“A big thing about these is the networking you can do,” said Erard.
“We’re trying to grow it to a wider variety of students at SLUH,” said Bean. “We look forward to what’s coming. There’s some things on the horizon that we’re working on.”
Students sip sodas and shake it to Shakira in the packed Majorette
(continued from page 1)
February, many of the seniors that would usually plan such a dance are away on their senior service. Because of this, Menne was largely left to organize the dance herself.
“A winter dance is a little bit more easier to to book,” said Menne. “Prom and things are in the spring, and when you’re competing against wedding season it’s much more difficult, but in the winter usually you can get a good price, and it’s easier to find.”
But what was at the dance? Students enjoyed all the amenities the Majorette and its Maplewood location had to offer, including an open soda bar, seating areas, and two large balconies that overlooked the main dance floor. There were also cocktail tables scattered throughout the back portion of the hall, giving guests the perfect place to hurriedly set down their Shirley Temples just in time to catch the next mosh.
Music was provided by a DJ from TKO. The company has a running contract with SLUH which guarantees them a spot at the front of the school’s dances throughout the year. A variety of music was played throughout, including SLUH classics like “Fireball” by Pitbull, as well as recent hits like three-time Grammy winner “Not Like Us” by Kendrick
Lamar.
“The crowd really got into the music, which made the dance a lot of fun,” said senior and StuCo public relations manager Henry Birkmeier. “The best song was ‘FE!N’ by Travis Scott, hands down.”
Another one of the musical highlights of the night was when Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” began blasting through the hall, prompting senior Nate Lepak, president of the Beyoncé Club, to break into a choreographed dance in the center of the dance floor. Rowdy cheers and applause boomed from all sides as he perfectly executed the routine. Lepak danced again to a second Beyoncé song later in the night—“Crazy in Love ft. Jay Z.” Senior Tommy Wagner briefly jumped into the high-stakes dance circle with Lepak to show off a quick jig.
“You know, at first I was really worried. I don’t know what it was about, but just getting in that center, it seemed so daunting,” said Lepak. “But then I started dancing and I was like, ‘Wait, people are watching this. They’re cheering. They’re enjoying it.’ So I was like, honestly, who really cares what people are thinking right now? I’m having fun. I know other people are at least having fun in some way.”
This also isn’t the first dance Lepak has broken out into a Be -
yoncé number at a school dance. He first busted a move at his Junior Ring dance last year, and again at this year’s Fall Ball.
“Everyone was generally gathered around for this time,” said Lepak. “Like at Fall Ball, sure, a lot of people were watching, but there were still people on the outskirts. This time, I felt like everyone actually was united to see this.”
Lepak’s dancing abilities rival senior Dylan Humphrey’s jukes on the basketball court or junior Keenan Harris’s weaves on the gridiron. Fittingly, Lepak was selected as this week’s Athlete of the Week. Read more in the sports section on page six.
Eighty-seven of the 208 guests at the dance were from St. Joseph’s Academy. In second place was Cor Jesu with 30 students, followed by Visitation Academy with 20.
The venue’s size was a point of satisfaction for many, some commenting that the large number of people in the relatively small area made it feel “just right” for the party atmosphere.
“I had never chaperoned SnoBall before, and I’d never been to the Majorette,” said physics teacher Teresa Corley. “It’s kind of a quirky venue, and I was worried it got too crowded. I liked the schedule a lot—I thought 7:30 to 10:00 was a lot better than 7:00-10:30. I feel like usually everyone ends up wait -
ing the final half hour anyways.”
“SLUH guys are the best guys, and it really showed in the behavior Saturday night,” said StuCo moderator Frank Corley. “Just a bunch of healthy teenage fun. I guess the girls had fun, too, watching you guys be crazy on the dance floor, which was really almost all guys.”
Despite its many successes, the Majorette as a venue for Sno -
Ball could be changing next year. Menne cited issues this year with parking—many students were forced to park on the street and in a nearby O’Reilly’s parking lot, because of the closed lot at the Majorette—as a possible incentive for moving the dance to a new location in 2026. But no matter the venue, the lively spirit of the dance will stay alive for years to come.
Three SLUH students’ art displayed at high school showcase
(continued from page 1)
among the many art classes at SLUH.
“Ms. Bugnitz, Mrs. Rebholz and I tried to seek out some people who maybe had some successes in the recent semesters in connecting concept with execution in a piece,” said art teacher Matty Kleinberg. “We were also trying to make sure we represented all departments inside the Art Department as best as we could.”
In total, 11 Catholic high schools participated in sending students to exhibit their work. Types of pieces included devotional paintings, landscapes, self portraits, and ceramic and glass work. All three SLUH students who participated were juniors who had taken an art class in the first semester. Max Marnatti and Leo Hahn represented painting, and Brady Vogt added to the ceramics display in the center.
“Having my piece in the show was a pleasant surprise because I didn’t know it was happening, and I didn’t know I was even considered until Mr. Kleinberg told me,” said Hahn. “It was really amazing to have my self-portrait hung up among these other high school art
pieces.”
The opening took place last Friday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the McNamee Gallery, and will be open until Feb. 28.
Pieces were grouped together by subject and medium.
“There was an area that was devotional art, and then the middle was sculpture and ceramics,” said Kleinberg. “Brady’s shoe sculpture was among the ceramic pieces and some stained glass.”
The reception included refreshments for guests and artists. Reporters from the St. Louis Review milled around the gallery, interviewing artists about their pieces. Because this was the first show, there was no established submission method.
“We went to each of our class groups and tried to suss out students whose process of making art and the message of the art came together naturally,” said Kleinberg. “We wanted to be able to show those pieces that demonstrate a mastery that we’re looking for.”
“It means a lot to me because I think it’s cool to share how I see the border,” said Marnatti. “It makes me feel good that something I spent so much time on is being shared with others.”
The SEEDS show exemplifies the importance of artists putting their work
Artists felt the payoff after nearly five months of cultivating their artistic talent. Marnatti spent several weeks planning his painting, which depicts the Mexico-America border, and several more hours of class time painting.
into the world and gaining insight about their pieces and themselves. Artists complete the final step of any art piece. By showing their work to the world, the piece stops being for themselves and starts being for those they share it with.
“Whether or not the crowd gets it or likes it or you take the feedback or not, the idea that you have seen it to the final end is when art completes itself,” said Kleinberg.
The success of the students at the gallery suggests the importance of art at SLUH. The SEEDS show seeks out students who are capable of creating technically impressive pieces, but also meaningful and important works of art. Although students at SLUH may already have avenues for artistic expression, ranging from merchandise design to Sisyphus magazine submissions, the SEEDS show is a chance for students to venture outside the SLUH ecosystem and gain a new perspective.
“It’s important that these high school students are seeing where they’re at in the greater art world. Maybe they find that they are more talented than others at SLUH, then when they get to the show they may say ‘Oh, I have my work cut out for me,’” said Kleinberg. “A rising tide lifts all ships, everyone benefits from seeing where everyone else is at.”
The gallery exhibit proves how necessary it is for students to not only show their work, but to be proud of it too.
“The opportunity to show this I hope helps in creating a group of upperclassmen artists for next year,” said Kleinberg. “Hopefully, the SEEDS show will snowball into people giving these artists their well deserved attention and praise.”
Students on the balcony of the Majorette. photo | Jens Istvan
(Left to right) Brady Vogt, Max Marnatti, and Leo Hahn at SLU’s McNamee gallery. photo | Matty Kleinberg
Hahn’s featured piece, “Self Portrait in Winter.” photo | Leo Hahn Marnatti’s featured piece, “Approaching Borders.” photo | Leo Hahn
SPORTS
Square One
Fierce defense tames the Urbana Tigers in an interstate battle, sluggish against De Smet
BY Jake Fitzpatrick Core Staff
Time to get back on track. The St. Louis U. High basketball team looked to rebound after a tough loss to the Vianney Griffins, returning home last Saturday in an interstate battle against the Urbana Tigers. In a game highlighted by tormenting defense and electric fast breaks, the Jr. Bills sailed to a 56-37 victory. Against a more familiar foe, the Jr. Bills battled their Jesuit rivals, the De Smet Spartans on Tuesday. A lack of offensive poise and defensive intensity proved costly in a 70-36 defeat, putting the Jr. Bills at 1-1 on the week.
Urbana
With the scent of Mom’s Deli wafting through the air and a sea of white rally towels being frantically waved around by SLUH’s Blue Crew, the Jr. Bills starting five took the court last Saturday afternoon. Led by senior leaders Dylan Humphrey, Levi Miller and Landon Pace, sharpshooter sophomore John Hawkins, and the physical force of junior Keenan Harris, SLUH looked to rely on veteran experience against a
man defense, SLUH shifted to a more conservative 1-3-1 zone with three minutes left in the first quarter. It worked to perfection. The Tigers launched up three pointers, which turned into defensive rebounds, leading to fast break points from the likes of Harris and Humphrey.
“A lot of teams don’t face a 1-3-1 defense, so they’re really thrown off by it,” said Humphrey. “We used this to our advantage and just pressured them and played off their mistakes.”
We weren’t fazed and just played our brand of basketball.
-Dylan Humphrey
However, two quick buckets from the Tigers produced a defensive battle with the score at 11-10 going into the second quarter.
In the second quarter, instead of their fast-paced offense, the Jr. Bills, with junior point guard Nick Reh now at the helm, slowed things down. The Jr.
The Tigers got two buckets on breakdowns of SLUH’s man to man defense to close the score to 18-14, but little did they know that would be their only offensive production for the next five minutes of the half.
While SLUH’s defense harassed each ball handler like the Philadelphia Eagles attacking Pat Mahomes, their offense was propelled forward by fast breaks. Though they stumbled on multiple fast break opportunities with errant passes and bobbled receptions, both Pace and Harris were able to get downhill and to the hoop off steals and defensive rebounds: SLUH Basketball’s modus operandi.
“I think we just played good on ball defense,” said Hawkins. “And their bad shots helped us get really easy transition buckets.”
After Reh eurostepped his way to a layup and forced a Urbana timeout, the visitors shifted into a full court press. However, SLUH wasn’t fazed. On three trips down the court, they broke the press and operated off yet another Harris bully ball bucket to put the Jr. Bills up 22-14, an 8-0 run.
Playing Urbana’s own game now, the Jr. Bills switched to a full court press, which turned into yet another Humphrey steal and a fast break finish from Pace to close out the half with
In the final four and a half minutes of the second quarter, the Urbana Tigers
“Strong, hard nosed defense really
Two offensive possessions later, with 3:30 left to go in the quarter, sophomore point guard Ben Yust masterfully kicked it outside to Pace, who, directly in front of the beserk student section, drained a three. If that wasn’t enough, he blew an air kiss in the direction of the now aberserk student section. With this three, Pace kissed Urbana’s hopes goodbye.
“When shots open up, I’m not gonna pass up on them,” said Pace. “And the student section was feeding into us all game.”
Seemingly playing hot potato, SLUH swung the ball around the three point line to preserve the game clock with under a minute left as they gallavanted into the Sno-Ball that evening with an admirable 55-37 defeat of the Urbana Tigers. Even more important than that, SLUH had bragging rights over Illinois.
“This game taught us that when we are truly focused we can get downhill and score against any team,” said Humphrey. “We forced our will upon them
While the Jr. Bills remained in a brick wall man to man defense, Urbana switched to a 2-3 zone. However, SLUH handled the change in no time, probing every nook and cranny and eventually finding junior center Sebastian Tate patiently waiting under the rim to make it 35-19.
This combination of stout defense and an ability to attack the hoop continued into the end of the third quarter, with SLUH up 40-27.
To start the fourth quarter, neither team scored in the first two and a half minutes of play as both teams suffocated one another and made it difficult to get a good shot.
The Jr. Bills first bucket of the quar-
after holding them to so little offensively. It really showed us what we can be.”
De Smet
Following the win against Urbana, the Jr. Bills wished to repeat last season’s thrilling win vs. De Smet in the Danis Field House, a game highlighted by a buzzerbeating dunk from guard Jalen Jones ’24. After falling to the Spartans 78-47 in their first matchup of this year, the Jr. Bills hoped to improve on their communication and limit the Spartans ability to get open shots. In the end, SLUH lacked a sense of offensive rhythm and fell to their Jesuit adversary, 70-36.
punishes any team, so being able to do that solidly for a quarter is what we look for everytime we step on the
Not looking to slow down by any means, SLUH kicked off the second half by following the pattern of getting to the rim at all costs. In the first minute of play, Hawkins attacked Urbana’s defensive holes on a 4-0 run all by himself,
The Tigers seized two straight transition baskets, both off of errant cross court passes to make it 28-19. The job was certainly not finished for U. High. The Jr. Bills defense was sparked by senior Pace. The Wyoming football commit met the ball handler at the top of the key, poked the ball loose, scooped it up and galloped his way to the hoop.
The student section was feeding into us all game.
-Landon Pace
ter came from a masterful inbound where Pace seemingly read the mind of Harris, who slid back door on his way to an effortless layup that put the Jr. Bills up 42-29 with just over five minutes left. The Jr. Bills tacked on six more layups courtesy of drives at the hoop from Harris, Miller, and Humphrey to extend SLUH’s lead to 15 with two minutes left. The Tigers had been tamed by the Jr. Bills.
The Jr. Bills started off the game scorching hot, with both Miller and Pace kicking off the offensive production for the Jr. Bills. They bullied their way downhill for two, then locked down on defense by crowding the lane and coming up with two crucial steals. It seemed that the Jr. Bills were ready to write a different narrative against their rivals.
“I mean I was really happy with the way that we fought early,” said junior power forward Will Schulte. “They would send a message, and then we would fire right back.”
Soon after, however, the Spartans got hot with a new scoring threat, sophomore point guard Will Foulk. He drained two triples from the top of the key to put the Spartans up 9-5 with just over 4 minutes to play in the first
continued on page 8
photo | Kathy Chott
Senior Landon Pace (left) preparing to shoot against Urbana.
Senior Dylan Humphrey (below) dribbling. photo | Will Bramlett
Head coach Erwin Claggett. photo | Kathy Chott
BY Theo Agniel Sports Editor
Junior Ring Dance 2024: a circle forms on the dance floor and in the middle a young man reveals to the world one of the greatest athletic feats of all time: the “Single Ladies” dance. Senior Nate Lepak has made the routine a tradition at SLUH dances— something that kids look forward to. Prep News had the amazing opportunity to sit down with Lepak to explore his unique athletic ability and how he dedicated himself to training for the intense “Single Ladies” performance.
Theo Agniel: First off, incredible performance at Sno Ball this past week. What fuels your passion for Beyoncé?
Nate Lepak: It all started when I watched her performances and realized the incredible work ethic she has. I began researching her shows and saw just how much time and effort she put into her performances. That really inspired me to apply the same level of dedication to everything I do—whether it’s something as small as a quiz or as big as a test or presentation.
TA: What first got you into Beyoncés music?
NL: I remember it vividly. It was 2020, during quarantine, and I was scrolling through TikTok. I came across a video of her performing “Déjà Vu” at Coachella, and something about it just pulled me in. I thought, ‘Wait, this is a great song’. So I started listening more and more, and before I knew it, I had
Athlete of the Week: Nate Lepak
developed a deep love for her music.
TA: After that, did you start diving into her whole discography?
NL: Yeah, it really took off from there. That same night, I was singing Déjà Vu in the shower and thought, ‘this music is amazing.’ At first, I listened to her albums out of order, but eventually, I
decided to go through her entire discography from start to finish.
TA: What inspired you to learn the “Single Ladies” dance?
NL: It started back in eighth grade. At my grade school, we had something similar to Senior Follies, and my older brothers and their friends had the idea
to do a performance. I came up with this plan for me and two other people to learn the “Single Ladies” dance and perform it. That never actually happened, but I still learned the choreography that year. Then, in my sophomore year, the idea resurfaced when two of my friends from Rosati-Kain wanted to do the dance for their homecoming. They ended up not learning it, but I did, so now it’s my go-to party trick.
TA: What was your reaction when you found out that Jay-Z cheated on Beyoncé?
NL: Honestly, I was really confused— still am a little bit. It just didn’t make sense to me. You’d think someone wouldn’t cheat on someone as talented, famous, and respected as Beyoncé. But what confused me even more was that she stayed with him. Looking at her relationship history, I guess it makes some sense, but do I personally support it? Not necessarily.
TA: Switching gears, what does it take for you to be at the top of your game when performing?
NL: Leading up to an event where I know I’ll be performing, I practice every day for at least a week. Even though I already know the routine, I make sure it’s polished. I guess you could call it a superstition. I just want to be 100 percent ready so I don’t embarrass myself.
TA: At SLUH Fall Ball this year, you slipped during your “Single Ladies” performance. What was going through your mind when that happened?
NL: Even before I started, I noticed there was water on the floor and thought, I can’t slip. But within 30 seconds, I kicked my foot up for a move, and my other foot started sliding. At that moment, I knew I was going down. I had to think fast because I couldn’t just lay on the ground. So as I fell, I decided to roll, knowing it would probably hurt my hip, but at least I’d recover quickly. If you watch the video, you can see me roll, get back up, and finish the dance.
TA: Incredible commitment! How do you think your performances bring the Class of 2025 together?
NL: I think it’s become a talking point. At Sno Ball and Fall Ball, people were actually watching, even those who weren’t necessarily fans of the idea. It started at Junior Ring when I surprised everyone by doing “Single Ladies.” Only two people knew I was going to do it. After that, people started asking if I’d do it at other events. It became something people looked forward to, which in a way, is kind of unifying.
TA: What should seniors expect for prom? Are you sticking with “Single Ladies,” or are you planning something new?
NL: Expect the unexpected. At Sno Ball, I started with “Single Ladies” and then, 20-30 minutes later, pulled out “Crazy in Love.” Who knows, maybe at prom I’ll have three or four dances ready. You’ll just have to wait and see.
TA: Great stuff, thanks for your time!
Wrestling continues resiliency in strong finishes for both JV and Varsity
BY Ryan Strohschein reporter
St. Louis U. High wrestling showed off their strength and resolve in snatching a second place finish in the Missouri Military Academy Invite and placing third in the Hazelwood East Tournament earlier this week.
The Jr. Bills journeyed to North County for the Hazelwood East Tournament. This tournament focused more on the JV part of the team, and despite their adolescence, the team did not fail to deliver. A third place finish continued a very strong season for JV that has found lots of success, despite many having a lack of experience coming into the season.
“We’ve got people who have never wrestled before, yet the JV has not placed lower than third in any of their tournaments this season,” said head coach Espen Conley.
The success and energy radiating from the older wrestlers seems to have an impact on the younger guys, inspiring the dominant success they have had this season.
“The juniors look at what the seniors do, the sophomores look at what the juniors do, the freshmen look at what the sophomores do, and the work ethic and aspiration to be great spreads like a virus,” said Conley.
The freshmen in this group seem to have a very bright future ahead of them.
“We are very confident that our freshman class will be competitive in the future, their work this season shows how much they want to compete,” said Conley.
Even with this confidence, there are definitely areas for improvement so the team can develop to its full potential.
“Having the right mentality and mental space for the young guys is key,
so they don’t get rattled or let people get under their skin,” said Conley.
The Jr. Bills then trekked out to Mexico, Missouri for the Missouri Military Academy Invite. The competition was unexpectedly tough, yet the team put on a show that could be one of their best this season, with many wrestlers stepping up to contribute such as sophomore Jack Moeser (126), who had never won a tournament before but came through with a win when the team needed it most. The team knew it needed to entertain and perform coming into the tournament, and they delivered.
“Ultimately, like when you dance or you act, you want to entertain and perform well,” Conley said. “You have to be confident in yourself and your abilities to succeed.”
Performances like these showed how the team is coming together and how they can hang with the toughest competition.
“Guys are continuing to get better at the right time,” said Conley. “They’re continuing to keep the train rolling as they move deeper into the season.”
This growth doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon, as the team continues to get better and mesh together well.
“We were able to get second as a team and came home with a trophy, something that has been hard to come by this season,” said junior Tommy Onder.
“We’ve been getting better exponentially,” Conley said. “We had to get better in a shorter amount of time with some inexperience, but this group has been up to the challenge.”
Coming off a great last few meets, the wrestlers were brimming with confidence going into the meet, feeling their recent success could fuel a win at a meet they felt confident in succeeding at.
“This tournament is usually an easier one, so all of the boys felt very confident going into it,” said Onder. The competition was unusually tough, but the team was able to answer the bell.
“There was a team with four or five state qualifiers that took the number one spot from us,” Onder said. “Being able to come away with a good performance though was big for this program for sure.”
Last night, the team won 52-27 against St. Mary’s for Senior Night, making SLUH undefeated at home on the year. See next week’s edition to learn more about their performance.
Senior Nate Lepak offering his hand up for someone to put a ring on it.
photo | Otto Reitenbach
photos | Kathy Chott
(Top to Bottom)
Junior Michael Williams, senior Calvin Stewart, and sophomore Ayden Donsbach all against St. Mary’s on Senior Night last night.
Committed
The following seniors are continuing their football career:
Matthew Moore ~ Missouri Southern University
Jakob White ~ Missouri Science & Technology
JV Raquetball finishes off season, look to upcoming State and National tournaments Esports continues to evolve and welcomes new games for spring season
BY Thomas Juergens and Sam Kappel Core Staff, reporter
As the racquetball season comes to a close, players are finishing their final games and rankings are released for the upcoming State Tournament, where players will face off against players of their same seed and skill level from all other schools in a bracket format. Ranking in the State Tournament is based off of a player’s record in the season. For example, the No. 1 seed on JV1-1 will play No. 1 seeds from other JV1 teams, including JV1-2.
The St. Louis U. High racquetball team is divided into multiple teams based on skill level. Below Varsity is JV1, which has two sub-teams, each with six players. JV2 is below JV1, also with two-sub teams, this time with five players each. JV3 is the lowest team and consists of all the remaining players. Throughout the season these teams played in matches similar to Varsity, except playing teams of similar skill level from other schools.
JV 1-1
The JV1-1 team, the highest team after Varsity, has managed an impressive 8-2 season, finishing second among the other JV1 teams. Their main rival throughout the season was Kirkwood’s JV1-1 team, from whom SLUH took both of their two losses.
“Despite some inconsistencies here and there we’ve had a really strong season, only dropping matches to Kirkwood,” said JV1-1 coach Joe Koch. “A couple guys have made big strides this year to improve their game, and others are getting hot just at the right time as we prepare for State. I think if the bounces go our way we have a solid chance to win.”
No. 1 seed junior Patrick Blase had a particularly difficult season because he played the top JV1 players from other schools. However, Blase has managed to continue to improve throughout the season and ended with a 7-3 record, giving him a solid seeding heading into State.
“I have been happy with the progress I have made throughout the season. I feel like I have made a lot of progress through practices and team workouts,” said Blase. “I feel confident going into state and I am looking forward to it.”
The rest of the team is feeling similarly confident, having seen great improvement and expecting to make it far in their brackets at State.
“This season I feel like I have improved a lot, I started beating people who I’d lost to in the past, and it made me a lot more confident in my ability to play new people,” said No. 2 seed junior Ben Bundschuh. “Going into state I’m feeling the exact same, I’m excited to play new people and hopefully beat them.”
JV1-2
same level as JV1-1, had a less fortunate 4-6 season, giving them fifth place. The team consistently lost to Kirkwood’s three JV1 teams and SLUH’s JV1-1. However, JV1-2 did dominate against other schools, drawing their wins against Lindbergh and Chaminade.
“I had some pretty tough matches during the season, but going into state I’m hoping I can get top three,” said No. 1 seed sophomore Christian Blonde.
The team has seen lots of growth throughout the season. Several players had winning or close to winning records ending the season, such as No. 4 seed sophomore Colin Thole, who ended with a 5-5 record, and No. 2 seed freshman Eli Bundschuh, who ended with a 6-4 record. These players will have a challenging bracket in state, but they have a strong chance to make it far.
“I’ve definitely improved a lot this season, and I think I’ll carry my current momentum to do well at state,” said Bundschuh.
“I feel pretty confident going into the state tournament this year,” said Thole. “I think that our whole team has been improving throughout the year and that we are at our best right now. I feel like if we all play at the level we know we can, then we will have no trouble winning state.”
JV2-1
The JV2-1 team, consisting of senior Michael Fallert, sophomore Layton Pfeuffer, sophomore Andrew Grimm, sophomore Cian Aque, and freshman Braden Pfeuffer, finished the season with an overall record of 2-7. The team took a strong win against Vianney/De Smet’s JV2 team as well as Chaminade’s JV2 team. However, Kirkwood’s surplus of players made it an overwhelming challenge, putting up an unstoppable four JV2 teams against the other schools.
“I’d say I’ve improved a lot,” said Pfeuffer. “Tons of helpful tips and tricks from people that have helped my game have me feeling confident going into state.”
Although the overall record wasn’t what the team had wanted going into the season, individual improvement can be spotted among all players participating on the team. Pfeuffer gained the most points for the entire team in the Winter Rollout High School Tournament, with an impressive 55 points. His work rate and effort gives him an advantage as he gets ready for state. Although Kirkwood puts up a strong quantity of players, the quality of the SLUH JV2-1 team will hopefully prevail in the upcoming State Championship.
JV2-2
Unfortunately, JV2-2 went 0-8, with their main competitors in the JV2 league being the four Kirkwood JV2 teams. Because of Kirkwood’s strong middle school program, they have an enormous number of freshmen that they fill up their teams with each year. This allows for them to have strong JV2
teams with experience of two or three years of practice. Despite the unfortunate record, a JV2-2 player could never be found at practice without a smile on their face.
“This season was really fun and I bonded a lot with my teammates,” said sophomore Daniel Baker. “I’m confident that we are going to do well in state.“
Despite the discouraging situation, the JV2-2 team players do an amazing job keeping their confidence, focusing on improvement, and bonding with their teammates. As the underdogs, the JV2-2 team looks to their tough bracket determined to fight their way to victory.
JV3 JV3 games are structured differently than other levels. JV3 can have any number of players, and players compete in a ladder style every weekend. At the end of the season, schools will select their top five players to assign seeds to for State. These players will face off against players of the same seed from other JV3 teams. The players who were not assigned a seed are placed in a larger sixth bracket.
During the Winter Rollout, SLUH’s JV3 team performed poorly. However, the players have seen a lot of improvement since then and are looking to put up a strong performance in state.
“Our team has progressed greatly throughout the year. Lots of hard work has been put in by so many people on the team to get to where we are today,” said JV3 coach Tim Juergens. “Again this year, I’m impressed at the depth we have on the team. Most schools have one or two players that can truly compete at each of the bracket levels, but looking at our team, I’m excited to see our players compete and win in all of the brackets.”
Many of the top JV3 players are looking to make it far in their bracket, or even win. SLUH’s JV3 has historically dominated State, and the chances are just as strong this year.
“I had a great JV season,” said JV3 No. 3 seed Patrick Sturm. “Racquetball is a great sport that is really fun to play, and I look forward to competing in the state tournament for SLUH.”
“This season has been very up and down,” said junior No. 2 seed Charlie Dirnbeck. “Losing a few matches that I shouldn’t have and missing matches will affect my ranking going into state. But I hope to play well and earn our team as many points as I can.”
Looking ahead
Over the next few weeks, the team will be finishing up the season with State and National tournaments. JV3 will be competing in State this weekend, and next week, JV2, JV1, and Varsity will all be competing in their respective State tournaments. To cap off the season, 14 of SLUH’s best players will be traveling to Portland, Oregon to compete in the National Championships, which SLUH placed second in last year.
BY Matteo Abbate Staff
The Spring Esports season kicks off this week, and there are several new teams getting in on the mix. Marvel Rivals and Valorant have now joined Fortnite and Super Smash Bros to bring together the largest Esports team at SLUH yet, and hopefully the most successful. The more experienced teams are setting their focus on winning, and winning big, while the newer teams are focusing on building a strong foundation to grow off of and hopefully reach a competitive level as the season progresses.
Entering its second season ever, the Fortnite team is transitioning to zone wars, which is a switch up from the fall season’s box fights. This features a more advanced strategic style of play where player mechanics, such as editing, are not as prominent. This 2v2 showdown will force players to understand how to build tarps for their duo, while also ensuring each player has a role for the team. Because of the pressure from the zone, everything will be sped up, so communication will play a big role.
“It’s going to be a learning experience at first, but with our top level talent
by then we can put our best lineup out there to make a deep run.”
Now, the heart and soul of SLUH Esports, the Super Smash Bros team, is gearing up for another successful season. Something unique about the Smash leagues is that there is a lot of local competition available. CBC is SLUH’s biggest rival, with both teams usually being very accomplished. Since SLUH dominated in the Fall, they will hope to continue to build off the last season, and this time win.
“We should be the top team in the St. Louis region,” said senior captain Monroe Terry. “We keep developing promising talent, which I believe distinguishes us from the rest of high schools.”
The Smash team also has plenty of depth.
“In years past, we have usually had one exceptional player, but this year we have several,” said senior captain Eliot Wheeler. “The hardest task has been trying to figure out the teams because of how much talent we have.”
Marvel Rivals is the newest game addition to SLUH Esports. For reference, it is very similar in gameplay to Overwatch. They have seven players to help start the inaugural season. Unfortu-
and experience from our captains who have been accustomed to playing in intense tournaments like these, we will be very hard to beat as the season progresses,” said senior captain Neil O’Connor. “We hope to once again finish in the top 10 in the country, and this time make it all the way to the finals.”
In addition to Fortnite, the two-time state championship Valorant team is going for the three-peat this year, although it might be more difficult than years past. This time around the team will have two brand new players with zero Valorant experience. However, senior captain and star player Toby Godat will be leading the charge for state, so you can never rule them out.
“We are going to practice a lot with our new players to get them ready for the playoffs,” said Godat. “Hopefully
nately, because of how new the game is, none of the players have any competitive experience yet. They will be participating in two leagues this spring, so they will have plenty of time to get some experience.
“We have a good balance of support players and specialists on the team,” said senior captain Linus Christian. “So I expect a good season, especially towards the end as we grow as a team.”
Overall, the spring season has plenty of promising teams that are ready to compete at a high level while developing the ever growing program for the future. Fortnite, Valorant, and Smash Bros have a prime window to win, so with some big senior players leaving after the season, there will be extra pressure to succeed.
Moore
graphic Courtesy of Jakob White
Hahn
PN CROSSWORD: Livin’ on a Prayer
ACROSS
1. Irish dances
5. Put (down)
8. *“Rocky” antagonist and sequel
13. “It’s my turn”
14. What chess simulates
15. *Former North County high school
16. *Desperate pass play
18. 100 degrees, e.g.
19. Sparkling
20. Skunk’s defense
22. Prevent by discouragement
23. *Archie Manning, to Peyton and Eli
28. Woman’s sleepwear (var.)
30. Do followers
31. Program that 13 SLUH faculty participated in
34. Puts down
35. _____ Alley, of the Potterverse
37. *“Hooray!”
39. *The evening, in Latin
40. “Blitzkrieg Bop” punk surname
41. Caffeine-rich nut
42. Soap component
43. Cal.-to-Fla. highway
44. “Stranger Things” actress _____
Bobby Brown
46. *Formal requests requiring signatures
49. Large battery
53. Large-scale armaments (abbr.)
54. Where a golf ball starts
55. Aviator Earhart
59. *To remember, in Latin
61. *Long list
62. Citrus drink suffix
Prep News Credits
Volume 89, Issue 20
“Who’s your Valentine?”
Editor in Chief
Micah “Cormac McCarthy” Doherty
News Editors
Andrew “all my billy brothers” Hunt
Lucas “olives” Hayden
Sports Editors
Theo “the gym” Agniel
Aiden “alpha wolf” Erard
Features Editor
Leo “Kowloon City” Hahn
Visual Editor
Jesse “giraffe” Heater
Core Staff
Jens “Meatball” Istvan
Thomas “The Wheel” Juergens
Otto “R = ∫u dt + h” Reitenbach
Kane “Man-Thing” Luchun
Max “Phyllis from The Office” Marnatti
Daniel “Jakey” Neuner
Jake “Marcus Freeman” Fitzpatrick
Lincoln “CB1” Shorley
Staff
Matteo “Lennon Ravensburger” Abbate
Tristan “my weekly mileage” Kujawa
Gavin “the green M&M” Simon Madhavan “my Family SLUH’d team” Anbukumar
Xavier “B-Kam’s” Heithaus
Owen “LeBron” Williams
Henry “Haley Welch” Hassenstab
Brendan “Henry Hassenstab” Hunt
Staff Artists
Colin “the Tigers” Schuler
Reporters
McCoy “my PN roster spot”
Amann
Colton “an upturned mop” Eikermann
Liam “the cutest freshman” Farroll
Sam “sultry tones” Kappel
Alex “Mrs. Claus” Skillman
Grant “I love everyone equally!”
Skornia
Ryan “our lord and savior”
Strohshein
Jack “my case” Williamson
Photographers
Kathleen “Dimitri Mendeleev”
Chott
Moderator
63. Christian, like this puzzle’s theme entries
64. *Dancer’s asset
65. Sister
66. “Rocky” protagonist actor and others
DOWN
1. Islamic holy war
2. Mirror _____
3. Catholic feeling
4. Organ that filters blood
5. Took a dip
6. Mr. Potato Head piece
7. Start of a sports season
8. Mongoose prey
9. Q followers
10. Water, in French
11. Stammering sounds
12. Color, as Easter eggs
15. Mouth part
17. Actress Monroe or rocker Manson
21. Dishwasher cycle
23. “_____ of little faith ...”
24. Mouth, slangily
25. German philosopher Georg
26. University in Atlanta
27. Washer cycle
29. Sabre executive who works in The Office
31. “Get _____!” : “Control yourself!”
32. Old school tablet
33. Dancer’s teammate
35. Little valley, as for a farmer
36. Parent double down
38. Rice-A-_____
39. Tenn. players
41. Male relative
44. Video game alteration
45. Online greetings
47. Bale binding
48. Wishy-washy response
50. Online commerce
51. Encyclopedia Brown’s first name
52. Lustful looks
54. Harbinger, like 33-Down
55. Calc. prerequisite
56. Peace, in Russian
57. Maps guess
58. Cal. NBA team
60. College domain?
Last Week’s Answers
Steve “Julie” Missey X-Word
Congrats to this week’s crossword winner, senior Isaac Basi! Find a PN editor in the media center during AP or Studium to claim your reward.
Pace hits buzzer beater against Confluence
(continued from page 5)
quarter. Although it looked like momentum was swinging in favor of the Spartans as they capitalized on their full court press, the Jr. Bills went on a scoring burst with back to back treys from Hawkins and Pace to bring the score to 13-11.
Throwing haymaker for haymaker, De Smet forward Ian Thomas carved his way through SLUH’s demanding defense to put De Smet up four, their biggest lead, forcing a SLUH timeout.
The timeout failed to spark any form of life for the Jr. Bills, as their offense went dry and Owen Duff drilled two straight pull up jumpers to make it 18-12 going into the second quarter.
Although the Jr. Bills were hoping to turn it around in a new time frame, the Spartans stayed hot, as Duff opened the quarter with a swift three, putting SLUH down 11.
“The slowness on the offensive end really killed us,” said Humphrey. “And then a lot of our missed shots led to opportunities for them to score in transition which cost us a lot of stamina, making it hard to move on both ends of the floor.”
The Spartans stayed hot offensively, going on a 13-0 run until there was just 2:45 remaining in the half, with Folk and Duff continuing to put the Spartans on their back going up 29-12. The Jr. Bills were ailing. Trying to kickstart a run, Pace bulldozed his way through De Smet’s naggy defense with 2:45 left, the Jr. Bills first points since midway through the first quarter.
Despite a constant animated uproar from SLUH’s student section, donned in their most elaborate jerseys, Harris missed a layup in the closing seconds of the half. As SLUH despondently headed to the locker room, they faced a brutal 35-16 deficit. SLUH scored just four points in the second quarter.
“I think that we got a false sense of hope after that first quarter,” said head coach Erwin Claggett. “After that foul on the three to end the third quarter, we just snowballed to a lot worse offensive production and laziness on defense.”
As they came out of the half, the Jr. Bills were hoping to see the light at the end of the tunnel and crawl their way back into the game. Just like the start of the second quarter, the De Smet offense stayed hot courtesy of senior shooting guard Riley Massey.
As the Jr. Bills seeked to swing momentum in their favor, Miller stormed down the court and knocked down a three to pull the score within 18. Even after the three, SLUH struggled to find offensive cohesiveness, largely because of errant passes and an inability to get to the hoop. As the flustering third quarter came to a close, Humphrey burst through the De Smet defense to pick up six straight points off the dribble, two of which were pull up jumpers. It was too little too late, though, as the third quarter deficit went downhill to 51-28. When the fourth quarter clock began, SLUH’s bigs in Harris and Hawkins were able to get to the hoop, but it proved to be too late as De Smet forward Jordan Boyd sunk a three to make it 56-
30. The gym went eerily quiet. As both teams began to filter in their second string bench players, it was clear that a miraculous comeback was out of the picture. When the horn sounded, the Jr. Bills had fallen to the Spartans 70-36. “It was a struggle” said Claggett. “But now we just gotta move on and against another really good three-point shooting team like Vianney we’re gonna have to have a lot better shot quality and hopefully that leads to defensive balance.”
Looking Ahead
In a game with a plethora of long runs from both teams against the Confluence Titans last night, the Jr. Bills won on a buzzer beater from Landon Pace as time expired, giving the Jr. Bills the 70-68 victory. The Jr. Bills only get 20 hours of rest from last night’s game because, for the second time in the span of 11 days, the Jr. Bills clash again against the Vianney Griffins tonight in the Danis Field House. Following an up and down recent stretch, the 9-9 inconsistent SLUH squad looks to find their mojo at home. After the Vianney game, the Jr. Bills return to action against the formidable Chaminade Red Devils next Tuesday on the road. The following night, they continue their road stint against the McCluer Comets. There isn’t a secret ingredient to the Jr. Bills success. They have shown flashes of fierce defense excellence and physical offensive basketball all season. When these two facets have come together, the Jr. Bills can compete with any team in the region.
Crossword | Paul Baudendistel | criticisms, compliments, and ideas welcome at pbaudendistel@sluh.org
