4 minute read
Athletics
SAINTS FOOTBALL AND CHEER PROGRAMS SHINED THIS FALL
Our comprehensive athletic programs set a foundation of excellence through teamwork and self-confidence for over 700 student athletes annually. St. Philip’s SAINTS athletes develop leadership skills that go beyond the court or field. Their journey to greatness begins here! This year, our football team and cheer squad made a name for themselves in the Pop Warner Southeast Region.
The SAINTS FOOTBALL team has four divisions, for athletes ages 4-12, that compete in local and regional matches. Throughout the season, each division had stand-out leaders that helped lead the teams to victory. At Homecoming in October, the Flag and 12U divisions defeated the Mustangs on our turf. In November, the 10U and 12U football teams traveled to San Antonio and played Quarter Finals against San Antonio Cornerstone. The 10U team lost 6-0 and 12U won 26-12. Later, the 12U team went on to compete in Austin at the 2022 Calvo Conference and brought home the Semi-Finals Championship trophy! With that win, they advanced to the Regional Championships in Colorado where they played tough and displayed an exceptional amount of grit. We are so proud of the Saints football teams for working hard all season.
The SAINTS CHEERLEADERS are loud and proud on the sidelines and at competitions! Girls ages 3-12 who join our cheer program don’t just learn cheers, chants and dances. They are taught to embrace their individuality, to be tenacious, bold and collaborative. Their enthusiasm erupts from their voices and bodies as they cheer and dance with joy. This group has experienced tremendous growth, having doubled in size since 2019.
In November, the girls attended the Pop Warner Southeast Region Competition in Mansfield. It was the first ever performance for our Jr. Tiny Mite Squad (4 year olds). The Tiny Mite team (5-7 year olds) received 1st place in their division. The Jr. PeeWee team (811 year olds) weathered the storm of having several girls out due to illness that week and hit the floor strong. They did not advance to Nationals but received a good score.
Earlier in the fall, we came together with The Episcopal School of Dallas (ESD), Sabine ISD, and Merging Vets & Players "MVP" at The Star in Frisco for the 1st Annual Battle at the Star hosted by the Lewis Family Foundation. Our flag football team and cheerleaders represented St. Philip’s well! Thank you to our friends at ESD for the invitation, we look forward to attending again.
Thank you to our coaches and parents who volunteer to make athletics at St. Philip’s a fun learning experience. Many athletes that come through our organization continue playing sports for years after they age-out of our programs. We believe that this is due in part to the foundation set when they were a St. Philip’s SAINT.
FORMER SAINT, TURNED SKYLINE RAIDER, SHINES AS AN SMU MUSTANG
The tremendous impact of our athletics program is undeniable. Here, athletes discover their passion, build life-long relationships and set on their path to greatness.
At 4-years-old, Isaiah Nwokobia touched a football for the first time, and immediately knew this could be something special. His mother enrolled him in our football program as an after-school activity while she was working. Very soon, this hobby turned into a lifestyle. Within a few seasons as a Saint, Isaiah realized this was the first thing he was truly good at. Between the ages of 4 and 12, Isaiah was consistently making significant plays and scoring touchdowns as quarterback for the Saints. At just 10 years old, he was already dreaming of college football.
Isaiah credits his success to the foundation instilled in him by Coach Jimmy and Coach Fletcher. As his mentor, Coach Jimmy transported Isaiah to and from practice, refined his skills, taught him to value teamwork and encouraged him to tackle challenges head on. He recalls the motto his team recited “Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard”. Even when Isaiah knew he wasn’t the tallest, fastest, strongest or most talented player on the field, this saying influenced him to always work harder than the competition. It is this mindset that has taken him so far.
After graduating from Skyline where he was ranked the 48th safety product in the country, Nwokobia received twelve offers for college and ultimately chose Southern Methodist University (SMU), where he is now a sophomore. In his freshman year as a Mustang, Isaiah had 2 interceptions, 25 tackles and many other amazing feats. In the world of academics, Isaiah is doing just as well, maintaining a 3.0 grade point average. In the future, he plans to utilize his connections with alumni to intern with real estate brokers and eventually make a career in the industry.
When asked what words of encouragement Isaiah would give to the youth, he said “Believe in yourself! People will tell you it’s too hard, or you can’t do it. But you can do whatever you set your mind to.” The self-confidence he established as a St. Philip’s SAINT is the reason he speaks so boldly of the future.
