JV Blue Lacrosse

The St Louis U. High JV Blue Lacrosse team wrapped up a successful 10-1 season on May 3, concluding a long year of statement wins. In the Fr. Marco Cup, the Jr. Bills put forth a commanding 9-1 win against rival De Smet, and later capped off the season with a powerful performance against MICDS.

Since the beginning of the season, the team had one goal—beat MICDS, something year after year that proved to be difficult. In a game characterized by both high intensity and the team “going to a reeeally dark place,” the Jr. Bills stunned the Rams 9-6. 

“As our team goal the entire year, walking out onto the field felt amazing,” explained freshman James Benson. “We practiced all year for this game and we did what we always do.” 

Led by a strong offensive performance by the SLUH attack and a sound defensive game, the Jr. Bills found themselves entering Saturday just one win away from a ten-win season. 

Riding a high from Thursday’s victory, JV Blue sent home Blue Valley in their final game of the season: 6-3.

 “Although I thought we could’ve gone undefeated, the win against MICDS really set this season apart,” said sophomore captain George Vacca.

At the culmination of the season, JV Blue Lacrosse ended with a record of 10-1. Sophomore Michael Clever led the team both in ground balls and goals, netting 20 across eleven games. Sophomore Colin Sedlack continued the dominance in the FOGO position, winning over 70 percent of faceoffs taken. Finally, sophomore goalie Brady Rogles and the Jr. Bills defense masterfully allowed a mere 42 goals over the course of the entire season. Overall, the team averaged 8.9 goals per game and conceded an average of 3.8 goals per game. Finally, the U-CHAIN award for the most ground balls in a game was awarded to the following players throughout the season: Jack Hughes, Flynn Stuckey, Brennan Burke, George Vacca, Tyler Kozminske, Colin Sedlak, James Mullins, and Michael Clever (4).

 

JV White Lacrosse

To begin the season, the JV White Lacrosse team started 0-3 with a devastating first game 14-0 loss against Chaminade. The boys had a lot of first year players that had never played before and were new to the game. With head coaches Luke, Walker, and Davis, things quickly started to change. They led the team and kept their heart, fight, and passion the whole season even when the Jr. Bills weren’t performing up to standard. 

With practice everyday, a GroupMe chat with the whole team, and many thought out speeches from the coaches, the team became more aware and started to understand the game very well. After their third loss against Parkway West, the boys had had enough. They would not lose their next game to Fort Zumwalt West. And they didn’t.

That win struck something in the Jr. Bills, as because going forward they maintained a 6-1 record with their only loss after Parkway West coming to Chaminade again. Showing how much they had grown and improved, later in the season the JV White team beat CBC 10-2, a team they had previously lost to 6-5 earlier in the season. 

The biggest win of the season came to De Smet in the Fr. Marco Cup. The Jr. Bills were rolling coming into this game, hungry to crush their rivals. The game was delayed due to the thunder, but once it was clear to play, the Jr. Bills got their gear on and started warming up. Within 10 minutes, the game was underway. It was a shorter game because the SLUH JV Blue and varsity teams also had to play, but the boys got the job done. Freshman attackman Will Hulsen got the game started with the first goal of the night. The Spartans could not handle the speed and skill of the SLUH freshman, and the game ended in a 5-3 win for the hyped St. Louis U. High team.

“JV White taught us it’s not just a season,” said Nate Burns, the team’s starting midfielder and one of the most talented players among the boys. “It’s a way of life built on brotherhood and pure heart.” 

This ideal shared by many on the team shows just what it took to build the team and have the season they had. Hard work, dedication, and team work are key to a winning team. And this year’s JV White Lacrosse team had just that.

 

Freshman Volleyball

The young and the restless. This year’s freshman volleyball team has soared to bountiful heights through the help of some impeccable passing and even better team chemistry. 

The season started out with an absolute bang as they cruised to a 4-0 start against Marquette, Lutheran St. Charles, Mehlville and Vianney. 

One of the biggest turning points of the year actually came in a loss against O’Fallon, a game which they certainly could’ve won. After that, the Jr. Bills went on an absolute hot streak, winning six games in a row.

Despite a loss to end the season against De Smet in two sets to one, the Jr. Bills swept the rest of their MCC competition, essentially earning themselves the freshman MCC crown. Except for a back-and-forth 2-1 win against Vianney on April 7, the Jr. Bills won each of their MCC games in two sets to none.

The Jr. Bills had three out of eighteen of their games canceled, so the fact that they were able to cruise to such an incredible record is a testament to their prowess as 14 and 15 year olds. 

“The season was awesome and it made it so much better that we were really dominant,” said freshman Drew Robert. “I also made a lot of new friends.”

 

JV Volleyball

The JV volleyball team came out hot this season, starting out with four straight wins and going 8-1 in sets. They then fell to conference rival Vianney at home, which was their first loss in the season, and started off a downhill slope, going 1-3 in two weeks, only beating CBC. 

“We were tested by adversity from those three losses, but we grew from it and became a better team because of it, so while I'm not happy they happened, it was good for the team,” said sophomore Henry Eddy.

After these rough three losses they focused back in after this and won out the rest of the season, winning 16 of 16 sets in the regular season. In the middle of the season they entered the annual Marquette tournament. They won their side of the bracket in perfect fashion, and got sent to the championship, once again playing the rival Vianney Griffins who they had split wins with in the regular season.  

“The Vianney game was an intense game, we battled hard and that’s a good team, but in the end we lost,” said freshman Andrew Beville. 

They fell 2-1 in sets, in a hard fought back and forth game full of emotion. Despite this devastating loss they went on to win out the rest of the season. 

“The year started off slow, with quiet games and little chemistry shown, but I feel that in the end we found our rhythm, had fun, and exemplified what the SLUH volleyball program is all about,” said captain AJ Rose. “My favorite part of the season was seeing the newcoming freshman come out of their shells and grow confident in themselves and truly become a part of the team.” 

 

Freshman Baseball

“The energy was there. Even when we lost, it was there,” said freshman Miles Kujawa. 

Those words defined the freshman baseball team and the SLUH spirit they brought to every game. No matter what situation the team was in, there were always cheers from the dugout.

In their first year as SLUH athletes, the freshman baseball team had plenty of ups and downs. After dropping their first game of the season, the team saw an opportunity for growth. 

“Even though we lost, I liked seeing what was wrong, and it was a big growing experience,” said freshman Isaac Thieret. 

And the team got better. They went on to win nine of their next 11 including huge wins against MCC rivals Chaminade and CBC. Even after a tough loss, they bounced right back and never let it define them.

A high point of the season came after beating Webster Groves 19-2. That game against Webster Grooves was part of a four game winning streak that the team put on in the middle of the season.

The team had their struggles, especially after losing three in a row late in the season. They lost back-to-back games to Vianney and a tough loss to De Smet, but never quit on each other.

“We had a lot of team spirit. We were always up; everyone was cheering,” said Thieret. 

No matter who was up to bat, the dugout was rowdy and cheering them on. No one else cheered for their teammates the way SLUH did, and it helped them carry a positive attitude throughout the entire season.

The boys look forward to next season hoping to carry that same attitude with them.

 

JV Baseball

The JV baseball team is riding high, winning 4 of their last 6, and is currently playing the best baseball they have played all season. 

“We have fit better into the roles we need to fill on the team,” said sophomore John Angelides. 

The team has shown a lot of growth from where they were at the start of the season to where they are now. Despite a rough start to the season, the JV baseball team has made a lot of improvements. 

“Earlier in the season we had trouble pulling the trigger on first pitch strikes. We’re doing a better job of seeing the ball and putting the ball in play,” said Angelides.

And that is showing. In their first four games of the season, the team averaged just 3.5 runs per game. In their last six games, they have been averaging 7.6 runs per game. That is a huge improvement and it testifies to the hard work the team has put in all season. 

A highlight of the season was sweeping De Smet.

“I think the main reason why we beat them was because our energy was so high. And looking back their bench was silent pretty much the whole game,” said Angelides.

Keeping a positive attitude, whether winning or losing, was a consistent factor in how well the team performed. 

“[The team] was going crazy all the time. It's great having a team of guys behind you to push you forward,” said Angelides.

Another great moment was beating Chaminade twice, including a 12-0 shutout. 

“That was an awesome game. It was a good moment as a team to really end the season and try to finish above .500,” said Angelides.

The team is currently playing in a tournament and is hoping for good results from that. They are excited to get a shot at varsity next year and to show what they can do.