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St. Louis University High School | Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Volume XCI, Issue VIII
SLUH campus filled with prospective families during annual Open House
Dauphin Players set to debut Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind BY Brendan Hunt News Editor
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Senior Joey Hoeing-Robinson speaking with prospective families. BY Sam Kappel and Colin McCarthy Staff, reporter
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t. Louis U. High opened its doors to the prospective next generation of Jr. Billikens on Sunday, Oct. 11 at the annual Open House. The event was majorly successful, excit-
ing grade school students, impressing families of prospective students, and giving them an idea of how their grade-schooler might one day fit into SLUH. Welcoming 300-plus prospective families, SLUH Open House created an environment suited perfectly to the goal of aiding families in the
photo | Owen Williams
coming high school decision process. Individual tours and shadow days allow students to experience SLUH. However, Open House gives families a chance to glimpse the SLUH community as it comes together to show its plethora of strengths. Through in depth descriptions
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ing a numbered menu under their chairs. An average of two minutes long, each play follows a complete story — a beginning, a journey, and a conclusion. The vast array of opportunities present in this show are what drew McKernan and the creative team to the performance in the first place.
he Dauphin Players of St. Louis U. High are back for their first performance of the school year. Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind will be showing at 7:30 p.m. this Friday and Saturday night, and closing with a 2 p.p. matinee performance this “What’s been Sunday. interesting to Directed me is the colby improv lision of those teacher Kevin two worlds of McKernan, the it being intershow is unique active and live, and brimming Junior Ryan Sextro performing. but also having a with life. The script,” said McKphoto | Courtesy of Kathy Chott premise is simernan. “The audiple: 30 plays in 60 minutes, and ence controls the order, so the fun the audience chooses the order in artistic challenge is which the plays are performed uscontinued on page 8
Coach, teacher, legend: Mark Tychonievich “I want to believe!” Visual arts exhibit opens Endowed Fund for SLUH Football established BY Tyler Roach
and Ethan Heavey News Editor, reporter
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he Art Department opened its first annual art show in their new St. Louis U. High Visual Arts series, featuring prints from artist Michael Pennekamp depicting aliens and other supernatural imagery. This show, which opened on Oct. 6, is the first of many aimed at giving students a look at what art can look like as a career after high school and college graduation. “We used to have (shows like this) all the time,” said art teacher Matty Kleinberg. “This is going to be our first dip back into a fall outside art show. We weren’t sure exactly what to call it, but we did call it the SLUH Visual Arts Gallery Series because it’s got to start somewhere.” Pennekamp was invited to display his art by Kleinberg, whom he met in college and crossed paths with later on numerous occasions including while working together at a silk press shop and while attending the same art convention where Kleinberg
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proposed the idea of displaying his art at SLUH. “We crossed paths at SIU–Edwardsville when I did grad school when he had started on his undergraduate art degree,” said Kleinberg. “After I left, he started doing a lot of print shows and then went on to grad school. He comes through St. Louis once a year for the Print Bazaar on Cherokee, which is a printmaking festival in December. So I usually see his table and we’ve stayed in touch through that event.” Pennekamp became interested in printmaking in college. He recalls one fateful night when he was doing his homework and chose to wander the halls of the Art Department. In the midst of this wandering, he heard someone playing music really loud in the printmaking wing. There, he found a community he would call home for the rest of his college years. “After following that siren song, so to speak, and finding myself in a room full of weird equipment that I didn’t quite understand, I finally got
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news Band Concert You like jazz? Band programs filled the Si Commons during Spirit Week to play songs for friends and family. Page 2 news AP Biology Guest Speaker Christ Nwankwo, PhD, a nephrologist and SLUH father stopped by AP Biology teacher Nhan Pham’s classroom to share his vast experience. Page 3
BY Henry Hassenstab Sports Editor
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to give a brief insight into the life and legacy of a man who wholly embodied the values and teachings of SLUH. Tychonievich, or “Coach T,” was a Latin teacher and football defensive coordinator at SLUH in the 1990s and 2000s, but more importantly he was a friend, leader, mentor, husband, Catholic, and father. His kind influence spread far beyond the field and classroom, and into the hearts of those who he led, worked with, and loved. “He was a living saint,” said theology teacher and former SLUH Athletic Director Dick Wehner. Hired in the early 90’s, Tychoniev-
ich gave 20 years of his life to SLUH. He was hired as a Latin teacher, but after learning of his former football coaching experience, then varsity football head coach Gary Kornfeld was eager to recruit him. “I didn’t know Coach T until the principal told me he had applied for the teaching position,” said Kornfeld. “What a blessing that was! It was like the good Lord sent him to SLUH and our football program.” On the field, Tychonievich’s impact was immediate, felt both by his players and his other coaching staff. His educa-
he term “Men for Others” is one that is central to St. Louis U. High. Being a man for others is a core principle that the over 1000 persons in our building strive for every day, but few can truly say that they exemplify one. When someone in the SLUH community is a man for others, it is a momentous occasion, worthy of praise and recognition. When a man for others dies, his life is honored to the highest extent, and such was the case for Mark Tychonievich. continued on page 7 Two weeks ago, before the opening kickoff for the St. Louis U. High football Jesuits v.s. Cancer game against De Smet, the Mark Tychonievich Endowed Fund for SLUH Football was announced. Established with a gift from Christine and Chris ’02 Finney, the fund is named for Tychonievich, a former football coach and Latin teacher at SLUH who tragically passed from pancreatic cancer in late 2010. For those who knew him, the announcement of the fund was a testament to Tychonievich’s enduring legacy. For those who didn’t, the Prep News hopes Friends of Tychonievich with the endowment certificate.
photo | Courtesy of SLUH website
news Ignatian AI Conference 3 bucks, 2 bags, 1 Ignatian AI Conference at Fordham University! Three faculty attended the three-day conference about the Jesuit AI philosophy. Page 3 sports Football SLUH football recently dominated the Vianney Griffins and Gateway STEM, adding to a 6-2 season record. Page 4
sports Cross Country Varsity XC continued their streak at the MCC Championships, and V2 conquered the Hancock Invitational. Page 5
entertainment Crossword Puzzle it up with this week’s crossword from Mr. Baud! Page 8
sports Coach Evans Is it possible to follow one of the busiest coaches in football? Sports Editor Jack Powers shadowed coach Darren Evans during last Friday’s game. Page 6
INDEX 2
News
3
Features
4-7
Sports
8
Entertainment
2
NEWS
Prep News
October 21, 2026
Volume 91, Issue 8
AMDG
Band and Orchestra fills the Commons with captivating tunes
BY Jack Case Staff
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fter preparing for the whole quarter, Jazz Band 1, Jazz Band 2, Symphonic Band, Concert Band, and Chamber Orchestra all performed their hearts out to family, friends, and classmates at the first band concert of the year on Oct. 6. All of the groups were led by Band Directors Jeff Pottinger and Luke Juergensmeyer. Band concerts are always a special event to witness. A large group of students spend lots of time preparing in class, in the morning, and at home, leading up to the one night where they get to pour their skills out for others to watch and listen. For this Fall concert, the directors chose to perform in the Commons. “I enjoyed the atmosphere of being in the Commons with the students, being able to sit with families and eat food,” said Luke Juergensmeyer. “I prefer the theater, but for one concert out of the year, having a more casual concert like that is cool. It’s not something that every school does and I think that’s a fun thing to do.” The concert began with Jazz 2, directed by Juergensmeyer, playing “My Girl” by S. Robinson and R. White, followed by “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley, both arranged by Rick Stitzel. Jazz Band 2 meets every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday during Zero Hour in the loge. Even though it’s Juergensmeyer’s first year directing for SLUH, Jazz 2 played extraordinarily well under him. “I was just very proud of the Jazz 2 group, I feel like they played great. It’s always a little nerve-wracking for the students and for me, for anybody, when you have a new director coming in,” said Pottinger. “You are thinking to yourself, ‘How is this gonna go?’ and it’s been really remarkable how well everybody’s playing since usually the first year or two is kind of bumpy, but Juergensmeyer is rocking it.” Jazz Band 1 played next, performing “Manteca” by Dizzy Gillespie and arranged by Mike Tomaro and “In The Stone” by A. Willis, D. Foster, M. White and arranged by Paul Murtha. Jazz Band 1 has a lot of return-
ers from last year who are already familiar with the band and the skills needed to succeed. Something unique to jazz is that during the songs there are solo breaks where students improvise across a section of the song. Senior Jack Siegel had an outstanding solo on the piano on “Manteca.” “It was a ton of fun to be able to put my talents on display for everybody. I really felt like when it was my turn to do a solo, I was kind of the star, and I got to show everybody what I can do. I was very proud,” said Siegel. Pottinger chose particularly hard songs to challenge the group and especially the trumpet section early in the year, to test their skills and make them rise to the occasion. Pottinger worked with the trumpet section privately to build their talents and make sure that they would be able to perform their best on the day of the concert. “I’m proud of Jazz Band 1 just through and through. But the trumpet section has grown exponentially in talent, a lot of growth since last year. So, I was especially proud of them,” said Pottinger. “I’m excited to continue to push Jazz 1 with literature and see where they go.” “My favorite song during the concert was probably ‘In the Stone.’ It was really good because my section was having a tough time before the concert, getting it done. But then during the concert, it was just on a whole other level,” said senior Zaylan Williams. “I was very proud of that song. We did have one special meeting with Mr. Pottinger, and I would say Mr. Pottinger is a great teacher, and he really helped us reach our goals.” Chamber Orchestra was up next after Jazz Band 1, and delivered beautiful performances of “Dust in the Wind” by Kerry Livgren, arranged by Larry Moore, and “Libertango” by Astor Piazzolla, arranged by James Kazik. “Dust in the Wind” had an unexpected feature by senior Elliot Marsh on the guitar. Pottinger knew that this song had a guitar solo, but didn’t fully know who was going to play it. “I thought I was going to hire somebody. Then I forgot Elliot plays. Elliot is actually quite a good guitar
player. He and his dad play together, just jam and stuff. Then I played the recording for him in class and he was like, ‘Can I play the guitar in this?’ And I was like ‘Sure, if you can figure it out,’” said Pottinger. “He just showed up one day and had it figured out. It was really cool to hear him play that. You like to see people that have that talent, get to actually share it.” “I mean, that was amazing. Elliot, hes so talented on the guitar. We didn’t even know that he played it until that song got brought up by Mr. Pottinger, and he was like, ‘Oh yeah, I could play the guitar,’ and then he just played amazing,” said senior Eddie Wills. Concert Band was up next and they played “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” by Joe Zawinul, arranged by Jerry Burns and “Smoke on the Water” by R. Blackmore, I. Gillan, R. Glover, J. Lord, I. Paice, arranged by M. Sweeney. Concert Band worked hard with Pottinger, but was primarily led by Juergensmeyer for most of the rehearsals. Symphonic Band was the last to play, performing “You Can Call Me Al” by Paul Simon, arranged by Jay Dawson, and “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Freddie Mercury, arranged by Tom Wallace. Symphonic Band spent most of the quarter playing at each of the home football games as the Pep Band. To highlight their accomplishments and skills gained through the Pep Band-style music, they performed two songs that were also played at football games. While it might sound like the songs for Pep Band are easier than others, these two songs were particularly difficult for the band, because of the tough rhythms and time changes throughout the songs, which also included a solo by the flute and piccolo sections during “You Can Call Me Al.” “I think I’m most proud of the Symphonic Band, especially ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ because it is the most difficult song we’ve ever played, especially for my section. It is very difficult for my bass drums, because it takes a lot of teamwork and a lot of coordination,” said senior Mark Meister. “I think the precision on ‘Bohe-
mian Rhapsody’ with Symphonic Band has come a long way. It was very remarkable, in part because I think of the click track that Luke Juergensmeyer provided for the last rehearsals when we tried to go over those tempo changes. Everybody just showed up and did it right,” said Pottinger. After Symphonic Band finished, all the groups came together to perform “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Freddie Mercury, arranged by Richard Saucedo, as one large section to round off the night.
The concert was an overall success and had many bright and outstanding moments from each group. “It has honestly brought me a huge sense of pride. I was just really proud of everybody. I think that was the best fall concert overall, we’ve had in a really long time. I just was kind of a little overwhelmed by how awesome it was,” said Pottinger. Looking ahead, each group has already begun rehearsing for the Christmas concert on Dec. 1 and the jazz Christmas concert on Dec. 8.
Senior Mac O’Connell.
photo | Kathy Chott
Junior Joon Bautista (left) and freshman Max Jostlein (right).
photo | Kathy Chott
All hands on deck make annual Open House a success (continued from page 1) and displays of educational departments, offices, and programs, SLUH’s job was to leave prospective students and families amazed and desiring a future where they could participate in SLUH’s endless opportunities. Several weeks were spent preparing for the event by students and teachers alike. “Open House is a long-standing tradition that SLUH has held for at
least 50 years,” said Director of Admissions Ann Murphy. “I like SLUH Open House because it allows families to ask focused and personalized questions about their interests.” Students’ roles in the open house were essential to showing prospective student;s parents what kind of man that their son may become at SLUH. Each of the 180 student ambassadors chipped in in their own way, making the event exciting, and personalized to each prospective
Sophomore Tristen Johnson giving a tour.
student’s interests . Many students played different roles, seen especially in both the choir and band programs, each fielding an entire performing ensemble. The tour was efficient, yet exciting, beginning in the theater, then stopping in to watch one of many Choir and Band performances. The tour proceeded through the iLab, then stopped by the weight room, rifle range, Esports practice room, and rec room. Each room featured representatives, student examples, or videos to pique prospective student interests. This year, SLUH showcased a kangaroo outside of the main entrance, promoting the Global Education Program while golf carts cruised up and down the main SLUH road nearby, bringing families up to meet the admissions ambassador who would lead them on their tour. Each tour lasted approximately 90 minutes; A 90 minute average tour time allowed for prospective families to choose which departments they wanted to linger at, based upon student interest and inquiry. photo | Owen Williams “I really enjoyed giving a tour to
my prospective student. He asked a lot of specific questions in the robotics room, because he’s interested in robotics,” said senior and Distinguished Ambassador Tucker Hill. “He was really enthused, I would be surprised if he isn’t walking the halls next year.” With students leading prospective families on their tours, the ambassadors get an opportunity to showcase the SLUH standard, acting as men for others as they educate prospective families on the aspects of the school they were once taught by Jr. Billikens before them. nts were trained to give tours by Assistant Director of Admissions Jennifer Thomas. Ambassadors learned the route through a slightly comedic yet informative video filmed by senior Steven Gorsuch and starring junior Neil Wolak. In the video, Wolak walked the route, acting as a tour guide to a prospective student and highlighting the do’s and don’ts of being a tour guide. The ambassadors memorized the route and prepared themselves to answer specific and sometimes difficult questions with a smile.
Seventh grader Thomas Finlay, who currently attends St. Peter Catholic School, attended this year’s Open House in hopes of getting his first glimpse of life at SLUH. He has five siblings, four of whom went to SLUH. “I think the clubs are pretty cool,” said Finlay. “Participating in the clubs with some of my friends would be super exciting.” On his tour, Finlay made it to the rec room and was astonished by its size. “I went in there and saw that there were a lot of pool tables. Our tour guide told us that it’s usually completely full during free periods, which surprised me,” said Finlay. Open House at SLUH this year was extremely successful, showcasing the evergreen and constantly improving aspects of SLUH, and bolstering the future classes at SLUH through engaging and personalized demonstrations. “There’s a lot that goes into it,” said Murphy. “It’s efficient, It’s effective. Everyone did an amazing job making this year’s Open House as good as it was.”
FEATURES
October 21, 2026
Prep News Volume 91, Issue 8
AMDG
SLUH group travels to Fordham for Ignatian AI Conference BY Lucas Nolan and Andrew Yoffie Staff
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nterim Principal Megan Menne, Assistant Principal for Academics Dr. Kevin Foy, and Director of Curriculum Steve Missey, along with hundreds of other Jesuit educators, traveled to Fordham University in New York City in early October for a three-day conference centered around the recent explosion of artificial intelligence and its place in Jesuit institutions. Through speaking with experts, attending breakout conversations, and listening to panel discussions, the trio came back to St. Louis with new artificial intelligence perspectives that might have implications on the future of AI at SLUH. The role of the conference was to explore the development and use of AI through a Jesuit lens in order to create actionable guidelines and a path forward for faith-based institutions. The first day of the conference, Thursday, October 1, had no organized discussion; rather, it provided all the attending educators a chance to focus and prepare themselves for the next two days of the
conference. The first night began with Mass, which was followed by a dinner hosted for all the educators, where Louis Caruana, SJ offered an invocation, and the President of Fordham University, Tania Tetlow, gave a welcome speech to the hundreds of attendees. On the second day, the plenary sessions began, where hosts gave presentations about topics across the field of AI. The presentations consisted of introductory topics, Jesuit relationships with new technology in the past, and a baseline knowledge of artificial intelligence provided by a Fordham University chair member. Additionally, a professor of philosophy from the University of Notre Dame spoke about the DELTA framework, a Catholic lens on approaching AI, focused on the dignity of humanity and the responsibility we have to understand genuine love and truth in the world and from the people around us. On the third day, the discussions and presentations focused on various mental health topics including anxiety, loneliness, and more. The conference concluded with a massive communal discernment session led by Fordham’s Missions Strategy Officer, Vanessa Ro-
tondo. Participants broke up into small groups to share their insights, takeaways, and fears from discussing and hearing about AI over the past few days. Throughout the conference, the Magnifica Humanitas, the papal encyclical letter written by Pope Leo XIV, was a major talking point. The letter focuses on how people should view and act in regards to AI as Catholics and is very important in understanding a Catholic’s role when it comes to AI and its ethics. “The significant portion of (the Magnifica Humanitas), a half to two-thirds, is actually just sort of a modern explanation of Catholic social teaching,” said Foy. “And then the last part takes the idea of artificial intelligence, primarily focusing on human dignity and the implications of artificial intelligence, on human dignity, given Catholic social teaching. I was anticipating more hard and fast artificial intelligence stuff, but there wasn’t really any. There was a little, but for the most part, it was how do we as humans make sure that this technology makes us more fully human rather than taking away our human dignity?”
The conference also touched on topics regarding the effects of AI on mental health. Many companies have taken advantage of lonely young people through the use of friendly AI chatbots acting in place of real humans in their lives. “One interesting session I went to was on mental health in AI,” said Menne. “We discussed how younger students in middle school and high school are using AI kind of as therapists or friends and how that can be dangerous.” Upon returning from the conference, the attending SLUH faculty had various new views on how to go about AI when it comes to SLUH students and faculty using AI. “I was focused mainly on the guardrails we have to put in place to make sure that students aren’t using AI inappropriately and to make sure the faculty know when they can and cannot use it,” said Menne. “And I think the conference changed my mindframe from how do we create guardrails, to how do we form people to understand what AI is, how chatbots work, and when we should not use them or should use them? Especially students when they’re trying to
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learn and understand the process of learning as a better alternative to using a chatbot to come up with an end product. The formation piece has become really important to Dr. Foy, Mr. Missey, and me.” Along with the current effects of AI on students at SLUH, Foy expressed his concerns on the futures of SLUH students, as AI takes up a larger portion of the job market. “If the work of humans gets replaced by artificial intelligence and robots, then there’s less meaningful things for people to do, to earn a living, to support their family, to contribute to society. I think when people lose their dignity, they can, and maybe are even more likely to, do things that hurt themselves or others,” said Foy. “We have seen a lot of dehumanizing efforts in history around race and ethnicity in wars and civil wars. Things like ethnic cleansing and all that sort of stuff have generally arisen from one group, taking away or not recognizing the humanity of another. Things wouldn’t necessarily have to be like that if AI takes too many jobs, but people do need to feel like they are making the world a better place — like they’re contributing to the world.”
Nephrologist Nwankwo spends a day with AP Biology class BY Charlie LaBarge and Jakob Brinkman Staff, reporter
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t’s not often a class at St. Louis U. High has its usual flow interrupted. However, on Oct. 5, biology teacher Nhan Pham invited a guest speaker to his AP Biology class. Chris Nwankwo, PhD, a nephrologist and St. Louis U. High father, agreed to share his knowledge about cell membrane transport with the SLUH students in preparation for their upcoming test. “It was really cool to see how the physician’s job in the real world connected to the content of our course in biology,” said AP Biology senior Gabe Fesler. “He’s able to study and do real life work with the kidneys, and that relates to what we’re doing in AP Bio.” Pham first met Nwankwo last year through a parent of a former student who referred to him as a great opportunity for a guest
speaker. Having two boys at SLUH, Chidube ’26 and Chianozie ’28, Nwankwo happily agreed to visit and teach about his experience in the medical field as a nephrologist. “I’ve always liked teaching and being able to explain things that may appear complex at first to high school students,” said Nwankwo. “It’s a good challenge putting my experience into a format that is understandable to someone new to the subject. How can I teach them so that they are knowledgeable about and love biology?” Secondary active transport, prokaryote, plasma membrane, organelles — these were only some of the terms that Pham’s AP Bio class was studying when Nwankwo visited. Maybe the hardest concept to wrap their heads around though, was the function of the cell membranes in the kidneys. Thankfully, another name for a nephrologist is a kidney doctor. “I can give you the textbook knowledge, but I think it’s really
cool to have an expert in the field to talk about his own experience,” said Pham after the presentation. “Where I come in is giving you the background knowledge to understand someone like Dr. Nwankwo.” Nwankwo started his presentation by reviewing with the class how the sodium-glucose symporter worked and swiftly moved on to the function of the nephrons in the kidneys. The nephrons, according to Nwankwo, are thousands of tubes inside the kidneys that are responsible for filtering the blood in your body. 50 gallons of blood go through over two million nephrons in just one day. The nephrons are specifically structured to take advantage of the cohesive and adhesive properties of water to filter the blood. Once filtered, the waste enters the bladder and what’s left goes back into the bloodstream. All the while, Nwankwo provided real life cases of anonymous patients he has interacted with for some more tan-
gible examples. “The students were able to relate to the presentation, especially about some of the patients that are their age,” said Nwankwo. “They all had some really insightful questions.” After that, the class moved on to a topic that they had spent a lot of time on: cholera. Having aided communities stricken by cholera, Nwankwo knew exactly what it was, how it worked, and how to treat it. Within a few minutes, the entire AP Bio class knew too. “The topics of what he talked about with the kidneys and how he studies them, how closely related they are to our class, how he was able to relate them to our class, and how he’s been studying them for so long,” said Fesler. “He’s able to treat patients with those methods, like the ones he talked about in our class with osmoregulation in the kidneys.” The students learned that the problem with cholera is not the
disease itself, but the side effects like dehydration that comes with it. The cause of this is a malfunctioning in the cell membranes of the intestines. When a patient drinks water, their body can’t absorb it and it exits the body as waste without being used. This dehydration, despite drinking large amounts of water, is what kills most people who contract cholera and don’t receive treatment. That treatment, according to Nwankwo, is electrolytes, water, and glucose. The combination of the three counteracts the malfunction and allows the body to reabsorb water. “Initially when you’re doing biology, it seems all abstract,” said Nwankwo. “But when you apply the science and really look into it, I think that’s where you get the most joy, especially in the medical field. I get even more joy using the skills and gifts God has given us to help society; to help those who are less privileged.”
Visual Arts Series debuts with Pennekamp exhibition (continued from page 1) to talk to some people that were there, and they exposed me to the medium,” said Pennekamp. “And I just kind of went from there. I enrolled in printmaking the next semester and just fell in love with it.” Today, Pennekamp is inspired by his special interests, such as niche conspiracy culture and the paranormal. Pennekamp also loves how the process of printmaking merges well with the way his mind operates. “I think that the artwork kind of comes from my sort of obsession to use my hands and create images,” said Pennekamp. “(My mind is) very drawing and graphics focused and drawing heavy, and just kind of how my brain works and how I process information.” This also ties into Pennekamp’s main reason for creating the exhibit. He wanted to share his love of the paranormal throughout history and how it influences and
affects our perception. He claims that, depending on your mind space and influences, you could view certain paranormal phenomena differently. He also gives a key example of his niche of conspiracy culture through so-called cow abductions. The theory says that aliens came to earth and abducted cows to experiment on. After the experiments were done, the cows would be dropped back down to earth where the farmers would find them, an idea which started the conspiracy. This theory is depicted in the first two prints of his gallery. “I thought it was haunting and fascinating,” said Pennekamp. “And I’m not saying that that’s true, you know, but just the story behind these things.” One way that Pennekamp shows how an individual’s influences affect their perception of events is through two pieces in the gallery he calls psychopomps,
a term for a creature or spirit who guides newly-dead souls from this world to the afterlife. “The idea of a cow’s desecrated body in a field (elicits) a response from a witness or a viewer that includes extraterrestrials, and all this outside information that gets brought in when they witness this thing,” said Pennekamp. “I always thought it was really interesting and a lot of fun to explore. And I named these things psychopomps.” Most importantly, Pennekamp simply hopes to inspire students at SLUH to pursue careers in art. “My hope is that me coming to the school and showing this work will maybe show somebody that there is a future in art as a career because it’s something that people don’t take very seriously,” said Pennekamp. “I want to show students that if you take your work seriously, take your time, and don’t get ground down by the world and stay motivated, then you can actually
be an artist that shows work and sells work and makes a living or at least supplements income based on pictures that you make. One of the things that makes me excited about
showing at SLUH is the possibility of inspiring somebody to pursue their passions in the same way that I pursued mine.”
Psychomp 1 and its wood carving.
photo | Tyler Roach
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SPORTS
October 21, 2026
Volume 91, Issue 8
AMDG
Thank You Seniors Football dominates Vianney on the ground, rolls past Gateway STEM on Senior Night BY Jack Powers and Henry Fitzpatrick Sports Editor, Core Staff
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he St. Louis U. High football team has been dominating the past two weeks, outscoring their opponents by a total of 67 points. They cruised past the Vianney Griffins in a 44-12 win with over 400 rushing yards, and followed it up with a 35-0 shutout over Gateway STEM on Senior Night. The two wins improve the Jr. Bills to 6-2 on the season. Vianney Electing to defer, the Jr Bills sent out their kickoff team, with senior kicker Nolan Goedeker leading them. Taking his first kick on a football field, Goedeker perfectly executed an onside kick, which bounced over the head of a Griffin returner, where Markell Armstrong leapt to grab it, giving the Jr. Bills the ball at the 48-yard line. “They’re a sophomore heavy team, so they’re very privy to the emotions of a game. We knew we needed to take the wind out of their sails quick,” said head coach Adam Cruz. “Goedeker kicked about as perfect of an onside kick as you could do.” Twenty-yard rushes from both senior quarterback Patrick Stein and junior Tyler Kozminske pushed the Jr. Bills into the red zone, and Stein found the end zone on the ground just two plays later, giving SLUH a 7-0 lead just 2 minutes into the game. The offense got the ball back after a Vianney three-and-out, but the drive was short lived, as Stein fumbled on what would have been a 25-yard rush, giving the Griffins possession at the 16-yard-line. However, the Jr. Bill defense got the ball back quickly, as senior John Ramella forced a fumble in the backfield that junior Henry Fitzpatrick jumped on at the 14-yard-line. Stein’s number was called again, and he quickly rushed for his second touchdown of the first quarter behind the blocking of SLUH’s menacing offensive line. “As a whole, we were persistent on every block, taking everything to the end of the whistle, finishing on all of our blocks, being just as nasty as possible,” said senior center Alex Reh, one of three first-year starters on this offensive line, along with junior Mack West and senior Jay Green. Second year starter Cash Kirberg and fourth year starter Kaiden Eleby, who is second all time in games started for SLUH, bring the experience to this group doing the dirty work. SLUH’s defense, coming back from a game against De Smet in which they gave up 49 points and
nearly 600 yards, continued to show their perseverance, forcing yet another three-and-out for the Griffins. After the punt, the offense subbed sophomore quarterback Patrick Ramella in, who went right to work, finding fellow sophomore Tristen Johnson on the sideline for a 35-yard gain. Stein found the end zone for the third time in the first quarter, as he rushed in from five yards out. SLUH’s success on both sides of the ball continued, as the defense, despite allowing penalties to push Vianney into the red zone, kept the Griffins out of the end zone. The offense continued to march down the field thanks to the rushes of Kozminske and Stein. When the offense got into striking range, penalties and a fourth down fumble left the team unable to move the sticks. With under 2:00 to play in the half, Vianney charged down the field, making it all the way to the 1-yard line. But the Jr. Bills refused to let them score, as Eleby met the Griffin ball carrier at the one, throwing him to the ground for a loss of yardage. Vianney attempted to score through the air, but SLUH’s secondary was equally as strong, forcing a fourth-and-goal from the 13-yard line, where Fitzpatrick got the sack, sending the game to halftime. “I don’t know if there’s a worse thing you can do than get into the red zone against our defense,” said Cruz. “Our defense really tightens up, we bend and don’t break.” Coming out of the locker rooms, both teams traded punts to start the second half. SLUH got the ball back at the 20-yard line, and immediately turned to Kozminske, who broke multiple tackles and juked three Griffin defenders for a 45-yard gain. “It’s pretty easy running through the gaps that the O-line gives me,” said Kozminske. “The tight ends and the fullbacks, I mean those guys work their hardest to get out and get those safeties so I can just make a move and go.” Now in the red zone, the offense looked to John Ramella and the Hellcat personnel to punch it in. Ramella got to the 5-yard line, then Stein and the offense were sent back out, and Stein followed his blockers into the end zone yet again. “Most of the teams we’ve played, their best units have been their Dline,” said Reh. “ We’ve all definitely stepped up to it, and I’m just proud of the boys for that.” On Vianney’s ensuing drive, the SLUH defensive line was quick to stop the Griffins, with the defense forcing a punt on fourth and 17. The offense, starting their drive at the 15-yard-line, yet again turned to their rushing attack, as Kozminske picked up another first down.
Hellcat was called on yet again, and Ramella broke free for a 40-yard rush to push the offense into the red zone. Kozminske, who ended the game with 198 rushing yards, stepped back up, and found the end zone just two rushes later to put the Jr. Bills up 35-0. “The switch from receiver to running back definitely took some time to get used to, but I think it helps me in the flats or when I’m running routes,” said Kozminske, who played his first two years at SLUH as a wide receiver and tight end. “It also helps with footwork when I’m in the hole trying to make a move.” The Griffins, taking over around midfield, struck quickly for their first score of the game with a 60-yard touchdown pass to end the third quarter, but the 2-point conversion failed. With just 12 minutes left in the game, the offense went back to Kozminske, picking up considerable gains as the clock ticked down. Aided by rushes from Ramella on Hellcat, as well as a pass interference penalty on the Griffins, the Jr. Bills found themselves in the red zone, where Stein rushed for his fifth touchdown of the game, capping off his monumental 114-yard night. The Griffin offense struck once more with a 4-yard touchdown, followed by another failed 2-point conversion. SLUH bled the rest of the clock out, securing the 42-12 win. SLUH’s six rushing touchdowns and 521 yards of total offense helped finish out their MCC schedule with a win to bring their conference record to 2-2. Gateway STEM Despite being shrouded by rain clouds and cold air, the Jr. Bills celebrated their 30 football seniors last Friday before facing off against Gateway STEM. SLUH boasts an extraordinary amount of depth, mostly thanks to their plethora of seniors. Each senior met his family and Cruz on the field for a photo and to recall their favorite memories from playing SLUH football. “I always tell the guys, you honor the seniors by how you play,” said Cruz. “There aren’t many teams in the state who have 30 seniors. That’s a testament to our program.” Set to receive the opening kickoff, the Jr. Bills sent out their kickoff return team. The Jaguar’s squib kick ended up in the hands of senior Micah Shaw, who took the football 71 yards to the end zone, sending the sideline and crowd into a frenzy to start Senior Night. “It was just a rush of emotion, with it being my first touchdown on varsity,” said Shaw. “Being able to contribute in different ways for the team, that meant a lot to me.”
For the second straight week, SLUH’s special teams unit, or “SWAT” as they call themselves, has made a game changing play before the first snap is even taken. On the Jaguars’ first offensive play, they broke free on an outside run for a gain of 50. The Jr. Bills defense halted their roll, denying them another first down. After Gateway’s turnover on downs, the offense took over, and the lethal backfield duo of Stein and Kozminske went right to work. In just six plays, the offense rushed for
down. SLUH went right back to the ground on offense, as Stein took six rushes down the middle to get all the way to the Gateway 30-yard line, where John Ramella and Hellcat took over. Ramella found the end zone from 1-yard out for his third touchdown of the year. The Jaguars’ offense took the game to halftime. Coming out of half, the Jr. Bills continued to roll, as after a Jaguar three-and-out, junior Anthony Busby Jr. blocked the punt, which allowed sophomore Patrick Ramella to find senior Will Rainey wide open
Will Rainey celebrating a touchdown. 76 yards, and Stein snuck into the end zone for the Jr. Bills second score of the game. The Jr. Bills defense continued to prove themselves to be an immovable object, as they didn’t allow a single yard on the Jags’ ensuing possession, forcing the punt. Stein took the first snap of the drive and rushed for 31 yards, weaving in and out of defenders, but SLUH failed to get another first down, as the weather started to play a factor in the passing game. After the offense turned the ball over on downs, the defense continued to step up, forcing another punt thanks to big hits from seniors Atticus Arbetter and John Ramella. Following the punt, the offense looked to keep moving the ball on the ground as the rain started to pick up, and big rushes from Kozminske and Stein got them inside the 25-yard line. However, a well-timed hit on Kozminske knocked the ball loose, and a Jaguar defender leapt on it for a turnover. Gateway seemed to find their groove, as they almost broke free for a touchdown, had Markell Armstrong not chased down the ball carrier. The Jaguars momentum, however, was short lived, as they attempted and failed to convert their next fourth
photo | Vic Lewchenko
in the end zone for another score to increase the lead to 28-0. For the next 10 minutes of game time, neither offense seemed to be able to find any rhythm, as each team punted twice in that span. With just under 2:00 remaining in the third quarter, the Jr. Bills found their spark in Kozminske, who broke free for a 25-yard gain, followed by another 20-yard rush, in which he made multiple Jaguar defenders miss, before capping off his drive with a 5-yard touchdown. After receiving the kickoff to start the fourth quarter, the Jaguars ate up the next 10 minutes on their drive attempting to run the ball, but were ultimately unsuccessful. To close out the last 4:00 of the game, SLUH sent out the offense featuring seniors Charlie Steiner and Nick Dalton on the offensive line, both who have given four years to the program. Rockhurst SLUH will head to Kansas City early Friday morning to face off against the 4-4 Rockhurst Hawklets in the battle of I-44. The Jr. Bills have lost to the Hawklets four years in a row, including last year’s 35-14 loss. This will be SLUH’s last regular season game, giving them a tough matchup to prepare for districts.
SPORTS
October 21, 2026
Prep News Volume 91, Issue 8
AMDG
XC attacks Jefferson Barracks, dominates MCC, Hancock Invitational BY Ryan Kindschuh and Jonah Ebenhoh Staff, reporter
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he St. Louis U. High cross countrywon their conference meet for the 23rd straight time cruising past second place CBC by 33 points. Last Saturday, the Jr. Bills headed to the Hancock Invitational starting their V2 squad to win and remain undefeated on the season for varsity. MCC The MCC cross country championship has been dominated by SLUH since its creation in 1992. The Varsity team has only lost three times, and the JV and freshman divisions share similar records of domination. Each year new opportunities arise for growth, and each year represents a new challenge that the team must face with humility. This year, on Thursday, Oct. 8, the SLUH cross country team left school early to go compete against Vianney, CBC, De
Varsity leading the pack at MCC. Smet, and Chaminade, in what would become a very hot race. The varsity race began the meet, showcasing the speed of the top 7 runners from each school. The SLUH pack started their race strong, with five runners in the front, all coming through the mile mark around 4:55, and the final two coming through at around 5:05. As all seven SLUH runners were in the first seven spots in the race at this point, hopes were looking high, but the rest of the race was yet to unfold. During the second mile, seniors Jackson Miller, Ben Yoffie, and JP Wildermuth pulled ahead of the rest of the group to come through the two-mile mark in 10:15. Junior Warnicke Beatty (10:22) and senior Michael Luna (10:34) followed, with senior Nathan
Khouri and sophomore Leo Wildermuth coming through right after in 10:41, all still ahead of the competition from any other schools. “I feel like we have an expectation at this point,” said Luna. “Everyone on the line for that race knows we’ve been winning for a while, and we all want to keep it going, so it gives us a little bit of motivation going into the race.” Miller ran 16:09, outkicking Yoffie (16:12) and JP Wildermuth (16:13) for the victory. He is now one of only five two-time MCC individual champions, and the third ever from SLUH. Luna followed close behind for a fourth place finish in 16:39. Beatty finished fifth for the team in 16:51, finishing out the group of scoring runners. Behind him, Khouri and Leo Wildermuth finished in 16:56 and 17:00, making sure all the SLUH runners were in the top nine when crossing the finish line. “I think we raced pretty well,” said
photo | Dave Ebenhoh
Luna. “It wasn’t the best day. I’d say it was a B day, because we had some injuries and heat challenges, but overall we had a solid pack up front and were able to push from the start.” Miller, Yoffie, JP Wildermuth, Luna, and Beatty achieved first team AllMCC, an amazing honor for so many SLUH runners, while Khouri and Leo Wildermuth achieved second team All-MCC, also a highly coveted award. These boys have put in so much work over the season and the off-season, and it’s really starting to show as they enter into the ending portion of the season. After absolute domination from the varsity, all 60-plus other sophomores, juniors, and seniors stepped up to the line for the JV race, ready to show the MCC just how deep this team is.
The pack got out fast, with juniors Jonah Ebenhoh and Clarence Nowak leading the race through the first 800. As the race went on, a strong pack formed, with Ebenhoh and senior Joe Talleur coming though the mile mark in the lead at 5:11. Sophomores Carter Wagner and Tyler Matthews, and junior Gibby Fyvie were right behind them, all coming through around 5:12. Throughout the second mile, Wagner pushed into the lead as Ebenhoh fell back behind Fyvie and the group hammered hill after hill, with Talleur, Matthews, and junior Owen Williams only a few seconds behind. Throughout the last mile, Wagner kept his lead, eventually coming through the finish in 17:04, taking first place and gapping the rest of the race by 10 seconds. “MCC is arguably the hardest course we have this season,” said Wagner. “And coming from freshman year, I knew it was gonna be a tough race, especially with more guys to compete with this year. So I was just trying to persevere.” Ebenhoh pushed ahead of Fyvie to secure second place with a time of 17:14, and Williams was close behind with a time of 17:17. Fyvie finished fourth with a time of 17:21, and Talleur finished fifth with a time of 17:31, rounding out the scoring five and earning the JV team a perfect score of 15 points, the team’s 32 win in the MCC’s 35 years of racing. The rest of JV also dominated. SLUH runners secured the top 30 places this year, proving just how deep the team is. Year after year this meet has been an opportunity to showcase the strength of the team, and the JV racers took advantage of it yet again. Following the JV, the SLUH freshmen lined up for their race against the other MCC freshmen for the final race of the evening. On the big hill at the start, the freshmen surged up together, but as the race progressed, the SLUH runners in the front began to separate themselves from runners from other schools. Freshman Connor Helbig escaped the pack quickly, distancing himself from the field while also drawing teammate Rhys Farroll up in front of the race as well. Throughout the race, Helbig continued pushing forward, increasing his lead over the rest of the group in a commendable way as he ran alone for most of his run. Behind him, Farroll and a pack of three SLUH freshmen rounded
out the trailing pack. At the end of the race, Helbig finished in 17:26, a full two minutes ahead of any competition. Farroll followed in second with a time of 19:30, and to finish off the day, freshmen Quinn Ebert, Josiah Smith, and Ezra Goldkamp placed third, fourth, and fifth, giving SLUH a perfect score of 15 in the freshman race. Hancock A week later the team visited Jefferson Barracks again for the Hancock Invitational, a meet with a significant number of teams and more competition after the five-team MCC meet. Not only was the size of the meet different, but the course was almost entirely new, an unexpected change from previous years that introduced new sections of the park to the SLUH boys, including a grueling uphill finish. Because the team plans to hold out the top seven until district, the second seven ran in the varsity, starting their race at 9:30 in 53 degree weather. Despite the cold and the brand new course, the Jr. Bills were unfazed on the start line and senior Edmund Reske took them out strong, creating a strong pack that challenged two sub-sixteen runners from other schools and put the boys in a position to win. “I feel like that definitely helps me when a teammate sets the tone for the race,” said Wagner. “Edmund being a senior and having a lot of cross country experience, I trusted him and knew he was really trying to help set the tone for the race.” The front pack stayed competitive throughout the first mile, with Wagner, Ebenhoh, Talleur, Reske, and Helbig coming through the mile mark around 5:16 to 5:20. Throughout the second mile the top boys began to spread out, with Wagner fighting back and forth with his closest competition, and Talleur and Ebenhoh close behind. Wagner came through the two-mile mark in 10:38, with Talleur and Ebenhoh close behind with times of 10:44. As the race came to an end, Wagner pushed up the hill to finish with a time of 16:28, securing second place, and Talleur edged out the competition to secure third place with a time of 16:52. Following them, Ebenhoh got sixth with 16:57, Williams got seventh with 16:58, and Helbig got ninth, becoming the fifth SLUH finisher with a time of 16:59. Reske also finished soon after, zooming to the finish with a time of
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17:15 in tenth place. Two hours later, the other 72 SLUH runners took to the line in JV to demonstrate their depth to even more schools than the week before. From the gun, Nowak took the lead, pulling ahead of the field and coming through the mile mark in 5:19, significantly ahead of the rest of the SLUH pack. Matthews and senior Luke Hartweger came through next in 5:26, with sophomore Andrew Yoffie and senior Cullen Wenger still not far behind. As the second mile progressed, the hills got steeper and there were many new tactical options open for the runners to use. “I liked the new hills that they added going out into the other parts of the park,” said Wenger. “Even though I wasn’t really racing against anybody since I was at the front of the pack, there were still some nice spots to pull ahead and work on racing up hills.” By the second mile mark, Wenger had caught up to Nowak, and they both came through with a time of 11:08. Yoffie was not far behind, making up enough ground so that he was only four seconds away. He continued making up ground, eventually passing Nowak and beginning to chase Wenger toward the finish. He couldn’t quite get there, though, and Wenger won the race with a time of 17:19, a time that would’ve gotten 11th in the varsity race. “I knew there would be people up ahead of me at the start,” said Wenger. “I just planned on working my way up to them throughout the race and trying to compete all the way until the end to try and win it.” Yoffie finished next in 17:33, and Nowak (17:44), Hartweger (17:53), and junior Ryan Kindschuh (18:01) rounded out SLUH’s perfect score of 15. Other SLUH JV runners continued to pour in, too, and in all, they won 14 out of 15 possible medals and occupied 26 out of the top 30 (and 42 out of the top 50) spots in the JV race, beating many competitors from other teams. The immense depth of the team, made possible by all the hard work everyone puts in over the season, is beginning to show itself in each and every race. Due to the intense hills on the course, there were few personal records on the day. The team looks ahead, however, to the Big River Invitational on Saturday, a notoriously flat, fast race that finishes off the season for those not competing at Districts and State. One final meet to showcase their training.
Soccer conquers stretch of games with no losses heading into MCC championships BY Owen Williams, Colt Amann, and Jack Freeman Core Staff, reporters
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fter an unexpected 0-0 tie against Priory, the Jr. Bills were hungry to defeat CBC. The Cadets had previously lost three matches before coming into the game, so they were also striving to get their spark back. This matchup had been heavily anticipated by the St. Louis U. High boys though, and they were not going to make it easy for CBC to walk away with a victory. The game started off slow since both teams were unfamiliar with each other. After an even 20-25 minutes of mutual play, a silly foul inside the top of SLUH’s box led to a PK for the Cadets. They finished their chance, and now the Jr. Bills were down 1-0 and were forced to come back from behind. But, with around five minutes left to go in the half, St. Louis U. High was given a corner kick. Junior Noah Medina flighted a low ball into the center of CBC’s box that was headed away to senior Andrew Hammond, who ran onto it and powerfully glided it into the bottom right corner of the opposing
team’s goal, silencing the crowd. This was a big moment for the Jr. Bill squad because it fired them up and brought them back into the game, not that they should ever be counted out. The half ended with a tie 1-1. “We knew that they would come out and play hard and emotional and try to get a result,” said head coach Bob O’Connell. Since the coaches’ speeches at halftime are always motivating and encouraging, the boys were ready to come back onto the field with a hunter mentality. Pretty much all of the possession belonged to the Jr. Bills throughout the entire second 40 minutes played. The Cadets’ only tactic was to kick the ball long and have their striker run onto it, but against a defense like the Jr. Bills it never worked. Even though SLUH had about seven more chances to score another goal throughout the half, they couldn’t put one away. The game ended with both teams at one goal, and the players shook hands. This was a tough one for the St. Louis U. High Bills to walk away from since they had many chances to win, but they were now focused on their next opponent, Wichita Southeast.
“I thought we played pretty good against CBC,” said O’Connell. “We just couldn’t find the right soccer moment at the right time. I honestly thought we were going to score in the second half … we just couldn’t get the ball.” Wichita Southeast Going into the game, the squad didn’t know much about their opponent from Kansas City, Wichita Southeast. What they did know was that they wanted a win on the road. The boys drove up on Saturday morning and arrived at the field around an hour before game time. After some music that pumped the boys up, a long wait because the game got delayed, and a quick talk from O’Connell, the Jr. Billikens were ready to warm up and start playing. The game started slow and the opposing team even had a few tricky chances within the first few minutes of the game, including a free kick at the top of the SLUH box from a lousy foul. It was a battle and Sporting Wichita was unlike any team the boys had faced yet. They were mean, vicious, and had a winner mentality. They didn’t care who they were playing, and they wanted to win just as much as their opponents, the Jr.Bills, did.
The first half ended 0-0, and it looked like Wichita was dominating. O’Connell knew what the problem was, and he went right to fixing it. Clearly, he knew what he was saying in his halftime speech because the Jr. Bills looked like a whole new team just in the first five minutes of the second half. Throughout the second 40 minutes, most of the possession was in the favor of the Jr. Bill squad. Even when subs were put in, they were ready to dominate and did. All of this hard work would eventually pay off when senior striker Gabe Khazen made a run to the right edge of Wichita’s box and received the ball before slipping it into the very bottom left corner of the opposing team’s goal. “It was a great feeling that took a big weight off our shoulders to get one in such a hard fought match,” said Khazen. “And I think we deserved that goal based on our team’s tenacity in that game.” That was the only goal scored in the challenging game, and it was enough to send the Bills home with a smile on their faces, knowing their trip up to Kansas City was worth it. Triad The Jr. Bills journeyed across the
Poplar to play the 14-2-2 Triad Knights, a very formidable opponent who is currently tied for first place in the Southwestern Conference and ranked 19th in the state of Illinois. The Knights score a whopping average of 4.1 goals per game, so the Jr. Bills knew they would need a strong defensive presence on the pitch. During the game, the Jr. Bills played excellent defense while the offense went to work. Early into the first half, junior Tagen Johnson scored an astonishing header to make the score one-nil. After a few more attempts, the Jr. Bills found the net again with a goal from senior Gabe Khazen. The Jr. Bills held the Knights to a shutout, completing the victory and bringing their record to 14-1-4. Looking Ahead After a week with no games, the Jr. Bills will compete in the MCC third place game this week, where they will face De Smet “I think right now we’re just happy to get some time off and rest a little bit while these other teams are playing,” said O’Connell. “For us, the practice will be good, to continue to work on the things that we need to get better in (for) the postseason”
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Prep News
SPORTS
October 21, 2026 AMDG
Volume 91, Issue 8
Six miles with Coach Evans, the hidden engine that powers SLUH football
BY Jack Powers Sports Editor
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y goal last Friday was an ambitious one: follow St. Louis U. High assistant football coach Darren Evans through an entire game, from pregame prep to the final whistle. “You can’t do that,” said senior Jack Hieken. “You’re gonna lose him. It’s inevitable.” He was right. By the end of the night, I had walked more than six miles trying to keep up with Coach Evans and more than doubled my daily step goal. Thanks, Coach. Coach Evans has been a football coach for the Jr. Bills for five years after coaching at De Smet, and has worked full time at Backer Memorial for four years. This means that, while I slept in on my Friday off last week, Coach Evans was already working security at SLUH. On a normal school day he said he gets a lot of the gameday prep we did in the afternoon done in the morning. Around 2 p.m. he leaves to pick up his kids from school, taking them home, then coming right back to SLUH after getting ready for the game. At 3:15 p.m. I met with Coach Evans outside the locker room where he was watching over Jr. Bills kicker Jackson Seeber doing pushups. SLUH head football coach Adam Cruz, standing right beside him, left, but not without telling me Evans and him wouldn’t talk again until the Senior Ceremony at 5:45 p.m. “We’re two ships that don’t collide … we don’t talk but trust the other ship gets to where it needs to be,” said Cruz. I see why they don’t collide. Just in the 90 minutes of preparing for the game, Coach Evans walked nearly three miles. After high-fiving every team member on the way to their team meeting, Coach Evans goes off to help the team managers on the field. You might think Travis Hunter is the best utility player in football but you’d be wrong.
After following Coach Evans for hours, all you want to do is sit down. He just keeps on going. It’s then that you see his true value to this team. It’s why Evans is the only SLUH coach not required to wear the coaches’ full uniform during a game … it might slow him down. Coach Evans likes to rock a nice pair of shorts at game time, and rightfully so. “I can’t wear pants whatsoever,” Said Evans. “I will just sweat right through them.” “He’s always helping us with the little things to set up,” said SLUH football head manager and senior Kaleb Clark. “So much happens behind the scenes that he’s always there to help with.” For a man who sets up the team’s sidelines, manages all the equipment, and does the small tasks every player asks, Evans still remains completely selfless and supportive of his community. “My favorite thing on this team is getting the players to college,” Said Evans. “Stuff like All-Academic is something that I think is most special.” Coach is a true man for others, a completely selfless person. He must be carrying that attitude around for everyone. “The only thing I care about is SLUH, my full loyalty lies in where I’m at,” said Evans. Gateway STEM’s team arrived at 4:40 p.m. and was greeted by Evans, who offered to help get them anything they needed and walked them up to the Field House. Immediately after, we walked back down to the field, where Evans was taking off all the players’ visors due to the inclement weather. It felt really good handing Coach Evans a visor to take off after being unable to do it myself for several minutes. Adjusting the visors was the first time Evans sat down in 90 minutes. It didn’t last long. He was back up and moving minutes later as the Jr. Bills came out on the field around 4:45 p.m., and Evans was instantly going up and
down the stretching lines, giving guys high fives and pumping them up repeatedly. “It takes too much energy to be negative all the time, “ said Evans. “I want my positive juju to be able to wash off on them.” At 5:40 p.m., Cruz’s and Evans’ ships finally collided as they touched base for the first time in more than two and a half hours. On Friday, SLUH celebrated their 30 football seniors with Evans right there next to them as they lined up to take pictures with their families. “He’s incredibly supportive of anyone,” said senior Jay Green. “He’s the biggest hype man on the team and always has our backs.” At 6:10 p.m., a switch flipped in Evans, from problem solver/hype man to problem solver/ULTRA hype man. Leading the whole team out of the locker room out onto the field, the aura spewing off this man could’ve rivaled Brian Robinson Jr. ‘s “Many Men” walkout. As a reporter who runs cross country and hasn’t played a lick of football, Evans had me fired up to go out there, making me wish I could get a jersey. Two things started at 6:30 p.m. on Oakland Avenue: SLUH football vs. Gateway STEM and Jack Hieken’s prediction coming true. Usain Bolt wouldn’t be able to keep pace with Coach Evans. On the opening kickoff, senior Micah Shaw ran it all the way back for a touchdown with Evans teleporting right next to him in the end zone there to hype him up. ”Oooh baby, what wings are we getting tonight, lemon pepper-stepper?!” Evans screamed. What this means I couldn’t tell you, but what I could tell you is that Evans was there to smack every player on the helmet to congratulate them as they came running off the field. Evans then ran right back down the sideline to the rest of the team to be ready for the SLUH kickoff. “We do this right, we should be
home in an hour and a half,” said Evans. With a minute left in the first quarter the Jr. Bills had gone up 14-0, Evans being the first man there for the touchdown celebration. Then the rain came again. Evans’ first thought: Sacrifice his clothes to wipe off his players hands. After already having tweaked his calf muscle from sprinting earlier in the game, Evans bolted down the lines to grab a player’s grip sleeves from the supply room following a fumble. Closing in on the half, Evans had me exhausted and ready to sit. Good thing we had a 20-minute halftime where I’d be able to rest with Evans and take a break. Nope. SLUH was celebrating the 1991 football team for its state run, so Evans made it his duty to greet every single member there and welcome them to the field. “This guy is the best showman in the business … no one works harder than him behind the scenes,” said SLUH theology teacher and former athletic director Dick Wehner. As SLUH built on their lead in the third quarter Evans built on his energy. Eventually, he hit his peak on a blocked punt. “YEAAAAA, end this thing and send ‘em home boys!,” Evans repeatedly shouted. Besides yelling at his own players in excitement, Evans didn’t hesitate to
crack a joke here and there. His phrasing would rival those of Yogi Berra. “Man, he don’t know how to run but he can run,” Evans said at one point, observing an opposing player’s stride. As the game approached its finale, it was clear work would be picking up again: Everything that Evans was tasked with setting up also needed cleaning up. Thanks to the Jr. Bills 35-0 blowout, he got a head start collecting headsets, putting away water bottles, taking down the team tent, and cleaning the sideline. In the cold and rainy weather when everyone else was ready to go, he was still yelling at his Jr. Bills with two minutes left. While I went home to go to bed, Coach Evans remained at SLUH for another hour helping clean up and dismissing the team. I woke up Saturday morning to a text from him sent at 10:52 p.m. asking if I got home safely. Coach Evans is one of the most dedicated and passionate coaches I’ve ever encountered. And the love from his players, family, and fellow coaches is apparent. SLUH is a better place with him and his passion to serve his community is truly special. “Even at De Smet I would look at the SLUH sideline and say ‘man how can I get over there’,” said Evans. While my legs might say otherwise, thank goodness the problem solver and fire-putter-outer Coach Darren Evans made his way to Oakland Ave.
Evans posing with his players after a game.
photo | Vic Lewchenko
Swim beats De Smet along with MICDS, Parkway West at tri-meet BY Henry Hassenstab
Sports Editor
T
he finish is within sight for the St. Louis U. High Varsity Swim and Dive team. With two more wins under their belt from the likes of De Smet on Senior Night two weeks ago, and in a tri-meet over Parkway West and MICDS last Thursday, the Jr. Bills seem to be closing the regular season out strongly. De Smet Senior Night is always a big deal, no matter the sport, but the swim team loves to make it special for their annual meet, with fun relays and lighthearted swims against a usually cupcake opponent. This year, De Smet came to the Forest Park Community College pool to face off against the Jr. Bills, and although they brought a good fight, SLUH dismantled them for a final score of 133-52, a massive blowout. The meet started with the 200-yard medley relay, where the whole goal of the senior-only A relay was to put the seniors in their off events as a joke. Thus, senior Henry Hassenstab was slated to swim the backstroke, senior Will Vieth the breaststroke, senior Jakob Brinkman the butterfly, and senior Matt Franz the freestyle. None of the seniors were experts in their selected strokes, to say the least. Hassenstab split a 26.41 on the backstroke, and Vieth split a 36.65 on the breastroke. Brinkman and Franz somewhat made up the difference with a 27.53 and 23.62, respectively, but it still was not enough to beat SLUH’s B-Relay. The B-relay took first place with a time
of 1:53.80, while the A second with a time of 1:54.09. “It was a lot of fun, even though I’ve always thought of butterfly as my worst stroke,” said Brinkman. “It was a lot of fun being able to swim with my friends who were also swimming events they don’t normally participate in.” Moving onto the 200 freestyle, sophomore Tyler Yates swam a quick 1:58.06, coming in first, with fellow sophomore Dignan Jost and junior Sebastian Schmitt-Arango taking third and fourth with times of 2:00.69 and 2:06.99, respectively. The points kept coming in the 200 IM, where SLUH took first, second and third from the likes of junior Noah Burns, freshman Eamon Weis, and Brinkman. Then came the 50 free, one of SLUH’s strongest events this year, where sophomore Jacob Corbett swam a monster 22.06, an incredible time for a dual meet in the middle of a practice week. Corbett demolished the second place De Smet swimmer, and Hassenstab took third with a time of 23.15. Senior Captain Grant Heidbrink took fourth with a near season best of a 23.59, a testament to his development as a swimmer this year. Following the sprint was the dive break, which was a much-needed rest for the swimmers after such a ferocious start to the meet. SLUH diving put on a masterclass, where the team’s three divers — junior Bram Malkus, and freshman Conor Schilling, and Dylan Sondrol — outscored the lone De Smet diver 400 to 140.95. Malkus took first, Schilling third, and Sondrol fourth, scoring the team valuable points.
After the dive break, the swim portion of the meet opened back up with the 100 butterfly, where distance swimmer Brinkman and sophomore breaststroker Eddie Rea tried their hands at one of the most challenging and technically complex sprints in the sport of swimming. Brinkman and Rea overcame the challenge, taking first and second place with times of 1:02.91 and 1:03.13, showing their openness to being comfortable with being uncomfortable, one of the team’s core values. Then came the 100 freestyle, where the Jr. Bills asserted their dominance in the form of Corbett’s first place time of 48.84, and senior captain Alex Wiggins’ second place time of 51.21. Sophomore Parker Groves also took a respectable fourth place with a time of 55.32. The absolutely gruelling 500 freestyle came next, and SLUH had jokingly put a collection of sprint freestylers and breaststrokers into the race, although their results soon shocked the team. Junior captain and breaststroker Elliott Sapp threw down a 5:10.31 for first place, an incredibly speedy time, but the speed ended there as senior sprinter John Comerford fought his way into the wall for a 5:55.71, taking second. In third was Franz, who ended up with a time of 6:11.39. The 200 freestyle relay followed, as the seniors reclaimed their rightful first place spot in the A-relay with a time of 1:34.49, beating the C-relay, who took second with a time of 1:41.05. In fourth was the B-relay, where a team of Burns, sophomore Thomas Goltermann, Schmitt-Arango, and freshman Kilian
Riley powered through, going a 1:43.78. The specialty strokes were up next. The 100 backstroke came first, where Groves took first with a time of 1:00.60, Wiggins second with a time of 1:05.04, and Franz in third with a time of 1:10.10. After the backstroke was the 100 breaststroke, where Hassenstab took first with a 1:08.76, Rea took second with a 1:10.74, and Vieth took fifth with an impressive 1:27.05. The ultimate race was the 400 medley relay, where instead of swimming freestyle for the normal relay, the seniors instead chose to swim a 100 of every stroke. Despite their best efforts, the senior A-relay fell to fourth place, swimming an albeit fast 4:20.23. The meet concluded with the final score of 133-52. After the meet concluded, the festivities for the seniors began. Each senior chose a walkout song, then ran out onto the pool deck to a makeshift slip n’ slide made from diving mats, surrounded by the JV and varsity teams. After sliding down, the seniors ran over to the diving boards to flip, jump, or bellyflop off, then swam down the pool to receive a bouquet of flowers for their parents. A photo was then taken of the senior above his senior banner hanging from the gallery, and then the team descended onto the meal prepared by the wonderful parents of the varsity team. MICDS-Parkway West Tri-Meet On the Jr. Bills’ day off, the team made their way to Ladue to take on two teams at once, Parkway West and MICDS. The meet started with the the 200 medley relay, where SLUH took first
with a time of 1:41.92, followed by the 200 freestyle, where Wiggins took second with a time of 1:54.09 and Groves took fourth with a time of 1:58.25. The 200 IM came next, and Sapp won with a dominant time of 2:02.71, starting a trend of SLUH victories for the rest of the meet. The 50 free ended in similar fashion, with Corbett and Comerford taking first and second place with times of 22.10 and 23.77, respectively. The dive break came next, where Malkus and Schilling took second and third. Malkus had a season high score of 156.55, and Schilling scored 119.10. After the dive break, the 100 fly was comfortably won by Hassenstab with a time of 56.38, with Franz taking fifth, swimming a 1:02.99. In the 100 freestyle, Wiggins took second place for the second time, earning a 50.02, and Yates took third with a 51.86. Then came the the 500, where SLUH placed well with speedy swims from Groves, going a 5:25.16 and taking second, and Brinkman going a 5:25.60 taking third. Following the 500 was the 200 free relay, where SLUH took first with a 1:31.79. The speciality strokes came next, starting with the 100 backstroke. Yates placed second with a 56.48, and Vieth placed fourth with a 59.59. The penultimate event was the 100 breaststroke, where Sapp and Corbett took first and second respectively, Sapp with a 1:02.50, and Corbett with a 1:03.58. The final event, the 400 free relay, was also a SLUH victory, with the A-relay taking first with a time of 3:29.39. At the end of the meet, the score was 151 SLUH, 86 MICDS, and 85 Parkway West.
SPORTS
October 21, 2026
Prep News Volume 91, Issue 8
AMDG
Tychonievich honored with endowed fund for SLUH football (continued from page 7) tor background allowed him to have an intellectual’s perspective on the game, as well as a teacher’s experience when focusing on individual athletes, giving them the support and opportunities that they required to succeed. “He was one of those people who coached every kid the same way,” said current varsity football head coach Adam Cruz. “Whether you were a superstar or a third-string player, everybody felt valued by Coach T.” Tychonievich’s success as the defensive coordinator for the Jr. Bills was instrumental in the team’s success in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. “He knew the game,” said Kornfeld. “He was a great coach and a great offensive and defensive line coach. You don’t see many people coaching both sides of the ball and serving as a coordinator anymore. But, again, we wore a lot of hats back then.” In the classroom, Tychonievich was the rock that grounded the Department of Modern and Classical Languages (known then as the Foreign Language Department), holding the department chair position for over 10 years until his illness forced him to step down. In those 10 years, he was a caring and decisive leader for his coworkers, helping to achieve the excellence that is required for an institution like SLUH. “He had a very positive impact on us from a practical standpoint, organizing things and keeping the department running,” said Director of Global Education and Russian teacher Robert Chura. “It isn’t easy to maintain a department with as many diverse offerings as ours. He was a master at making sure everything was balanced, well-supported, and that everyone felt supported.” Tychonievich was praised to the highest degree by his peers, being described as a man who not only sought the goodness of others, but also brought out the best in them. Whether it be in the classroom or the gridiron, those who were under his care were treated with love and guidance. “There’s an expression: ‘Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care,’” said Chura on Tychonievich’s coaching. “I think every student who went through his class
would say that he took a genuine interest in them and their success. Teaching Latin was his medium, but there was so much more to his curriculum than the subject itself. The same was true on the football field. Coaching can be difficult because not everybody can get an Aplus. In sports, not everybody gets into the game, and not everybody can be the star. He cared about everyone.” Another aspect of his personality that was memorable to all was his unwavering humility. Tychonievich was not a man who concerned himself with fame or glory, preferring to practice virtue and to celebrate others before himself. Unfortunately, Tychonievich passed from pancreatic cancer on December 20, 2010. It was the second time he had been diagnosed with the disease. He fought and beat the first battle from 2007 to May of 2008, winning that year’s Faculty Appreciation Award for his prowess in the classroom, and, until 2010, he was a cancer survivor. Tragically, the cancer came back in 2010, and this time, it was an unwinnable battle. Tychonievich was lost, but his love and humility stayed with him right until the end. “When he was battling pancreatic cancer, he didn’t want anybody going out of their way for him,” said Kornfeld. “He never wanted to put anyone out. I remember one offseason when I hadn’t seen him around school for a few days. I contacted his wife because he wasn’t answering his phone. I wanted to know if I could come by and see him. By that point, his condition had deteriorated quite a bit, and he told his wife he didn’t want me to visit. I know why he didn’t want me to see him that way. He wanted to spare me from seeing him in that condition. He didn’t want me to have that final image of him.” Tychonievich’s traits were wholly characteristic of the ideal SLUH man for others, even if he was less inclined to receive praise from it. The fund comes courtesy of Christine and Chris ‘02 Finney, who have been personally touched by Tychonievich greatly in their lives. Christine is a speech pathologist, and Chris is a former SLUH and WashU football star who both played under and coached
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photo | Matt Scutio Tychonievich with students after winning the Faculty Appreciation Award in 2008. with Tychonievich. the football program could in the future folowing years. In a way, Tychonievich “The Finney family’s involvement be fully endowed, taking pressure off of will still impact their everyday lives for makes this especially meaningful,” said tuition and providing a better experi- decades to come through the fund and Chura, who was the offensive coordi- ence for the student athletes and coach- the support that it provides for so many. nator for SLUH football at that time. ing staff. “The people who worked with him “Chris was a player for us who played “The idea is to take a permanently through the SLUH football program as much for Coach T on defense as he endowed fund and draw about 5 per- and the Modern and Classical Languagdid for me on offense. Having him in- cent from it each year,” said Vice Presi- es Department, as well as the students volved in this recognition brings every- dent for Advancement Sean Agniel ’96. and athletes who knew him well, would thing full circle and makes it that much “We hope the fund earns around 7 or 8 tell you that he changed their lives,” said more meaningful.” percent annually. By spending 5 percent Agniel. “This fund is a tribute to the The fund that was given by the of those earnings, the original principal good work he did with students across Finneys will be used to perpetuate the should remain intact, while the remain- generations. He was a remarkable man excellence of SLUH football by provid- ing 2 or 3 percent allows the fund to and a very gifted educator and coach. ing much-needed money to the operat- grow and keep up with inflation.” He is still sorely missed.” ing costs of a blue-blood program. The The endowment’s impact will be “I walk every morning, and I always Mark Tychonievich Endowed Fund for significant in the athletic formation look up at the sky and talk to Coach T,” SLUH Football is a partial endowment, of many SLUH football players in the said Kornfeld. meaning that the football program will receive a designated sum of money each year that will aid in the covering of expenses for that season, such as equipment, coach pensions, meals, and travel expenses for the team. An endowment is a pool of assets that is invested by a nonprofit such as SLUH in the hopes of generating income for the institution and the program that the fund supports. In the case of the Tychonievich Fund, the partial endowment status means that the program is still reliant on the school’s budget and therefore the school’s tuition. If the advancement office is successful in their pursuits of growing the fund and Tychonievich with former Spanish teacher photo | Dauphin Yearbook acquiring more endowed funds, then Charley Merriott.
Hold or Sell: Six underperforming Fantasy players to consider BY Ryan Couture, Dominic Sharamitaro, and Louis Moebes reporters
H
old: Zay Flowers Following big performances in Weeks 1 and 4, (with an injury holding him out of his Week 2 matchup), Flowers has taken a slight dip in production, amassing a mediocre total of 119 yards in Weeks 5 and 6 with zero scores. Despite the lack of production, Flowers has amassed 20 TGTs in that time (hauling in 14), and help may be coming in the near future. Ravens Quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has been sidelined for the past 2 weeks due to an ankle injury, is deemed day-to-day and is trending towards a return in the upcoming weeks. In games with Jackson starting, Flowers has averaged nearly double the amount of yards and 20.5 YPC, compared to 8.8 YPC in games without Jackson. With Jackson’s return to the offense being a crucial boost to the players around him, look for Flowers to bounce back to early season form in the approaching weeks.
cently given his current situation — amassing two 17-point games over the past two weeks with a backup rookie at QB — he will struggle to maintain consistency, making it the perfect time to sell given his inflated value. Without his touchdowns, Egbuka would be averaging just 8.8 Fantasy PPG and be in the WR 42-45 range, making him a fringe WR3/FLEX play weekly. While you could take the TDs away from most players and say the same, it is more concerning when Egbuka’s average YDS/TGT is only 5. Further, his target share with Mayfield at QB is 20.8 percent compared to 32 percent under Daniels during the period when two of his touchdowns were scored. Egbuka struggled similarly last year, commanding a 2025 rookie campaign with 10.2 TGT/G, 5.4 REC/G, 89 RECYDS/G, 5 TDs, and 20.5 Fantasy PPG through the first five weeks, though statistically dropping in every category over the remaining twelve weeks to average a measly 7.8 PPG. Since Egbuka has been TD dependent all season and is set to lose volume when Baker returns, it might be time to consider selling.
out of NE’s star receiver Sunday — a career high three drops, and an unattractive 3 receptions for 27 yards. Although alarming, had he caught these, Brown would have gained an additional 12.9 Fantasy Points, making him the WR8 in Week 6. Although fresh off the IR, AJB still amassed a dominant 10 TGTs and also earned 4 TGTs before his Week 1 halftime injury, only adding to his role as the focal point in the Pats passing game. Even during an unproductive Week 6, Brown recorded a 28.1 percent target share, and ran a route on 97.1 percent of passing plays, a promising sign of increased usage for Fantasy owners. Contrary to pre-season defensive rankings, the Patriots have a favorable schedule for WRs going forward, and AJB should see increased production throughout the rest of the season.
Sell: Chase Brown After a productive end to the 2025 season, Brown’s increased workload and snap share gave managers increased hope for his 2026 production in the high-powered Bengals offense, yet the transition has been less than ideal. The running back Sell: Emeka Egbuka Hold: AJ Brown has yet to top 100 yards in a game Although Egbuka has done well re- Everyone saw the concerning play thus far and has accumulated just
one touchdown six weeks into the season, severely undermining his high ADP. Brown’s Week 5 matchup against Miami highlights his poor production and snap share, in which backup Samaje Perine took 16 carries to Brown’s 13 in a game where Brown had a costly fumble. Even with Brown’s leg up on Perine through receiving production (24 receptions), questions surround the Bengals’ backfield usage in the upcoming weeks, and Chase Brown has too much mystery for his production thus far. While Brown could eventually claim this backfield once again as the bell-cow back, he is someone to consider getting rid of off of name value. Hold: Juwan Johnson Although Johnson has produced a severely underwhelming 5.6 Fantasy Points through the past two weeks, it might not be time to sell just yet. Johnson still holds a key place as Shough’s safety blanket in a pass heavy Saints offense that has a 61.7 percent pass rate, slightly above the league average. He sees an average of 5.7 TGT/G, which is above the league average 4.0. Johnson also faces a relatively easy strength of schedule for tight ends, with teams
such as the Browns, Buccaneers, Falcons, and Cardinals in the next few weeks. While the stat sheet hasn’t shown it, Johnson’s volume is there and Shough has proved himself as a reliable QB this season. Look to hold and be patient on Johnson, and the Fantasy Points will come. Sell: Jameson Williams Jamo has historically always been an “up and down” player, yet the truth is: this is when his stock will be at its highest. Although he scored 18.7 Fantasy Points this past week against Arizona, his performance is not maintainable. Whilst playing a bottom seven pass defense, Williams only saw four TGTs, caught two, and scored two TDs. Even with his explosiveness, his target share (15.4 percent) is not enough to justify starting him every week. Williams also plays with fierce competition Amon-Ra St. Brown (second in NFL TGT Share) and Jahmyr Gibbs (leads NFL in Touches Per Game). In a crowded Detroit offense, Jameson Williams simply isn’t being prioritized. After two solid performances, Jamo’s value will trend down due to inconsistency, and managers should consider trading him while his value remains this high.
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ROCKY TOP
Prep News
October 21, 2026
Volume 91, Issue 8
AMDG
PN CROSSWORD: Parallel Universes 25. Sentence such as “Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow.” 26. Basketball foul, if there’s contact 27. Took in or let out 28. Pageant with 51 contestants, including D.C. 30. St. Louis bridge builder 34. Intl. commerce org. replaced by the WTO 36. “Here’s hoping ...” 37. Rush job phrase 42. Purple flowers
43. “Click _____ Ticket” 47. Some hydrocarbons / Some carbonated libations 49. Home runs, e.g. / Hit a home run 50. Speed unit / Speed unit 51. A guy / A goal 52. Spanish year / Spanish one 54. Shaming syllable 55. Waze way / Wore away 56. Time hidden in “paleontology” / Name hidden in “astronaut” 57. Distance format / Texting format
91.07 Answers
Crossword | Paul Baudendistel | criticisms, compliments, and ideas welcome at pbaudendistel@sluh.org
ACROSS 1. Captain in 53-Across 5. Back muscle, in brief 8. Antagonists in 53-Across 12. Waffle maker 13. Green prefix 14. Integral calculation 15. Brainstorm results 17. Lord’s partner 18. Ode title starter 19. “Little piggy” 21. Network with an eye logo 24. Remove from a bulletin board 26. Zodiac animal 29. With 41-Across, parallel universes, like the ones in this puzzle 31. Inventor Whitney 32. Aqua _____ 33. Candy bar fillings 35. Former TV redecorating show, and a hint for 16 squares in this
puzzle 38. Refrigerator drawer 39. Drive-_____ 40. Rooster’s partner 41. See 29-Across 44. Commercials 45. Allow entry 46. Doc that protects confidentiality 47. “The Boys” actress Cash or South City restaurant _____ Sofia 48. Part of UCLA 50. Antagonist in 53-Across 53. Movie franchise for which J.J.Abrams directed and produced 58. Air freshener scent 59. Program for SLUH alums at SLUH 60. Matter’s building block 61. Med. care providers 62. World Cup tiebreakers, for short 63. Top scores for divers
DOWN 1. Blood / Lust, e.g. 2. Red state / Blue state in the NW 3. It goes across / Down 4. Do some needlework / Doing some work 5. “I Hope You Dance” singer Womack 6. Obamacare legislation 7. Tortilla-chip brand 8. Make a bundle / It may make a bundle 9. Rita _____ / Roth _____ 10. Boston sock color / Boston great Williams 11. In lofty spirits / Loft stuff 16. Gloomy 20. Surpass, barely 21. “I’m not a robot” test 22. Out of focus 23. Tries hard to focus
Crossword Winner Congrats to Mr. Jonathan Ott for winning the 91.07 crossword! Submit your completed crossword to the Media Center to enter next week’s raffle.
Schulte Theater to host Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind over weekend (continued from page 1)
to put those two worlds together.” The first step towards achieving such an artistic feat was, of course, casting. Similar to past improv shows, anyone who showed a dedication to the performance was cast, and many castmembers have not done theater before. In total, the cast is 19 actors, including three girls from Nerinx Hall, St. Joseph’s Academy, and Cor Jesu. For the first week and second week of rehearsals, most of the time was spent reading and practicing the short plays. Over the next few weeks, the cast and creative team worked side-by-side to narrow 90 play options into the final 30 to be performed. “I really enjoyed the first two weeks where it was nonstop seeing new plays and performing new plays,” said junior Colin Tucker, a cast member in his second theater production ever. “We were split into two groups, and each group was given six plays, then we’d meet back and perform them for the other group.
In general, the overall theme of the show is rather ambiguous, according to McKernan. “Are (the plays) interrelated in any kind of way?” said McKernan. “I think it puts a lot of that responsibility on the audience to figure that out. There’s a freedom that it’s playing with and a constriction that it’s playing with.” McKernan has noticed recurring patterns in the plays, though. “To me, the themes that keep coming up are power and control,” said McKernan. “Who is in trouble? Who is in charge of narratives? Tons of (the plays) are about people longing for human connection in a world that doesn’t necessarily always encourage it. I think it’s interesting too, I keep on thinking about it in 2026. It’s this barrage of stuff, like this quick barrage of laughter and sadness, and it fits 2026’s weird attention span in a certain way.” The audience participation aspect, in line with the malleable structure of the show itself, will be guided by
seniors Max Wagoner and Brendan Goldsborough. At the beginning of the night, the two will lay out the structure of the night and how the audience will be participating. The plays themselves vary greatly, from horror to romance. “I’m in ‘Pale Blue Eyes’, which is a story about a woman’s life through the people she’s dated,” said Tucker. “It’s kind of her figuring out that she doesn’t need someone else in her life and that she can go on without anybody. But she eventually finally finds somebody she really likes, and it ends on a good note.” Other plays in the performance include “Title” — in which a couple is having an argument but can only speak through vague phrases such as “statement” or “question” for the entire play — and “Horror Genre Six,” a spooky show heavily reliant on light cues and audience participation “This show is Dechlan Dean’s debut lighting design,” said Director of Theater Operations and set designer Eddie Teshara, speaking about junior
Dechlan Dean. “He hung, focused, and designed the lighting for all the individual pieces.” The set for the show is a classic brick wall design with varying levels for the actors to stand on, giving the vibe of theater happening in someone’s garage. It was built and painted by Teshara’s Intro to Tech Theater class, which just started this year. Social studies teacher Sam Herbig was Sound Designer, and theater teacher Kathryn Whitaker was Assistant Director. While these two are SLUH teachers, the creative team also included two younger alumni of the Dauphin Players. Stage Manager Allison Winkeler is a freshman premed student at Saint Louis University and participated in shows like Oliver! and Godspell during her time in the Dauphin Players. Assistant Director MacLean Blanner also performed in many SLUH shows, including Into the Woods and The Addams Family. She studies theater and acting at the University of Southern California and is the founder of Debut Theatre
Company, a non-profit company that supports cancer research. “SLUH really felt like my home in high school,” said Blanner. “It’s one of my favorite places I’ve ever done theater.” “It’s been a breath of fresh air after working in the professional world, where a lot of people come in with attitudes,” said Blanner. “These kids just don’t have that kind of attitude. They’re just so sweet.” Following this weekend’s performance, where the audience will truly play a role in the show, the Dauphin Players look forward to two more standard style performances in the second semester: Anything Goes and Animal Farm. “It’s awesome that we are bringing these new (cast members) in, and it’s awesome that they’re getting exposure,” said Winkeler. “I heard from a good chunk of the cast like ‘Oh I’m going to audition for Animal Farm. I’m going to audition for Anything Goes,’ and that absolutely warms my heart.”