Bishop Ireton High School | Archive | February, 2015

Junior Michelle Montgomery (25) overcame illness and Liberty Christian to secure Ireton’s quarterfinal victory with 4 straight free throws in the game’s final minute for a 47-42 win Wednesday.

Junior Michelle Montgomery was “under the weather” physically for the 4th -seeded Cardinals VISAA quarterfinal matchup with 5th-seeded Liberty Christian Wednesday, but she had enough left in the game’s final minute to drain four straight free throws and stave off the Bulldog rally for a 47-42 win in the final game of the year in Godley Gym.

The Cardinals broke to an early 8-2 lead on the visiting Lynchburg school enroute to a 16-8 first period margin.  Alex Stipano paced a balanced scoring effort for Bishop Ireton with 7 at intermission, while senior Tatyana Crowder was a one-man wrecking crew for the Bulldogs with 12 of their 15 points at halftime.

Liberty Christian staged a furious rally coming out of the locker room in the third quarter, led by Crowder’s 9 points, and the Bulldogs narrowed the deficit to seven at the end of three quarters, still trailing 37-29 as Ireton steadied the ship late in the period.

The home team maintained their advantage at 43-35 with 5:22 to play in the contest, only to see the Bulldogs go on a 7-0 run in three and half minutes to close the gap to 43-42 with 1:44 remaining.

With Coach Jason Harris directing a 4-corner delay that must have made the late Tar Heel coach Dean Smith  smile, the Cardinals burned important seconds off the clock and forced LCA to foul when Ireton refused to turn the ball over.  Enter the Montgomery clutch free throws and the desperate Bulldogs couldn’t answer in game’s final 100 seconds.

LCA’s Crowder had a game high 29  points for the Bulldogs while Cece Leone’s 16 points paced the Cardinals.  Montgomery had 12 and Stipano 10 for Bishop Ireton. Notable for the Cardinals was an impressive 12 for 12 from the free throw line, a critical factor considering the home team did not score a basket in the game’s final 5 and a half minutes.

The win improved Bishop Ireton to 15-15 on the season and secured a 4th meeting with top ranked Paul VI Catholic, this time at St Anne, Bellfield in Charlottesville at 3:15pm in the VISAA’s semifinals.

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CeCe Leone joined Stipano on the all conference team, Leone as a 3rd team honoree.

Alexandra Stipano, a four-year varsity starter, was the Cardinals’ first team, all WCAC  selectee.

Senior guard Alexandra “Alex” Stipano, a four-year varsity player for Bishop Ireton was selected by WCAC coaches to the Conference’s elite first team. The Alexandria resident has led the Washington DC area in 3-point shooting the entire season and been among the area’s top free throw shooters. Forward classmate Cece Leone, another 4-year varsity player, joined Stipano on the league’s third team as a forward. It was the first time since the WCAC was formed that two Cardinals were honored on the top three squads.

The pair were instrumental in the rise of Bishop Ireton’s girls’ basketball program under Coach Jason Harris, in his first season at the helm of the Cardinals.

“It is a great accomplishment for Alex and Cece and a great way to close out their careers at Bishop Ireton. ” said coach Jason Harris. “Alex  is certainly one of the best shooters in the history of our program and Cece has just been so good this year.”

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Cardinal ice hockey had a busy week of action to close the 2014-15 campaign. The junior varsity players started the parade when they beat Gonzaga’s JV team 6-3 on Monday, Feb. 2 at Mount Vernon Rec Center.

Out in Reston,VA on Friday, Feb. 6, the BI Varsity team overwhelmed South Lakes High School 11-1, a ten-goal limit shortened contest that was concluded with over 8 minutes remaining in the third period.  The team dropped a hard fought home contest with Woodbridge.  The Cardinals scored first before the highly regarded Vikings responded with 4 goals.  The setback ended the Ireton sprint to a possible NVHSL playoff berth.

Sunday, Feb. 8, in Ashburn,VA, the varsity team got back on the winning track, beating a combined team of Tuscarora/Heritage high schools 9-6 with captain Ryan Scott scoring 4 of those goals.

Friday night, February 13th, was the ice hockey team’s senior night. The Cardinals were pitted against the Bullis School in a very competitive game that saw Ireton rally from and early deficit to take a lead before the Bulldogs rebounded. The final score was 8-7 Bullis. The Cardinals saluted  graduating seniors: Ryan Scott (Captain), Wendell Beane (Assistant Captain), Ryan Lucas (Assistant Captain), Matthew Bardak, and Cristina Fernandez.

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Notre Dame-bound Ben Gorski is flanked by Anna Shumate (l) and Emma Klein (r) at VISAA swim & dive championships. All three set school records at the event under the watchful eye of Bishop Ireton’s Cardinal.

Bishop Ireton’s memorable swim and dive campaign concluded with the 2015 Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association’s state championships in Richmond.  The Women’s squad finished 7^th overall with a final score of 120 while the Men’s squad finished 9^th overall with a final score of 105. Trinity Episcopal claimed the men’s title, host Collegiate School earned the women’s crown.

Ben Gorski and Anna Shumate each swam to state champions in the 100 Men’s and Women’s Breaststroke, respectively.   Gorski capped his BI career with a dazzling 54.76 finish that also qualified him as an All American in that event. School records were also broken by Ben Gorski in the 200 IM, Anna Shumate in the 50 Free, Emma Klein in the 100 Back and the Men’s 200 Medley Relay team (AJ Salvatori, Ben Gorski, Michael Morrison and Jimmy Grant).

Highlights of the meet results:

Men’s 100 Breaststroke – 1^st Place Medal / State Champ / All American – Ben Gorski (New School Record: 54.76)

Women’s 100 Breaststroke – 1^st Place Medal / State Champ – Anna Shumate (New School Record: 1:04.97)

Women’s 50 Free – 2^nd Place Medal – Anna Shumate (New School Record: 24.07)

Men’s 200 Medley Relay – 2^nd Place Medal – AJ Salvatori, Ben Gorski, Michael Morrison, Jimmy Grant (New School Record: 1:36.84)

Men’s 200 Individual Medley – 3^rd Place Medal – Ben Gorski (New School Record: 1:53.12)

Women’s 100 Butterfly – 5^th Place Medal – Emma Klein

Women’s 200 Free Relay – 5^th Place Medal – Emma Klein, Clara Boggs, Anna Shumate, Lori Abbed

Women’s 200 Medley Relay – 6^th Place Medal – Emma Klein, Anna Shumate, Abigail Grillo, Hayley Snell

Men’s 400 Free Relay – 7^th Place Medal – Jimmy Grant, Jared Steen, Michael Morrison, AJ Salvatori

Women’s 100 Back – 8^th Place Medal – Emma Klein (New School Record: 1:00.06)

Men’s 100 Back – 10^th Place – AJ Salvatori

Men’s 200 Free – 13^th Place – Michael Morrison

Women’s 400 Free Relay – 15^th Place – Anney Matlock, Abigail Grillo, Anna Fracasso, Clara Boggs

In an electrifying atmosphere of competition, the Bishop Ireton swimmers soared off the starting blocks to take two State Championships and break six school records at the Virginia Independent School Athletic Association Championship in Richmond this past weekend. Hosted at the Collegiate School Aquatic Complex, 49 teams put their best swimmers in the water in the culminating meet of the high school season.

There were several Cardinal mascot sightings during the finals sessions on Friday and Saturday afternoon to cheer the swimmers to do their best in the intense environment against the state’s top swimmers.

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Freshman Darius Hines (4) led the Cardinals with 16 points in the season finale at SMR.

Freshman Darius Hines had a season-high 16 points for the Cardinals, but the 7th-seeded St Mary’s Ryken Knights rallied in the game’s final period to outlast Bishop Ireton 52-46. The setback ended the 2014-15 campaign for a young Cardinal squad that graduates but one senior.

The Alexandrians held a 12-8 advantage after a period of play in Leonardtown and extended the margin to 26-19, outplaying the higher-seeded Knights throughout the first half. After Ryken broke out to an 8-2 early advantage, the gritty Cardinals responded with a 12-0 run with junior Nick Schmelzer tying the game on a three-pointer and Ireton grabbing a 14-8 lead early in the second stanza.  The visitors would continue the torrid pace with a 20-4 pummeling of the home team to close the first half.

Ryken opened the second half with a run of their own, going on an 11-2 sprint to regain the lead at 30-28. The Cardinals countered with hoops by Jamie Pasha, Jeremy Guillaud, and a three by Schmelzer, and a bucket by Chase Hill pushing Ireton back to a 37-30 margin.

With Ireton nursing a 39-33 lead as the 4th quarter opened, a desparate St Mary’s Ryken mounted their final counterattack.  Following a Hines basket that gave the Cards a 41-33 margin, Ryken closed the contest with a 19-point 4th period where they finally caught the Cardinals at 43-43 on a three by Juwan Smith. Guillaud drained a three to pull Ireton to within 48-46, but the Cardinals would get no closer.

In addition to Hines with 16, Nick Schmelzer notched two three-pointers and scored nine points total. Also chipping in for the Cardinals were Chase Hill (6 points), Jeremy Guillaud (5 points), Quintin Gilcrest (4 points), Jamie Pasha (4 points) and Michael Everett (2 points).  The Cardinals finished the game with 28 rebounds (10 offensive/18 defensive). Ryken’s Smith led all scorers in the game with 17 for the Knights who advance to the WCAC quarterfinals.

The Cardinals end the campaign at 6-23, 1-17 in the WCAC.

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The new look Cardinals model their new  Nike road uniforms and  hope to extend that changed look onto the field for the 2015 season. With a strong group of letter winners returning, new head coach Brandon Rose is as anxious as the squad to get on the new Fannon Field Feb 20th.

The Men’s Lacrosse team is chomping at the bit to get the 2015 season underway. With practices only a little more than a week away, the boys are continuing to work hard in the off season to make it a year to remember, according to the new head coach, Brandon Rose.

The “real work” will begin February 20th at Witter Field when the WCAC officially begins the spring season. It culminates on Monday, May 11th with the Conference championship game at the University of Maryland’s Ludwig Field.

The Cardinals are being led by a coaching staff with some new faces and a few familiar ones, including Casey Shannon and Mike Blaine that are still pushing to improve the program. “The boys have bought in and we are ready to make some noise this year.” said Coach Rose.

After preseason scrimmages with West Potomac and St Andrew’s Episcopal, Bishop Ireton opens the regular season with Flint Hill visits Fannon Field on Saturday, March 7th at 1pm.  The WCAC campaign opens with the Cardinals visiting DeMatha Friday March 13th at Heurich Field.

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Junior Max Russell led the Cardinals with a second place finish in the 2015 WCAC wrestling champions at Bishop O’Connell Saturday.

First-year wrestling head coach Kwinten Brown hoped for a higher team finish, but at the end of the day, thought his young wrestlers had acquitted themselves pretty well.

“I was very proud of junior Max Russell advancing to the finals, Diego Tavara wrestled extremely well, I was very proud of him.  He has great potential for us.” remarked Brown.

Russell got the Cardinals started with a 9-0 win over Ben Clancy of Gonzaga at 120, then shut out his second straight opponent,  PVI’s Conlin Frank, 6-0. The finals saw top-ranked Malcolm Robinson of St Johns capture the title when he scored a first period pin over Russell.

At 126, John Walsh was decisioned by Josh Kent of PVI 10-2, but bounced back to top Julian Castro of O’Connell 8-7 before falling to St Johns Adrian Nelson 9-1 to finish 4th. Senior Andrew Grabowski had an up and down day. Tyler Lavallee of DeMatha pinned Grabovski in his first match, Andrew rebounded in the consolation round to deck Paul VI’s Danny Herbst, before Brady Lemmon of St Mary’s Ryken ended the lanky senior’s day with a pin in third match of the day.

Joey Siedlarz opened his day with a 6-1 win over Jacob Schoenick of St Mary’s Ryken before losing a 14-5 decision to the eventual champion at 182, Donovan McAfee of Good Counsel. The setback sent Siedlarz back to meet Jasean Davis of DeMatha. Siedlarz pinned the Stag in that match, setting up a rematch with SMR’s Schoenick. Siedlarz had the better of that match as well, winning by a 9-0 margin to earn a tournament third place.

Tre Lovisone earned a third place finish as well at 195. After pinning Blair Leach of Ryken, Lovisone found Brian Hennessy of St Johns more than he could handle in a 10-2, sending the Ireton junior to face Cory Snyder of Paul VI. Lovisone pinned this Panther to earn a consolation championship bout with Bailey Ogilvie of Gonzaga. Ogilvie and Lovisone wrestled for three periods before the Cardinal down the Eagle by a fall to earn the bronze medal.

Diego Tavara at 22o wrestled perhaps his best tournament of the season. Tavara earned a first round bye, then was stopped by the eventual champion, Nick Miller of Good Counsel by a fall. The determined Tavara then faced Anthony Orellana of St Johns. It took overtime but the Cardinals got the win by a 3-2 margin. Nick Skalka of Gonzaga met Diego in the consolation finals and edged him in another nail biter 3-2, sending Tavara to a 4th place finish.

In the 285 class, Ireton’s Gavin Webster lost by a pin his opening match to Phil Spencer of St Johns, but bounced back in the next bout to pin Carrington Jones of SMR only to fall 3-1 to Kojo Dingle of Good Counsel, ending his day.

Good Counsel pulled away in the championship round to win their 3rd consecutive WCAC team title. St Johns challenged them early, Paul VI was third, while the Cardinals were just behind St Mary’s Ryken and DeMatha, with an eighth place finish.

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Freshman Darius Hines (4) was instrumental in directing the Cardinals offense from his point guard position.

It was a long time coming for Coach Neil Berkman and his young, hard working team, but after some close calls they weathered a late run to top Archbishop Carroll 49-41 Sunday in Father Godley Gymnasium, for their first WCAC win of the 2014-15 campaign.

“It was a team win, great effort all around.” commented the Cardinals’ Neil Berkman. After a slow start the clubs traded baskets as they ended one period of play deadlocked at 10-10.

The Cardinals started to get some traction offensively and controlled the boards to pull out to a 22-17 advantage at the intermission.

Berkman obviously said the right things to the club at halftime and Ireton came out with an 18-point third quarter and sat squarely on a 12-point cushion as the teams moved the final period.

Carroll wasn’t prepared to go quietly however , and promptly launched a 7-1 run to start the fourth, closing the gap to 41-35, as the Cardinal faithful began to shift nervously in their seats.

Jeremy Gaullaud steadily the ship for the Cardinals with key rebounds and a put back that pushed the Lions when they were close to making a final run. As time became a factor, the Carroll shots wouldn’t fall and Jamie Pasha, Chase Hill, Gaullaud, and the Cardinals snatched defensive rebounds which helped steal away the remaining minutes to secure the win.

Once again, junior Nick Schmelzer led the Cardinals with a game-high 12 points, the only player to reach double figures. Gaullaud and Hines each had 8, Pasha chipped in 7, and Quintin Gilcrest added 6.  Cameron Carter and Nicholas Fennell each had 9 to lead the Lions.

Bishop Ireton wraps up the home portion of their regular season with dates at St Mary’s Ryken on Tuesday and Good Counsel in the season finale on Friday. WCAC first round playoffs begin Thursday, February 19th.   The Cardinals, currently a 10 seed, would travel to the 7th seed and the winner would advance on Saturday to face the number 2 seed at Gallaudet University.

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A large class of 2015 celebrates a win over rival Bishop O’Connell in this group photo,

The Bishop Ireton Swim Team splashed their way to a stunning 211-126 victory in their final regular season meet against Bishop O’Connell on Thursday evening. The Men’s squad finished 109-58 and the Women’s squad finished 102-68. For the league season, the Women’s squad was undefeated and the Men’s squad was 5-1-1.

Held at Marymount University, this face-off between friendly rivals, including brother coaches John Gullickson and Evan Stiles, featured a halftime break to honor the seniors on both teams. Ireton’s Head of School, Dr. Thomas Curry, and Athletic Director Bill Simmons were on hand to wish the seniors well and cheer the Cardinals on. The Cardinals won five of the six relay events, creating an exciting finish to a superlative season.

Next Up: VISAA State Championship Meet, Richmond, February 13-14, 2015

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The successes of the spring are born of great training and effort in the fall and winter.

The Bishop Ireton Crew Team competed in the Mid-Atlantic Erg Sprints on Saturday January 31, 2015. The Mid-Atlantic Erg Sprints celebrated its 30th anniversary in Alexandria, growing from a handful of competitors in 1986 to become the world’s second largest indoor rowing competition and the largest high school indoor rowing event. Enthusiastic rowers, ranging from Olympic athletes to novices, from ages 5 to 87, competed in over 100 events. Over 1,700 athletes from 130 teams in 14 states competed.

Bishop Ireton had 21 rowers competing in 14 different events. Our rowers took medals in 6 of these events. Three first place, three second place and two third place medals were won.

The 2015 MidAtlantic Erg Sprints presented medals to individuals and trophies for consolidated team performances. Bishop-Ireton High School Rowing Team and Walt Whitman High School Crew tied for first place for the Top Washington Metropolitan Interscholastic Rowing Association Team.

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