Spartan Country

Spartan Strong

WINTER AND SPRING TEAMS GIVE FANS THRILLING VICTORIES

WINTER

Basketball

Head Coach: Kent Williams, @DeSmetBBall The 19-9 Spartans were a mainstay in STLToday’s Top 10 large schools ranking, earning as high as #2 in the state. With one of the toughest schedules in the state, they outscored opponents by 14 points, averaged 67 points per game, and gave up an average 53 points per game. Season highlights included winning the Circle 7 Showdown for the fourth straight year, defeating defending state champion Cardinal Ritter in the home opener, and being the only team to beat Westminster in the regular season. Brian Taylor ’22 (below) became the 16th Spartan to join the 1,000-point club. He was named to the All-State Team for the second straight year and 1st Team All-MCC for the third time. Justin Duff ’23 set a school record with eight three-pointers in one game and earned 2nd Team All-MCC. Jemeal Goines ’22 earned Honorable Mention All-MCC and led the league in rebounding and double-doubles. Brennan Lovette ’22 made the MCC All-Academic Team.

WILL ORTBALS ’25

Bowling

Head Coaches: Brian Fenelli and Melvin Kennedy, @DeSmet_Bowling In 2021–2022, the De Smet bowling team welcomed five new members and finished sixth in the Central Division. Leading the way for the Spartans were Ben Kinealy ’23 (below), with a Mid-America League-high average of 209, and Jayden Roach ’24, with a league second-best average of 203. League honors went to Ben for his league-best average and Jayden for his league-best series of 721. Also contributing to the team effort this season were Kalle Evjen ’23, Evan McEvoy ’23, Jay Sorrell ’23, Clark Chamberlin ’24, Andrew Davis ’24, and Kevin Pina ’24.

KALLE EVJEN ’23

Hockey

Head Coach: Chris Durso, @desmethockeystl As a fourth seed heading into the Mid States Hockey Playoffs, the Spartans advanced to the finals with a thrilling shootout victory over CBC. Though they fell short to SLUH in the finals, the Spartans’ seniors wrapped up their careers with two consecutive championship game appearances. Brady Govero ’23 and Vito Biondo ’22 earned 1st Team All-Metro, and Tyler Loughman ’22 earned 3rd Team All-Metro.

CARRIE BECHER

Wrestling

Head Coach: Drae Cox, @DeSmetWrestling Spartan wrestlers did well as a young team this season. They competed in five individual tournaments and 18 dual competitions, compiling a 7-11 record in duals this season. The team did an excellent job progressing over the course of the year, which led to a top five team finish at the MSHSAA District Wrestling tournament, and three individual state qualifiers. Evan Rolwes ’24 joined state placers Rickson Taylor ’23, who finished sixth, and Jesse Hahs ’22 (all pictured above), who completed his school career as a three-time state placer and a state runner-up.

JOHN HAWKEY

COLLEGE COMMITS

17 Spartans Sign Letters of Intent

Congratulations to these student athletes from the Class of 2022 who are continuing their academic and athletic careers at the next level.

Chris Anderson – Lacrosse Cleveland State University Gavin Bomstad – Lacrosse Tampa University Jordan Coleman – Football Ball State University Darian Crisp – Baseball Heartland Community College Caleb Dunbar – Water Polo McKendree University Kyle Granquist – Lacrosse Centre College Cooper Howell – Baseball Lindenwood University Jermaine Jackson – Football Illinois College Ty Monschein – Soccer Westminster College Kyler Paddock – Lacrosse Rockhurst University Nick Panagos – Baseball Drury University Kaleb Purdy – Football University of Kansas Chris Skiljan – Football University of Central Missouri Blake Skornia – Golf Southern Illinois University- Carbondale Khalid Stewart – Football Lindenwood University Brian Taylor – Basketball University of WisconsinMilwaukee Alex Tomasella – Soccer William Jewell College (Sitting, from left) Kyle Granquist, Gavin Bomstad, Kyler Paddock, Brian Taylor, Jordan Coleman, Kaleb Purdy, and Khalid Stewart: (standing, from left) Caleb Dunbar, Cooper Howell, Nick Panagos, Alex Tomasella, Darian Crisp, Ty Monschein, Blake Skornia, Chris Anderson, Chris Skiljan, and Jermaine Jackson

DEBBIE HIGGINS

Racquetball

Head Coach: Brendan Giljum, @DeSmetRball The Spartan racquetball players had a strong year, with their top team placing fourth in state and finishing in ninth place at Nationals. Seniors Christopher Beason, Josh Williams, Matthew Schulze, and Raymond Knapp were big contributors to the team’s success and fun but hard-working team environment. The team looks forward to improving on results next year and hopes to welcome more new players!

SPRING

Baseball

Head Coach: Tim Canavan, @DeSmet_Baseball The Spartans came into the 2022 season with a new coaching staff, a new culture, and high expectations, despite a very young varsity roster that featured eight first-year starters. Notwithstanding their youth, the Spartans finished tied for second in the Metro Catholic Conference and improved in virtually all statistical categories from the previous year. Leading the way offensively were seniors Liam Risley, Darian Crisp, and Cooper Howell, and junior Luke Burns. On the mound, juniors Josh Cunningham (below), Sam Cardwell, and Jason Smith led a deep and talented pitching staff.

JACOB LORIMIER ’22 KATHY LORIMIER

Golf

Head Coach: Dan Likos ’94, @DeSmetGolf The defending state champions moved up to Class 5 for the 2022 season and finished ninth as a team at state. Colby Sauer ’23 won fourth place in the individual round of state competition. The Spartans also earned second place finishes in the Columbia Classic and the Webster Cup. Blake Skornia ’22 (above) won first place in the Webster Cup’s individual competition.

DIRT AND TURF PHOTOGRAPHY

Lacrosse

Head Coach: Joe Douglas, @DeSmetLacrosse Spartan Lacrosse finished as runner-up in the state championship for the third consecutive year and qualified for the semifinals for the seventh straight time. Chris Anderson ’22 became the seventh Spartan in seven years to earn All-American honors. Gavin Bomstad ’22 (above) and Kyle Granquist ’22 were named Academic All-Americans, becoming the fourth and fifth Spartans to earn the honor in the last seven years.

Inline Hockey

Head Coach: Dan Watkins, @DeSmetInline The in-line hockey teams had a solid year for growth with 35 boys, including three freshmen. The varsity team finished 8-6, earning fifth place. The JV squad finished in third place with an 11-3 record. The C team had a lot of close games but finished in sixth place with a 3-11 record. Seniors Vito Biondo and Jonah Watkins represented De Smet in the MOIHA varsity All-Star game at the end of the season.

Tennis

Head Coach: Mike O’Brien, @DeSmetTennis The tennis team brought a good mix of experienced and new players to the court this spring. Led by senior co-captains Bryce Pattison (below) and Ethan Selkirk, the Spartans compiled a 4-6 record with three rainouts and competed against some of the top players in the state from Class 1, 2, and 3. The Spartans earned third place at the MCC tournament, and all MCC tournament players medaled for the second consecutive year.

SENAID FERHATBEGOVIC ’22 KATHY LORIMIER

Track and Field

Head Coaches: Michael Russo and Bryan Traughber ’97, @DeSmetTrackXC The track and field team completed one of its most successful seasons in recent memory, placing second in districts for the first time in more than a decade, sending six events to state. Senior Brian Taylor shattered a 20-year-old school record in the long jump (23’ 9.5”), and sophomore Mike Phillips broke a 50-year-old school record in the shot put (52’ 11.5”), earning All-State honors for the second consecutive year. Freshman Justin Thurman led the sprint team, turning heads with a PR of 10.87 in the 100m dash, while juniors Christian Gray and Sherodd Tate (above), and seniors Curtis Mayes and Khalid Stewart also qualified for the state championship meet.

Track & Field completed one of its most successful seasons in recent memory. ”

Ultimate Frisbee

Head Coach: Peter Lenzini, @ DeSmetUltimate The Spartans compiled a 6-2 record in league play and finished second in the state tournament. Season highlights included a thrilling state semifinal victory over Edwardsville — a great comeback following a regular-season loss — and the team’s first opportunity to travel (to Indianapolis) in more than two years. Senior leaders Jack Bednarek, Colin Brunts, Shane Concannon, Jackson Hogan, Ethan Milnes (above), August Waller, and Logan Wen set the tone all season, with Brunts and Milnes earning recognition as League All-Stars. The Spartans are well-positioned for future success, with a strong rising junior class and talented upperclassmen coming up the ranks.

Water Polo

Head Coach: Taylor Swyers, @PoloDeSmet Led by senior captains Harry King and Gabe Lasek, the varsity squad advanced to the state quarterfinals and finished with an 18-6 record. Ranked third in the Missouri Water Polo Coaches’ Poll, the Spartans had four All-Conference honorees: Caleb Dunbar ’22 and Gabe Lasek ’22 (1st Team); Thomas Dolan ’23 and Carson Golomski ’23 (2nd Team) (at right). All-District and All-State honorees were Caleb Dunbar (1st Team); Gabe Lasek and Carson Golomski (3rd Team); and Thomas Dolan (Honorable Mention). Oliver Nichols ’24 broke the school record, and led the state, with 94 assists in a single season. Caleb Dunbar set a school record with 12 goals in a single game. Caleb was also second in the state with 123 goals scored in the season.

WILL ORTBALS ’25 JACOB LORIMIER ’22

Volleyball

Head Coach: Timothy Haffner, @DeSmetJesuitVB The Spartans advanced to the state semifinal to culminate a thrilling 28-7-1 season. Highlights included winning the Francis Howell Central Tournament to begin the season, a second place Metro Catholic Conference finish, and the Class 3, District 1 Championship. The roster of 13 featured two freshmen, three sophomores, five juniors, and three seniors — and included three pairs of brothers.

DEBBIE HIGGINS