sluh.org/prep-news
St. Louis University High School | Friday, September 25, 2026
Volume XCI, Issue VI
8 named National Merit Semifinalists
Alvear presents research on perceptions of doctor AI use at Cornell BY Brendan Hunt News Editor
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(From left to right) Seniors Brady Stein, Cullen Wenger, Tommy Pitlyk, Patrick Gattas, Luke Jones, Luke Hartweger, Mac O’Connell, Joe Talleur and Interim Principal Megan Menne (middle). BY Tyler Roach News Editor
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total of eight St. Louis U. High seniors qualified as National Merit Semifinalists this year, completing the penultimate round be-
fore being officially named National Merit Finalists. SLUH is one of only two Catholic all-boys schools in the St. Louis area to have any semifinalists this year. Last October, these eight students scored approximately in the top .5
Group of students and faculty departed Thursday for the beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen: the first Beatification on US soil in nearly 10 years.
athematics teacher Fernando Alvear travelled to Cornell last week to present his research on how doctors are perceived based on if they used AI in medical school. Such research is very in-line with Alvear’s Ph.D in philosophy, and he looks to publish the studies as a paper in the near future. This research was done in collaboration with Phillip Robbins, the chair of the Philosophy Department and director of the Experimental Ethics lab at Mizzou. Alvear originally came into contact with Robbins during his time as a Ph.D student at Mizzou. “I invited him to join a research photo | Courtesy of SLUH intstagram team working on the psychology of praise and blame,” said Robbins. percent of all test takers on the PSAT, “This work generated three co-auqualifying them for recognition as thored publications.” Semifinalists. This qualifying score esThese three papers are “Good sentially means students are at the cali- Deeds and Hard Knocks,” “Deformaber of earning a 35 or a 36 on the ACT tive Experience,” and “Love, Money, or a 1450 or higher on the SAT. Based and Blame.” Each of these papers fall continued on page 2 within the field of moral psychology,
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Racers, start your engines! SLUH students compete in annual Go-Kart competition BY Ryan Kindschuh and Warner Cole Staff, reporter
fastest time on one of those kinds of tracks in high school? That’s almost unheard of. Through the annual Junior 500 Series, hosted at the Gateatching competitions like way Kartplex inside World Wide NASCAR and IndyCar is Technology Raceway in Madison, fun, but getting to compete for the Ill., teens ages 15 through 18 raced
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See next week’s issure for more details.
which, through data and surveying, examines how people form judgements about essentially anything. The last paper, “Love, Money, and Blame,” sought to investigate if the judgements people make about criminals are based on someone’s rough economic situation, or if such judgements are based more on adverse emotional situations. Alvear and Robbins’ most recent set of studies on AI and its effects on people’s judgements of doctors, the one presented at Cornell, steered the two in a slightly different direction and gave them room to take a temporary step back from their previous work. Alvear began working on his idea after a professional development day, where a student panel presented about the importance of using AI and being accustomed to using AI in the educational space. “We started thinking about trust,” said Alvear. “How we measure trust. And whether there is an effect between these groups of people who had a doctor who used AI in med school for legitimate things, like
Sophomore Ben Harvath starting a drift.
against each other for the fastest lap time and a chance to win a scholarship to continue competing at the racetrack over the next year. Over the past few years, several St. Louis University High students have per-
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photo | Courtesy of World Wide Technology
feature SoberBills Sobriety program created by alumni O’Keefe and Pratt of the Class of 1998, creates a space for reunion weekend. Page 3
AOTW: Senior QB Patrick Stein breaks down his first big varsity wins, his go-to pregame snack, and why this Jr. Bills offense is unstoppable right now. Page 6
entertainment Crossword Puzzle it up with this week’s crossword from Mr. Baud! Page 8
sports news Football Latvia SLUH football bests St. Dominic’s Jr. Bills crossed the pond to Europe to away to go 3-1 and looks ahead to explore the Balkan countries as a part challenge against Lift for Life tonight. of SLUH’s Global Education program. Page 5 Page 2 sports
sports College Football SLUH sports editors Henry Hassenstab and Jack Powers pick their top 5 players so far this season. Page 7
INDEX
news Car Club Safety Is your car running? You better go catch it! Car Club spends advisory teaching sophomores how to properly take care of their cars. Page 2
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News
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Features
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Sports
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Entertainment
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Prep News
NEWS
September 25, 2026
Volume 91, Issue 6
AMDG
Be prepared: Car Club hosts driving safety presentation during Advisory BY Lucas Nolan and Andrew Yoffie Staff
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ophomores filled the Joseph Schulte theater and the circle drive during Advisory this week for Car Club’s annual safety presentation. Upstanding members of the Car Club taught the new and soon-to-be drivers tips for car maintenance, and Director of Security Dan Schulte ’93 gave students a moving speech in the theater focused on safety behind the wheel. The circle drive and surrounding sidewalk space held a couple of extra cars, each with a few Car Club members demonstrating vital skills to any driver. Their first demo was how to change a tire; a few volunteers from each Advisory got hands-on practice cranking the car jack and replacing the lug nuts. The sophomores were also shown how to ensure proper tire pressure using the gauge and the recommended PSI level. They then moved past the tires and checked out under the hood of the car, where they learned how to check the car’s oil levels and quality, and to look out for signs they should replace their oil, the most common being dark, thick oil on the dipstick. Finally, they learned one of the most important skills for new drivers: how to jump your car. They were taught how to handle the jumper cables as well as how to order and position them between two cars. Students did not, however, get to jumpstart any engines since the cars used for the presentation were the Car Club members’ cars.
The skills taught throughout the presentation are very important for new drivers to know in the case that something bad happens to their car while driving. Even though there are always people you can call to get help, knowing these skills can save students a lot of time, and it lets people have a deeper understanding of the vehicles they drive every day. “Sometimes waiting hours for a tow truck or someone to come and help is fine, but often it just isn’t necessary if you’ve spent a bit of time learning how to help
yourself,” said Kevin Foy, Assistant Principal of Academics and Car Club Moderator. “It is important to have a connection with the things you rely on. Technology is
making it easier and easier to disconnect from so many practical things in our lives. Being able to take control of a situation and use your own skill and knowledge to change the outcome is a transferable way to see the world that serves all of us well.” Current Car Club members have even used these skills in their own lives. “I personally
presentation is definitely something we should keep doing.” After the sophomores learned all the skills being taught outside, they were ushered inside to the theater to listen to Schulte’s speech. “I want you guys to hear what I say and hopefully you guys respect me enough to understand,” said Schulte, in a later interview. “I don’t just say it to scare you, but because I’ve actually seen it.” Schulte spoke Art | Henry Riggan
learned a lot in my sophomore year, and I’ve had to do all three of those things throughout my time here at SLUH,” said Car Club president, Dominic Benoist. “I think the Advisory
about getting pulled over by a police officer, how to act and what to do to keep the situation orderly and to make sure the new drivers don’t panic or escalate the situation. “When you have a guy with a gun and handcuffs and a taser and a nightstick and mace and a lot of backup, what can happen if you freak out?” said Schulte. “So I want to get you guys ready, so that when you do get pulled over
eventually, because everyone’s gonna get pulled over eventually, you’re going to handle it and you and the officer are going to go home safe.” Additionally, Schulte discussed distracted driving and driving under the influence of any sort of substance, both of which are incredibly risky and put the driver, the passengers, and all the nearby cars in danger. With inexperienced drivers, mistakes will happen, and looking at a phone or being mentally inhibited by substances significantly increases the risk of a crash or accident. “I’m trying to impact one of you guys because I care about you. I don’t want anything to happen to you guys,” said Schulte. “You guys could cause a lot of damage because you just don’t seem very aware sometimes. So, I try to bring that home in the message I bring to the kids, that accidents are one of the leading causes of death for teenagers.” Safety while driving is one of the most important and one of the simplest skills all of the new drivers can build. Starting t h e skills of putting down the phone, getting an Uber or a safe ride home, and preparing for the inevitable event of being pulled over can save new drivers’ lives. Nobody expects or plans for an accident, so the next time anyone finds themself checking their phone, talking to their carpool in the backseat, or in an unsafe driving situation of any kind, they can take action to protect themself and others as a safe, responsible driver.
Jr. Bills spend two weeks in Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania BY Tommy Pitlyk and Mark Boeckmann Staff, reporter
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his summer, St. Louis University High seniors Luke Payton, Mason Wilderson, Alex Kean, Mario Ruggeri, Sebastian Sandoval, Sawyer Ditto-Husek, Will Brasser and Daniel Chakvetadze, along with SLUH teachers Robert and Marina Chura, spent two weeks abroad in the Balkans, a beautiful set of three Eastern European countries comprising Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania. The trip was part of an exchange program with Vilnius Jesuit High School. The trip began with a ride in a school van up to Chicago, where they boarded a flight for Poland, and, after around nine hours in the air, they arrived safely overseas. After a brief time in Poland, they moved to their first major destination in the Balkans: Vilnius, the capital and largest city of Lithuania. In Vilnius, the group stayed in a hotel, and after a day or so they met up with some of the local students from Vilnius Jesuit High School who were part of the exchange program for a tour of the
surrounding area. “I honestly thought it was better than getting a tour guide,” said senior Mason Wilderson. “It was more of an authentic tour because of them.” SLUH students also undertook some adventures with the local students during their allotted free time on the trip, which was frequent, and allowed them to get a feel for the culture and geography on their own beyond the school mandated programming. “Some kids from the exchange texted us like ‘we should hang out’ and Mr. Chura said it was ok, so we went to this abandoned prison where they were showing the World Cup,” said Wilderson. “It was really cool.” While they were in Europe, the students delved into the local culture, and one of the ways in which they did so was through food. After their first group dinner in Vilnius, the group tried local cuisine for the first time, and decided they would make a running challenge out of it, sampling local foods and “rating” them in each of their subsequent stops. After Vilnius, the group traveled to Riga, Latvia, to participate in their
portion of the language immersion program. Every student on the trip is a part of the SLUH Russian language and culture program, and as such, they took Russian lessons at a local school as a part of the trip. The circumstances were perfect for rapid absorbance of language, as the teacher communicated entirely in Russian. “She did not speak any English,” said Wilderson. “So the classes were pretty tough. Daniel Chakvetadze is fluent in Russian, so he’d translate for us.” The students also spent a lot of time engaged with their host families, who were connected with SLUH through the Baltic center in Riga, and exploring Riga and the surrounding area. In their classes through the Baltic center, students were paired up with native speakers to practice their Russian language skills. “There’s a group of teenagers or maybe, you know, young college students who come and do like two-hour peer speaking sessions with our kids,” said Russian teacher and SLUH Global Ed director Robert Chura. “Then afterwards we go bowling together or do
something else social.” The language learning aspect of the trip was a key part of the SLUH global mission that they incorporated into the trip to distinguish between a true immersion experience and just a vacation. In their free time in Riga, students spent their time on all kinds of activities. One highlight was a go-karting excursion in what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse, with senior Luke Payton emerging victorious, narrowly ahead of senior Alex Kean. Some students also took time to throw the frisbee around in the enormous outdoor plaza in front of the Vilnius Old Town Church. Another awesome opportunity the students had was to visit the Occupation Museum in Lithuania and the KGB museum in Estonia. The museums detailed the history of the Balkans under Soviet Occupation and the history of the enigmatic Soviet secret police force that controlled the Eastern Bloc during much of Soviet occupation. “When we go to the museum of the occupation of Latvia, there’s times where kids have the opportunity to see that this is a museum that’s devoted to
history and political movements but so much of it aligns with what we’re about as a Jesuit school,” said Chura. “We go to this museum not just to learn about history but to experience their reality and to be able to stand in solidarity with their struggles.” While in Riga, the students traveled to Tallinn, Estonia for a weekend to learn about the unique culture and history of that region. They stayed for two days, and when they returned it was almost time to fly back to St. Louis. Upon their return, the students participated in Jesuit reflection on their experience and how their perspectives on many things had been shifted by their experiences. “SLUH is just such an amazing place from that standpoint,” said Chura. “I work with Jesuit schools all over the United States and, you know, they all have rich histories just like SLUH does, but people are always amazed that we’re able to find kids and families that want to have these experiences and develop themselves in these unusual ways, it’s just amazing as a teacher and an adult to watch that all happen.”
Eight recognized as National Merit Semifinalists; ready for final step (continued from page 1)
on probability alone, only five people out of a group of one thousand would qualify as National Merit Semifinalists. But once you are commended as a Semifinalist, the process for becoming a finalist is much more linear. “Once a student becomes a semifinalist, it’s not a perfunctory process, it’s very straightforward,” said National Merit Scholar advisor Kevin Crimmins. “You have to get another test score (either the ACT or SAT), you have to do an application, with letters of recommendation and an essay. And if everything matches up, 90 to 95 percent are likely to become a finalist.” The process for getting into that top percentile in the first place, however, is not nearly as easy. In the senior class of
2027, only two or three students out of 251 would be selected if the process were completely random. This statistic really highlights how talented SLUH is academically. Studying for the test was hard, but students weren’t alone during the study process. One major resource provided by math teacher Craig Hannick helped students understand and prepare for the test. “My junior year, Mr. Hannick offered a prep class for three weekends and so that helped me a lot,” said senior Mac O’Connell. “It made me more familiar with the structure of the test. Even though the test covered familiar content, the way questions were worded oftentimes obfuscated their meaning. Learning that was the most important thing.”
Once a semifinalist becomes a finalist, the rewards can be significant in either helping the student earn scholarships or boosting their application to help them get into extremely selective colleges. “Institutions can offer scholarships to National Merit Finalists, and that’s where the money gets real,” said Crimmins. “For instance, if you look at the University of Missouri, they have a National Merit Finalist or Semifinalist scholarship. If you get that recognition, they will pay you to go to college in Missouri, tuition free.” The scholarship money offered is extremely intriguing for many. Having college completely paid for would completely eliminate college debt. “For me, the school I’m looking into
is the University of Alabama because they offer an automatic scholarship to all finalists,” said senior Tommy Pitlyk. “A full ride scholarship like that one would make it a lot easier to go into a field that I actually want to go into without having to worry about student debt.” But the recognition doesn’t just help the applicant get scholarships to selective schools, they also help to get into highly selective schools. “I’d probably say that in any given year, a third to half of our finalists take advantage of the scholarship opportunities that come from this program,” said Crimmins. “The other half are utilizing the National Merit Finalist as a boost to their application to highly selective schools. All of those schools, their admit rates are below 20 percent or below
10 percent. How do we stand out? Well, if I can tell them ‘I’m also a nationallyrecognized scholar’, that’s a big boost.” Although the application process for becoming a finalist after being recognized as a semifinalist is fairly straightforward, it still requires serious attention and care. The centerpiece of the application is the personal essay, which requires applicants to show a multi-facated view of themselves in only 650 words. “My essay is about magic tricks, which I became enamored with as a child. I use it as kind of a glue to tie together a lot of my interests,” O’Connell said. “So I compare it to music, especially percussion with how there’s a lot of fundamental building blocks and both for music and magic.”
NEWS
September 25, 2026
Prep News Volume 91, Issue 6
AMDG
A safe space on reunion weekend: How the SoberBills have kept alumni on the path to sobriety for the past eight years BY Charlie LaBarge Staff
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idden among the many festivities of reunion weekend are the SoberBills, founded by St. Louis U. High alumni Greg Pratt, Kevin O’Keefe, and an anonymous alum, all graduates of the class of ’98. The group has met for eight consecutive years, making their mark on the SLUH community since 2018. The John J. Divine Alumni Service Award, presented to an outstanding alumnus or group of alumni in recognition of their dedicated service to St. Louis U. High, was given this year to O’Keefe and Pratt. The SoberBills is an alumni association run by Pratt and O’Keefe and supported by the administration. Director of the Alumni Association Phil Donato has also been an instrumental piece of the program, coordinating the marketing, communication, and planning.
“I’d be remiss if I didn’t say this would have not happened or started if we didn’t have the Alumni Association and the administration and staff support of doing it, because at first it was open arms,” said Pratt. These meetings typically take place before reunions and parties at SLUH; alumni meet in the same classrooms where they once learned. “It’s simply a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous for Jr. Bill alumni on their reunion weekend,” said Pratt. “I have had several guys come to the meetings who are in AA, who are alums, who it’s not their reunion weekend, but they want to come and show support and help get a meeting and be part of it.” Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was founded in 1935 in Akron, Ohio by Bill Wilson. While on a business trip, Wilson found that it is much easier to maintain sobriety when you have other people supporting you, and so AA began to gain trac-
tion around 1940, and eventually became what it is today. “It is an opportunity for these guys to get together and talk about their struggles and their temptations and how they can overcome them in light of the fact that people are here celebrating with beverages of all sorts, including alcoholic beverages,” said Donato. “It keeps these guys on a path to sobriety, and it’s a really unselfish and kind thing that both those men do.” The SoberBills meetings are open to any SLUH alumni before a reunion, and serve as a great way for former SLUH students to reconnect and hold each other accountable for their actions as they attend the reunion together. “I would just like more people to realize that it’s there for them and take advantage of it,” said Donato. “Because I talked to some of the guys on the reunion floor who attended the meeting, and it was their first
time doing it, and they were thrilled that it was an option, and it made them feel very safe and comfortable, and able to enjoy the evening without thinking about things that could cause them harm.” While the yearly meetings have been so beneficial for the SLUH community, members of the SoberBills want to push further and
accomplish new and greater things. “We are talking to Fr. Stewart, and he’s about expanding this to just having a monthly meeting on campus, a monthly meeting of SoberBills for any alum in the program, and who happens to be in town that day, or in the area or otherwise, just coming in for a monthly meeting,” said Pratt.
Greg Pratt and Kevin O’Keefe with their awards.
photo | Courtesy of Phil Donato
Alvear presents research on effect of AI training on trust (continued from page 1) studying research ideas, versus those who did not.” The research started in May, and, in order to get started and collect data, the two researchers used a platform called Prolific, which allowed them to survey a couple hundred people over the course of their research from representative populations. They quickly found surprising results from their
Alvear in front of the McGraw clock tower at Cornell. photo | Courtesy of Fernando Alvear
first survey, which had 216 participants. “We found what we predicted, which is a penalty on trust between patients who were ‘treated’ by a doctor that used (AI) training,” said Alvear. “But we also found a reward — this is something surprising — between the control and the group of patients whose doctors did not use AI.” Essentially, the control group, in which patients were given absolutely no information about doctors using AI or not, performed worse on the trust scale than those patients who were told that their doctor explicitly did not use AI. (See the accompanying graph.) “We thought that the effect could be explained by integrity or benevolence, like we thought that the effect (was caused by) people thinking that doctors were somehow cheating, not doing things properly,” said Alvear. “But people don’t think that. People think that no, the (doctor’s) abilities are the problem.” In order to further clarify their results and account for any confounding variables, the researchers per-
formed another survey: asking people if their trust in a doctor changes based on whether the doctor was in charge of something serious, like a heart condition, or something less serious, such as a minor skin condition. Surprisingly, the results showed that the lack of trust was about the same for both groups. Additionally, they performed a study in which participants were assigned a doctor who was assisted by a human tutor versus an AI, and they found that participants tended to trust the human-tutored doctor more than the AI-assisted one, which added to the evidence of a strong connection between lack of trust and a belief that a doctor studied with AI. “This, of course, has implications about how we talk about AI, how we use AI in schools,” said Alvear. “Maybe some schools would like to not use AI, so people can trust in their professionals more, or… how do we exactly communicate this?” The event at Cornell, called the Inaugural Conference for Moral Psychology, was the perfect chance to present the findings from months
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Alvear at the conference.
photo | Courtesy of Fernando Alvear
of work. Alvear was one of nearly 60 posters in the room, as other researchers and graduate students rotated throughout. “I also did some rounds, too, with others’ (posters),” said Alvear. “So it’s a really cool collaborative thing, and there’s lots of people. There are people that are well-renowned in the field that I know from reading their books.” One of these researchers who Alvear met was David Rand, a Cornell professor who researched how conversations with large language models affect people’s degrees of belief in conspiracy theories. Another researcher, from Brown, sought to determine the effects of reintegration justice for criminals. Outside of these poster presentations, participants in the confer-
ence heard from a variety of keynote speakers and panel discussions, on topics ranging from antisocial lying to how western moral values shape large language models. Having completed an initial presentation of his research and the main data collection, Alvear looks to write a research paper on the topic, which would be the fourth he has coauthored with Robbins. This process will take the next six months to a year, depending on how much critique the paper faces from an academic review panel. “(The research) has made me have a very nuanced view about AI,” said Alvear. “I cannot say that I am pro-AI or anti-AI. I think that’s too broad. We need to think very seriously about the impact it has in the way that we work, and the effects that it has on how our students perform, but also how they are seen. People do not just care about whether your work is good or bad, they also care about how you did it.” To see Alvear’s research, scan the QR code:
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FEATURES
Prep News
September 25, 2026
Volume 91, Issue 6
AMDG
Austin-Lucas joins SLUH community as new athletic trainer BY Logan LaVear and Conor Schilling Core Staff, Staff
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fter an extended search for a second athletic trainer, the St. Louis U. High Athletic Department has finally found the right fit for the position. Jessi Austin-Lucas joined the SLUH community at the beginning of this academic school year as the assistant athletic trainer. The Athletic Department has considered hiring an additional athletic trainer for the past year. The process of finding the right candidate has been quite extensive as there are a limited number of available candidates. As of recently, to obtain the license, athletic trainers must have two degrees: a bachelors and a masters. After looking through multiple candidates, the athletic department decided on Austin-Lucas, who joins current athletic trainer Nicholas Snyder.
“When Mr. Snyder became the only athletic trainer that we had, that created a lot of work for one individual. In the fall, we’ve just got four sports, right?” said Athletic Director Chris Muskopf. “But with soccer having four teams and football having three teams, and swimming having two, and cross country being 100 plus, that’s a lot of student-athletes first and foremost, and there’s a (large) group of student-athletes.” Austin-Lucas is an Illinois native, having grown up in the suburbs of Chicago, where she attended Neuqua Valley High School. Following her secondary education, she moved west to enroll in Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, participating in a pre-athletic training program and minoring in theater. She also obtained her master’s degree at Southeast Missouri State University in exercise science and nutrition. The role of an athletic trainer
includes anything from giving a student ice or a heating pad for a minor injury to deciding if the injury is too major to fix at SLUH. Athletic trainers are also responsible for deciding whether or not the weather conditions are too harsh for students to practice in and if the practice needs to be rescheduled. “I think the part that people
don’t see is that at 3:15 every day, there’s a group of student-athletes that goes down to court level to see someone in the training room; whether it’s to be taped, whether it’s to get ice, whether it’s to, get a heating pad, be fitted for some kind of brace if they need something like that,” said Muskopf. “When there is one trainer down there taking care of the kids that need treatment or
Austin in her previous role as trainer at Marquette. photo | Courtesy of Jessi Austin
taping or icing or whatever, that delays when that person gets outside, and then something could happen outside. And so to have two people, it’s the right thing to do for our numbers and for our schedule.” Austin-Lucas has enjoyed how many students not only come to have an injury looked at but learn about how it happens and how to prevent it in the future. “You guys have surprised me a lot, I will say. You guys are so curious just about not only me as a human being, but also about the injuries that you have,” said Austin-Lucas. Aside from her athletic training duties she has been slowly integrating into the SLUH community. “Truthfully, it’s been almost surprising, because I’m a female coming into an all-male school. I was expecting more people to have kind of their guard up about me, but everybody’s just been cool,” said Austin-Lucas.
Jr. Bills race in yearly Go-Kart competition in Madison, Illinois (continued from page 1) -formed well in the race, and this year was no different. The competition starts three weeks before the finals, where students compete in completely free qualifying rounds to try and earn one of the fourteen spots in the finals. Each qualifying session lasts two hours, which typically gives the racers three opportunities to beat their previous times and climb up the rankings. After each race, students receive a detailed sheet showing their lap times and standings from that session. “It’s really exciting to see if you’ve improved on your previous attempts or if you currently have the best lap for the day,” said sophomore Ben Harvath, who has participated in the competition for the past two years. During the qualifying rounds, students race in rental carts equipped with a bumper system designed to protect the drivers and karts from collisions that can occur with less experienced racers. In the finals, however, students have the opportunity to race in Ignite GoKarts, which are brought in from Margay Racing specifically for the
Sophomore Ben Harvath’s car.
event. These karts typically cost thousands of dollars and can shave precious seconds off a racer’s original time thanks to their powerful engines and lighter weight. For the average high school student, an opportunity like this is rare. “It’s a good opportunity because it’s something that’s free,” said SLUH science teacher Tim O’Keefe, the moderator for the Go-Karting Club. “Going over there and getting to the track and then getting the chance to race go-karts for free is fun. And then if you place, you’re going to use the Ignite carts, which is cooler.” One of the biggest prizes of the competition is the scholarship to compete in the upcoming Ignite Series at the racetrack. This fund, which is supported by the Raceway Gives Scholarship Program, is designed to develop young racers with deserving talent. The scholarship provides the winner with a cart, entrance fees, and training and practice opportunities, allowing aspiring racers to continue developing if they hope to pursue racing as a career. “What I found is that there are a few guys that are really into racing,”
said O’Keefe. “This is where some of the guys that are actually race car drivers, like Indy or even NASCAR drivers, started off when they were younger: doing go-kart.” Over the past few years, several SLUH students have taken this opportunity to practice and compete on the race track, with impressive results. In 2024, current junior Marly Lindenbusch won the competition, earning the scholarship, and in 2025, current junior Charlie Moeser took third place and Harvath got fourth. This year, four SLUH students qualified for the finals with four of the top 14 times from all the qualifying rounds. In the finals, sophomore Emmett Gaspar placed fourth with a time of 35.651 seconds, followed by Harvath in seventh with a time of 35.789 seconds, sophomore Nick Krawat in eighth with a time of 36.139 seconds, and finally, junior Warner Cole in 12th. “The competition was definitely a lot more competitive this year, but that’s a good thing because it means more people who are interested and trying it out,” said Harvath. Although there is a group of
photo | Courtesy of World Wide Technology
kids that loves go-karting here at SLUH, they don’t really have any formal club centered around gokarting, since their only activities are the races at the beginning of the year. Big plans are in store for the group, however, which has some plans to merge with the popular Car Club in the near future. The Go-Karting Club’s only event of the
The racers lined up at the raceway.
year is its race at Gateway Motorsports Park, but the merger could open the opportunity for more members of the SLUH community to get involved. “It’d be great to get a group of guys going together to organize and make this club more of a permanent thing and do events outside of this one,” said O’Keefe.
photo | Courtesy of World Wide Technology
SPORTS ROLL BILLS ROLL Football destroys undefeated-at-home St. Dominic to improve to 3-1 BY Jack Powers and Henry Fitzpatrick Sports Editor, Core Staff
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he St. Louis U. High football team beat St. Dominic’s 33-3 last Friday to improve to 3-1. The Jr. Bills forgot a bouquet so the least they could do was settle for the blowout win to kick off the Crusaders homecoming weekend, making SLUH the first team to beat St. Dominic’s at home in two years. St. Dominic, winning the coin toss, elected to defer, sending senior quarterback Pat Stein and the offense to the 36-yard line where they started their first offensive series. A pair of early screen passes to senior receiver Will Rainey hit up the sideline, combining for 18 yards and two first downs. Senior Quincy Jones, filling in at running back for an injured Tyler Kozminske, took the next two handoffs, only gaining three yards. On third-and-7, Stein and Rainey mishandled the handoff of an attempted jet sweep and the ball fell to the ground, bouncing for a loss of 11 yards before Rainey jumped on it. The punt team was sent out on fourth-and-18, but Rainey’s punt was blocked, giving the Crusaders the ball on the SLUH 39yard line. SLUH’s defense took the field with their backs pinned against the wall early in the game. Despite this disadvantage, the Jr. Bills did what they do best: wreak havoc all across the field. After gaining just two yards on the Crusaders’ two plays,
Senior Quincy Jones on the run.
the Crusaders attempted their own wildcat play on third-and-long, and had their own botched snap, forcing a punt on fourth-and-12. Jones, who was back to receive the punt, mishandled the return, and a St. Dominic defender jumped on the ball at the 10-yard-line, keeping the Crusader offense on the field. “We shot ourselves in the foot a lot but our guys did a really good job of not losing their composure,” said head coach Adam Cruz. But the SLUH defense stepped up in a huge way once again. Senior captain Kaiden Eleby made a diving tackle for no gain on first down, and Graham Ghere and Jones denied any completions on second and third down, holding the Crusaders to just a field goal. The Jr. Bills’ offense took the field again at the 42-yard line, and went right to work. Stein ran and gained 6 yards, but a holding penalty pushed the Jr. Bills back to second-and-11. On the ensuing play, Jones took the handoff and burst through the line, using his track speed to get to the second level before breaking a tackle and making his way 59-yards to the end zone. With the St. Dominic’s offense back on the field, they relied heavily on their run game to try and break SLUH’s defense. However, the Crusaders only gained 37 yards and two first downs on their quick offensive series before being forced to punt again. Stein and the offense wasted no time picking up yards, as Stein rushed for 11 and found Rainey for 13 on consecutive
plays. SLUH was stalled just short of midfield, as St. Dominic’s star defensive lineman and St. Louis area sack leader Tyson Greiner forced his way into the backfield, sacking Stein on two straight plays and forcing the punt. SLUH’s defense continued to show why they are one of the best in the area, forcing a three-andout, giving the offense back the ball at the 39-yard line. The position was short lived for the Jr. Bills though, as Rainey fumbled on his third-down run, giving the ball back to the Crusaders. “I didn’t get in my head too much about it” said Rainey. “I knew the coaches, my teammates still trusted me.” Continuing their domination, the Jr. Bill defense forced another three-and-out, with the Crusader punt rolling to the end zone for a touchback. Taking over at the 20, Stein connected with tight end Henry Fitzpatrick for a gain of ten, then found sophomore receiver Tristen Johnson streaking down the sideline, for a 70-yard touchdown and the second Jr. Bill score of the night. “I’ve always trusted Pat Stein. He’s gonna put it out there, and I just kept running, and I ended up getting to it,” said Johnson. “It was a very explosive play that really boosted my confidence.” “Going through the week, I knew we had to open the offense up a lot more,” said Stein. “Tristen had a great game before (St. Dominic), so I knew he was only going up from there.” Keeping the momentum alive, the defense forced their third three-and-out of the first half, with defensive backs Graham Ghere and Markell Armstrong making huge tackles to keep the Crusaders from advancing beyond the sticks. “It’s our best defensive start in a long time,” said Cruz. “Everybody’s doing their jobs.” On their next offensive possession, Stein connected with seniors Harry Holmes and Rainey for 21 and 33 yards respectively, quickly putting the Jr. Bills into the red zone. Just one play later, Fitzpatrick caught a pass in the flat and broke three tackles on his way to the end zone. “I think our offense is getting more and more versatile. We’ve shown that our running attack is one of the best in the state, and now we just showed we can air it out on any team,” said Stein. “We just have so many dynamic playmakers.” The offense was on the sideline for just two plays, as SLUH’s defense recovered a fumble from photo | Vic Lewchenko a botched Crusader handoff. With
just 39 seconds remaining in the “I really put in a lot of work half, Stein and the offense worked over the summer, and I was extheir way down the field, with cited to spend so much time with
Jr. Bills wrapping up a Crusader. big pickups from Jones and Johnson. Senior kicker Jackson Seeber drilled a 20-yard field goal to send the game to half, with SLUH holding a commanding 24-3 lead. “Obviously turnovers are going to happen over the course of a game, and it is nice when guys can respond and play well,” said Cruz. St. Dominic received the ball first out of halftime, but failed to get a first down, giving the ball right back to Stein and the offense at the 32-yard line. The Jr. Bills seemed as though they would continue their domination all the way to the end zone, but stalled out with a negative yardage play and failed fourth down conversion. Just two plays later, the Crusaders attempted to air it out, but senior captain Ben Yust came screaming across the field, picking the ball off at the 38-yard line. “It really shut down any remaining energy at St. Dom with their fans, which helped us finish off the game strong,” said Yust. Unable to capitalize on the momentum shift, the offense punted away again, pinning St. Dominic at their own 20-yard line. The Crusaders again failed to make it ten yards, and on their punt, snapped it over the punter’s head for a safety. Back on the field again, Stein began using his legs to chip away at the defense, and on the first play of the fourth quarter, found Rainey across the middle. Rainey caught the pass at the 15-yard line and shook three defenders off him on his way to the end zone. Stein’s third touchdown of the night capped off his 292-yard performance, ending with a 67 percent completion rate.
photo | Vic Lewchenko
the team,” said Rainey, who was sidelined for the first three weeks of the season. “Just being back was great. I was really excited leading up to it.” St. Dominic’s next drive proved to be their most efficient, as they went 65 yards in 11 plays, eating up 6 minutes of game clock. However, once they made it to the 4-yard line, the Crusaders were unable to get in the end zone, as junior Cornelius Anderson Jr. had three short yardage pass breakups to send the Crusader offense off the field. Starting their drive at their own 3-yard line, the offense sent out Fitzpatrick and the Hellcat personnel, who got the first down and allowed the game clock to hit 0:00 with a final score of 33-3. Lift for Life SLUH will now have their first home game in four weeks as they face the 2-2 Lift for Life Academy. This will be a tough test for SLUH as the Jr. Bills and Hawks are ranked as the No. 23 and No. 25 in Missouri, respectively, by Gateway Sports Venue. “Lift for Life is still the same character but a different offensive scheme,” said senior John Ramella. “They have smaller and more athletic guys that we need to make sure aren’t able to get out in space.” The Jr. Bills will look to improve to 4-1 tonight as they begin a fourgame home stand before traveling to Kansas City to face Rockhurst. They’ll look to replicate their success in the past couple weeks with a planned offensive attack and stapled defense.
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SPORTS
Prep News
September 25, 2026 AMDG
Volume 91, Issue 6
Jack Powers and Henry Hassenstab Sports Editors
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Athlete of the Week: Patrick Stein going into the St. Dom’s game, we knew we were going to open up the offense a lot more and get it to our playmakers. I still ran a decent amount, just not as much as in previous weeks. I averaged a little over four yards a carry for 53 yards — that’s a good game, especially against a strong defensive line.
his week the Prep News is highlighting senior SLUH quarterback Patrick Stein. In the past two weeks he has led the Jr. Bills to wins over Chaminade and St. Dominic’s while being a severe threat, both on his feet and in the air. It’s hard to HH: Starting out, what got you imagine a better way to start off in into football? your first two varsity starts. PS: I’ve always loved the game Henry Hassenstab: So obviously, since I was little. We’d have against St. Dom’s — they haven’t some heated games at recess, lost a game at home in two years and then in middle school, — and you walked in, passed for 3 I played for Kirkwood, touchdowns, and 292 yards. What which is when I first did you expect from that game go- started tackle football. ing into it? I played with Alex Reh and Charlie Patrick Stein: I expected a row- Steines on that dy environment for sure, but it’s team, so that built nothing we haven’t already played the connections for through. We had some pretty some of our chemistry tough, loud environments earlier on SLUH’s team today. But yeah, in the season. We knew going into I’ve always loved the game. it that it was going to be a tough place to play, but we were ready JP: That’s great. Do you have a fafor it. vorite player or someone you try to model your game after? HH: I had the pleasure to watch that Tristen Johnston touch- PS: There are a lot of ways I could down as well. Just kind of run me go with this. I would say Thomas through that play and tell me what Castellanos, the Florida State legyou were thinking. How did you end. Just his playmaking ability see it? — we’re similar height-wise, and obviously I model my game after PS: It was actually the same route his running ability, but also the that he scored on in a previous way he can air it out and always game. When they called the play be a threat no matter who he in, I sort of already knew the out- is going against, whether it’s come of the play before it even ’Bama or any other team. happened. Tristen is a great player, so I knew he would get it. Tristen HH: Patrick, you’ve had his breakout game last week, really developed at and it’s really only up from there. SLUH, working your way up through all Jack Powers: Okay. Pat, I gotta ask four years to take you, you’re an incredible runner. on this starting What’s changed since Pat Ramella’s role. What has been out? When he’s in, it’s more that taught you of a dynamic split. Now that it’s all that is different on you, what’s changed? from just stepPS: There was obviously more ping into the role early on? running when he was healthy, but
PS: I’ve learned to just persevere no Fitzpatrick right now. Our offense helps everyone else. Beyond that, matter what situation you’re hand- is pretty much I’m representing the school and ed. I didn’t always know opportu- uneveryone who came before us. nities were coming, but you make Knowing that I can put on a the best out of them and continue show on Friday night benefits SLUH and my brothers on the team. JP: Pat, you’re down, last play of the game. Would you rather throw a Hail Mary touchdown pass or stiff-arm a defensive back running in for a touchdown t win? stoppable, and we need a big win on Friday. JP: Do you have a pregame ritual or go-to snack to get you ready? PS: Yeah, my go-to snack is a Liquid IV, an Uncrustable, and an Apple Go-Go Squeeze. Then I just get the music going to get locked in, calm the nerves, get hyped up for the game, and we’re rolling from there. HH: When you’re playing, is there anything greater that you feel like you represent, beyond just your position? PS: I feel like I represent my team first of all—the people I play with. The stuff I can do on the field can benefit them. The goal of a football
with the grind week in and week out. Those opportunities come for anyone — obviously they came a little later for me, but I was able to take advantage, and I’m still working week in and week out. We’re taking it one week at a time, but I’m really excited to put on a show with the offense we have. We got two receivers back from injuries in the St. Dom’s game —Will Rainey and Harry Holmes —Tristen is on a tear, and no one can tackle
PS: Hail Mary pass. Tristen is going to be in the end zone. Touchdown, we win, and everyone going crazy. HH: What’s the game you’re most excited for this season? PS: I’m really excited for Friday night to just put on a show, but after that, next week we’ve got De Smet. That’s a big MCC game. Honestly, Friday and De Smet are our next two games, and I’m really hyped for them because we’re going to make a statement on how good our team really is. I feel like we’re very underrated right now, but we’re going to get everyone to see how good our offense and our whole team actually are. JP: What is one characteristic of the SLUH football team that makes it so special and different from years past?
PS: It’s really just our mentality. We know we can beat any team we play against. That’s why the CBC game was so close — we can beat anyone in the state, and that’s why we’re going to go on a big run in the playoffs. We’re taking it one week at a time, and we’re getting better every single week. The pace we’re growing at is pretty crazy, team and we’re going to be a big threat is that everyone wants the same to anyone. thing, and each person has to play their individual part. Me going out there and playing my best
Starts and Sits: Who to play, not play in Fantasy BY Jack Freeman and Ryan Couture reporters
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fter two weeks of NFL football, fantasy managers are starting to get a better idea of which early performances are real and which ones might not last. Week 2 saw several big performances (Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Josh Allen, Davante Adams), but injuries also changed the outlook on a lot of fantasy teams. Names like Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams, Saquan Berkley, and DJ Moore are among many of the important players who left with injuries. Here are some players fantasy managers should consider starting and sitting in week 3. START Jalen Coker: Coker has been one of the biggest surprises at receiver through two weeks. The Carolina pass catcher opened the season with eight catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns, then followed that up with 8 catches for 66 yards in Carolina’s Week 2 win over Atlanta, averaging 21.7 PPR points through his first two games. Carolina goes up
against an easily-exploitable Cleveland defense in week 3, ranked 7th in points allowed to wide receivers through the first two weeks. Sixteen catches through two games shows Coker is not relying on one big play or a random touchdown, but instead is a consistent playmaker that is capable of commanding a large target share. START Tyler Shough: Having gone off draft boards at an ADP of 155 as the QB20, Shough is one of the highest outperformers of their ADP this season, currently sitting at QB6. In week 1, Shough threw for 410 yards and three touchdowns, then completed 27 of 34 passes for 352 yards and a touchdown and rushed for one touchdown the following week against Baltimore. Shough has scored more than 22 fantasy points in each of his first two games. Coming off an upset victory over Baltimore in week 2, Shough is looking to continue his campaign as an elite fantasy QB going into week 3 and is certainly worth starting QB considerations in fantasy this week.
SIT Quishon Judkins: Despite a sizable workload, Judkins has yet to capitalize so far this season. Through two games, he has 24 carries for only 54 yards, an average of just 2.3 yards per carry, also contributing zero touchdowns. Judkins is averaging just 8.4 PPR points per game in his first two weeks. According to ESPN analytics, Clevland ranks 6th worst in offensive yards per game and 8th worst in total points while facing two defenses ranked in the bottom half of the league. Cleveland has yet to show that they can create consistent running lanes for Judkins, so wait another week before putting him in lineups. SIT Travis Etienne: So far, Etienne has not lived up to the promises of his 4 year, $48 million contract posed. In week 1, backup Kendre Miller not only took on 9 total rushes in the game but also hawked away a potential touchdown for Etienne, running in an 8 yard score in the third quarter. Come week 2, 31 year old running back Alvin Kamara, in his first game back from an MCL injury suf-
Upcoming Swim Meets fered over the summer, commanded 15 touches to Etienne’s 10. On top of this, the Saints face off against the Raiders defense this week, ranked 10th in rushing defense through the first two weeks of the year. With the Saints clearly not seeing him as a key component in their offense, sit Etienne if possible for the time being. SLUH Fantasy Scores vs St. Dominic SLUH’s Top Fantasy Performers and D/ST: 1. Pat Stein: 292 passing yards, 3 passing touchdowns, 53 rushing yards - 28.98 fantasy points, tied for QB4 2. Tristen Johnson: 4 catches, 118 receiving yards, 1 touchdown - 21.8 fantasy points, tied for WR9 3. Quincy Jones: 9 rushes, 97 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown, 1 catch, 8 receiving yards - 17.5 fantasy points, tied for RB7 4. D/ST: 2 sacks, 3 points allowed, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception - 15 fantasy points, D/ST4
COMO Invitational - September 25-26 Dual Meet v.s. Vianney - October 1 Dual Meet v.s. De Smet - October 9 MICDS & Parkway West Tri-Meet -October 16 Dual Meet v.s. Chaminade -October 22
SPORTS
September 25, 2026
Prep News Volume 91, Issue 6
AMDG
7
SLUH soccer responds well to loss against St. Dom, wins 2 straight to jump to 7-1-2 BY Henry Beuligmann, JD Rossouw, and Colt Amann reporters
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fter a tough loss to St. Dominic’s last week, the St. Louis U. High soccer team bounced back with a blowout win over Vianney and a win against the previously undefeated Notre Dame Irish out of Springfield, Missouri. On Thursday, SLUH had their first home MCC game of the year against the Vianney Griffins. The Jr. Bills were looking to restart their momentum after the disappointing loss to St. Dominic, and the opportunity to gain revenge after a tough loss to Vianney
Max Minniegerode crossing it in. last year. After a 6:30 kickoff time in the heat, the Jr. Bills immediately played their normal game of keeping possession and creating chances. However little worked, and despite the Bills carrying the ball up the field multiple times, they couldn’t find the net, and the first half ended with a score of 0-0. Early in the second half, SLUH was granted a free kick on the sideline near the stands. Senior Paddy Byrne opted to take it, and crossed the ball
into the box where Will Journagan jumped over the Vianney defenders and headed the ball into the back of the net. That goal gave the Jr. Bills a spark, making the score 1-0. Not too long after, Byrne received the ball at the top of the box from senior Teddy Cotton who took a touch to his right and fired a screamer off the post into the back of the net to put SLUH up 2-0. As the game was winding down, senior Caleb Vilmer got the ball near the PK spot and fired a shot on goal that ended up in the back of the net. That goal summed up the Jr. Bills’ second half performance of capitalizing on the chances they created. SLUH
photo | Logan LaVear
ended up winning the game 3-0, capturing their first MCC win of the year, and made a statement to the rest of the MCC that they aren’t a team to be taken lightly. “One of the good things about soccer is that you can move on quickly and take what you learned from the day before and move it to the next game,” said head coach Bob O’Connell. “I’m happy with the result.” SLUH had a few days off of rest before their next game the following
Tuesday. Notre Dame Springfield drove in from Peoria to challenge the Jr. Bills Varsity and JV squads. Notre Dame being undefeated motivated the Jr. Bills to make a statement on their home turf. Furthermore, SLUH was fired up after shutting out Vianney, and were ready to do damage against any opponent in their way. “Our mindset going into the Notre Dame game was that we are mostly focused on what we do well and the result will follow,” said captain junior Will Journagan. “The boys were confident we would get the job done and excited to play an extra game added to the schedule.” The Jr. Bills got off to a hot start with junior Tagen Jonsson bobbling one into the back of the net within the first 10 minutes of the first half. Despite transferring in his junior year to play for SLUH, Tagen has been pivotal to the team, and has been a key part of many of the Jr. Bills victories in the previous weeks. “I had to learn how to stay composed with the faster games,” said Jonsson. “A part of it was learning where I fit in on an already good team and moving up to winger.” For the rest of the half, the Jr. Bills slowed down slightly, not creating many chances, until the whistle blew to signal the end of the first 40 minutes of the game. After an encouraging halftime talk from O’Connell, the Jr. Bills were ready to get back on the pitch. With about 25 minutes left to go in the second half, sophomore Bobby O’Connell crossed a high flying ball into the box off a corner kick, landing perfectly on Journagan’s head and into the goal. “My goal in the second half set the tone that any chance we get we capitalize,” said Journagan. “I think the goal really let everyone else play with more freedom and confidence due to having the lead.”
O’Connell rallying the team. To finish off the game, or so eveone thought, senior striker Gabe Khazen made a run in behind the defense where he played a perfect through ball just before he struck it in the bottom right corner to put SLUH up 3-0. The Notre Dame boys didn’t go down without a fight though, securing one goal off of a poor clearance in the box to get their hopes up a tiny bit. Although they showed they could play with the Jr. Bills, they couldn’t handle
Noah Medina dribbling ball into box.
photo | Logan LaVear
the heat, and that one goal wasn’t enough, allowing SLUH to win 3-1 in a confidence boosting victory. Despite taking two losses, the Jr. Bills still have a 7-1-2 record and have outscored their opponents 226. SLUH has also faced three out of town teams, a couple being nationally ranked and powerhouses in their states and cities.
photo | Logan LaVear
Editors’ early top 5 CFB players before conference play BY Henry Hassenstab and Jack Powers Sports Editors
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n the great sport of college football there’s always variety. From Fighting Irish to Stanford Trees, there’s no shortage of things to talk about. The same can go for commentary, which the Prep News’ very own sports editors have decided to go into depth on. We’ve talked about teams, now let’s take it to the personal level. Here are our top five players in College football so far. No. 5 Henry Hassenstab: Arch Manning. If you’re gonna talk about the best, you have to pick the guy who beat the best. Ohio State was No. 1 when Texas beat them, and Arch Manning’s second half proved exactly why he’s a Manning. He brought the team back against insurmountable odds, and you could tell that he was throwing on instinct and pure God-given talent. Some may say that his stats aren’t up to caliber with the other picks for the best quarterback, but if my team’s down 20 points in the second half, then there’s nobody else I would want in the backfield. When you have a receiving corps of St. Louis U. High’s Ryan Wingo and Cam Coleman, as well as Hollywood Smothers in the backfield, you’re definitely going to make an impact.
Jack Powers: Trinidad Chambliss. I’m not an Ole Miss fan but this guy is too fun to not root for. Against LSU and former coach Lane Kiffin — a snake — Chambliss threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns — in one half. After beginning his career at Ferris State, Chambliss has blossomed into one of the strongest dual-threat QB’s in the nation and leads a team with real hopes at a national championship. Ole Miss already has two ranked wins and in those games combined Chambliss had 763 total yards, 7 touchdowns, and an average QBR of 83.1. Simply put, he’s that guy. No. 4 HH: Leonard Moore. Simply put, he’s lockdown. The stats simply don’t reveal the true story. Just like how runners never stole bases from Yadier Molina, you best believe that quarterbacks don’t throw the ball Moore’s way. In their game against Wisconsin, Badger QB Colton Joseph pretty much avoided Moore entirely, only throwing his way four times, for which Moore allowed only 2 completions and 16 yards. Notre Dame admittedly has a cupcake schedule this year, but for the BYU and Miami games, I foresee that he will hold his own against JoJo Phillips and Malachi Toney, respectively.
all in only 82 carries. This Duke team deserves a ranking in the AP Top 25 and a lot of that comes from Sheppard. He accounts for 8 of the 11 Blue Devils touchdowns and has 70 more rushing yards than anyone else in the Nation. So far, I believe he holds the slight edge over Florida’s Jaden Baugh for the Doak Walker Award. Guys like Kewan Lacy and eventually Ahmad Hardy (when he comes back healthy), will soak up all the media attention leaving guys like Sheppard unnoticed for their highlevel play No. 3 HH: Malachi Toney. He’s the best player in the ACC, and he’s only going to get better. As he and Mensah develop together, there will only be more and more opportunities for him. With a running back’s power and a receiver’s speed, he is a menace that I can easily see racking up over 1400 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. There’s even a debate that he’s better than Jeremiah Smith, but people aren’t ready for that conversation.
JP: Kamario Taylor. At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, this man is a unit. Taylor has rushed for 178 yards and has thrown 11 touchdowns to 1 interception. He faces his first real test this week against Mizzou but I believe he handles them with JP: Nate Sheppard. 528 rushing ease at home. He ranks 6th in QBR, yards and 5 rushing touchdowns 88.9, and is my early pick to be the
first sophomore to win the Heis- from Carson Beck’s backup into a man since Caleb Williams. dominant force. I know that he hasn’t played anyone good yet, No. 2 but this Georgia team looks to be HH: Kewan Lacy: while it might one of the most dominant in recent just be rage against Kiffin that sup- memory. If Kirby Smart can utilize plied his awesome performance Stockton’s elite efficiency against last week, Lacy has been a unit powerhouse opponents, then this for an Ole Miss team that I don’t year will be reminiscent of the late foresee losing a game this season. 2010’s for Georgia. Smart has proAlthough he hasn’t had his “big” duced talents to the likes of Stetgame yet, I still think that he’s due son Bennett IV and Carson Beck, for one any week now. His perfor- Stockton is the best quarterback mance against LSU was admittedly for Georgia since Matthew Stafbrief, but when he shined it was ford. He has an average passer ratbrilliant. After Ahmad Hardy’s en- ing of 259 throughout these first trance into the Mizzou program, three games, and that’s not just Lacy got shoved out, making the something you can ignore. Tigers sorry everyday. When Ole Miss inevitably goes to the play- JP: Jeremiah Smith. I mean he’s offs, I foresee that he will be a been ready for the NFL since he nightmare for defenses to handle. was a freshman. He’s amassed 400 receiving yards and three touchJP: Darian Mensah. You can ar- downs in only three games. He gue this Miami team hasn’t played broke Michael Jenkins’ record for anybody but when you throw 11 most receiving yards in Ohio State touchdowns at an 89.9 percent history and is only 22 receptions completion rate while throwing and six touchdowns away from zero picks you put the league on breaking Emeka Egbuka and Chris notice. This is his third school in Olave’s receptions and touchdown three years, and while I believe he records. All the other receivers I’ve is a top-5 pick in the 2027 NFL named spend four years at Ohio draft, I believe a player I have State while Smith is not even halfranked lower will win the Heis- way through his junior season. His man. I could very well see him route-running and physical tools going No. 2 in the 2027 NFL draft are simply unmatched. He’s a genand being the first QB off the erational talent and the best player board. in college football since Ashton Jeanty. No. 1 HH: Gunnar Stockton has evolved
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Prep News
DRAFT BIJAN
September 25, 2026
Volume 91, Issue 6
AMDG
PN CROSSWORD: Funny Business Sox mascot 29. Really bothers 30. Periodic table creator Mendeleev 31. Earn below 60 percent 32. With affection 35. Tax pro 36. Gen _____: one born 1965-1980 41. Headliner 42. [This is heavy!] 43. _____ and haw 45. More uncertain 49. Discontinued small iPods
50. Tendon 52. Thin coating 53. Largest joint 54. Type of jigsaw puzzle piece 55. Breakfast area 56. Winter driving hazard 57. Near miss in tic-tac-toe 58. Braves’ div. 59. Apprehend 60. National Mall tree
91.05 Answers
Crossword | Paul Baudendistel | criticisms, compliments, and ideas welcome at pbaudendistel@sluh.org
ACROSS 1. Hair-free 5. *Levi’s and records, originally 8. *Surplus fabric, originally 14. *Books door-to-door, originally 15. Car nut 16. Eye-related 17. *Nerve tonic, originally 19. Like Christmas lights and tennis rackets 20. Elec. bill unit 21. Owned 22. World’s top football grp. 23. Aircraft engine 24. *Restaurant chain, originally 29. Poe’s first name 32. Reddi-_____: canned cream 33. Start of a choosing rhyme 34. *Mail and freight, originally 37. _____ for tat 38. A deadly sin 39. Mas’ mates
40. RR stop 41. *Tractors, originally 44. Golfer Palmer, to fans 46. _____ and Abner, 1931-54 radio show, short for Columbus 47. Actress Zellweger 48. *Stationery, originally 50. Total amount 51. Pharma watchdog 52. Shark sign 53. Jennings of “Jeopardy!” 56. Sea between Italy and Greece 59. *Playing cards, originally 61. *Leather supplies orginally, then plastic pools 62. Ginger _____ 63. *Ladders and ironing boards originally, then wooden toys 64. Applies, as force 65. *Aircraft engines originally, then pots and pans 66. They shall inherit the Earth
Have you ever really botched something in a big way? If you did, how did you treat yourself in the aftermath? How did you recover? I recently played guitar for the wedding of two dear friends. They asked me to play a jazz song, and it had chords that were way beyond my proficiency level. My fingers weren’t used to playing such shapes, so pure muscle memory had to be my path. I worked harder on this song than any other song in my life – practicing multiple times a day for four weeks. The wedding day came. Here was the big moment… I lost my place and dropped out for 3 or 4 measures until I found my way again. AAARGH!!! What followed for me was a great wall of shame and embarrassment. My mental dialogue included thoughts like “I let them down” and “everybody in the room probably noticed.” Have you ever been in such a situation? Maybe you dropped a routine fly ball or forgot that you were supposed to meet a friend after school. Perhaps you totally forgot a loved one’s birthday or flubbed a line in a play.
It’s so easy to beat ourselves up – almost mercilessly – when we goof. The question arises: how do we get past ourselves? Dr. Kristin Neff (Ph.D. in Educational Psychology) is a leader in the field of self-compassion work. She identifies three primary components of self-compassion: kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness. (Check out her work some time!) Here are a few ideas that she offers, combined with some ideas from the School Counseling staff that you might find helpful: 1. Recognize and embrace your own humanity. Making a mistake and feeling inadequate is a universal part of our shared human experience. We are human, after all! Our rich Ignatian spiritual tradition reminds us that we do not have to be perfect in order to be loveable. God has an unconditional love for each of us – even though we make mistakes. 2. Treat yourself with warmth, care, and understanding. It’s easy to pour a big old pile of harsh self-criticism on ourselves – but that only leaves us feeling worse. 3. Change your perspective: If you had a friend who made the same accidental
DOWN 1. Browser button 2. Declare 3. Scottish “lake” 4. Genetic blueprint 5. Rub in a win 6. Scottish “old” 7. Clubs club 8. 80s Canadian equivalent of idiot 9. Class Mr. Hannick teaches 10. More cantakerous 11. Macaw of “Rio” 12. Sought office 13. Common URL ending 18. French darling 23. Pickle container 24. Airport shuttle 25. Tarzan’s realm 26. Closest bowling target 27. Herbal brew that anagrams to SIN TEA 28. Tesla management app or a Bo-
Mental Health Minute Self Compassion
mistake, what would you tell them? Of course, you’d treat him/her with kindness and remind them that “it’s really okay.” Give yourself with the same compassion that a friend would extend to you! 4. See what you can learn from the situation: It’s really hard to learn when we’re beating ourselves up. Asking yourself “what could I have done differently?” can free your mind to treat whatever happened as a situation to learn from rather than one to shame yourself about. In my case (after I forgave myself from my mistake) I realized that I should have kept my eyes on my music and kept counting measures instead of looking up to see the bride and groom! 5. Make amends if you need to. If your mistake involved others, e.g. you forgot to meet a friend, let them know you’re sorry for the inconvenience you caused to them and say “I’m sorry.” Period. You don’t need to offer excuses – just let them know that they matter. That goes a LONG way.
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Prep News Credits Volume 91, Issue 6 “What is your favorite acronym?” News Editors Brendan “MPJ ” Hunt Tyler “GOAT” Roach Sports Editors Henry “YBG DON” Hassenstab Jack “BIJAN1.01” Powers Core Staff Henry “USWAG” Fitzpatrick Logan “IYKYK” LaVear Owen “NXR” Williams Jack “USA” Williamson
Staff Timmy “GDEV” Barrett Jack “CHUD” Case Charlie “LOL” Hugo Sam “ACT” Kappel Ryan “JVXC” Kindschuh Be kind, SLUH, not just to others but to Jack “10PMOT” Klein yourself as well! Charlie “SCUBA” LaBarge
Lucas “FDR” Nolan Tommy “MSA” Pitlyk Conor “NECBTND” Schilling Andrew “FOMO” Yoffie Reporters Colt “YOYO” Amann Henry “YOLO” Beuligmann Mark “IMMOP” Boeckmann Warner “VROOM” Cole Ryan “ILY” Couture Jack “WYLL” Freeman J.D. “J.D.” Rossouw Art Henry “ART” Riggan Photographers Vic “FOTO” Lewchenko Kathy “Be NiCe” Chott Moderator Steve “HtRLLaP” Missey