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-Michaelson’s classes covered, pg. 2 -Hard-copy buzzbooks printed, pg. 2
“If nothing else, value the truth” Volume LXXIV
- Soccer heads to final four, pg. 5 -Freshman fall sports wraps, pg. 11
-Injuries plague football -Special: MCC basketball perspective, pg. 3 captains, p. 9
St. Louis University High School, Friday, NOVEMBER 20, 2009
Issue 11
Hagan, S.J., chosen for Mo. Sports Hall Jesuit legend to be inducted posthumously
Conor Gearin Core Staff he Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mo., has announced that it will posthumously induct Martin “Marty” Hagan, S.J., for coaching the St. Louis U. High rifle team to five national championships—in 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964—and a state championship in 1983. Though the most recent inductees were announced yesterday, the Hall of Fame will hold its induction ceremony on Jan. 31, 2010. Hagan was a long-time member of the SLUH faculty and a legend to alumni and faculty. Hagan’s service to SLUH, which began in 1952, had many facets: he taught theology
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and English, was the varsity and freshman rifle coach until 1987 and the freshman coach until 2000. Hagan was best known, though, for establishing the rec room. Though it began with only eight pool tables, Hagan’s efforts eventually led to over 30 pool tables, in addition to shuffleboard, ping pong, and bumper pool tables. The student-enforced nickel fee for dropping rec room equipment like pool cues, a tradition well known to past and current students, can be attributed to Hagan as well. In 2003, the rec room was dedicated to Hagan, and a plaque in his honor calls him “arguably the most well known Jesuit in the
history of the school.” Many SLUH faculty and alumni were essential in getting Hagan inducted into the Hall of Fame. Jack LaBarge, ’60, one of Hagan’s former rifle competitors, said that he, Bill Bradburn, ’59, John Vandover, ’57, and other alumni led the effort to get Hagan inducted. LaBarge said that he went through previous SLUH Dauphin yearbooks to write a biography of Hagan. The alumni compiled a packet of their reasons for Hagan’s induction, which they sent to the Hall of Fame. After a few unsuccessful attempts, they re-nominated Hagan this year. Nominees
see HAGAN HALL, 13
Dauphin Players to perform Importance of Being Earnest this weekend photo by ted wight
Eric Lewis len Fairfax, played by senior Julia Sinks Core Staff of Nerinx Hall, and the Lady Bracknell, played by senior Andrew Kresyman, the t. Louis U. High’s Dauphin players disapproving mother that will not allow will be performing Oscar Wilde’s the couple to marry. Algernon’s servant, The Importance of Being Earnest this Lane, played by senior Alex Whalen, also weekend in the Joseph Schulte Theappears in the first act. ater. The play was written in 1895 and The second act, set at Ernest’s country satirized the contemporary English arestate, introduces Ernest’s young and istocracy. It opened to great acclaim attractive ward, Cecily Cardew, played and brought about the height of Wilby Whitfield junior Madison Johnson, de’s popularity. and her governess, Miss Prism, played While there is no definite main by Nerinx senior Abby Dryden. Two character, the two leads are Ernest WorCardew (Whitfield junior Madison Johnson) presents a rose minor characters, the Reverend Chasuble, thing and Algernon Moncrieff, played Cecily to Algernon Moncrieff (sophomore Jordan Bollwerk) in a dress played by sophomore Jean-Paul Angieri, by sophomores Adam Hunn and Jordan rehearsal of The Importance of Being Earnest last night. and Ernest’s servant, Merryman, played Bollwerk, respectively, two English in his cigarette case, made out to an “Uncle aristocrats and best friends whose romantic Jack,” that causes the first in a series of by senior Kevin Kickham, also appear. Kresyman was intrigued by the prospect misadventures drive the plot. mistaken identities that pervade the play. During the first act, Algernon questions Other important characters are Alger- of playing a woman, especially a woman such see BERT AND ERNEST, 15 his friend about the mysterious inscription non’s cousin and Ernest’s beloved, Gwendo-
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News Teachers to Golterman, ’56, exhibits cover classes Kiel Opera House history for MichaelT son
November 20, 2009
Volume 74, Issue 11
Kevin Kimes Reporter here was an exhibit featuring the Kiel Opera House in St. Louis on Tuesday in the SLUH Commons. Once a shining jewel in St. Louis, the Opera House is scheduled to be refurbished in the next few years. At one time, SLUH used the building for its graduations. For the last 20 years there has been talk of tearing the Opera House down and replacing it with a parking lot, but Ed Golterman, ’56, has led a preservation movement. Golterman’s father was the original architect of the Kiel Opera House. Using his private collection of photos and memorabilia of notable times in the Opera House’s rich history, such as when it hosted performers like Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra, Golterman put together a portable exhibit to showcase all over St. Louis and raise awareness of the building’s history
and the need for it to be rehabilitated. However, not everyone is happy about the re-opening of the opera house. The Fox Theater, believing that the new Opera House will bring competition to attract patrons, is against the renovating. Many teachers brought their classes to the Commons to view the exhibit, though the exhibit was open to all students and faculty all the time while it was here. Fine Arts teacher Joseph Schulte brought his class to the exhibit. Said Schulte, “Being a lover of the arts, I thought it was fun and enjoyable to reminisce about the historic Opera House, and I think my students enjoyed it too.” Golterman added, “Everybody had really good questions for such a little known topic. You could see them actually become interested as they viewed the exhibit. I think they began to realize that this place isn’t just a piece of history, it has a future and is something we can look forward to as a shining spot of St. Louis.”
Buzz books produced despite paper cutbacks Patrick O’Leary Core Staff he administration, with some prompting by the Mothers Club, has published a hard copy of this year’s buzz book although it was originally intended to be solely online. Julie Probst, mother of sophomore Christian Probst, said, “All of us moms were frantic.” She cited times when she was in the car without Internet access and trying to arrange a ride or contact other moms who are volunteering with her. According to Mothers Club President Chris Myers, because of the pressing requests for the buzz books, especially from freshman and sophomore mothers, she and Moran conversed last Wednesday and agreed to try to utilize the online buzz book as much as possible but to print hard copies for those who needed them. Assistant to the Principal Jan Cotter made the buzz books that day, and they were distributed for the first time that
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night at the second parent-teacher night. According to Principal John Moran, the buzz book was originally put online to save paper. In the past, before each school year, the school has mailed a copy to each family, about 1300 total including faculty and staff. “This year we’ve made a real conscious effort, as a school, just to conserve as much paper as possible. We have the online calendar, so we don’t print the hard copies of the calendar,” said Moran. “We did that with the buzz book as well. But, we certainly heard a concern from families … For some folks, there is a convenience to having a copy in the car or for people who don’t have (readily available) Internet access.” The Mothers’ Club is now distributing hard copies to people who request them. Myers estimated that the Mothers Club has distributed about 125 buzz books and will possibly end up distributing 300 to 500,
see BUZZ BOOK, 13
Ben Kim News Editor he St. Louis U. High administration announced in a letter home this week that social studies Paul Michaelson’s four senior classes will be taught by other teachers. Michaelson was diagnosed two weeks ago with Cholangiocarcinoma, bile duct cancer. “We want to make sure that students always have the best care and the most professional teachers that we can put in front of them, even in the less-than-ideal situations,” said principal John Moran. Initially, in light of his required medical procedures, Michaelson had arranged with SLUH to be present for about two days each week and let other social studies teachers cover for him. According to Moran, Michaelson taught his classes last Monday and Tuesday. But after talking with Michaelson on Friday, Moran decided that a new plan was needed. “I don’t think we fully grasped what we needed to do,” said Moran. “I think it probably took us a week or so for the news to settle in and come up with a longer-term plan.” After the change on Friday, Moran contacted former SLUH economics teacher Peggy Pride, who agreed to teach Michaelson’s two sections of Microeconomics. Pride started teaching this Monday. Michaelson’s two other classes, both AP American Politics, are already being covered by teachers Robert Evans, Tom Zinselmeyer, Anne Marie Lodholz, and Tom Wilson. According to the letter, which was sent Monday, these arrangements will last through exams in December. “After the first week, one, the plans for his treatment changed and we also realized it’s going to be in his best interest, in his recovery’s best interest, and in the school’s best interest to say: ‘Go and take care of your health full-time. That’s your job for the next
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see MICHAELSON, 13
November 20, 2009
Opinion Insider Perspective MCC Basketball preview
Volume 74, Issue 11
Chaminade
Michael Mayberger Special to the Prep News
Bradley Beal. That’s all you have to say. Beal, a junior, is currently the seventh ranked junior in the country according to Rivals.com. After leading his team to a state championship last season, Beal played with the U16 USA national team this past summer in Argentina and led that team to an international championship. Along with Beal, Chaminade returns junior forward Brendan Kelly and junior guard Luke Bumgarner. Chaminade will severely miss twotime MCC player of the year Brandon Lockhart, as well as junior Brandon Hannah, who transferred. The point guard and the center positions will be the biggest questions for the Red Devils, but look for Chaminade to make another solid run this year. 2009 Missouri State Champions Overall Record Last Year 27-4 MCC 7-1
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SLUH
Experience is one word that sums up the SLUH squad this year. Seven seniors and two juniors return from last year’s team. The team returns its top two scorers in seniors Tim Cooney and Mike Mayberger as well as senior point guard Jake Fechter and senior forward Mike Butler. Seniors Andrew Ostapowicz and Scott Milles should also be vying for minutes this year. This should be a very exciting year for the Jr. Bills as they have a new field house as well as a solid core of returning players. SLUH needs to play consistently tough this year in order to compete in the MCC and in their tough district. Look for SLUH to have a breakout season this year. Overall Record Last Year 13-14 MCC 1-7
2008-09 MCC standings
Vianney
Vianney looks to have another solid season this year as they almost always play sound basketball. The Golden Griffins return senior guard Joe James and sophomore guard Tony Cochran, who last season set the Vianney school record for most three pointers made in a season as a freshman. To accompany those two will also be senior guard Mel Drady and senior forward Jack Voelker. The biggest problem with the Golden Griffins this year is height. Voelker is their biggest man at 6’5, but the next tallest starter is Joe James at 6’1 and the other three starting guards are all 5’8. Vianney will have to look to pressure teams a lot with their guards this year and not allow the ball to get inside the paint. Look for the Golden Griffins to have another solid season this year, but probably not as good as last year. Overall Record Last Year 18-9 MCC 5-3
1. Chaminade 7-1 CBC CBC is also expected to have another solid
2. Vianney 5-3 3. CBC 4-4 4. DeSmet 3-5 5. SLUH 1-7
year under the leadership of seniors Cory McArthy and Ryan Pierson. Pierson, 6’10”, who just signed with D1 program Northeastern in Boston, is one of the top forwards in the class of 2010. McArthy is a premier catch-and-shoot shooter and an excellent free throw shooter. Junior guards Darion Rackley and Seth Jackson should also have breakout seasons as they round out a strong starting line up for the Cadets. The biggest problem CBC will be faced with this year is their bench play. Once you get past their starting lineup, the Cadets grow pretty thin. But look for CBC to have a good season this year. Overall Record Last Year 17-11 MCC 4-4
DeSmet
DeSmet is having what you could call a “rebuilding” season. They are led by only two seniors, Eric Savio and Robby St. John. Expect juniors Steve Pace and Ted Corwin to also have solid years both returning to the Varsity team from last year. Also, junior Chris Jacobs looks like he will have a break out season as he will probably be the leading scorer for the Spartans this year. DeSmet is almost restocking its team after some terrific teams a few years ago and they look like they will try to play a more up-tempo style of basketball. Look for DeSmet to have a near .500 season very similar to last year. Overall Record Last Year 12-15 MCC 3-5
Favorite: Chaminade Dark Horse: SLUH Corrections and Amplifications
-On the cover of last week’s issue, the cross country State photo was incorrectly credited to “momilesplit.com,” but Mrs. Kathi Mimlitz should have received credit. -The soccer photo also on the cover was credited to Mr. Matt Sciuto but was actually taken by senior Mike Dryden.
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News Chess Club kicks off annual tournament
November 20, 2009
Volume 74, Issue 11
Drew Dziedzic Reporter t. Louis U. High chess players gathered to demonstrate their skills at the third annual chess competition this past Monday after school. The tournament was a semi-kickoff for the Chess Club, who used this event to prepare for their upcoming season and introduce new talent to the club. Over twenty students met in the St. Ignatius Conference Room at the beginning of the event, while many more students trickled in after the official start. All who came were assigned to a board, where they would play to decide whether they would move on to the winners or consolation brackets. Therefore, every player was guaranteed at least two matches. And since most of the matches only lasted between twenty and thirty minutes, none of the ten boards playing needed to add a time limit in order to end the match. While the finals of the tournament have not been completed, senior and Chess Club
photo by connor blanquart
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Senior Mike Phillips contemplates a move in the SLUH chess tournament on Monday.
president Peter Harris commented everyone who was there enjoyed themselves. Harris, who is one of five finalists, said he specifically liked how he had the ability “to socialize with new people, (while) viewing new styles of chess.” Harris hopes the finals will happen in upcoming weeks. Harris added, “It was great to see so many people playing chess,” and he plans to
hold a second tournament later in the year. Senior player Joe Ebel, who won in the first round but was checkmated by Latin teacher James Gioia, commented “The tournament was definitely challenging.” Both Ebel and Harris encourage anyone who is remotely interested in chess to join every Monday in the Ignatius Conference Room.
course of four hours, the group found 15, but the last had been removed from its location. A few of the containers were rather well hidden and difficult to find. According to Kuensting, at least three of the containers were unusually small, and hidden on tree branches. “We didn’t have to climb any trees, but
we spent some time scouring the area before we found them,” said Kuensting. “They were really well camouflaged and hard to spot.” Kuensting would have liked more people to come, but overall, the trio had a great day. Kuensting said “They were hidden around the park in the most beautiful places that you wouldn’t go to otherwise, so I’m glad I got to see these places.”
Science Club geocaches in Forest Park Danny Meehan Reporter he St. Louis U. High Science Club mounted their bikes and headed to Forest Park Sunday morning for a day of geocaching. Geocaching is a new high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The game’s objective is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches. Most geocaches are simple plastic boxes containing tokens that people have left, and a logbook for the purpose of letting others know that you were there. Only three people went on the trip: freshman geocaching expert Mitch Mackowiak, Science club moderator Steve Kuensting, and ASC English teacher Michael Koenigs. The group departed from SLUH on its bikes around 9:30 a.m., heading into Forest Park, where their hunt began. In preparation, Mackowiak obtained the GPS coordinates of the caches from the Official Geocaching Website and stored them on his personal GPS. According to the website, Forest Park contains 16 different geocaches. Over the
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First Team Mitch Klug Collum Magee Joe Gorla Stefan Sansone Second Team Lan Sansone Bill Weiss Kevin McAuliffe Andrew Mackin Jake Pilla Jake Fechter Paul Simon
Football All-MCC Honorable Mention
Trevor McDonough
Brendan Graczak Andrew Pitts Pat Williams Mike Gaines Tim O’Brian Doug Guilfoy Andrew Meyer Joe Blume All-Academic Joe Blume Tom Bobak
John Brusati Charlie Brynac Alex Cross Adam Cruz Jake Fechter Elliott Fish Mike Gaines Zach Gima Joey Gorla Brenden Graczak Doug Guilfoy Mitch Klug Sam Knesel Griffin Lowry
Andrew Mackin Collum Magee Kevin McAuliffe Trevor McDonagh Andrew Meyer Andrew Pitts Sean Rammaha Michael Riddering Lan Sansone Stefan Sansone Matt Schumacker Paul Simon PatWilliams Tim Wilmes
5 Sports Soccer vaporizes the Stars, Final Four next November 20, 2009
Volume 74, Issue 11
their quarterfinal opponent, the McCluer Rob Bertucci North Stars. Sports Editor The Jr. Bills immediately set the tone for he St. Louis U. High soccer team the entire match by pushing the ball quickly (20-6-1) waitinto Star territory. ed patiently on the After four solid sidelines for its turn minutes of posto play on Soccer session, SLUH Park’s main field, obtained an early and watched as CBC 1-0 lead as senior defeated Vianney forward David in double overtime Burr put in a goal in the State quaroff a rebound. terfinals. The outWhen the Jr. come of this game Bills strike first livened the Jr. Bills’ this season, they State Championship have not been hopes, as it made the Richie Hoffman dodges past a McCluer North’s defender beaten. In fact, to get the ball down the field. Cadets—whom the Jr. under head coach Bills have beaten twice during the regular Charlie Martel and assistant coach Charlie season (4-0, 2-1)—the main contenders on Clark, SLUH is 180-2-2 in games where the opposite side of the bracket. they score first. But the Jr. Bills could not be caught Although the Jr. Bill offense came ready looking ahead and had to first take care of to play, the defense was shaky early in the
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Photo by Mike dryden
first half. Uncharacteristically, the Jr. Bills handed McCluer North the equalizing goal on a sloppy pass in front of the net. The goal was the first allowed by senior goalie Dave Kirner and the defense this postseason. “There was a little bit of miscommunication between Joey (Rund) and A.J. (Andrew Johnson) and Dave,” said senior captain Dom Hewitt. “It was a gift and a rare mistake by our defense.” This mistake was the only chance that the Jr. Bills gave McCluer North all game, though. The defense tightened up, and the offense quickly responded to the tied ballgame. Senior forward Grant Welge one-timed a pass from senior captain Joe Bettger past the McCluer goalie, putting SLUH up 2-1 heading into halftime. The Ostrichbills continued to outplay the Stars throughout the entire second half. Senior Matt Reda gave the Jr. Bills some breathing room with his first goal of the season off a pass from Bettger, and the team
see HITMONLEE, 12
Roadrunnerbills sixth at Midwest Regional Will Bufe Reporter he St. Louis U. High cross country team, running under the pseudonym “St. Louis XC Club,” placed 6th last Sunday at the Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) Midwest Regional in Terre Haute, Ind. The squad competed in what has been considered by many to be the hardest region in the country, consisting of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. Despite four sections of hay bales placed throughout the course to make it “extreme,” the high level of competition showed its strength as Missouri’s individual state runner-up Caleb Ford took 38th place, finishing with an elite time of 16:01. “There were a lot of fast people. I came through the first mile a little under 4:50 and I was probably around 50th, and I’ve never experienced that before. The hay bales were pretty useless. I thought they were a waste of time,” said Ford. Junior Tim Rackers sprinted in alongside Ford, placing 39th overall while running a personal best time of 16:02. Senior Tim McLaughlin also set a personal record at 16:30, packing together
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with teammate Emmett Cookson, who finished with a time of 16:32. Despite the fast times, the pair finished 90th and 95th, respectively. “It’s like grappling a wild beast, but there is a mutual understanding of love between you and the beast. No matter how hard you fight the beast, you know it’s always going to love you back,” reflected McLaughlin on the sport to which he dedicated the past four years. Senior Tony Minnick (16:42), junior Alan Ratermann (16:56), and senior Tyler Jennings (17:07) wrapped up the championship race for SLUH, bringing the team’s score to 265. Although the places may have told one story, the SLU High cross country team had one of its best races of the season. Powerhouse teams across Illinois—Troy, Naperville South, and Loyola Academy— were simply too good to be beaten by the Missouri state champions. SLUH was, however, able to capture the regional open race title, led by key performances from senior Charlie Stoltze (16:49, 6th), junior Joe Meier (16:53, 10th), and senior Bill Gabler (17:00, 14th).
After winning the open race, the squad was awarded a magnificent trophy. “It’s amazing,” described Stoltze. “Shine a light through it, and it refracts to illuminate the deepest recesses of happiness in my soul. I don’t want to take my eyes off of it because I wonder how I will ever so completely see myself again if I look away.” “To beat a team like York and Nequa Valley says a lot about SLUH’s program. The fact that the Varsity was 6th and the JV pulled out a win in the Midwest shows that the team’s and coaches’ tremendous amount of dedication and hard work has paid off,” said Gabler. The 2009 season may have featured the greatest team in the St. Louis U. High cross country program’s history. After many days of logging miles through the hot summer months and long runs on chilly, October days along the paths and trails of Forest Park, the season has finally come to an end. The hard work and dedication have paid off, and the team building, friendships, and lasting memories will live in the runners’ hearts. It was an amazing season for the St. Louis U. High Cross Country team—the 2009 Missouri State Champions.
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Sports Aquabills find success in relays at State
November 20, 2009
Volume 74, Issue 11
Chad Carson Reporter he SLUH swim team finished in 19th place at last weekend’s State Swimming and Diving State Championships, scoring a total of 40 points. Rockhurst dominated the meet scoring a total of 400.5 points. Glendale finished second with 123.5, and Chaminade took third with 121 points. The second, third, and fourth place teams scored a total of 364.5 points combined, still 36 points shy of Rockhurst’s total. SLUH finished second among the MCC schools behind Chaminade. Although the team failed to build on its fifth place finish from last year, senior Dan Schmidt broke the SLUH record for the 100 Free at Preliminaries with a personal best time of 47.79. The previous record was set in 2005 by Adam Trafton, who placed first at state with his time in 2005. Schmidt finished seventh overall in the event at State this year. “This is a sign of just how fast swimmers have gotten over the last few years,” said assistant coach John Penilla.
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“He did everything right and put together a perfect swim,” said head coach Fritz Long about Schmidt’s record-breaking performance. “Schmidt was a critical part of our team. He had a hand in every point scored at state.” In total, 475 swimmers from 65 high schools across Missouri swam in last Friday’s prelims. SLUH had participants in nearly every event, but only the 200 Free Relay, the 400 Free Relay, and Schmidt in the 50 Free and 100 Free advanced to the finals on Saturday afternoon. The 200 Medley Relay, featuring senior Alistair Veirod, junior Steve Hoerr, sophomore Amir Pascal, and senior captain John Helling, finished 19th overall with a time of 1:45.08. In the 200 Free, junior Michael Hagerty finished 19th overall with a personal best time of 1:49.50, cutting nearly three seconds and moving up 11 places from his projected 30th place finish. Hagerty also finished 19th in the 100 Free with a personal best time of 49.29. “I was really impressed with how much time Hagerty cut,” said Long. “He shows
potential to be an important team leader next year.” Sophomore Sam Erlinger participated in the 200 Free, finishing 34th overall with a time of 1:52.23. In his 100 Free race, Erlinger posted a time of 50.91, finishing 35th overall. Pascal finished 19th in his event, with a personal best time of 55.35 in the 100 Fly. In the 100 Back, Veirod finished 32nd with a time of 58.52. Hoerr was the last individual swimmer to compete, placing 22nd in the 100 Breast with a time of 1:04.65, a personal best for him. The 400 Free Relay, which consisted of junior Joe Kabance, Erlinger, Hagerty, and Schmidt, finished 13th at finals with a time of 3:19.99. Rockhurst’s relay won the event, breaking their own state record with a time of 3:05.64. The 200 Free Relay was also won by Rockhurst, who yet again broke their own state record set the previous year. SLUH’s relay of Pascal, Helling, Hagerty, and Schmidt placed 9th in finals with a time of 1:29.92. Schmidt swam a 20.86 in his leg of
see LAPRAS, 12
Puckbills scorch Red Devils and Howell Sam Bufe with shot totals, he thinks that finishing those Reporter shots is extremely important. In the second period, SLUH again outhe St. Louis U. High hockey faithful played its opponent by outshooting CCP by packed the Queeny Park Ice Arena on Nov. 13 to witness their team beat Chaminade 1-0 and improve to 1-1. Though neither team scored in the first period, SLUH outplayed its opponent. Sophomore Trent Lulow evades a Chaminade defender in the team’s to a 1-0 win. Sophomore linemates Trent Lulow and Dan Warnecke a two to one margin. However, they again combined for 9 shots, over a quarter of the failed to score. The U. High kept creating chances, while Chaminade started falling team’s shot total. Warnecke says that he is enjoying play- back on their heels. With 5:24 remaining on the clock, the ing with Lulow because they’re doing a good job of “putting pucks to the net” and getting Bills found the back of the old onion bag with senior Brandon Eversgerd’s power play “odd-man rushes.” Lulow says that although he is content goal.
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photo by mike dryden
The SLUH fans erupted in a way that put Mount St. Helen’s to shame. Goalie Justin Ragland succeeded in protecting the cage for the remainder of the game, securing SLUH’s first regular season win of the year. The junior stopped all 18 shots that came his way. On Monday, Nov. 16, SLUH topped Francis Howell 7-4. SLUH’s freshman Chase Berger, Eversgerd, and Warnecke scored two goals each, and Ryan Redding scored once. SLUH netminder Nick Breunig saved 19 of the 23 shots he faced to help SLUH raise its record to 2-1. SLUH next plays tonight at 8:00 p.m. at Affton against CBC. Said Eversgerd, “We just need to go out there and score first. We need to forecheck hard, plus (we need) a great game from Ragland.” “CB has got a lot of firepower,” Ragland said. It looks like members of the team need Ragland to be the chief of the fire brigade and douse the embers if SLUH is going to win tonight.
November 20, 2009
Sports
Volume 74, Issue 11
Footbills forced to grow up quickly, finish 5-6 Nate Heagney Reporter he St. Louis U. High Footbills ended their regular season with a 5-5 record, battling through the year with numerous injuries and many inexperienced players being thrust into big roles. “I thought the kids reacted very positively. Any time you’re dealt with the adversity of the number of injuries this club was dealt it’s a hurdle, and (the players) did a good job getting over the hurdle,” said head coach Gary Kornfeld. Coming off a successful 7-3 2008 campaign and returning a very talented senior
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class, the Jr. Bills had high hopes heading into 2009 season. But when star senior running back Griffin Lowry tore his ACL in the first game of the season—a win against Parkway South—it put a damper on those expectations. Without the running power of Lowry, things took a turn for the worse, as the Jr. Bills lost their next two games against Parkway Central and DeSmet, respectively, by a combined score of 64-17. To make matters worse, senior quarterback Michael Riddering broke his clavicle against Parkway Central, an injury that would sideline him for the remainder of the season.
photo by dr. rick kuebel
Jr. Bills Varsity football team charges onto the field before their game against Parkway South.
Without Riddering, sophomore Trevor McDonagh was thrust into the role of starting quarterback, and he struggled early. McDonagh threw 10 interceptions in his first three games as a starter but settled down to throw only 9 the rest of the year. “Everything was a lot faster and everybody was a lot bigger,” said McDonagh of the transition to starter. He added that the seniors were a big help to him as he made the adjustment, especially Riddering. “Trevor got thrown into a fire, he had to start right away, he developed incredibly over the year,” said senior defensive tackle Joey Gorla. Along with quarterback, the offense lacked a consistent look at several other positions. At running back, which had seen only two starters over the previous six years, four different starters appeared over the course of this year. The offensive line dealt with similar problems, and started eight different players throughout the season. Once the “O” developed a consistent look, it began to mesh together as a team. “Trevor got a lot better as the season went along, (junior) Lan (Sansone) did a great job by the end of the year, the line started making a lot of holes, and TK (sophomore
Raquetball enjoys an undefeated week Brendan Giljum Reporter he St. Louis U. High varsity racquetball team has maintained its powerful start to the season with huge wins over an extremely tough DeSmet team and a fledgling Parkway Central team in order to begin the season 3-0. Last Thursday the Fireflyingbills took on their apparent arch-rival, the DeSmet Spartans. The “SLUH West” squad returned four of its seven varsity members from last year, but that was not enough to stop the state-bound Jr. Bill team. The SLUH doubles team, consisting of senior Michael Meyer and junior Nick Schmidt, fell behind 13-4 against opponents Michael Butler and Ryan Ernst before pulling it together and not allowing the other team any more points, an incredible feat, and winning the first game 15-13. Game two
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see HITMONCHAN, 14
photo by mike dryden
was much different movement to pass as team Schmeyer his way to a 15-12 found their stroke victory. early, winning by a In the tiebreaker, much wider margin Powers was able of 15-4. to regain his mo “We lost a little mentum and knock hope during the first off Harris in a game, but we were heartbreaking 11-7 able to think of a defeat. flawless strategy The only other to come back and Jr. Bill defeat came win,” said Meyer. from No. 5 seed No. 6 seed sejunior Joe Murray, nior Pete Harris who seemed to be had the first truly Senior Aaron Dripps winds up for a backhand in his match a bit anxious in his against Parkway Central. exciting game of the first game against Babyoranges?bills season, losing his first a challenging opponent. DeSmet’s Mike game against a resilient Christian Powers Hehner was in control of the game early on, by a tough score of 15-14. aided by easy points from several of Mur Harris came through in the second game, ray’s skips. Murray’s late game rally proved capitalizing on Powers’ lack of form and see VOLTORB, 16
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Sports
Volume 74, Issue 11
November 20, 2009
Wrestling ready to hit the mats Mike Lumetta effort during the off-season, nevertheless apCore Staff preciates the strong leadership core. “When lthough only two St. Louis U. High you only have a few seniors, then when all wrestlers participated in the State of them get hurt, then you’re kind of left championships last February, that fairly without some leadership,” he said. typical statistic beThe lineup, like most lies the potential of wrestling lineups, will the 2009-2010 team. fluctuate throughout the The team returns to year based on weight the mats this winter changes and injuries. with an experienced “All of it depends on lineup and State aswhat weight people pirations. Though certify at,” said Ott. injury continually The Missouri State devastated the team High School Activities last year, particularly Association (MSHSAA) the four graduated requires wrestlers to seniors who all sufundergo preseason hyfered injuries at some dration tests and weight point, most of the certifications in order to current Jr. Bills have determine the minimum seen varsity action. healthy weight at which Junior Espen they may wrestle. Conley, who placed However, pending sixth at State at 152 wrestle-offs, the lineup pounds, and senior is tentatively set. As in captains Peter Everson previous years, weights and Andrew Danter Junior wrestlers Espen Conley and C.J. Swanger con- below 130 will remain dition in the hallways. will lead the team. uncertain. Sophomore Everson also qualified for State at 171, and Connor Edler or first-time wrestler junior Danter missed the District tournament with David Dang will fill the 119 spot, and sophoa shoulder injury. more Nick Danter will probably wrestle at Head coach Jon Ott, who said that many 125 eventually. The other classes will stay other wrestlers have also put in tremendous open.
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photo by mr. matt sciuto
The middle of the lineup features the most experience, with sophomore Will Whitney, junior Hans Brende, Danter, Conley, junior Thomas George, and Everson all between 135 and 171. However, most of these wrestlers will probably compete at a higher class at the beginning of the season than they will for Districts. Conley and Everson will likely return to the 152 and 171 slots, respectively, while Danter moves up to 145 and George drops to 160. Senior Joel Geders and junior John Brusati will battle for the 189 position if Brusati’s shoulder injury does not prevent him from competition. Senior Alex Myers and junior Brian Gass will round out the varsity squad at 215 and heavyweight classes, although who will wrestle in which spot has not been decided. Regardless of their lineup, the Where’sHansbills have lofty goals for the season. “Win State. How tangible?” said Everson of his personal goals. “I don’t know. I don’t really care.” “I want to win, basically,” said Conley. As a team, the Jr. Bills hope to win the Metro Catholic Conference (MCC) and place in the top 15 at State, a goal which would require them to qualify five or six wrestlers and medal three. Last season, SLUH finished second to DeSmet in the MCC at 3-1, although Vianney, who beat SLUH 48-24
see BRING PAIN, 14
B Soccer finishes season 10-2-5 Logan Welge Reporter he B soccer team ended its season with a heartbreaking loss to Chaminade in the semifinals at the end-of-year CBC Tournament, giving the Jr. Bills a final record of 10-2-5. “We played collectively and had a bunch of key wins with everyone contributing,” sophomore forward Mason Seuss said of the season. The 2-0 win over Vianney midway through the season was a standout game, with a key goal delivered by Luke Gilsinger. It was the B team’s only win against a Metro Catholic Conference (MCC) school; they
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had a total of five ties to teams within the Coach Bob O’Connell stressed imconference: two 0-0 ties against CBC, a proving each day to become more skilled 1-1 tie against Chaminade, a 2-2 tie against for later years. The team felt that as the season progressed, DeSmet, and a 1-1 the players began to tie against Vianney. work together more Every team in the effectively. conference was very Freshman Tony skilled, but there was Bright said, “I had a no clear champion. lot of fun this season, Sophomore forand I am looking ward Joey Gasperoni forward to see what said, “We played we can do in the hard each game, and future.” we felt that we were just as good as every Sophomore Joey Gasperoni dodges Chaminade defenders to push down the field. other team.” photo by Luke Buckheit
November 20, 2009
Sports Feature
A season of bruises
Volume 74, Issue 11
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photo by chris savage
Stories of football captains plagued by injury
Adam Cruz Sports Editor t has been said by coaches and fans alike that you can tell when you are witnessing a truly special player; you can tell at a young age. Three years ago, the class of 2010 took to the gridiron for the first time as a freshman football team, and four of these special players seemed to exist. On the first play from scrimmage, quarterback Michael Riddering completed a long touchdown pass. Three games later, inside linebacker Andrew Mackin knocked out not one, but two St. Mary’s quarterbacks— in the same quarter. Inside linebacker Collum Magee led the team in tackles nearly every game. And in the freshmen’s first game under the lights, running back Griffin Lowry scored five touchdowns against the DeSmet Spartans in a 42-35 victory. The C team went on to lose only one game that year and to win the Metro Catholic Conference Championship (MCC)—a feat not repeated since at any level. The future seemed bright, in particular for the team’s four stars. All four were asked to try out for the varsity team as sophomores, and they went on to be named captains their senior year. The dream since the days of running ladders at Compton Drew seemed to be coming true. But in a year to be forgotten, three of these standouts suffered season ending injuries, and a fourth led the team in tackles despite playing the majority of the season hurt. * * * Ironically, Mackin was the first and last of the three to go down, and with the same injury—a dislocated patella. Mackin had finished his sophomore year with 76 tackles and was named second team all-MCC, the only sophomore to receive that honor. He was named to the second team again as a junior, as he garnered 63 tackles. Heading into his senior year, Mackin was getting looks from the University of Chicago and Drake. In order to try to get more looks from schools, Mackin attended Princeton football camp over the summer. On the second day of practice, the lineman finished the day with the “Oklahoma Drill,” in which linemen line up one on one. The offensive lineman attempts to drive the defensive lineman, who is trying to make a play on the runner, out of the hole. “I went out against a guard for what they said was going to be the last one of the day. I made a rip move to the outside and lost my footing,” said Mackin. “He jumped on top of me to win the drill and I landed on my knee first. I screamed the loudest I ever had in my entire life—it was like a sledgehammer was slammed against my kneecap.” Mackin had dislocated his patella. The surgery was a success and despite missing two-a-days, Mackin was back and ready for action against the rival DeSmet Spartans in game two. Mackin spent much of the year switching out at defensive tackle because of his lack of conditioning due to missing practices. Heading into the second district game against the Mehlville Panthers, he had just 11 tackles and one sack in six games. But, late in the second quarter at Mehlville, Mackin was having one of his best games of
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the year with two tackles and a key third down sack. However, on a dive in his hole, Mackin made a cut only to be hit on the outside of the knee, dislocating his knee cap for a second time. “Because of the knee brace, physically the pain wasn’t nearly as bad,” said Mackin. “But mentally it was exponentially The varsity football captains before their season. Clockwise worse.” A second from back: QB Michael Riddering (12), RB Griffin Lowry dislocation would (34), LB Collum Magee (30), and DT Andrew Mackin (53). likely be the end of his playing career. “Walking off the field, it was hard to accept I had just played my last football game ever,” said Mackin. Mackin says he is almost 100 percent sure he will never play football again. “Part of me wants to, because I love the game so much,” said Mackin. “But I want to be able to use my knees the rest of my life also.” * * * Unlike the other three, Lowry made his varsity impact before his sophomore year. On a muddy Friday night at Ritneour his freshman year, Lowry scored two touchdowns (tying a 75-year old record) to propel SLUH to a 26-18 win. He returned as a sophomore and started both ways much of the year as the team’s fullback (rushing for 7 yards per carry) and strong safety. As a junior, Lowry again started at fullback and received first team all-MCC honors as an all-purpose back, leading the team in receiving with 686 yards and scoring 12 total touchdowns on the year. Other achievements included a three star Rivals.com ranking, an MVP of the Ultimate 100 combine as a running back, and attending the Army All-American combine, where he recieved an honorable mention among running backs. Senior year was supposed to be the best of them all, as the departure of SLUH all-time leading rusher Ronnie Wingo allowed Lowry to finally step into the spotlight as the featured back. Many were expecting great things of him as the workhorse, including Lowry himself, and colleges like Duke, Penn, Harvard, and Columbia were showing heavy interest. For one half of one game, Lowry was as advertised, running for 61 yards and a touchdown. But, on a long kick off return to start the second half, Lowry felt something in his knee. “It didn’t feel all that bad—kind of like how your knee pops when you wake up in the morning,” Lowry said. “I have seen guys
see INJURIES, 10
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Volume 74, Issue 11
INJURIES
Sports Feature
(from 9) like Nikko (Sansone) and (Andrew) Mackin tear stuff in their knees, and they were screaming and crying. I could walk it off.” Lowry felt and looked so good, team doctors said he could return to the game, but decided not to risk further injury. An MRI showed a tear in Lowry’s ACL, and upon further study it proved to be a complete tear, ending his senior season. “I’d see stuff like that happen to guys, and I’d think ‘No, that wouldn’t happen to me,’” said Lowry. “And even after the initial MRI, I still didn’t believe it, couldn’t believe something like that was happening.” Because of the injury, Lowry saw himself drop from a priority recruit to a middle of the road prospect, where colleges wait for their top guys before approaching. Still, most of the schools remain with their high interest, and Lowry plans on playing somewhere next year. Lowry didn’t see the entire season as a failure, though. “I had an image in my head of what senior year would be like, holding a State championship trophy and all,” said Lowry. “But this year was just as good, it was still a success. We made lifelong bonds on this team, and that’s what matters anyway. What you did for your brother.” * * * With his star runner down, Riddering looked to have a heavy burden on top of him heading into just his third career varsity start at quarterback, despite being in his fourth varsity season. During his sophomore year, Riddering lost a quarterback battle with then junior John Swanston, and spent the year oscillating between JV and varsity, playing in only one varsity drive. His junior year didn’t start much better as Swanston retained the spot. However, after one game Riddering became the starting free safety and flourished, finishing second team all-conference. He had 50 tackles and two interceptions in nine games. He also started his first game at quarterback in the playoffs against Fox, scoring a rushing touchdown. Riddering was getting looks from Pioneer League schools and Truman State heading into his senior season. In the first game against Parkway South, Riddering had a rough go in the rain, completing just 23 percent of his passes and throwing two interceptions. But Riddering did have some success against Parkway Central. “The drive before I got hurt, I hit (sophomore Mitch) Klug for a touchdown, and I remember feeling really excited about the offense,” said Riddering. “I was truly excited to take another shot at the defense.” The first play of the next drive, Riddering ran an option to the left and cut it up field. When he landed awkwardly backward after getting hit, he felt pulsating in his shoulder. “I didn’t know what a broken collarbone felt like, so I didn’t know what was wrong,” Riddering said. “I almost fumbled the snap because I couldn’t lift my arm. I tried to throw a long ball but couldn’t do it. The pain got really bad on the next play, and I blacked out.”
November 20, 2009
Riddering didn’t remember much after he hit the dirt in front of the packed Running of the Bills crowd. All that he can remember from the night is begging for morphine and passing out during his X-ray. Before the DeSmet game, Riddering got surgery with a six-inch plate and eight screws. He, too, was done for the season, despite an attempt at a comeback against Ritneour. Riddering, like Mackin, is less than optimistic about his future in football. “Every phone call with a coach seems the same now. They’d ask for senior year tape, I say I barely have any. They’d ask if I was trying to come back, and I’d say I didn’t know,” said Riddering. “Eventually, I just stopped answering my phone.” * * * Magee’s senior season is not similar to those of the other three. He played nearly every snap as the team’s middle linebacker for the third straight year. Over the summer Magee had pulled his hamstring, and it nagged him all year. Despite the pain, he only missed three plays all year. “Collum is an iron man,” said Lowry. “He would never admit pain even if his leg was falling off.” However, the pounding caught up with him in the end. After the Oakville game, Magee started having headaches and throwing up. Two days later he was in the hospital, suffering from a subdural hematoma, or a collection of blood on the surface of the brain. However, the hospital visit was just precautionary, and after about a month Magee will be back to 100 percent. Schools interested include Army, Navy, and Ivy league schools. “Obviously my injuries are minute compared to those of Mike, Griff, and Andrew,” said Magee. “I tried to play for them when I was out there.” * * * The team fought against these injuries and finished 5-5. As coach Gary Kornfeld put it, the team did “a great job handling adversity.” “This year, we had injuries like we’ve never seen, especially to the seniors,” said Kornfeld. “Ten seniors missed at least one game. That’s almost unheard of.” And Magee fought all year and once again was the soul of the defense, finishing first team all conference with 107 tackles, four sacks, and two interceptions. The younger players stepped up in the spotlight. As for Mackin, Lowry, and Riddering, they did enjoy one more moment under the lights. Before the playoff game, for the first time since Riddering went down, the four original captains, three in shorts and tennis shoes, led the team out for the coin toss. After Magee correctly picked heads, Lowry patted him on the back and Riddering pumped his fist. And for the last time, numbers 34, 12, and 53 left the center of the field and watched their teammates ready themselves for a game the three had dreamt of playing in since the days under the hot sun over the field behind Compton Drew. CARTOON BY ROBERT LUX
11 Sports C Football rolls off 3 straight, finishes 4-5 November 20, 2009
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Joe Merrill Reporter he C football team ended its season 4-5 with one rain-out against Chaminade, which was not rescheduled. The season didn’t start out as the team had hoped—the Jr. Bills lost four straight, to Parkway South, Parkway Central, Bishop DuBourg, and DeSmet. Tight end Tyler McNeil scored the first touchdown of the team’s season against Central, but the team lost 21-8. The game would not be the only loss for the Bills as starting quarterback Matt Binz left the game with a torn groin. The team came away with its first win against Webster Groves. Binz threw two touchdowns to Bobby Bock and Matthew Hinkebein, leading the Jr. Bills to a 24-12
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victory. The Jr. Bills tried to maintain their momentum in their next game against CBC. They started out on top, leading 12-6. But just before halftime, star running back, middle linebacker, kicker, and punter Alex Mackin took a helmet to the knee and tore his ACL and MCL. This was a devastating loss for the young team, as Mackin had over 50 percent of the their points. CBC came out hot in the second half and won the game 32-12. Although the injury to Mackin may have been the most devastating, it was not the only one. Binz was out for two weeks with a pulled groin. Quarterback Ryan Hurston broke his hand when he was sacked against DeSmet and was out for the rest of the season. Other injuries included Drew Donze and Ryan Behrndt, both out with broken fingers, and
Tommy Neyer, who missed two weeks with a torn hamstring. “I think that (running back) Jermell Hundley and many other backups stepped up when they were needed most,” said defensive back Matt Lynas. The Bills started a winning streak with wins over the CBC D team then Vianney. After rainy conditions cancelled a game against the Red Devils, the Seabills looked to end their season on a high note against Mehlville. Binz and Hinkebein connected for two touchdowns in the Bills’ 14-12 win. This victory put the Bills just one win shy of a .500 record. “I noticed a drastic improvement between the beginnig of the season to the end,” said coach Tyler Orf.
C XC keeps tradition C Soccer wins 13 Nathan Rubbelke Reporter n sports, an undefeated season is truly magical and the freshmen XC team has a pastime of creating magic. This season, the class of 2013 Harrierbills etched some magic of their own into the history books with an undefeated season, boasting a record of 5-0. After running away with wins at the Forest Park Festival and the Ron Jorgenson Invitational, the team headed into the final three meets of the season looking to finish strong. Up first of the final three meets was the MCC Championships. The Froshbills had never lost this race before this year, but the competition looked strong from DeSmet going into the meet. Knowing this, the team came out inspired. Three DeSmet racers went out to the lead from the gun, but Joe Archer made a gutsy move trying to hang on to the DeSmet pack as long as he could. When they broke him, Archer was pushed by a pack of his own teammates. Archer ended up finishing fourth in 18:38, with Michael Dowd right on his heels. As the runners finished, it was clear the team results would be close. The boys in blue won the race by a very slim two points over DeSmet to make it 18 straight freshman victories at MCCs. “It (winning MCCs) was definitely the highlight of my season,” said Archer. Four days later, the team took a trip out to beautiful Washington, Mo to run in the Borgia Invitational. The meet has a reputation for having an incredibly difficult course and the muddy conditions only made it a tougher run. The team didn’t let the mud get into their heads. Dowd went out and controlled the race, becoming the only
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see PONYTA, 14
Patrick Mulligan Reporter -team soccer did very well this season, finishing with a record of 13-5-1. They competed in every game and either won big or lost by one. The team opened up the season by defeating Vianney 2-1 at Vianney. They were then defeated in the final minutes of the next game on a free kick by DeSmet. The team quickly rebounded and defeated Priory 3-0 before traveling to Edwardsville, where they lost 1-0. “It was a tough loss,” said Nick Kocisak.” We started off a little slow but controlled most of the game. We just couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net.” After coming off the loss in Edwardsville, the team traveled to Chaminade where they pulled off a 3-0 win. The team finally came back to SLUH to face CBC. CBC took an early 1-0 lead and the Jr. Bills tried to find a way back into it. With the first half nearing its end, forward Brian Dugan had a semibreakaway and a chance to tie the game, but he touched it a little too hard and made a sliding attempt at the ball. He instead went sliding into CBC’s goalie and suffered a season-ending leg injury. “It was not a good thing at all, and anyone would have had it go a different way,” said Matt Steurer. “But Brian’s injury gave the team something to play for, and it set off a spark of play in our team’s performance.” The game ended with the Jr. Bills losing 1-0, but everyone was thinking of their teammate, not the score. After Dugan’s injury, the C-bills won six straight, defeating St. Dominic, Granite City,
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see C-Sports photos on page 13
see MACHOP, 14
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Volume 74, Issue 11
Sports
November 20, 2009
HITMONLEE
(from 5) rode the 3-1 lead to a State quarterfinal victory. In the win, the SLUH offense continued its recent success of seeing plenty of opportunities in front of the goal. The Jr. Bills outshot the Stars 15-4 in the game and allowed only the one goal, their only blemish of the quarterfinal game. The victory sent the Jr. Bills into the State semifinals against the Park Hill Trojans of Kansas City. The match will be held at Soccer Park tonight at 7 p.m. The TwineFlubills enter the match with confidence and a six-game win streak. He-
witt believes the key to the Jr. Bills’ success against the Trojans lies in the play of junior Richie Hoffman. “We have one more Richie Hoffman than every other team out there, and I think that’s what makes the difference,” said Hewitt. “The little guy is just so fast and he never seems to stop going.” SLUH alumni are doing their part to help the Jr. Bills on their road to the State Championship. Former soccer players John Merlo (’09) and Tim Milford (’09) helped to shed light on the Park Hill team, which the Jr. Bills have not seen this season. “Merlo and Milford went and saw Park
LAPRAS (from 6)
a personal record and a time almost unheard of. In the individual events, Schmidt finished 15th in the 50 Free with a finals time of 22.12, earning another two points for the team. Schmidt finished 7th overall in the finals of the 100 Free with a time of 48.09, slightly off of his record breaking time the night before but good enough to earn a medal. “I couldn’t think of a better way to end my swimming career,” said Schmidt after his race. “I was exhausted, but it was a great feeling knowing years of work paid off for this moment.” Sophomore Michael Barry competed in the Diving Championships on Saturday morning. Although he was unable to qualify past the prelims, he scored an impressive 133.90 after five dives, finishing 31st overall. Hickman’s David Bonuchi won the Diving Championships with a score of 541.35 after eleven dives. “I was happy with my performance at state. I know that I could have done better but I’m glad that I got to experience state as a sophomore, and I’m already looking forward to next year,” said Barry. “I owe a lot of my strong performances to coach Brenndan Lebrun. He was a great guide for me and helped me through the whole experience.” Although the team showed some great strength at the state meet, SLUH’s 19th place finish was Long’s lowest finish at state. Since he took over the team in 2003 and won state his first year, the team has consistently
finished in the top five with only two years of finishes lower. Long sees strong potential in the underclassmen swimmers. “Of all the guys that went to state, only three were seniors. All the underclassmen did well and are in positions to score points in finals next year so I’m excited to see what they can do next year. Our strength is really in our underclassmen,” added Long. Sophomore Sam Erlinger echoed Long’s comment, saying, “I think the team has a chance to come back even stronger next year.” The State Championship Meet marks the end of the swim season and the end of a swimming career for the team’s seniors. The 2009 DanSchmidtBills finished with a dual/tri-meet record of 8 wins and 4 losses. SLUH finished 2nd out of 5 at MCCs and 19th in the state meet, but SLUH won the JV MCC meet. SLUH finished 6th of 11 at Marquette Relays and 4th of 8 at the DeSmet Invitational. “I thought the overall season was great. I enjoyed the company of the seniors and I will greatly miss them all,” said sophomore State participant Amir Pascal. “The season was awesome,” said senior captain John Helling. “It was a good way to go out, ending the season with a strong effort at MCCs and state. I enjoyed my time with my teammates and I’ll miss the coaches.” “Overall we had a positive season with a strong record capped off by many valiant efforts at MCCs as well as State. I already miss SLUH swimming and I will always remember it fondly,” said Vierod.
Hill play and sent us a scouting report. (Assistant coach) Charlie (Clark) also talked to the Rockhurst coach about them,” said senior free kick specialist Matt Odem. “We need to go into this game like it’s the hardest game we will play if we are going to come away with a win.” “Park Hill is going to be big, fast, and athletic,” said Hewitt. “They are one of the only two teams to beat Rockhurst in regulation this season. I expect it to be a great game, but I think we will match up well with them.”
PN Lexicon
Ambitextrous: (adj) displaying great proficiency in text messaging with both hands equally well. Rumble in the Bronx photo courtesy of liz tuxbury
Senior Chris Ayala will appear tonight at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. in Nerinx Hall’s production of West Side Story. Tickets cost $10 and are available at www.nerinxhs.org or by calling the school at (314) 968-1505. -reporting by Eric Lewis
November 20, 2009
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News
HAGAN HALL
(from 1) are reviewed for their qualifications and achievements by a board made up of the Hall of Fame’s CEO, founders, members, and governance members. This year, the board finally approved Hagan for induction. “It just was an uphill battle,” said LaBarge of the efforts to get Hagan inducted. Though he regrets that Hagan did not live to see his induction, LaBarge said it is “better to have (the induction) posthumously than not to have it at all.” According to their information video on their website, mosportshalloffame.com, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame “celebrates the legends of sports throughout the state of Missouri. Their greatness inspires players from little league to the professional leagues to push themselves to higher levels.” The Hall of Fame honors coaches, broadcasters, journalists, players, physicians, and administrators in all levels and kinds of Missouri sports, meaning that Hagan will be honored alongside such names as August Busch, Jr., Red Schoendienst, and Dick Vermeil. However, sports are only part of the motive to honor Hagan. “He’s getting the award because of his rifle team experience, but … this is just one reason why he should get it,” said LaBarge. “We want the honor for him not just because he was a great coach but because we’re crazy about him.” Hagan coached current SLUH rifle coach Will Bresnahan, ’00, and asked Bresnahan to be his assistant freshman coach in 2000. Though he said it is impossible to capture Hagan’s character in a few words, Bresnahan
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described Hagan as “very meticulous. He was very well organized. He really cared for the well-being of the students above and beyond the sports. He understood that the sport was just a vehicle for teaching.” “He really just spent his life taking care of other people,” said LaBarge. “He was was a tall, slender man, about 6’1” or 6’2”, and not particularly athletic—lanky. He was nice to people, and he was corny. He used to give a speech at the freshman orientation when the parents are there, and he’d always conclude it by saying, ‘And remember: be alert. The world needs lerts.” In addition to being quiet and softspoken, Hagan was also very personable, said LaBarge: “He’d memorize the seating charts in all the classes even when he wasn’t teaching anymore.” LaBarge remembered that Hagan, who went over 500 student names a day to commit them to memory, knew the names and personalities of the current students as well as those of their fathers who had gone to SLUH decades ago. “He just kind of typified the Ignatian slogan: be a man for others,” said LaBarge. In an interview in 1997 with the Prep News, Hagan said that his philosophy in life was to “Seek beauty, seek the truth, seek goodness. No matter what kind of faith— people get all tangled up in their faith. The one duty in life is to seek the truth. And what
is true will be beautiful, and what’s beautiful will be good.” He said that he was motivated in his vocation with “the need to be useful, be helpful. I think we all need that.” Director of Data Communications and Events Joe Patke and alumni have been trying to contact other former SLUH rifle competitors about the induction. Recently, over 100 letters were sent out, asking them to attend the enshrinement ceremony should Hagan be selected for induction. The ceremony will take place in Springfield, Mo., at the Hall of Fame in January.
BUZZ BOOK
(from 2) although that number is subject to change. Moran said that this year he plans to print hard copies as they are needed, making about 100 copies each round. Next year, he plans to print copies according to this year’s distribution statistics and then distribute them at all parent-teacher nights. He said that he wants to get away from mailing the buzz book to all families, though. A parent wishing to obtain a hard copy can do so by sending the Mothers Club an e-mail to arrange a pick-up time. To do so, there is a link on the “Parents” tab of the St. Louis U. High website.
C Sports Photos photo by Mr. Matt Sciuto
photo by Joe Shaver
MICHAELSON
(from 2) month,’” said Moran. Moran doesn’t know about future plans after December senior exams, citing how much of the decision hinges on Michaelson’s condition. There isn’t a urgent need for an immediate decision though, as no classes will be held for seniors during Christmas vacation and Senior Project. “We’ve got a good buffer of time in there to assess how his recovery has gone … There isn’t a pressing need to make the decision now, so we have said let’s not make any decisions until we have to,” said Moran.
Freshman Alex Mackin battles through the line against Webster.
Baby Schraut
Anna Diaz Schraut was born yesterday at 12:02 p.m. to librarian Courtney Schraut. Anna, who weighs 7 pounds, 10 ounces, is completely healthy. Congratulations to the Schrauts!
Freshman Matthew Steurer strikes the ball against Priory.
Public Service Announcement
The SLUH administrative forum has been postponed indefinitely due to various administrative absences. A later date for the forum will be set in the near future.
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Sports
November 20, 2009
Volume 74, Issue 11
PONYTA
HITMONCHAN
(from 7) Terek Hawkins) got a chance and he did pretty well at the end of the season,” said senior fullback Brendan Graczak. One position that remained relatively stable was wide receiver, held down by sophomore Mitch Klug and senior Bill Weiss. Klug, who garnered first team all-conference honors, was a favorite target of McDonagh. He tallied nine touchdown receptions this year. On the defensive side of the ball the Jr. Bills were led by first team all-conference seniors Collum Magee and Joey Gorla. They returned several other key players as well, including seniors Kevin McAuliffe, Jake Pilla, and Jake Fechter. Despite dealing with nagging injuries all year, Magee led the team in tackles with 108 while also adding four sacks and one interception. Defensive linemen Gorla and Pilla combined to make 108 tackles and sack opposing quarterbacks 13 times. Sophomores Paul Simon and Stefan Sansone also made key contributions to the defense. “At the beginning there was some confusion on the defense about where to go, but as the year went on we worked the kinks out and really functioned well together,” said Gorla of the defense.
MACHOP
After losing to Parkway Central and DeSmet, the StevenJacksonbills matured as a team and won four of their next six games, including a win over MCC rival Vianney and district victories over Mehlville and Ritenour. In their last regular season game, the Jr. Bills had a tough challenge against the then 9-0 Lindbergh Flyers. Despite facing tough odds, the CoachTbills managed to stay in the game, and had a chance to pull it out with under two minutes to go, before finally falling 23-21. Although it went down as a loss, the Lindbergh game showed the progress the team had made over the course of the season. With so many young players being dealt into the mix this year (six sophomores started at some point during the season) the Jr. Billikens look to return many experienced players next year. “Any time you step on the field and gain experience it helps you, and to get it as a sophomore or junior really is advantageous for the program,” said Kornfeld. Improvement was a key theme for the Jr. Bills this year, and the team hopes that the trend continues over the offseason and can carry over into on-field success next year. Said Kornfeld, “We always like to play an exciting brand of football and we hope that the student body will enjoy our style of ball.”
(from 11) Duchesne, and CBC in the regular season. The CBC tournament began with the Jr. Bills defeating Eureka 1-0 off a volley by Nick Kocisak in the quarterfinal. The semifinal was another story. The Jr. Bills came out a little flat, giving up a quick one to DeSmet. They quickly turned the game around and controlled the second half. They had some trouble scoring, though. As time wound down in the second half, Andrew Robinson finally put in an equalizer to force overtime. Midway through the first overtime, Steurer put in the game winner and the Jr. Bills advanced to the final against Vianney. Against the Griffins, the Jr. Bills struggled and could not manage to score. They played well, but the scoreboard did not show it. They were defeated by Vianney 1-0.
The final three games of the regular season were MCC games. The Jr. Bills had another shot at Vianney and were determined to come out on top. Things did not go as they had hoped, though. Early in the second half, a questionable handball was called in the box, giving Vianney a penalty shot. They scored, and that was all they needed to come away with the win. The team then played DeSmet, whom they tied 1-1. The game appeared to be over with the Jr. Bills up 1-0 and set for the win. With eight seconds left, the Spartans had a free kick outside the box and capitalized. The final regular season game took place at SLUH against Chaminade. The C-bills came out on top, 3-0. The season closed with the Parkway Tournament, where the team defeated Oakville 1-0 and Parkway West 6-0.
(from 11)
freshman to win a race individually on the season. The team as a whole finished first, beating DeSmet by over 40 points. The team’s final meet of the season was the Findley C meet on the last Wednesday of October. The meet is legendary for fast times, but shed that reputation this year due to sloppy, muddy conditions. Matt Clohisy was the man of the day. He stuck with the leading pack for the entire race and with 1000 meters to go, he and a Parkway West runner dueled it out to the finish. Clohisy was narrowly edged out, but his second place finish propelled SLUH to another team win. The season was a great success and all the runners had a great experience. Clohisy said of the season, “It was a success and fun, but also a lot of hard work.” John Wilhelm, who unfortunately didn’t race all season due to a stress fracture, still spoke volumes about the great season, “I really felt like I was still on the inside as I got to be a part of the great community that the team offered.” With another great freshman class, it looks like SLUH will be a team to contend with at State for years to come.
BRING PAIN
(from 8) in the MCC dual, later had to forfeit that match because of a coaches’ rules violation. However, the loss to DeSmet depended on the outcome of the final match. “I think we stack up pretty well against everybody else in the conference,” said Ott. Conley said that the team aspect of the sport requires wrestlers to push themselves to win pins or major decisions instead of minors, which earn fewer points. “As a team, we want to be top 15, so we need to keep that in mind,” he said. Everson said, “We just need guys who are going to give everything they’ve got for all six minutes.” “People will be surprised at how good we are,” Danter said.
November 20, 2009
News
BERT AND ERNEST (from 1)
as Lady Bracknell, and said, “I was excited to play a character so different from myself. It was an opportunity to … stretch my acting abilities, to expand my boundaries. She’s a battleship of a woman who commands whatever room she’s in.” “It’s traditionally played by a guy,” said Kresyman of the Lady Bracknell role, which he further described as “the epitome of the Victorian superficiality that is satirized in the play.” “My favorite scene is my interrogation of Ernest Worthing,” said Kresyman. “Because he wants to marry my daughter because they’re in love, and I don’t approve. I pretty much try to find any way to make him trip up and keep him from marrying her … and all hell breaks loose. But I don’t want to give away too much of the play.” Senior Alex Gable, who serves as stage manager for Earnest, said of the farcical, high comedy element of the play, “It’s kind of like bad acting, but it’s not. It’s satire. There are characters like Lady Bracknell who take themselves seriously and are really committed to the thought that appearances are what people look for first … It’s about remaining true to an exaggerated character.” “It’s a wonderful play,” said Whitaker. “It’s well-written, and the characters are so well-crafted, … (and) I try to do what we call a period piece every three years or so.”
To demonstrate the importance of character, and at times, caricature, the crew created a very simple set. The backdrop, a landscape of trees on a grassy section of land beside a body of water, was inspired by George Seurat’s famous A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte -1884 and remains in place throughout the play. Ornate furniture is placed sparingly about the stage, and unlike some other recent productions, such as last year’s Child’s Play, the stationary stage construction was very simple, just a raised platform. Large columns were placed in corners, and small, decorative busts and statues manage to convey a sense of opulence without seeming invasive. “In a play with such intricate language, people need to focus on what they hear, not what they see,” hired set and lighting director Hans Fredrickson explained. “The stage is minimal,” Gable said. “The idea is to get the actors to fill the space” with their over-the-top antics. The fact that two sophomores are playing the lead is unusual.
The Gift of Food
The Mothers’ Club cookbook and makes a perfect Christmas gift, and only costs $20. At SLUH-tique, the Mothers’ Club will also sell Billiken aprons, an ideal Christmas gift for all the Jr. Bills who love to cook, for $15. Cookbooks will be sold Friday, Nov. 20, in front of the main office. Cookbooks and aprons will be sold on Dec. 11 & 18. Cookbooks are available in the Bookstore and online.
Drawing by Mrs. Jennifer Langford
Online orders placed before Dec. 17 will be shipped before Christmas.
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Volume 74, Issue 11
Hunn said of getting the part, “I remember going into it I wasn’t expecting much because it was my first show with (director) Mrs. (Kathryn) Whitaker. I had to read the list a few times to make sure.” Whitaker praised the upperclassmen for their character performances and said, “We have a lot of wonderful upperclassmen, but we also have talented sophomores, and we’re cultivating that talent.” Performances are tonight and tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Tickets cost $7 at the door and $5 beforehand and may be ordered either by phone, (314) 531-0330 x173, or by e-mail at boxoffice@sluh.org.
Forecast printed with permission of the National Weather Service. St. Louis, MO Weather Service Office Phone: 636-441-8467 Compiled by Nick Fandos and Conor Gearin
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Volume 74, Issue 11
by Patrick O’Leary
Rare Candy
Calendar
Friday, November 20 Schedule R Jesuit Family Teach-in SOA Protest (thru 11/22) Dauphin Players’ Production 7:30pm Jr. Class Mass AP State Soccer Semifinals HOC vs. CBC @ Affton Ice Rink Class of ’89 Reunion AP Snack—Garlic Cheese Bread Lunch: Special—George’s Chicken Strips Healthy—Beef ‘n’ Bean Burrito
College Rep Visits: United States Naval Academy-M110 AP Snack—Bosco Sticks Lunch: Special—Taco Salad Healthy—Roast Beef
Saturday, November 21 Jesuit Family Teach-In State Soccer Final Dauphin Players’ Production 7:30pm
Friday. November 27 No Classes—Thanksgiving Break Class of ’99 Reunion 5pm
Sunday, November 22 Thanksgiving Basket Distribution SOA Protest Jesuit Family Teach-In Dauphin Players’ Production Sr. Kairos Retreat (thru 11/25) KEEN 12:30pm Monday, November 23 Schedule R Jr. Whitehouse Retreat (thru 11/25) College Rep Visits: United States Military Academy-M110 Cadet Ray Wagner, SLUH ‘07 HOC vs. Vianney @ Kennedy Rec Plex AP Snack—Jumbo Pretzels Lunch: Special—Tony’s Pizza Healthy—Szechwan Meatballs
Wednesday, November 25 No Classes—Thanksgiving Break Thursday. November 26 No Classes—Thanksgiving Break Happy Thanksgiving!
Saturday, November 28 HOC vs. DeSmet @ Affton Ice Rink Alumni Open Gym 12pm Monday, November 30 Schedule R STUCO Christmas Drive Advent Prayer Service AP BB @ Southside Classic 7pm B BB @ Southside Classic AP Snack—Nachos Lunch: Special—Chinese Combos Healthy—Multi Grain Cheese Pizza
Tuesday, November 24 Schedule R
Tuesday, December 1 Schedule R STUCO Christmas Drive Latin Club Meeting AP WRES @ Hazelwood West 6pm AP Snack—Chicken Giggles Lunch: Special—Chicken Rings Healthy—Multi Grain Cheese Pizza
(from 7) as Hehner was able to hold on by a score of 15-9. Game two was much the same and Murray went down early and lost 15-5. “I played worse than a dead man out there today,” said Murray. No. 4 seed senior Joe Ebel appeared to be confused by his Spartan opponent Chris Barrett early on, playing rather sourly and dropping his first game 15-11. Ebel had played Barrett many times over the summer in elite camp and was victorious in the majority of those meetings, so when he came out of the gate in game two on the offensive it was of no great surprise. He rolled for the rest of the match, taking game two 15-10 and dominating the tiebreaker 11-1. No. 3 seed senior Matt Hencken came in showing little fear in taking on the former
No. 2 seed for the Spartans, Eddie Kadlec. Hencken was strong the whole match taking the first game 15-9 and game two 15-2. At the No. 2 seed, senior Brendan Giljum’s challenger was Andrew Otto. Giljum took an early lead in the first game, frustrating his opponent and making him skip shots that otherwise would have been easy kills and winning 15-4. Game two looked as if Giljum were going to win again, up by a score of 12-10, but Otto rallied to win 15-12. Giljum breezed through the tiebreaker, winning 11-0. Senior captain Mark Kissel took what could have been the most challenging game of the day and made it his own, stomping over DeSmet’s No. 1 seed Ryan Gleason by scores of 15-7, 15-2. This and the rest of the Cuatrobelbills victories against DeSmet are
Voltorb
November 20, 2009 Nov. 20 - Dec. 4
Wednesday, December 2 Schedule R STUCO Christmas Drive So. Bonus Reading College Rep Visits: Army ROTC Program-M110 BB @ Southside Classic B BB @ Southside Classic C-W BB @ St. Mary’s Tourney AP Snack—Turnovers Lunch: Special—Lil’ Charlie’s Pizza Healthy—Baked Meatloaf Thursday, December 3 Schedule R STUCO Christmas Drive College Rep Visits: U.S. Coast Guard-M110 WRES vs. Windsor 6pm B BB @ Southside Classic C-W BB @ St. Mary’s Tourney SWIM Banquet 6pm Ignatian Mix-It-Up Lunch 11am AP Snack—Bosco Sticks Lunch: Special—Burritos and Crispitos Healthy—Chicken Parmesean Friday, December 4 Schedule R STUCO Christmas Drive Circus Club Performance WRES @ Parkway South Tourney BB @ Southside Classic C-W BB @ St. Mary’s Tourney AP Snack—Mozzarella Sticks Lunch: Special—Brunch for Lunch Healthy—Baked Mostaciolli
promising, because the Spartans defeated Parkway West, the Jr. Bills’ other nemesis. This week’s match against Parkway Central was much less of a challenge than the previous one against DeSmet, giving the SLUH squad a chance to regroup and work on the basic skills during their matches before their next big game. The team dominated at every seed, sweeping the match. “This was a less stressful match, and so it gave our team a chance to try out what we have been practicing lately,” said head coach Joe Koestner. The varsity team is playing in the Top Seed/ Doubles tournament this Saturday at Vetta Concord but the Rusch-ianbills get a week off before their next match of the season against a very difficult Parkway West team on Dec. 1 at Vetta Concord at 3:30 p.m.