LINE OF SCRIMMAGE The ESD defense (far left) lines up against the Lions offensive line in their matchup this fall on the Lions’ home turf.
RIVALRIES
Mano a mano
JUMP BALL Junior Colin Smith (middle) leaps for the jump ball against the opposing team.
With the intensity and meaning behind them, rivalry games often bring the best out of both sides and are remembered for years to come.
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BASKETBALL vs. ESD 7-4 FOOTBALL vs. ESD 3-7 SOCCER vs. ESD 6-10-3 BASEBALL vs. ESD 9-2 LACROSSE vs. ESD 5-10 “Social media definitely has a big impact,” Sanchez said. “I know every year for the football game, ESD always says a couple things on Twitter. I try to hold myself back, and I did this year, but there were plenty of opportunities to talk back at them.” Friesen believes because of the school’s reputation, opponents always bring their best when facing off against the Lions. “St. Mark’s is seen as a really great school academically and athletically, and a lot of people like to beat us,” Friesen said. “So, when we go out to play other private schools, we always get their best. I know whenever I’m coaching Middle School baseball, every opponent throws their ace against us. Everybody saves their best for St. Mark’s because that’s the game that they can say, ‘Well, we beat them. That’s a big deal.’” STORY Peter Orsak, Arjun Khatti PHOTOS Daniel Sanchez, Sal Hussain
Returning state champion junior Elijah Ellis and wrestling squad left unsure of a season by Rajan Joshi s he stands on the podium at the Prep state championships, junior Elijah Ellis feels a great sense of pride knowing all of his hard work has paid off. After training for two years and winning back to back SPC championships for wrestling, in March 2020, he finally got first place in the state. His freshman year, Ellis came first in SPC for the 172-lb weight class, but wasn’t able to compete for prep states due to injury. After a successful first season, he continued to grind every day for the chance to compete to prove himself as the best in the state.
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The following season, he bulked up to compete in the 195-lb weight class, and found great success, finishing with a record of 30-8 in all matches. After a long, competitive season, he had the opportunity to win the state championship, and he seized that opportunity. “It was the culmination of a lot of hard work and staying in good shape throughout the offseason and the whole season,” Ellis said. “It was definitely a challenge, probably one of the biggest challenges of my life. I had to win multiple matches against upperclassmen, and the mental aspect of that was tough as well, but once I
won, getting on the podium was the greatest feeling in the world.” With the support of his teammates, he had enough energy to win the final match and earn the gold medal. “The whole team was there to cheer me on,” Ellis said. “Having my team behind me gave me the strength to take home first place.” After winning state, Ellis went to the Prep National tournament, where he fell short of his goal. He went 0-2 in his matches, but the experience helped prepare him for the future. “It was definitely a learning experience and a great trip,” Ellis said. “I went 0-2, and I was the only person
who traveled there, so I didn’t have my team there to support me, but my goal is to be top eight in the nation to be named an All-American before I graduate.” With the future of this season up in the air, Ellis has continued to work so that he is ready to compete if given the chance. “I’m going to continue training no matter what, but it would be very tough if we aren’t able to compete for championships,” Ellis said. “I have multiple workouts for strength and cardio that I’ve been doing every day to stay in shape to go along with my wrestling practice every day.”
27 The ReMarker
Duffy believes the atmosphere surrounding rivalry games is what makes them so special. “Usually there’s a lot higher turnout, so every play, everyone is super engaged the entire time,” Duffy said. “My sophomore year [against ESD], it was a pretty crazy atmosphere. Everyone was yelling at the players on the other team while you’re going against them. And on the other side, the ESD coaches were taunting me.” ESD junior linebacker Jake Lewis says the rivalry between St. Mark’s and ESD goes both ways. “In football, I’d definitely consider St. Mark’s our biggest rival,” Lewis said. “It’s a rivalry that’s been passed down for countless years, and it’s to the point where it’s almost a must-win game. Even if you lose every other game in the season, you have to win to protect your dignity as a class and as a team.” With the emergence of social media, senior Super Fan Man, varsity baseball player and volleyball captain Daniel Sanchez noticed players take to the keyboard to talk trash against each other.
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Although rivalry games are just another digit in the win-loss column, for many coaches and athletes, they mean much more. “The thing about rivalries is if you lose, they will hold that loss over your head nonstop until next year, and you cannot let that happen,” athletic equipment manager Ron Turner said. “You have to win and make sure that you are still on top.” Associate Athletic Director Joshua Friesen believes that to make a good rivalry, the games must stay competitive. “I think a good rivalry is made from two teams that on any given year can win,” Friesen said. “Most of the time, if it’s really lopsided and only one team dominates, it’s not a ‘rivalry.’ It might be a must win game for you, but it’s not much of a rivalry.” While the school has had many rivals, Greenhill was widely considered the school’s biggest before the turn of the millenium. “When I first started here, Greenhill was by far our number one rival,” Friesen said. “That matchup was a must win for all our kids, even though in football we had won something like 26 straight years. No one wanted to be the team that lost that streak.” Over the years, Friesen believes ESD has slowly but surely overtaken Greenhill as the Lions’ largest rival because of its proximity to 10600 Preston Rd. “The ESD rivalry began as they grew in size and
became more competitive,” Friesen said. “There were friendships between kids from both schools, so a lot of that rivalry was created amongst friends. Nobody wanted to give up bragging rights to the guy that they were going to see on the weekend.” While ESD is the school’s most notable rival, each sport nurtures its own rivals based on who is most competitive. “When you end up matching up in the conference finals or semifinals, that’s a big deal,” Friesen said. “So teams like Casady might be a really good soccer rival for us, whereas in lacrosse and football, ESD’s a big rival. Basketball has nurtured a little bit of a rivalry with Highland Park the last couple years, but it’s not a long-term rivalry yet.” Junior football and lacrosse player Conor Duffy said preparing for ESD is different than any other school. “It’s definitely pretty different preparing for a rivalry game because you know the team is going to be a lot better when they play y’all,” Duffy said. “For me, every year I go against the same [ESD] corner that I have a history with, so I’m definitely thinking about what I’m going to do to him on the field during game week.”
Looking at each sport’s record versus rival school ESD over the last ten years.
February 5, 2021
ver the years, the Lions have created rivalries with several schools. In the ‘90s, Holland Hall and Greenhill were almost always the school’s most competitive opponents for football in the SPC North Zone. Even matchups against Fort Worth Country Day and Cistercian sparked talks of rivalries for the Lions. But as ESD continues to rise as one of the more successful athletic programs in the conference, a new rivalry has emerged. Recently, ESD-St. Mark’s football matchups have come down to the wire. Trash talking and heated arguments between players and coaches have led to nail-biter finishes that many fans will never forget. But as this new rivalry transforms into one of the most anticipated matchups in the SPC, the question still remains: What makes a rivalry great?
Us versus THEM
