At a Glance SLUH energy shines during annual StuCo Spirit Week
BY Logan LaVear and Finn Rose Staff
StuCo celebrated Spirit Week this week, filled with creative and engaging activities including themed dress downs, teachers vs. students volleyball, Billy Bash with food trucks and outdoor games, an appearance from reptile master Serengeti Steve, a Switch Bar selling root beer floats, and a pep rally to end the week.
bull. Students also enjoyed games like spikeball, four square volleyball, and BYOP (bring your own paddle) pickleball tournaments at the top of the circle drive.
In addition to the athletics, this year’s Billy Bash also saw more games like Jenga, Connect Four, and yard chess.
“It’s a lot of fun, and great to see the various activities,” said sophomore Owen Yu.
and 45 minutes to enjoy the festivi ties and eat some great food. The food truck scene this year featured four trucks, as well as lines stretch ing across circle drive at their peak. Students could be seen en joying cajun and creole food from Cajun Seduction and The Crooked Boot, eating a smash burger from Roxy’s Hot Grill, and finishing it all off with a cone from Scoops of Joy.
Former EVS Director Jeff Fields passes away, leaving behind many friends among the SLUH faculty and staff.
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A Jr. Billiken vs. a Couger in a cage? The Billiken wins. 49 times in a row.
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What made these fantasy players valiantly conquer the mountain? What made others stumble down into the valley of lost points and despair?
Page 6 sports
Between a rock and a hard place, the Swimbills choose the rock at the annual Cape Rock meet.
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To start off the week the school was filled with students matching with their best friends for the first dress down theme of twins. These outfits ranged from jerseys, Hawaiian shirts, and even Buck-ees’ onesies.
On top of that, during Activity Period StuCo hosted a volleyball game in the field house where both faculty and students faced each other. This entertaining and competitive game ended in the teacher’s glory as they defeated the students.
On Tuesday, Billy Bash, one of the biggest events of the week, was full of exciting games and delicious food trucks. Though the weather was barely cooperating, the event still took place outdoors. Billy Bash was packed with attractions for students, including rock climbing, bungee jumping, bubble soccer, and a mechanical
Bubble soccer, a student favorite, also made a return.
“It was chaotic, though it was really fun,” freshman Eli Adams said after playing a game inside an inflated ball.
The mechanical bull, not seen last year, was brought back from several years prior to bring some new life for this year’s Billy Bash.
“It was fun, but it was a little difficult because I could only use one hand,” said senior Matthias Lawrence.
Each year, StuCo attempts to bring back the crowd favorites while adding something new to the lineup.
“It’s this dance between keeping the things that are great and injecting some new energy,” said StuCo moderator Frank Corley.
Billy Bash took up the middle of the school day, with an adjusted schedule giving students one hour
BY Grant Skornia and Kellen McLain Core Staff, Reporter
Over 300 students and their mothers flocked to Saint Louis U. High this past Sunday to attend SLUH’s annual Mother/Son Mass and Brunch. The event consisted of a Sunday service in the Danis Field House, followed by a brunch in the Si Commons.
The event kicked off in the Field House, requiring mothers and sons to make the trek up the hill to the turnaround—one that SLUH students make twice each day. Many mothers didn’t have it as easy, however, with their high heels and elegant dresses, leading to some winning the Mother/Son Mass and Brunch lottery: a jostled ride up the hill in a golf cart.
Due to the large number of at-
tendees at the Mass, the Field House was set up with the ambo on the east side, in front of the visitor bleachers, and the altar on the west side, in front of the home bleachers. This setup was accompanied by rows of chairs facing each other on the north and south sides, creating a large open space in the center, fostering a sense of togetherness.
This large open space is where Fr. Eric Ramirez, SJ gave his homily about his relationship with his own mother. In this homily, he shared a personal story of a Big Bird costume his mother handcrafted for him as a child, helping to put the mass-goers in a reflective mood about their memories.
Ramirez also recalled a story from his time in Rome, in which he stood by his mother on a crowded
Following Billy Bash, stu dents came to school with their bones aching and a hot coffee, as the theme Wednes day was dress like your dad. Outfits like nurse scrubs, firefighter hats, and the casual Adam Sandler look made many ap pearances. During free time Wednes day, many people flocked to the Si Commons to see the famous Serengeti Steve, who brought reptiles like snakes, scorpi ons, tarantulas, and crocodiles. He brought the creatures around for different students
Teacher Talk
on gangs of St. Louis
BY Leo Hahn Editor in Chief
Inthis week’s Teacher Talk, Editor in Chief Leo Hahn discusses the topic of gangs in St. Louis after last week’s visit by Fr. Greg Boyle, SJ. Director of Security Dan Schulte served in the St. Louis Metropolitan Police department starting in 1997, and has worked at St. Louis U. High for seven years.
Leo Hahn: Thank you for meeting with me, Mr. Schulte. To start, can you outline the context of gang activity and gang violence in St. Louis?
Dan Schulte: Well if you look at gangs in LA and Chicago—most major cities—there’s a loose hierarchy and structure, and to a point there’s loosely affiliated structures and hierarchies in St. Louis as well, but not like in LA or New York. Crips and Bloods are here: the six deuces, the rolling 60s, the Gangster Disciples. Those are all active gangs in St Louis, but they just fight with each other. So it’s not like Crips fight Bloods. You’re gonna have some Crips fight other Crips and some Bloods. It’s neighborhood by neighborhood, there’s no official training. They call themselves Bloods and they’re Bloods. Some people would call them “wannabe gangsters,” but if you act like a gang-
ster you are one. Where I used to be a cop in a neighborhood called the Jeff-VanderLou neighborhood there were the JBL Bloods, and one of their major wars was with the 26 Mad which was a Crip affiliation three blocks away. And then you have the O’Fallon associated Crips, which is downtown, and the Alpha Garden Bloods. You had one gang that was the Trey Trey Dells, a horrible name, on the 3100 block of Delmar. And when they changed Delmar’s street name to Barack Obama Way when he became president, they changed their name to the “Obama Boys.” I’m not sure what the President thought about a gang named after himself.
LH: And what would these gangs be involved in?
DS: Their main sources of revenue were drug dealing and stealing cars. They didn’t chop the stolen cars up and sell the parts; the stolen cars were used for either shootings, joyriding, or selling their drugs. Cocaine and heroin were the two main things. Marijuana was never a money-making venture for a lot of these guys. You need to move marijuana in mass quantities to make money.
“I’m terrified of reptiles,” said
Volume XC, Issue VI
St. Louis University High School | Friday, September 26, 2025
Senior Liam Fitzgerald rides the mechanical bull. photo | Jack Auer
Senior Andrew Vehige with his mom, Nicole. photo | Julie Lewis
Students travel to Poland during Globals Ed’s annual cultural immersion trip
BY Xavier Heithaus and Henry Hassenstab Core Staff, Staff
After hosting students from Krakow and Gdynia at SLUH last fall, four Jr. Bills, juniors Jackson Moeser and Scott Wikiera and sophomores Charlie Moeser and Michael Ewersmann, alongside faculty chaperones Assistant Principal for Activities and Formation Megan Menne and Director of Global Education Robert Chura set out last July on an immersion trip to experience the culture and visit the many historical sites across Poland.
SLUH is partnered with two high schools in Poland and is part of an exchange program that started after the conflict that erupted in
Ukraine. Previously the exchange trip was in Russia, but due to safety SLUH opted to travel to Poland instead.
“My Russian students were in Poland and they interacted with many Ukrainian refugees, especially the ones that were most affected by the war,” said Chura. “The refugees speak Russian just as well as your native Ukrainian so it was a good opportunity for the SLUH guys to use their Russian skills to be able to interact with the Ukrainian students better.”
It was a great opportunity to hear personal stories from many Ukrainian refugees while in Krakow. SLUH hosts these exchanges so that students can have the opportunity to learn more about
other cultures, and to use their language skills.
The exchange program is part of a collaboration between SLUH, St. Stanislaus Jesuit High School in Gdynia, and Kostka High School in Krakow. These schools aim to facilitate both linguistic and cultural immersion for students of both high schools.
On a more somber note, the boys visited Auschwitz concentration camp in Austria, a place where countless Jews, Poles, and even Catholic priests lost their lives during the tragedies of World War II.
“Whenever we take groups to Auschwitz we have to make sure that we prepare them for the fact that it is not a tourist site but more of a holy place, where respectful
behavior is required,” said Chura.
“You’re not taking selfies, you’re not videoing, you’re there in reverence to learn world history and how it affected so many cultures and peoples.”
Among the many historical sites the group visited were the tri-cities of Gdynia, Gdansk, and Sopat, notable for their eye-catching infrastructure and architecture.
“The old buildings with really intricate designs were really cool,” said Ewersmann. “It wasn’t like the things you see here.”
St. Stanislaus, which is co-ed, allowed SLUH as well as some girls from Nerinx and St. Joe to come and stay with host students in Gdynia, a city on the Baltic coast of Poland, as part of the exchange
program. While in Gdynia, the SLUH students went on excursions to places like the salt mines of Gdynia, which have elegantly carved rooms from rock deep in the Earth.
“The salt mines were definitely my favorite part,” said Wikiera. “There were statues made out of salt and the mines really added to the scenery.”
After spending two weeks in Poland they were able to come home with new insight on another culture.
“I learned a lot more about Poland and its history,” said Ewersmann. “I knew about the Nazi invasion in World War II, but it’s a lot different being there and hearing about it and experiencing it.”
SLUH students embark to Colombia on three-week exchange program
BY Owen Williams and Luke Nolan Staff, reporter
This past summer, two students from St. Louis U. High and three students from Nerinx Hall flew out to South America for an exchange program with Colegio San Pedro Claver in Colombia. The students stayed for a total of three weeks, attending school during the week and sightseeing on weekends with their host families. Not only did the students enrich their Spanish speaking skills, but they also deepened their understanding of Colombian culture.
The students left SLUH in early July. The trip was open to any freshman who had taken a SLUH Spanish course; two SLUH students, William Cooper and Quinn Tenny, and three students from Nerinx ended up embarking on the overseas journey. They were joined by faculty member and Colombian native Javier Moreno to lead the group to Bucaramanga, Colombia. The group was later joined by counselor Mary Michalski to lead them back to St. Louis.
Once the students arrived in Colombia, they were taken to their host families’ homes. Each student had his own host family that he would live with for the next three weeks while attending Colegio San Pedro Claver, a Jesuit school that has been partnering with SLUH for upwards of 20 years. The school is bilingual, meaning that they teach classes in both English and Span -
ish.
“That’s [the] reason why we have the freshmen go,” said Director of Global Education Rob Chura. “They can still survive in that environment because the school is focused on developing their students’ English skills.”
The primary focus of the trip was centered around learning as well as immersing the students into Colombian culture. SLUH students were able to help the friends they made at San Pedro Claver with their English skills, and vice versa. Not only did this help both students to better speak the language, but it also helped them pick up on unique cultural aspects, such as Spanish slang words.
“I learned a lot of their Spanish slang,” said Tenny. “I definitely wouldn’t have learned that just in class.”
Many of the students became understandably close with their host students, who are now at SLUH and Nerinx. These host students provided a backbone for their trip, giving them a strong group of friends as well as someone to hang out with on weekends. Some of the weekend excursions included visiting small towns nearby, going caving, and visiting local parks and museums. They would also bond with their host students after school.
“After school, we’d usually go to the gym and work out there for about an hour, hour and a half, and we’d go home and we’d play video games or watch a movie,”
said Tenny.
SLUH students took many courses at San Pedro Claver, ranging from calculus to philosophy. The students were not merely along for the ride, but instead actively participated in classes, giving presentations, participating in class discussions, as well as doing the homework.
“The first week, even after I studied my Spanish, I could barely understand 20 percent of what the teachers were saying in class,” said Tenny. “But just by learning and using context clues, I helped myself learn more of the words in between where they were teaching, and I got a lot better at understanding their Spanish.”
To break up the school day, students at San Pedro Claver have breaks spread throughout the day. These gave the SLUH students time to hang out with the friends they had made and play Clash Royale, which is popular in Colombia like it is here in the U.S.
All the students who went on the trip came home with a better understanding of Spanish and Colombian culture.
“I always thought of Spanish as just a class, but then seeing people speak Spanish for the whole day allowed me to connect more to Spanish culture,” said Tenny. “The trip also made me more grateful about what we have here in St. Louis. We visited an orphanage, and that’s not as common in America, and I figured we should give more effort into helping other countries.”
Polish woman speaks to students at Melbork Castle.
photos | Courtesy of Rob Chura
SLUH and Nerinx students pose infront of Malbork Castle in Poland.
Students pose in preparation for their flight.
Charlie (left) and Jackson (right) Moeser with Polish student.
Students explore Malbork Castle interior.
Students pose infront of Iglesia San Laureano. Estatua al Libertador in Colombia. photos | Courtesy of Quinn Tenny
Letter to the Editors
Now is the time to develop your foundation; AI can wait
To the Editors:
I have been reading with great interest the recent series of Opinion pieces about SLUH’s approach to AI, and I’d like to offer another perspective. While I am a SLUH parent, I’m writing today from my perspective as an executive in the world of corporate healthcare for the last ten years.
With the explosion of easily accessible generative AI software in the last two years, especially ChatGPT, we have many associates in our organization using AI, and we’ve begun to see both advantages and disadvantages. Yes, there can be greater efficiency, new insights, and quicker communication, but there are also associates sending very polished emails who can’t handle a complex or challenging question when asked something during a meeting because they do not actually understand the situation— or their own AI-generated email.
Mr. Neuner ended his column last week with a question: “SLUH can only have one priority. Is it career preparation or a more general formation of critical minds?” In my experience, this is a false dichotomy or false dilemma: limiting the conversation to an either/or choice when the two are actually intertwined.
First, learning to use AI, even at a very high level, is getting easier and easier by the week. ChatGPT is, in fact, standing ready to teach anyone how to use any of the available AI models and programs, tailored to their specific need and starting point. What is getting harder and harder to learn—and harder to find—is the ability to think for oneself, to pivot on the fly when things don’t go the way you expected, or to keep your cool in a difficult and challenging conversation.
In short, it’s getting harder to find people whose foundation within is unshakeable, as opposed to people grasping at a foundation built on the constantly shifting technology of the
day. In teenage years, when the mind and spirit are developing so deeply and so rapidly, I would encourage young men like yourselves to take advantage of becoming the whole person that will stand out among your peers when you are trying to get hired.
Second, to the SLUH students whose aspirations reach beyond entrylevel professional jobs, you will need to show up ready for more than that. As a leader in the professional world, you will need to know how to foster the sense of real connection with other people that is necessary to lead: Do they respect you? Do they listen to you? Do you know how to give them difficult feedback without losing their loyalty? And can you inspire them and give them a sense of purpose in the midst of their work so they don’t drift away? These are things that come with being a man for and with others, with being able to see something deeper and bigger leading you even at work, and with approaching the people around you with the same cura personalis that you find at SLUH. Learning these things now is not at the expense of your future professional success—it is the very foundation of that success.
Finally, Mr. Neuner pointed to other schools who seem to be going in a different direction than SLUH on AI: that SLUH is choosing its own path. In response, I would simply offer that if any of you want the life that everyone else has, then do what everyone else is doing. If you want to live your own life, a life in which you are led forward by the voice within you, by the voice that speaks with the spirit of God moving in your life, then take all the time you can to nurture that voice now, planting it deeply, so that it cannot be easily replaced by the path that AI might generate for you.
AMDG, Dave Ebenhoh
St. Louis gangs: Schulte explains what to know about violent crime
(continued from page 1)
LH: How did gang activity begin in St. Louis?
DS: Well you had the gangs of the 1920s and the romanticized gangs of Al Capone, but St. Louis had its fair share of some really crazy gang culture back in the late 1800s and early 1900s. We had a gang that were the Egan Rats, and the Egans were named after Tom Egan. One of the guys there was Fred “Killer” Burke. Killer was not his real middle name, but that’s what he was known as. He was one of the guys that was suspected of being Al Capone’s hitman for the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.
LH: How does the media romanticize gang activity?
DS : Mafia movies were always a popular thing, so it’s always been romanticized. There’s a movie back in my generation called “Colors” with Sean Penn and Robert Duvall, where there were gang cops in LA and they fought the Crips and the Bloods. I loved the movie. Ice T had a song about it, and I probably watched the movie 10 times growing up. It was one of the reasons I wanted to be a cop, because of how much they romanticize the cops and the robbers—the bad guys and good guys.
LH: Are there any differences between how gangs were run historically and how they’re run now?
DS: I wasn’t there with a historical gang trade, so I can just speak to what I’ve read about. There’s always been gangs. It’s neighborhood groups of people who “gang” together, who get together, and they call themselves by some moniker, and that becomes a gang. There’s a gang that’s called the Cuckoos, and there’s a gang called the Pillow Gang because the leader got shot in the butt, and they needed to bring
Richard Keefe
After being hired in 1967, Keefe took roles as French teacher, soccer coach, Dauphin yearbook moderator, Senior Project advisor, and Asst. Principal for Academics. Though he retired in 2010, Keefe’s 43-year legacy lives on as students and former coworkers remember his embodyment of Ignatian principals. Those who remember Keefe as a teacher, mentor, colleague, or administrator are sharing their favorite memories at sluh.org/keefe.
a pillow everywhere he went so he could sit down. It’s really a nickname for a neighborhood, and what you’re associated with, and that’s how the gangs become established. So you have the evolution of the gangs from the Irish and the Italians and the Jewish, and then it was Vietnamese gangs that used to terrorize South Grand back in the 80s and 90s, the Black String Gang. They’d only terrorize other Vietnamese-owned places, because they wouldn’t call the cops. You have black gangs and Mexican gangs, and you have white gangs down south. There’s a gang called IROC back in the day, and it stands for I Run Over Cops. They’re a bunch of white kids from South City that would just terrorize neighborhoods, and they’d run over cops. St. Louis was known for a lot of car bombs back in the day, and that’s what the Hills, the Leisures, and the Michaels did. It was all subsets of other gangs that they were part of back in the day, and then they founded their own gangs.
LH: How do you think people, particularly young people, end up in gangs today?
DS: St. Louis is a violent city, like most major cities, and when you have high crime based on low economics you’re going to have a gang subset that forms. You’re going to have that form because there’s no fathers in the homes, and mothers are either working or they’re not involved, and the kids find freedom in the streets. They’ve got to find love somewhere, so they find love in the streets. They find love with other people in the neighborhood that take them in, and they’re using them, and if someone gives them respect and power they think it’s cool, and they don’t know better.
LH: You have a very unique perspective having worked in law enforcement and education. When you made that switch, did any of your feelings about gang activity in young people change?
DS: Yes and no. I mean, I went to SLUH, so I’m from this community. I was raised at SLUH—my dad taught here forever, so I was raised in the halls. Being a cop back in 1997, it was an eye-opening experience to
watch how these kids that were my age, and younger than me, were in these gangs. How did they get there? In hearing people like Greg Boyle and Jeffrey and Erin, when they’re talking about why they had hard lives, and how most of them joined gangs because of some kind of trauma in their life, something happened that isn’t positive. I’m sure if their mothers and fathers were there loving them, and keeping the right path, they probably wouldn’t have joined a gang.
The best thing that we have at SLUH is that most of the students here have parents, guardians, aunts or uncles—people who love them— and that keeps them on the straight and narrow path because they have that love in the home. They have that structure when it comes to school, and going to church, and neighbors, and going to see relatives. If you have that love and that structure, you probably aren’t going to fall into that trap.
LH: Can you tell me a little bit more about how Fr. Boyle’s talk affected you?
DS: It was talking with him before and after his speech about the things that I did when I was a cop that affected me more than the talk itself. Talking to Jeffrey and Erin, Jeffrey said something really cool. He said ‘I had a cop that, when I got out of the penitentiary, I went and met, because he gave me some really good advice before I went in, and it helped.’ That brought me back to a time when I had a guy that I locked up that came back to me four years later when he got out of the pen, and said, ‘man, you helped, because I know that putting me in a penitentiary was hard. I didn’t like it, but I became another man because of what you stopped me from being.’ When you hear that, it brings you back to that memory, and the work that he does.
Even as a cop, I didn’t think I was helping them, I was helping the neighborhood. I wasn’t helping those people, I was helping the people that were victimized. Greg Boyle never stopped loving anyone, he sees value in all human life. There are times that it’s hard to see the same value in the homeless guy on the street as much as the guy in a three piece suit.
Schulte on patrol with the SLMPD. photo | Courtesy of Dan Schulte
Spirit Week brings students together with dress downs and all-school events
(continued from page 4)
stepped out of my comfort zone and had fun.”
Behind this reptilian commotion was the sweet smell of the Switch Bar. This concession area hosted a long line of students hoping to buy root beer floats and cookies.
Just after hump day, SLUH was painted like an American flag, with a dress down theme of U.S.A. to symbolize unity. Due to Thursday’s late start, StuCo sold Chris’ Cakes in the morning so every student could get a jump on the day ahead. The Ignatian Conference Room was filled with the sweet aroma of freshly brewed coffee after school. The Coffee House held many events such as an open mic, poetry, and music, along with snacks and food like cookies and, of course, coffee.
Today SLUH’s school colors line the halls, with the dress down theme being blue and white. The
Spirit Week wraps up with a pep rally where spirit will rise to its peak, enthusiastically presented by StuCo. After school, the Fall Fest starts in the turnaround, featuring snow cones, field goal kicking, cornhole, and a hot dog eating contest.
The planning phase for Spirit Week started all the way back in June, at StuCo’s annual retreat, with StuCo members tossing around ideas in preparation for the big events.
“For StuCo, it’s the biggest thing of the fall,” said Corley.
As the time gets closer, Assistant Principal for Activities and Formation Megan Menne works with StuCo in a support role, alongside Corley, to help make sure the week’s events run smoothly. As events are being planned, StuCo keeps the mission of Spirit Week in mind.
“Spirit Week is a time when the whole school comes together
and the goal of the week is to build school spirit, to have a place where everybody can just celebrate being SLUH,” said Menne.
Each year, Spirit Week is a time to celebrate everything that makes SLUH what it is, and it is also a time to relax and spend time with others a little over a month into the school year.
“I think there’s a lot of times where SLUH can be stressful,” said Student Body President Harry McGuire. “Spirit Week is really a time where we can not forget, but kind of put aside for a little bit and really enjoy each other’s presences and some of the work that StuCo put in.”
Ultimately, the focus of Spirit Week is to build camaraderie and pride for what SLUH stands for.
“I want everyone to feel good about their school. To know that this is a place where we challenge academically but know how to have a good time,” said Corley.
SPIRIT WEEK FUN
Dedicated,
proud, and caring: remembering former EVS Director Jeffrey Fields
BY Brendan Hunt and Jack Williamson Core Staff, Staff
Jeffrey Fields, the former EVS director at St. Louis U. High, a family man, and a friend to many at the school, passed away last week at the age of 59 in a fatal car crash. Fields worked at the school for multiple decades before retiring in May of last year. His passing comes as a great loss to those who knew him during his time at SLUH.
“I got to know Jeff well when I was working here as a lay teacher, because when I was Campus Ministry director, we needed a lot of things set up,” said Principal Fr. Matthew Stewart, SJ. “He would always call me Mr. Stewart, but then I left SLUH, and when I came back, he was so excited. He would keep saying, ‘Oh, Mr. Stewart! I’ve got to call you Fr. Stewart now,’ and I would say to him, ‘You call me whatever you want, Jeff.’”
One notable piece of his personality was his love for sports. This love was reflected in the various sports jerseys and caps he wore to work every day.
“He was a proud man,” said P.E. teacher Patrick Zarrick, who knew Fields since when he was first hired. “And I don’t mean that in an egotistical way. He was proud of the work that he did here at SLUH. He was proud of his family. And he took pride in the way he was dressed. (Jeff’s sports attire) always brought a smile to everyone’s face.”
Although many students may not have been familiar with Fields, he touched the lives of many faculty and staff with his longstanding dedication to and passion for serving the school.
“He was so dedicated and kind, and he loved the school,” said Stewart. “I think that sometimes the people that work here that aren’t quite as front and center like the teachers are—EVS, maintenance,
grounds, food service, facilities, administrative assistants—students don’t encounter those folks as much. I think that they all don’t get to see the incredible dedication that those folks bring and the love of the school that they have. Jeff was always willing to work with anyone, and he never complained. He’d say, ‘I got you! We’ve got you taken care of!’” Fields’s wide range of work at SLUH included developing and managing EVS, running JUGs, and working on the rental and reservation programs. In the rental and reservation programs—which have netted SLUH over one million dollars in the past two decades— Fields played a foundational role in planning and set-up.
“He was a very devoted man,” said Director of EVS Emmitte Prince, who worked with Fields for around 25 years. “I liked his work ethic. He was a great influence, and he helped me get to where I’m at now.”
Unfortunately, along with the blessings he had in life, Fields struggled with diabetes as he got older.
“Throughout this time, Jeff was a fighter,” said Zarrick. “He never gave up. He never got down. When he lost one leg, he said ‘I’m gonna be walking again. I’m gonna get a prosthetic device and get going.’ And he did that. Then he loses the second leg. And he said the same thing.”
Throughout his life, Fields passionately cared for those around him, and he will be missed by the SLUH community.
“The way I remember Jeff is as a very caring person, a proud man, a wonderful family man, a dear friend, and a hard worker,” said Zarrick.
“He was a delightful man,” said Stewart. “He was a rich character of a person that I think he added a lot of flavor, depth, and richness to our school.”
Excited students hold Serengeti Steve’s burmese python.
photo | Nathan O’Brian
Taking a tumble at bubble soccer.
photo | Andew Hammond Volleyball at Billy Bash photo | Andrew Hammond
Flips at Billy Bash.
photo | Andrew Hammond Junior Luke Schuman with tarantula on the mind. photo | Nathan O’Brian
photo | Courtesy of SLUH
SPORTS
Kings of the MCC
Soccer claims CBC tournament title and tops group in the Champions League
BY Drew Sharamitaro and Ryan Simon reporters
The St. Louis U. High Jr. Bills claimed the title of the last ever CBC Tournament last weekend, finishing with a 2-1-0 record, earning 14 points and securing the trophy over MCC rivals CBC, Vianney, and De Smet. The Jr. Bills continued their current dominance over the MCC on Tuesday in a 3-2 victory over Chaminade to send them to the Champions League semifinals.
“It’s a very hard championship to win, not only because of the quality of opponent, but also because of the physical demand of playing three intense games in five days,” said head coach Bob O’Connell of the CBC Tournament. “But it’s also the same pattern we have to string together in the district tournament come November, which is when we want to be playing our best soccer.”
Below is a rundown of the past week’s matches.
Vianney
Following the 3-2 win over host CBC in their opening game, the Jr. Bills battled to a 0-0 draw against the Vianney Griffins in their second game of the CBC Tournament. The result earned them two points, one for the tie and one for the clean sheet, which was earned with strong play from junior goalkeeper Cole Chambers and the back line.
The first 20 minutes of the game looked more like a game of kickball, as Vianney was very quick to clear balls out of their defensive third and made their main focus of attack to try and play balls in behind for players to run on to. Defensively, SLUH handled the pressure well, and didn’t allow any major chances to the Griffins, but struggled to find the game offensively due to a lack of intentional first touches and deceptive off ball movement.
Slowly, as the half progressed, the Jr. Bills began to find their footing, and
very clear for SLUH in the first half, and it came down to physicality and intensity. When they couldn’t find success, Vianney was first to every 50-50 ball and stronger going into tackles.
But when the Jr. Bills were keeping the ball on the ground and moving it quickly, the Griffins had no chance to show their feistiness.
During the halftime talk, SLUH players were visibly upset with the lackluster first half performance, but assistant coach Jay Zaber reminded them that they were in a 0-0 game and had given up zero chances in spite of it.
The second half proved to be more of the same. Vianney came out with more energy, and made the Jr. Bills offense look like a shell of what it had been in previous games. But as the half progressed, the intensity from SLUH, sparked especially by junior Luke Schuman and senior Alex Schoenekase, picked up and chances were created.
Captain Henry Sanders had several shots with his weaker left foot in and around the box, but all were either stopped or put just off frame. SLUH had countless corners, but couldn’t get a clean enough look off of any to bury in the back of the net.
Near the end of the game, the game was opened up for both teams as each were hungry for a goal, and Chambers had to make a key save to keep the Griffins from snagging a late one. The stalemate continued through the final whistle.
The message was clear in the postgame talk from all of the coaches: the work rate had to improve and remain at a high level for 80 minutes, or else SLUH was going to have another thing coming in their first rematch against De Smet since the 2024 State Championship.
De Smet
The Jr. Bills edged out De Smet 1-0 in a heated soccer rivalry in their final game of the CBC Tournament, in a game filled with intensity and passion from start to finish.
what was once an end-to-end game was now more of a one-sided keepaway in SLUH’s offensive half. However, the dominant possession didn’t lead to any premier chances, and the teams headed into halftime scoreless.
The good and the bad had been
in the box that narrowly missed and a
Noah Medina clearance that led to a great counterattack in the 13th minute. SLUH piled on pressure with a series of free kicks and corners for over 10 minutes, including a stunning finesse shot from striker Alex Schoenekase in the 31st minute that forced a diving save and won a corner for SLUH.
“We see things we need to work on, especially against a team like that,” said junior midfielder Paddy Byrne. “As a team, we want to be at our best by district with the team mentality of getting one percent better every single day.”
The Spartans grew frustrated as fouls and yellow cards were reoccurring, which allowed SLUH to finally break through in the dying seconds of the half. With just 37 seconds left, a free kick was launched in the box as a last-ditch effort and fell to the feet of senior midfielder James Barry, who slotted a shot past the traffic and into the bottom corner as the student section erupted.
The second half saw SLUH control the game, nearly doubling the lead when Barrett Urban’s long-range strike skimmed over the crossbar in the 41st minute.
De Smet’s physicality continued to get them in trouble with the ref, allowing SLUH to dictate possession on the pitch. Senior midfielders Byrne and Vigil played a key role in securing the victory, using composure and clever footwork to spin around De Smet players and run down the clock near the corner flag in the final minutes.
“It’s just a great feeling because it shows that we’re growing as a team,” said Byrne. “We’re making progress and figuring things out that we need to figure out before that district tournament.”
When the final whistle blew, SLUH and their supporters erupted again, celebrating the gritty 1-0 win.
“A win like that against De Smet obviously feels great,” said Byrne. “They’re a really tough opponent, and they always have been with my career at SLUH.”
The result helped them claim their spot as CBC Tournament champions, and was a spectacular reminder of last year’s Missouri State Championship vs. De Smet.
With momentum on SLUH’s side and confidence building, the Jr. Bills are poised to carry their success onto the crucial battles ahead.
Chaminade
However, familiar conference foes still lay ahead for SLUH as it entered the new week. After falling to the Red Devils in the season opener at home, the Jr. Bills squeezed by Chaminade in a tense, back-and-forth 3-2 victory in the Champions League at Chaminade, clinching their position as the Pool C Champions to move onto the semifinals of the tournament.
Similar to their start against Vianney, the Jr. Bills failed to match the intensity of the Red Devils. But this time around, they failed to stay strong in the
back, leaving lots of space for the potent Chaminade attackers to pounce. And after several costly turnovers, Chaminade played a long ball over the top and into the box, where their wide open striker buried the ball for the 1-0 lead just 9 minutes in, sending the Chaminade student section into a frenzy.
and the relentless Jr. Bills kept putting the pressure on and forcing them into mistakes. With seven minutes left, after running on to a long ball over the top, senior Andrew Wolf capitalized on the goalie coming out of net with a smooth touch around him and put the ball away, all but sealing SLUH’s first place finish in the group.
Soon after, SLUH survived another scare as a Chaminade player tripped right before taking a shot in a one-onone against Chambers, causing the Chaminade student section to scream for a penalty. Fortunately for the Jr. Bills, the referee didn’t allow one. But the boys in white had to respond and respond quick.
Like the Vianney game, they found their footing as the first half progressed, and began to match the high pressure. Near the end of the first half, the Jr. Bills poured on the press, beginning with Schoenekase. He forced the ball to one side of the field and after an errant pass back to the center back, Sanders pounced on his first touch and calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner, silencing the Chaminade student section and shifting the momentum. The tie was held going into the half.
In the second half, SLUH had learned its lesson from Vianney, and took control of possession and the game immediately, although Chaminade still asserted themselves as the more physical team. Much of the game was spent in SLUH’s offensive half, and eventually Chaminade’s physical play cost them.
Following strong combination play in the midfield, Sanders found senior winger Nolen Wedbush on a through ball in behind, and as he prepared to cut it back for a cross, he was taken out by a strong slide tackle from the Chaminade wing back, leading the ref to award a penalty for SLUH.
“I didn’t think it was a penalty,” said Wedbush. “But we had been knocking on the door, so it was nice to be able to get an opportunity.”
After a deep exhale, Sanders stepped up and calmly sent the goalie the wrong way, bagging his second of the game and putting Chaminade in a deep hole to get out of if they were going to win the game and advance out of the group.
However, with emotions high after the controversial penalty, Chaminade wasn’t able to find their game,
The substitutes began to come on for both sides, and although Chaminade converted another questionable penalty with 5 minutes to play, SLUH used their fresh subs to win tackles and keep the ball in the corner offensively to run out the rest of the clock, and secure the revenge victory.
“I said last week that it’d be the hardest week for the team, but with a tough Champions League match on top of three more games at the end of the week, we realized that this one would be just as hard if not harder,” said O’Connell.
With first place secured, the Jr. Bills were awarded with the complementary scarves during their Wednesday practice, as they now look ahead to their semifinal matchup against the reigning Class 3 State Champions, the Ladue Rams.
“Clinching the Champions League group stage is huge,” said Byrne. “Now we have to play a really tough team like Ladue, which will likely decide who the one seed is for districts. A thing like that also helps our confidence.”
Looking Ahead
Last night, the reigning Champions League winners, the St. Dominic Crusaders, came down to SLUH from O’Fallon. Following the game, the Jr. Bills participated in a stretching cooldown from defender Adam Traschel’s mom, as they had a quick turn around, boarding a bus at 8:30 to head down to Paducah, Kentucky to participate in the River Region Rumble. They face off against Evansville Reitz Memorial (IN) at 4:00 p.m. this evening, and then against host McCracken County at 11 a.m. tomorrow. Upon arrival home and the new week, the games don’t stop, as SLUH will look to claim yet another championship in the Junior Billiken Classic, which begins next Tuesday vs. Collinsville, followed by Fr. Tolton next Thursday.
Right now is the most jam packed parts of the season, but the Jr. Bills are ready to take it head on.
The team with their Champions League merchandise they earned with their Pool C victory.
photo | Liam Fitzgerald
The Jr. Bills fed off the noise of their student section, pressing from the opening whistle with early counters and dangerous chances. Javi Vigil sparked momentum in the fourth minute, along with a 16th minute shot
(Left to Right): Junior Javi Vigil and senior James Barry after Barry’s goal vs. De Smet. photo | Andrew Hammond
Vigil cutting through De Smet defenders before a shot. photo | Andrew Hammond
Prep News
BY Jake Fitzpatrick Sports Editor
In all honesty, the game was over before most fans even reached their seats.
One week after defeating De Smet in dominant fashion, the St. Louis U. High football team traveled to Lutheran St. Charles, where they obliterated the short-handed Cougars 49-0. As a result of a fight the previous game, the Cougars only had 20 eligible players for Friday’s game.
Before the lopsided contest even began, both teams agreed to nine minute quarters, which transitioned into a running clock by the second quarter. The win saw records get broken and young guys the opportunity to see the field and produce quality varsity minutes.
On the opening kickoff, Lutheran
“Zach’s return instilled a lot of confidence in us, and we really just wanted to set the tone,” said Yust. “The D-Line did a great job, as they always do, of putting pressure on the quarterback, and I was lucky that the ball just bounced into my hands.”
Fresh off of a stellar week where he had 6 catches for 68 yards, sophomore Tyler Kozminske put the SLUH offense right back into rhythm. Kozminske broke off for a short slant route where he caught a missile from Eleby, galloping his way untouched into the end zone to put SLUH up 14-0 a mere 30 seconds into the game.
Courtesy of the staunch SLUH defensive line, the Jr. Bills forced a three and out to give the ball right back to Eleby and the dynamic Jr. Bill offense. After two stuffs at the line to make it third and long, Jordan Taylor went out
St. Charles booted a soaring kick to University of Northern Iowa commit Zach Allen, who giddily gathered the arching kick. Looking like Lamar Jackson dancing through an NFL defense, Allen steered clear of pursuing Cougar defenders, bounced it to the outside and went untouched for an electric kickoff return to put SLUH up 7-0 only 10 seconds into the game. There was no looking back for the Jr. Bills.
Although Lutheran St. Charles got a decent return to around the 40-yard line, it was time for the SLUH defense to go to work. On the very first play, captain Tim Kelly bull rushed his way to the running back and forced a fumble, which bounced right into the hands of junior safety Ben Yust.
on a wheel route, caught a pass from Eleby, and tightroped his way down the sideline into the end zone.
“What Jordan is able to do is special,” said junior Keaton Miller, who played center in place of injured Luke Richars. “I know he probably says that we make his job easy, but a lot of the time, it’s vice versa.”
On the next defensive possession, arguably the best defensive player in SLUH’s history added another accomplishment to his football resume: most career tackles in SLUH history. After a spectacular four year career at SLUH where he has amassed an average of close to 100 tackles per season, senior linebacker Keenan Harris dragged the Cougar running back to the ground for
his 338th tackle to inscribe his name in the history books.
“It was just an amazing feeling to break the record, but really just being out there with my guys,” said Harris. “Coach Cruz calling the timeout and the crowd going crazy and the guys celebrating was something I won’t forget. At the same time, there’s more work to be done and all these records mean nothing if we don’t keep winning.”
After a short hiatus where the SLUH sideline recognized Harris, the Justin Danzy-led pass game got back to work. On another third and long, Eleby launched an arching throw to a wide open Allen, who walked into the end zone to put SLUH up 28-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Courtesy of the first quarter beat down, both teams decided to move the game to a running clock to stop the bleeding. This trend of a stifling de fensive front and linebacker core along with a seemingly effortless air strike continued until the end of the first half, when Eleby launched a perfect ball to a cutting Schulte who dashed into the end zone for his first touchdown of the year to put SLUH up 35-0.
As SLUH anticipated before the game, their second string guys began to filter into play as the Jr. Bills came out of the locker room. Although this year’s defense has been highlighted by the star linebacker core of Junior Busby and Kendall McNutt, talented veterans like senior Liam Linhares and Giovi Ferrara along with safeties Aiden Jones and Kaden Schroeder got the chance to continue to stifle the Cougar offense.
“Our linebackers are the best in the state,” said Cruz. “On almost every team I’ve ever had, Liam would probably start on it, and I can say that for a lot of guys on our defense. But, it was nice for Liam to see some action on Friday.”
Every single run was swallowed up by the Jr. Bills backups, many of whom flashed what a dominant SLUH defense can look like in the years to come.
On offense, although backup quar terback Pat Stein was out due to a foot injury, backup JV quarterback Jack Hieken stepped up in a massive way, commanding the Jr. Bill offense and conducting productive drives down
the field. Hieken handled the pressure like a veteran, throwing four passes for four completions, two of which were touchdowns, to junior Charlie Steines and sophomore Graham Ghere.
“On Monday, Jack (Hieken) was the backup in the JV game and on Friday he’s suiting up as the backup for us,” said Cruz. “Not very often do guys long snap and go to quarterback, but Jack did it beautifully. I told him on Wednesday that his job was to take care of the football and command the huddle and he
tion of a game produced two of the craziest stats of the year in terms of SLUH sports. In 36 minutes of play, the Jr. Bills ran a total of 23 offensive plays, and six of those plays were touchdowns.
On defense, SLUH, who has already established themselves as a top five defense in the state, did not allow a first down in the game.
“We kind of knew what we were getting into going into the game, but we chose to play disciplined football, and as a result we chose to dominate which we did in a lot of ways. Big shout out to all the JV guys who stepped
Home at last. Today, the Jr. Bills finally return to 4970 Oakland Ave. after a threeweek long road trip, where the Jr. Bills traveled over 80 miles and outscored their opponents by an average of 29 points per game. Tonight’s game against the 3-1 Lift for Life Hawks, will be played for the late sister of senior defensive tackle Pat Laffey, Nora Bunn, who will be honored at the game as the football team continues to bring awareness to cancer.
“It gives these guys another why,” said Laffey. “Football is a game where it’s very important to find out why are you doing this, why are you playing, it’s not an easy game. So really, it’s a motivator for a lot of us to go win this ball game.”
“We have to bring our Agame,” said Yust. “They have a dangerous air attack, so it’s gonna be crucial for our secondary and me and John (Ramella) to step up on defense. We aren’t out there to be flashy in all honesty, we just have to do our job. And we know we
Discipline. The word of the week for the football squad is crucial as the Jr. Bills look to continue their historic start to their season by rallying around each other to keep the hottest team in St. Louis rolling.
NFL Week 3’s Highest Risers and Lowest Fallers in Fantasy Football Rankings
BY Jack Friedman and Charlie Kuhlman reporters
Highest Risers
Jonathan Taylor: RB3 +5
Taylor is off to a scorching start to the season and a large part of his success has been thanks to the Colts success early. So far, Taylor has seen 100 percent of the Colts carries when the team isn’t leading by over 30 points. The JT hype train looks legit. The only thing left in question is his receiving work when Indianapolis inevitably begins trailing in games.
Cam Skattebo: RB23 +22
Skattebo has been ascending the ranking every week as he continues to look like the superior running back in the Giants backfield over second year running back Tyrone Tracy. Now that Tracy has gone down to a shoulder injury and is considered week to week, Skattebo is primed to take over this backfield. In week three, he received 18 opportunities and turned that into 25.1 full PPR fantasy points. We project that on a young offense in New York, they will prioritize getting their young pieces the ball, and with the talent that Skattebo has shown we are confident that once he gets these touches he will be a week to week starter in fantasy.
James Cook: RB6 +8
In the preseason, we imagined that there was no way that James Cook could keep his TD upside from last year. Fifteen touchdowns seemed like too high of a mark to achieve and we thought that a touchdown regression would lead to overall fantasy regression, but oh boy were we wrong. Cook has looked like a top five running back in football and the offense in Buffalo has looked unstoppable. Cook, even though he has a low snap percentage, has received all of the goal line work and in situations where the Bills are trailing, Cook is the primary receiving back. The usage of Ray Davis and Ty Johnson does concern us, as when this team is up by a lot, the Bills are not going to want to risk their franchise running back. James Cook is someone that you are definitely going to want to look to trade for.
Puka Nacua: WR1 +5
Cooper Kupp is back. In 2021 Cooper Kupp put up historic numbers with Matthew Stafford as his QB and Sean McVay as his coach. Puka has looked incredible throughout the first three weeks with over 100 all-purpose yards in every game along with eight or more catches. These stats have put him as the number one overall receiver in fantasy and he has done this without a receiving touchdown. Puka is producing at the highest level yet and he still has not reached his peak. In Week
1, he was sidelined with a bloody eye until the end of the first half. In Week 2, he hardly played towards the end of the game because of a blowout win. This ranking of Puka as WR1 is not just as wide receiver but the overall most valuable player in fantasy football right now.
Emeka Embuka: WR16 +11
Coming out of Ohio State, Embuka was seen as the second most pro ready receiver in the draft class and that’s why it came as a surprise when the Buccaneers, who already had a top five receiving core, grabbed Emeka in the first round. However, he has looked like a perfect fit. Emeka has plugged in as the short yardage and the yards after contact guy in this offense which is a valuable role in a Bucs offense that led the league in screen plays last year. Emeka has shown more skill then just a short yardage guy though, as last week after Mike Evans exited the game with a hamstring injury, Emeka made two incredible grabs along the sideline Even though he is a rookie, we believe that in a banged up receiver room, Embuka seems like the main pass catcher in this high powered offense
Lowest Fallers
Derrick Henry: RB10 -5
For a running back who went at the 1-2 turn in most fantasy drafts, Henry
has simply looked terrible the last few weeks. Fumble after fumble, Henry has not looked like himself at all. For those who think Henry is still a top 5 caliber player, a top 5 running back doesn’t average less than 15 touches a game. A top 5 running back doesn’t average under one catch a game. If Derrick Henry is truly losing a step at 31 years old, then this year, King Henry might be dethroned.
Ashton Jeanty: RB14 -7
The talent is absolutely still there for Ashton Jeanty. He is the highest drafted running back since Saquon Barkley in 2018, and he is still the same explosive freight train that he was at Boise State. However, the Raiders offensive line is abysmal, so Jeanty is only averaging 1 yard before contact. This ranks at the lowest out of every starting running back in the NFL. Additionally, Pete Carroll has barely gotten Jeanty involved in the pass game, which is crucial to be a viable option in an offense that scores very few touchdowns. Something needs to change in Las Vegas, or Jeanty will continue to disappoint.
Brian Thomas Jr. : WR11 -4
We honestly have no idea what happened to Brian Thomas Jr. Last season, he had the third most receiving yards in the entire NFL, and it seemed like the connection between him and Trevor Lawrence was unbreakable.
However, through the first three weeks of this season, it has been the complete opposite. Dropped passes, miscommunication, and timing being off has really disrupted the production of BTJ. However, with a player as good as BTJ, he can bounce back and give you 30 points any given week, but until then, he will be detrimental to many teams.
Chase Brown: RB18 -7
With Joe Burrow’s injury, we recommend selling all of your Bengals. This offense may go up in flames very quickly, starting with Chase Brown. With no threat of a passing attack, teams will begin to load the box against Brown, who is already inefficient, averaging under 2 yards per carry. On top of that, Jake Browning does not check down to the running back, which is Brown’s bread and butter. So, Brown may disappoint many fantasy managers this year.
Ladd McConkey: WR19 -9
Ladd McConkey should be tearing it up in this Jim Harbaugh system with an extremely efficient offense, but he is being overshadowed somehow. By who? Keenan Allen and Quentin Johnston. The receivers on this Chargers team that are getting more volume are much less talented than McConkey, who was Justin Herbert’s go-to target last season. We think that Ladd’s time will come, but until it happens, he will continue to rank him lower and lower.
Junior Jack Heiken at QB. photo | Andrew Hammond
Senior Will Schulte. photo | Andrew Hammond
BY Tristan Kujawa and Hendrix Fyvie Staff, reporter
The second best cross country team in St. Louis? This past Saturday, the St. Louis U. High Cross Country program traveled south to Festus for the Bowles-Wright Invitational. The program held out the top 9 runners, racing a V2 lineup in varsity that still managed to win the meet soundly, taking down powerhouses like Kirkwood and Lafayette. The Jr. Bills didn’t stop there as they also easily won the JV, capturing a perfect score of 15.
As the morning dew dried from the grass, the V2 squad toed the line with their hopes high after a fourth place finish at FPXC the week earlier. When the gun went off, SLUH was sent on a mission of domination.
Coming through the first mile full of sharp turns, steep hills, and solid gravel was junior Joe Talleur, running a 5:11 mile right behind the top pack.
first mile.”
Through the second mile, the SLUH pack thinned. Talleur remained up front, coming through in 10:41 with Kujawa close behind in 10:43. The rest of the SLUH pack found themselves farther back, but still in a good position to win the team race with Williams coming through in 10:47 and junior Luke Hartweger close behind him running 10:49.
The squad looked strong heading into the closing mile with a hairpin curve around a lake and more steep hills.
“It looked good having that tight pack move up even within the technicality of the course,” said head coach Joe Porter. “It definitely makes us look like we are in a position to continue to improve and I think that’s always the goal.”
As the finish line approached, it was clear that SLUH was the winner, having seven guys in front of Kirkwood’s threeman. With an impressive last mile, Kujawa led the way for the Jr. Bills, running
Right behind him were senior Tristan Kujawa and sophomores Phin Gilbert, Jonah Ebenhoh and Owen Williams, who all came through in 5:12.
“I was able to keep my eyes on all the SLUH guys,” said Williams. “That was my goal going into it and then I was just seeing how it played out after that
a 17:11 for 7th place, improving on his time last year by over 40 seconds.
“Tristan had a great race,” said Porter. “He moved up nicely competing with Kirkwood’s two guys towards the end and I thought that was great.”
After Kujawa was the duo of Hartweger and Williams sprinting to the
BY Connor Dunker reporter
finish. Hartweger ultimately overtook him, running a 17:23 to finish in eighth place, while Williams ran 17:24 to finish ninth. Next to finish was junior Cullen Wenger, who ran a conservative race in the beginning two miles and eventually moved up to score for the Jr. Bills, finishing in 17:33 (11th). Rounding out the scoring five for the Jr. Bills was Talleur in 17:38 (12th).
SLUH pulled away with the win, scoring 47 points compared to Kirkwood’s 58. This performance showcases the potential of this V2 squad and the striking truth that they are the second best team in St. Louis behind SLUH’s normal varsity.
“I think this race shows that the V2 is number two in the area,” said Porter. “This really shows off the depth of the program. We are deeper and a better team than we were a year ago and that’s really exciting to see.”
Shortly after the varsity race, SLUH Cross Country had another opportunity to flex their depth in the JV race. With runners from all grade levels toeing the line, SLUH overwhelmed the field with its 73 racers. The starting line was dominated by a sea of navy blue jerseys to the point where SLUH athletes had to line up behind other teams’ boxes as they had overflowed their own. However, the JV squad did a lot more than cram the starting line—they dominated the field.
Right from the gun, a pack of SLUH runners immediately took the lead of the race. Seniors Preston Eash and Jesse Brower-Toland led the group, separating themselves from the field within the first 800 meters of the race, and a strong SLUH pack trailed not too far behind. Eash and Brower-Toland kept racing head-to-head through the one mile mark, which they both came through in an impressive 5:23. Shortly into the second mile, Eash made a decisive move to
Grit. Pure grit propelled the Swim and Dive team to win its first invite by over 360 points. Last Friday, members of the St. Louis U. High Swim and Dive team traveled south to compete in the Cape Rock Invitational in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Even after already competing in two dual meets along with some pretty difficult practices, the team still found the strength to dominate their competition.
Grit is at the core of the swim and dive team. It is a trait that is hammered into each swimmer and diver every year. Grit is the reason that this team is able to stay consistently successful. Almost everyone on the team can recite the definition of grit by heart: the relentless determination in the face of the vast number of obstacles that lie ahead, and the inevitable obstacles that will arise, to keep going.
“We overcame a few inevitable obstacles in the past few weeks.” said head coach Lindsay Ehret. “We especially had to overcome a lot of sickness.”
After a two-hour bus ride, the team pulled into the parking lot of the Cape Aquatic Center—a recently renovated 20-lane pool. The team got off the bus and got ready to warm up.
“We had slightly more people than the other teams,” said sophomore Elliott Sapp. “We had way more depth than any other team though.”
Following a successful warmup and a recitation of the Prayer for Generosity, the meet could finally begin with the medley relay, con -
take the lead of the race.
“Going into the race I made a promise to myself that I wanted to lead by at least halfway,” said Eash. “My second promise to myself was to get out hard. It really paid dividends to me because I
aged to come through the mile at an impressive 5:33. Right before the mile mark, he had to make a very tough decision to kick off his shoe.
sisting of junior Henry Hassentab, senior Nick Zimmerman, freshman Jacob Corbett, and senior William Steurer. They touched the wall first with a final time of 1:38.47, beating out the second place team by over 6.5 seconds. This performance scored the first 40 points for the team and set the tone for how the rest of the meet would go.
Slated up next was the 200 freestyle, 200 Individual Medley, and the 50 freestyle. All four Jr. Billikens in the 200 freestyle and 50 freestyle managed to post at least season-best times. SLUH was able to win the 200 freestyle as well. Junior Grant Heidbrink had a standout swim in the 200 IM, touching the wall in 2:10 and dropping four seconds for a lifetime best.
The 50 freestyle saw senior Ethan Hill take first place with a season best time of 22.44 seconds. Usually, after the 50 freestyle, the swimming part of the meet would pause to make way for the diving portion of the meet. However, at big invitationals, diving takes place after all of the swim events are completed. In order to give the swimmers time to recover, the competition pool opened for 20 minutes for open swim.
The break allowed the Jr. Bills to re-center themselves before diving into the second half of the meet.
Hassenstab won the 100 butterfly with a season best time of 54.72. Following behind him was senior George Albert, junior Matthew Franz, and freshman Park Groves. The break clearly helped the team.
In the 100 freestyle, the Jr. Bills claimed the top four places, with everyone going season best
was from the top three right out of the gates.”
Eash’s move was pivotal, as he pulled away from the rest of the field and maintained his gap for the rest of the race. He led the JV squad, winning the race in a time of 17:54. Seven consecutive SLUH runners followed Eash, including the scoring five of sophomore Edmund Reske, senior Jesse BrowerToland, sophomore Ryan Kindschuh, and senior Brady Vogt.
“I was really happy,” said freshman Andrew Yoffie. “I think we got a perfect score and like that’s really impressive. Even the teammates who weren’t racing still came. I saw them cheering on so many turns.”
In a race full of impressive performances, there is one athlete who deserves to be recognized for his grit. During the crowded start, sophomore Clarence Nowak had another runner step on his shoe, leaving it hanging off his foot. Despite running with his shoe halfway on his foot, Nowak still man-
times. senior George Albert and Nick Zimmerman had awesome swims in the 100 backstroke and 100 breaststroke, respectively; they both went lifetime best times. Albert took home a first place medal, and Zimmerman took home a second place medal. Their times put them at the top of the Missouri Class 2 performance list.
For the divers, Colton Re finished third and Bram Malkus fifth.
The second half of the meet
“(I knew that) if I stopped, I basically should just quit. So I just kept on going, pushing as hard as I could, because I wanted to finish,” said Nowak.
Nowak persevered through the rest of the race and finished in eighth place with a time of 19:03, ahead of any other team’s best JV runner. Nowak’s race serves as a perfect example of the toughness the program embodies—perhaps one of the main reasons for the cross country’s continued success.
Now the program splits, with the top 16 heading to Chicago for the Palatine Meet of Champions with the top competition from Illinois looking to challenge the varsity’s undefeated record. Meanwhile, the rest of the program looks to compete just across the river at the Freeburg Invitational with an opportunity to showcase even more depth beyond the top runners.
“There’s some great teams at Palatine,” said Porter. “That’s why we started going there in 2010, because we wanted to go where the best were. It’s a chaotic race and it will teach us a lot about racing at an elite level in chaos.”
proved to be very successful overall for the Jr. Bills. In the end, SLUH ended up winning 10 of the 13 total events and won over 35 medals.
Looking Ahead
The dive team will participate in the MCC diving meet tomorrow, followed up by the MICDS Invitational next Tuesday. The MCC meet will continue with prelims on Wednesday and finals on Thursday.
Junior Joe Talleur leading a pack of SLUH runners. photo | Dave Ebenhoh
Seniors Preston Eash (left) and Jesse Brower-Toland. photo | Dave Ebenhoh
PN CROSSWORD: Cogito Ergo Sumo
Crossword | Paul
ACROSS 1. Viking explorer Erikson 5. *She
*Arm or leg 14. *Stately tree 15. Scent 16. This many oz. 17. Jacob’s twin 18. Org. that certifies albums as gold or platinum
19. *Nuisance
20. *Catholic ritual 23. Simplicity
| criticisms, compliments, and ideas welcome at pbaudendistel@sluh.org
24. Grp. pushing for an Arab state
25. _____ out a win
27. *Ablaze 32. *Burial chamber
36. Former St. Louis footballer
37. *Short-time employee
39. Surfer’s ride 40. Musical masterpiece
42. Nickname for trumpeter Armstrong or pitcher Paige
44. Nickname for Ulysses
45. *Rush of wind
47. Musicians Puente and Jackson
Prep News Credits
Editor in Chief
Leo “brown fit” Hahn
Sports Editors
Jacob “server outfits” Fitzpatrick
Lincoln “dress like a log” Shorley
News Editors
Max “my blue” Marnatti
Daniel “Y1K” Neuner
Features Editor
Kane “buzz cut” Luchun
Core Staff
Xavier “frat” Heithaus
Grant “Adam Sandler” Skornia
Brendan “Ninjago” Hun t
Staff
Henry “evil Serena” Hassen -
stab
Tristan “dress like Jake” Kujawa
Logan “Serena fan merch” LaVear
Finn “compost” Rose
Owen “leprechuan” Williams
Jack “Shakespeare” Williamson
Reporters
Connor “Olympics” Dunker
Jack “baseball” Friedman
Hendrix “golf fit” Fyvie
Charlie “teacher” Kuhlman
Drew “footy” Sharimataro
Ryan “puck” Simon
Luke “lawyer” Nolan
Photographers
Jack “cameraman” Auer
Andrew “orchestra” Hammond
Liam “rodeo” Fitzgerald
Nathan “Blues” O’Brien
Julie “Last Supper” Lewis
Advisor
Sam “superhero” Tarter
Moderator
Steve “middle-aged fellow” Missey
49. QB’s mistake 50. *Pace 52. *Directive
54. Focus diagnosis, in brief 56. Some MUST grads 57. Chowder ingredient 60. *Cargo list 65. *German luxury vehicle 67. Wyo. neighbor 68. First-rate 70. Side in a pick-up game 71. Fourth dimension 72. Bullet point
73. *Strong flavor
74. Ultimatum word
75. *Fallen trunk
DOWN
1. Jeans brand
2. Anna’s older sister
3. Apple desktop
4. Tea time
5. Products of endocrine glands
6. Actress Falco or singer Brickell
7. White-ish horse coat
8. Give a speech
9. Cut off
10. “Don’t leave me!”
11. Big butte
12. Three-ingredient sandwiches
13. Orchestra-tuning instrument
21. Landed
22. 2025 NBA champs
26. Tarzan creator’s monogram
27. The second plague, in Exodus
28. Drink like a dog
29. Elicit a smile
30. Exam for future MBAs
31. Kind of nerve
33. Monty Python’s Michael or politico
Sarah
34. Pattern 35. Tribute title words
38. VIII
41. Method of cooking 57-Across 43. Past all obstacles
46. Like 2025
48. Captain Hook’s sidekick
51. Resistance unit
53. Lay seige to 55. “Divine Comedy”
in Spanish — and not the sopho-
“Spanish” of the theme answers
Angsty music genre
Mothers and sons bond over prayer, food at annual celebration
(continued from page 1)
street, and how he told her to stay by his side. While speaking, he walked across the floor, imitating the movement, and turned, revealing how his mother had not followed. He explained how he eventually carefully grabbed his mother’s hand, and when they had the go ahead, walked next to each other, telling the audience how this is how these relationships should be—sons walking side by side with their mothers proudly.
“I think it is important for moms to attend and experience the spirituality of SLUH with their sons at this event,” said campus minister Julie Lewis. “It gives a good insight to the ways we pray and how we worship together as a SLUH community, while also letting them have the chance to be side-by-side with their son.”
Throughout the Mass, students and mothers participated in the service by singing in the choir, reading the petitions, bringing forward the gifts, and offering communion.
One of the highlights of the Mass, for many, were the speeches given by seniors Anderson Espe and Jake Fitzpatrick.
“We chose students who we knew would have meaningful insights to share about their mom that could reach a broad spectrum of what motherhood means to them through personal experience,” said Lewis.
Espe started off the student
speeches—a huge surprise for his unsuspecting mother.
“She was pretty much in tears just hearing my name called, which I knew was going to happen,” said Espe. “She loved it so much and kept whispering to me how great of a surprise it was. One of her friends got a video of it and I’m pretty sure she has watched it on repeat ever since.”
This was followed by Fitzpatrick’s speech beginning and closing with quotes from a familiar children’s book—The Runaway Bunny—to illustrate our mothers’ unconditional love for us.
“It helped me realise that we need to cherish the time we have with our moms,” said Fitzpatrick. “We often forget how much our moms love us and I think love is an important thing.”
To close out Mass, the seniors in the audience were invited up to the ambo to collect white roses to give to their mothers—a sign of the love that many often don’t show as much as they would like. These gifts were received with warm embraces and tears of happiness.
Following Mass, students and their mothers migrated towards the Si Commons, where there was a buffet of hot breakfast food consisting of waffles, sausages, fresh fruit, and egg frittata. Here, groups gathered around tables decorated with flowers and vases full of donut holes to enjoy their meals and socialize. While freshman mothers
met one another, senior mothers chatted as old friends.
“I think it will certainly impact students,” said freshman Albert Eberhardt. “I’m not sure how many, but I feel like this will most definitely highlight the important parts of their relationships and all that their moms do for them.”
The outing ended with pictures, again forming a long, winding line across the Danis Lobby. Mothers and sons stood next to one another with warm, glowing smiles as they stepped up, pair by pair.
This whole ceremony was a good reminder that no matter how many tests you have that week, how many hours of homework you have each night, or what time you get home from sports practice, your mom will always be there for you as your biggest supporter.
Baudendistel
Congradulations to Kevin Crimmins and Marina Chura for winning this week’s crossword puzzle!
Crossword Winner