This Week in Sports
After losing its first three games of the season, the Varsity Basketball Knights have won five of their last seven games and currently boast a three-game winning streak. Ryan Kennedy ’15 has demonstrated true leadership on and off the court; he has averaged 19 points per game and has added a number of assists, rebounds, and other intangibles that have proved crucial to the team’s success. In addition, Joseph Santangelo ’15, Christian Raslowsky ’16, Douglass Stapler ’16, and Malik Fisher ’17 are also playing particularly well. For varsity basketball, perhaps the highlight over Christmas break was the team’s trip to Belmont, North Carolina for the inaugural McGuire Classic hosted by Belmont Abbey College. The team played against Cardinal Gibbons and Charlotte Catholic, two local high schools that offered good competition. Xavier spit the two games they played; on December 22nd, the team defeated Cardinal Gibbons in a 55-54 nail biter. The next day, however, Xavier lost to Charlotte Catholic 73-43.
Varsity basketball’s trip to North Carolina was an unequivocal success. For the players and coaches, it offered an invaluable opportunity to develop the sense of camaraderie that only comes through extended travels with friends and teachers, especially since this was Xavier basketball’s first overnight trip in over two years. The trip also offered another unique opportunity, as the team was able to spend time with Mr. Stephen Miss ’86, a Xavier alumnus who is the current Athletic Director and head men’s basketball coach at Belmont Abbey College.
The team returned from North Carolina rejuvenated and eager to once again face local competition. Since returning, Xavier has won three games in a row. The Knights are currently third place in the CHSAA-A Division, and they defeated Fordham Prep, the second place team, over break. The future is looking good for the varsity, and the team cannot wait to play another game, excited to showcase their many talents in the CHSAA.
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J.V. basketball has lost three of their last four games. Though shots have not been falling in the way that the players and coaches have hoped, the team is resilient and confident in their skillset and ability to succeed. Rory Kinsella ’17 has been the J.V. Knight’s most consistent player, and the towering Luca Ross ’17 has made great strides in his play since the beginning of the season. With a 3-6 record, the team looks forward to seeing what the rest of the season holds.
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In recent weeks, freshman basketball has won two games and lost three. Each time they step on the court, they face tough competition, and in their losses they have looked like contenders up until the final buzzer. They won their most recent game against St. Edmund’s by more than 20 points, which is a tremendous victory from any perspective. This win gave the team considerable momentum and will be helpful as the team pushes past the dog days of the season.
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On December 20, Varsity Swimming lost to Fordham Prep in its first loss of the regular season. Against the Rams, Connor Mullin ’17 took first place in the 100yd butterfly and second place in the 50yd freestyle. On January 3, Xavier swam against St. Peter’s Boys in a meet rescheduled from 2014. The Knights defeated the Eagles handily, winning 97-72. The 200m relay of Mark Ward ’16, David Quesada ’16, Darrin Dang ’16, and Jack McNicholas ’15 took gold, as did Timothy McPartlin ’18 in the 200m IM. Connor Mullin won both the 100m butterfly and the 50m freestyle, and to top things off, Jake Guttenberg ‘15, Jonathan Wang ‘17, Mark Ward, and Robert Warner ’15 won the 200yd freestyle relay. On January 6, Xavier lost to a strong Chaminade team, though, according to head coach Dennis Murphy, “not without putting up a good fight.” Individual swimmers and relays have been improving from practice to practice and from meet to meet, so the team will be well-equipped in their last two meets of the regular season against St. Anthony’s and Xaverian.
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The track & field program competed in eight meets over the two-week break. There were so many fine performances that we couldn’t possibly fit them all within the constraints of this article. As such, we’ve tried our best to include a few momentous highlights. Raphael Oettl ’18 set the freshman 1000m record twice at two different meets. At the 61st annual Bishop Loughlin Games, which is one of the largest, most competitive meets in the country, the Xavier Knights took the team title. At the Games, Charlie Lambert ’15 set a school record in the 300m dash and John Rice ’15 set the school record in the one mile run. Not to be outdone, the 4x200m relay of Charlie Lambert, Oliver Moe ’15, Andrew Kiarie-Mumbi ’17, and Stephen Sgarlato ’15 and the 4x800m relay of Frank Clarke ’15, Dom Ronan ’16, Henry Camacho ’15, and John Rice also set school records. At the time, the time run by the 4x800 relay was the fastest in the country. At the Fordham Prep Jumpsfest and Throwdown, Charlie Lambert set a school record in the triple jump. Finally, at the CHSAA Novice and Weight Class Championships, Ted Colter ’16 took first place in the novice 600m, and the varsity 4x1600m and varsity 1600 SMR A-Team (with the B-Team taking second place) both won their races.
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Wrestling began the Christmas break with a quality performance at the New York City Mayor’s Cup. Dylan Ebanks ’17 took first place in his weight class, and especially considering the competition, each of the other six boys who qualified competed particularly well. By winning his weight class, Dylan Ebanks qualified to wrestle at Grapple at the Garden, a prestigious collegiate invitational at Madison Square Garden, where he defeated his opponent handily. The team’s next big competition will be held the weekend of January 17 -- 18 at the CHSAA Dual Championships. The team has been practicing dutifully in the Xavier Commons after school in preparation for this meet.
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Varsity Hockey began the Christmas holiday by avenging their loss to St. Francis Prep at the beginning of the season. This time around, they won 6-2. Brian Ostrander ’16 led the way with a hat trick, Tyler D’Agostino ’15 contributed with one goal and two assists, and Matt Erhard ’16 stopped 21 of 21 shots on goal to preserve the lead. Next, the team defeated St. Peter’s Boys 4-1. Matt Erhard continued his defensive stranglehold in this matchup by stopping 25 of 26 shots on goal. The Hockey Knights won their most recent game against Xaverian 8-2. Brian Ostrander ’15 scored another hat trick, and five other players scored.
J.V. hockey, meanwhile, split the two games they played over break. They first lost 4-1 to St. David’s, but they rebounded with 7-2 win over Bayonne HS. This win was spearheaded by the stellar goal play of Joey Pisano '18. Things are looking good for Xavier Hockey!
As always, visit Xavier Athletics for the most complete, up-to-date information, and stay tuned for the next edition of “This Week in Sports.”
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As always, visit Xavier Athletics for the most complete, up-to-date information, and stay tuned for the next edition of “This Week in Sports.”
Upcoming Schedule:
Friday, 1/9: Wrestling – Tri-Meet @ Tottenville H.S.
Var. Basketball v. Cardinal Spellman – 4:30pm @ Xavier
J.V. Basketball v. Cardinal Spellman – 6:00pm @ Xavier
Var. & Frosh Track & Field – Hayes Games, 6:00pm @ Fordham University
Soph. Track & Field – NYCHSAA Soph. Championships, 3:30pm @ Fordham University
Var. Hockey v. St. Edmund’s – Abe Stark Rink
Saturday, 1/10: Frosh Basketball v. Cardinal Spellman – 12:00pm @ Xavier
Swimming v. St. Anthony’s – 7:00pm @ St. Francis College
Var. & Frosh Track & Field – Hispanic Games, 8:00am @ Armory
J.V. Hockey v. Fieldston Prep – 10:00am @ Bayonne H.S.
Sunday, 1/11: Wrestling – J.V. Cities
Monday, 1/12: Var. Hockey v. Columbia Prep – 5:30pm @ Bayonne H.S.
J.V. Bowling – City Championships, 4:00pm @ Homefield Bowl
Tuesday, 1/13: Swimming v. Xaverian –7:30pm @ St. Francis College
Var. Basketball v. Nazareth – 4:30pm @ Xavier
J.V. Basketball v. Nazareth – 6:00pm @ Xavier
Frosh Basketball v. Nazareth – 4:30pm @ Nazareth
Wednesday, 1/14: Var. Hockey v. Birch Wathen Lenox – 5:30pm @ Bayonne H.S.
J.V. Hockey v. St. Francis Prep – 5:30pm @ World Ice Arena