All posts by Nick Crabbs

MSJ '17
Spring Sports

Spring Sports Preview: MSJ Golf

This season for the St. Joe Varsity Golf Team is almost a fresh start for the program.  With only three returning players, many slots were open for new and experienced people. Seven more players, three of whom are new to the program, and a new assistant coach (our own Mr. Schultheis), were added to the squad roster.

image4
Junior Pat Broussard leads the St. Joe Varsity Golf Team in the MIAA.
“The key returning players this year are junior Patrick Broussard, seniors Peter Schultz and Matt Hess. The newest member of the squad that has been consistently posting low scores is Senior Max Rogers,” says head coach, Mr. Mike Dooley.

Coach Dooley also says, “I am very happy to have Coach Ed Schultheis join the program this year. He has blended into all the coaching aspects and has been a real benefit to me.  We get along very well.  He has a great feel for interacting with our players and coaches.”

There is a definite buzz going around due to the fact that there is a freshman on varsity this year.  Since there are no sophomores on the varsity team, there is a big age gap between all the other players and him.  But, he has turned out to be a solid performer on the course so far for the team.  I also asked Coach Dooley about his thoughts with having a freshman on the varsity team.

“I am fine with a freshman, Ronak Patel, being on the varsity team.  I have had freshmen in other seasons.  He has earned his spot on the roster just like the other nine members of our team.”

image9
Freshmen Ronak Patel hopes to make a sizable contribution to the Varsity Golf squad for the 2016 season.
Now, what everyone wants to know is whether or not the team can make a title run.  In my own opinion, I think that the team can win a title in the window of the next three years. The reason I say this is because, the team has a solid set of juniors that have played competitively for the past 1 to 2 years on the JV level. Those players consist of Matt Lamm, Sam Robertson, Jay Davis, and Nick Crabbs.  The team also have two solid sophomores, Matt Cunningham and Ryan Hockstra, who hope to lead JV to a good season record. Finally, two freshmen, Ben Lindner, who will playing on the JV level this season, and Ronak Patel,  both of whom hope to win a title in their time here.  Coach Dooley also said that he is looking forward to having about seven incoming freshman who are committed to the program next year.

“It will be very challenging for us to make a run for the title. The ‘A’ Conference in the MIAA is the best golf conference in the state.  There are several teams returning many quality players,” Coach Dooley says. “I am confident that our team will try its best in each and every match.  We will have to play our absolute best to compete with the best teams in the conference.”

As we enter the new spring sports season at MSJ, the golf team is ready for the season and is hungry for a championship! The first match of the season is April 4, against McDonogh, at Rolling Road.

Follow the Golf Team all season on Twitter at @GaelsGolf.

Clubs & Activities, News

Week In Review: Spirit Week

Spirit Week 2015 at MSJ has come and gone. It was a time for fun and tradition. We kicked off the week with the Homecoming Dance on Saturday. On Monday through Friday, there was a specific theme for each day. Finally, MSJ teams closed out the week with a day of competition against Loyola.

Spirit Week 2015

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The theme for Monday was Beach Bum day. Students would dress up as if they were going to the beach. Everyone was walking around campus with bathing suits, socks with sandals, and hula skirts. It wasn’t the most popular day, but most students participated one way or another.

The theme for Tuesday was Preppy Tuesday. This day is the newest addition to MSJ Spirit Week and the most controversial day of the week. Students either loved it and went all out for the day, or students just didn’t participate at all. It seems likely that this new theme could be scratched from Spirit Week next year.

The theme for Wednesday was Way-Back Wednesday. Students could dress up as anyone from the 20th century. The greaser look was the most popular style of the day, with what seemed like half the school dressing in jeans, white t-shirt, and a leather jacket. This was easily a very close second to Thursday’s exciting theme.

The theme for Thursday was costume day. Everyone was able to wear a costume to school, and there was even a costume contest held in the Group Presentation Room during homeroom. Many people wore superhero costumes, but there were also monsters, killers, and even a Winnie the Pooh walking around campus. This was the most popular day of the week amongst the students.

The theme for Friday was MOJO day. Everyone was dressed up in purple, ready for the pep rally. When the pep rally started, it got really loud with every activity that took place. Activities included the grade vs. grade dodge ball tournament, the Rubik’s Cube competition, arm wrestling, and relay races.  It was an afternoon full of fun, tradition, and prayer.

The Rubik’s Cube Championship!

Faculty vs Students Dodge Ball Match

Finally, the week came to a close with MSJ Varsity Soccer and Varsity Football taking on Loyola’s Varsity Soccer and Football teams. Soccer unfortunately lost 2-1, after a Loyola player stepped up and knocked a penalty kick into the bottom left corner late in the game. However, Varsity Football was a different story. They dominated the Dons with a 28-7 win.  It was a great win for the new coaching staff.

Overall, the week was a total success. Everyone had fun, teachers and staff included, and everyone enjoyed a free week out of uniform for our annual Spirit Week.