Bishop Ireton High School | Articles | Season Recap

UVa-bound Kaitlin Luzik earned more post season honors when USA Today named her an all Virginia first team performer.

The nationally-ranked Cardinals continue to solidify their dominance of Virginia high school lacrosse by sweeping all three of the major awards made public on June 26 by USA Today High School Sports. The American Family Insurance ALL-USA Virginia Girls Lacrosse Team was selected by 3d Rising. The 2015 Virginia “Player of the Year” is Charlotte Sofield; Virginia “Coach of the Year” is Rick Sofield; and Virginia “Team of the Year” is Bishop Ireton. Charlotte Sofield, Kelly Larkin, and Kaitlin Luzik were all named to the ALL-USA Virginia team.

All Virginia First Team Selections:

Attack

• Ellie Majure, St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School (Alexandria, Va.), Sr.
• Lizzy Schwien, Flint Hill School (Oakton, Va.), Sr.
• Kelly Larkin, Bishop Ireton High School (Alexandria, Va.), Jr.

Midfield

• Audrey Schreck, St. Anne’s Belfield (Charlottesville, Va.), Sr.
• Charlotte Sofield, Bishop Ireton High School (Alexandria, Va.), Sr.
• Kierra Sweeney, James Madison High School (Vienna, Va.), Sr.
• Miranda Stinson, Trinity Episcopal School (Richmond, Va,), Sr.
• Julia Haney, St. Anne’s-Belfield School (Charlottesville, Va.), Sr.

Defense

• Kendall Swenson, St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes (Alexandria, Va.), Sr.
• Kaitlin Luzik, Bishop Ireton High School (Alexandria, Va.), Sr.
• Caroline Wakefield, Centreville High School (Clifton, Va.), Sr.

Goalie

• Ashley Morris Woodgrove High School (Purcellville, Va.)

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

Bishop Ireton wins its first ever back-to-back VISAA titles.

Cardinals celebrate second consecutive state title win over neighborhood rival, St Stephens & St Agnes in May 2015

Cardinals might have gotten by some tough opponents, but TSA gave the team a close review in their trip to Georgia.

Freshman Lexi Ledoyan had a break out year for the Cardinals.

Sr Charlotte Sofield was named VISAA player of the year, Wash Post all Met 1st team, 1st team WCAC, US Lax & UA All American in 2015

The 2015 Bishop Ireton Cardinals girls lacrosse team finished the season by winning the Virginia state title and finishing the season with a 20-3 record. The team finished the season nationally ranked #4 according to the Nike/Lacrosse Magazine poll, #2 in the greater D.C. area according to the final Washington Post All-Met rankings, and ranked #1 in the South region in the TopLaxRecruits.com poll. They became the first team in Bishop Ireton school history to win back-to-back state titles in any sport. Long hours, days, and months in heat and snow starting last June again paid off for the Bishop Ireton girls’ lacrosse team in 2015!

The Cardinals beat St. Stephens & St. Agnes 12-10 for the 2015 Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association (VISAA) state title at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland on Saturday, May 16. The triumph marks the Cardinals’ second-straight 20-win season and the fewest-ever number of losses in program history in a complete season (three).

Not everything went as planned for the girls this season. On April 11, Ireton lost to perennial national #1 McDonogh 14-4. The Eagles have not lost since 2009. The Cardinals lost to Good Counsel 17-16 on April 29.

On May 7, Holy Cross upset Bishop Ireton 10-9 in the WCAC semifinals. “We stumbled,” Coach Rick Sofield said. “The girls were stunned after the game.” Thus ended the Cardinals’ hopes for repeating as WCAC champions.

Ireton Goes for Redemption…

With their hopes of repeating as conference champion extinguished, the Cardinals turned their focus to the state tournament. In the quarterfinals, they beat Potomac School 19-5 on May 12 at Fannon Field on Cambridge Road in Alexandria; and defeated St. Anne’s-Belfield 10-6 on May 15 in a hard-fought state semifinal game at Randolph-Macon to again reach the championship stage with a chance at redemption.

With temperatures in the upper 80s on a sunny Saturday afternoon, the Cardinals again took on the Saints in the VISAA state championship game for the third time in four years. Ireton raced out to an early 5-0 lead, but St. Stephen’s battled back and the score was 8-5 at halftime. SSSA tied the game early in the second half 9-9, but that lasted for less than a minute as Kelly Larkin scored what turned out to be the go-ahead goal with 16:55 remaining. Bishop Ireton was then in firm control down the stretch with a tough-as-nails defense that held the Saints scoreless for about 10 minutes at one point.

“Our word the past two weeks has been redemption,” said Charlotte Sofield. “Redemption is if you fall short or you make a mistake, you make good on it. We fell short of what we were capable of and in this game we redeemed ourselves and we made good on it.”

“Last year our motto was, ‘It’s not an accident,’ meaning any success we have is the product of hard work, it’s not an accident,” Rick Sofield said. “This year’s motto has been, ‘We’re not satisfied.’ … The Holy Cross game, maybe we were a little too satisfied and that’s why we lost that game. That got us back where we needed to be mentally for this run in this playoff round. We weren’t satisfied. We wanted to show that last year wasn’t a flash in the pan.

“We want to play St. Stephen’s every year. We’d love to play them in the regular season; we’d love to play them in the playoffs; we’d love to play them five times a year if they would play us. We love playing good teams like that.”

2015 Senior Class

Julie Hanson (#4—Defense) will be attending Virginia Tech in the fall to study sports medicine. Natalie Irwin (#10—Captain/Defense) accepted a Naval Academy Foundation candidate position and will attend The Peddie School this coming fall. Kaitlin Luzik (#13—Captain/Midfield) will attend and play lacrosse at the University of Virginia in the fall. Rachel Macey (Manager) will attend the University of Virginia this fall. Kelly Mathews (#14—Captain/Attack) will attend and play lacrosse at Boston University this fall. Christine Macey (#17—Attack) will attend the University of Virginia this fall. Camille Polson (Manager) is looking forward to attending the University of Virginia in the fall. Charlotte Sofield (#15—Captain/Midfield) is attending and playing lacrosse at the University of North Carolina this fall. Maggie Wiltsie (#21—Attack) will study medicine in the fall at the University of Virginia.

Looking to 2016 and beyond…

Despite the departure of big group of highly skilled seniors, the future looks bright for the Cardinals looking ahead to the 2016 season and beyond. Leading the charge will be newly elected 2016 team captains Maggie Lohrer, Brittany Dolan, and Kelly Larkin. Within three hours of winning the state title, information about summer strength and conditioning went out and the workouts began June 9.

Returning varsity team members verbally committed to play NCAA women’s lacrosse include Kate Carney (2017)—Cincinnati; Amelia Cole (2017)—Denver; Brittany Dolan (2016)—Penn State; Grace Fletcher (2016)—Liberty; Kelly Larkin (2016)—Navy; Lexi Ledoyen (2018)—Syracuse; Maggie Lohrer (2016)—Boston U.; Kayla Marshall (2017)—Louisville; and Susan Morad (2016)—Manhattan.

And to answer “that” question…

Rick Sofield says he will continue coaching at Bishop Ireton. “This is my passion,” he says. “I love doing this. These girls have bought completely into what we’re doing. We’re building something great here that we want to keep going for as long as possible. There’s no doubt I’m coming back next year.”

Hard work pays off in other ways…

First team 2015 VISAA Girls Lacrosse All State selections were Charlotte Sofield, Kaitlin Luzik, Kelly Larkin, and Kayla Duperrouzel; second team selections were Kelly Mathews and Maggie Lohrer. Charlotte Sofield was named Player of the Year and Rick Sofield was named Coach of the Year.

Congratulations to Bishop Ireton’s 2015 Washington Post All Met selections—1^st Team: Kaitlin Luzik & Charlotte Sofield; 2^nd Team: Kelly Mathews; and Honorable Mention: Maggie Lohrer, Kayla Duperrouzel, and Kelly Larkin.

The Cardinals’ first team 2015 WCAC Girls Lacrosse All Conference selections were Kaitlin Luzik, Charlotte Sofield, Kelly Mathews, Kelly Larkin, and Maggie Lohrer; second team selections were Kayla Duperrouzel, Natalie Irwin, and Amelia Cole; and Brittany Dolan was an honorable mention selection.

The team’s 2015 U.S. Lacrosse All Americans were Kaitlin Luzik, Kelly Mathews, Charlotte Sofield, and Kelly Larkin. Cardinals named as 2015 U.S. Lacrosse Academic All Americans were Kelly Larkin, Maggie Lohrer, Natalie Irwin, Kelly Mathews, and Kaitlin Luzik.

Congratulations to Charlotte Sofield and Kaitlin Luzik for being selected as 2015 Under Armour Senior All Americans. Only the nation’s top girls’ high school seniors are selected each year for the sport’s highest honor. They are selected by a panel of lacrosse experts from Inside Lacrosse Magazine. The year-long selection process includes input from college and high school coaches from across the country as well as nominations from the public.

Cardinals named as Under Armour Underclass All Americans were Amelia Cole, Brittany Dolan, Kayla Duperrouzel, Kelly Larkin, and Maggie Lohrer. Also, Maddie Stephens will compete and showcase herself as part of the 2016 Under Armour Uncommitted Game in front of scores of college coaches.

Sofield and Luzik will play in the Senior All-America Girls Game on Friday, July 3, 5:30 p.m., at Towson University’s Johnny Unitas Stadium in Baltimore. The Cardinals’ Underclass and Uncommitted players will be playing at Towson that same weekend.  Click here for more information regarding this prestigious event.

The US Lacrosse Women’s National Tournament took place May 22-24 in Bethlehem, PA, and there were 14 Cardinals playing for one or another of the five teams representing the DC Metro area—Larkin, M. Lohrer, Cole, Dolan, Marshall, Carney, Mote, L. Lohrer, Stephens, DeCanio, Brisbin, Ryan, Cunningham, and Morad.

Caton Brisbin, Amelia Cole, and Megan Cunningham were selected to represent Virginia at the 2015 Brine National Lacrosse Classic in Richmond, June 29-July 2.

Amelia Cole and Brittany Dolan were selected to be members of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ National High School Girls’ Lacrosse Team playing in Lake Placid, NY, August 3-5.

By the numbers…

The Cardinals scored 348 goals during the 2015 season while allowing only 159—over 23 games that means they scored an average 15.13 goals per game and allowed an average of only 6.91 goals per game.

24 different players scored goals this season: Larkin (68); Mathews (65); Sofield (64); Duperrouzel (34); Marshall (24); Ledoyen (23); Macey (14); Luzik (9); Fletcher (6); Mote (4); Irwin (4); Ryan (4); Brisbin (3); Sullivan (3); and DeCanio (1); Bewick (1); L. Lohrer (1); Dolan (1); Carney (1); Hanson (1); Cunningham (1); Wiltsie (1); M. Lohrer (1); and Stephens (1).

With assists often being the “unsung” factors as to whether or not the Cardinals won, 14 different players recorded assists during the 2015 season: Sofield (49); Larkin (32); Mathews (22); Duperrouzel (21); Marshall (12); Luzik (10); Mote (10); Macey (6); Stephens (2); Ryan (2); Irwin (2); Fletcher (2); Cole (1); and Ledoyen (1).

The top five point leaders were: Sofield (114); Larkin (100); Mathews (87); Duperrouzel (55); and Marshall (36).

In goal, Cole had 137 saves and Lee had 4 saves.

Scooping up ground balls were: Luzik (53); Irwin (25); Sofield (25); Carney (24); Mathews (23); M. Lohrer (23); Marshall (22); Larkin (21); Cole (20); Dolan (19); Duperrouzel (18); Macey (16); Mote (11); Morad (10); L. Lohrer (8); Ledoyen (8); DeCanio (8); Stephens (6); Ryan (3); Brisbin (2); Cunningham (2); Fletcher (2); Wallace (2); Heaney (1); Hanson (1); and Bewick (1).

Initiating caused turnovers and playing great defense were: Luzik (44); Irwin (21); Carney (18); Sofield (16); Larkin (14); M. Lohrer (14); Mathews (9); Marshall (8); Dolan (8); Cole (7); Duperrouzel (5); Morad (5); L. Lohrer (3); DeCanio (2); Macey (2); Hanson (2); Brisbin (2); Ledoyen (1); Wiltsie (1); Heaney (1); Stephens (1); Fletcher (1); Wallace (1); and Mote (1)

Draw controls were key to Ireton’s success this year and Bishop Ireton can thank the following players: Duperrouzel (104); Luzik (59); M. Lohrer (56); Mathews (19); Sofield (15); Carney (14); Dolan (13); Larkin (13); Irwin (8); Morad (6); Cunningham (6); Brisbin (6); Marshall (5); Ledoyen (5); DeCanio (3); Fletcher (2); L. Lohrer (2); Macey (2); Johnson (2); Mote (1); Bewick (1); Hanson (1); and Ryan (1).

#ItsNotAnAccident, #NotSatisfied…

It will be an action-packed summer for the girls as they work hard as teammates and opponents for various club teams at tournaments up and down the east coast. They will also be attending many different camps and clinics in an ongoing effort to sharpen their lacrosse skills. Some 2016 Cardinals are going as far afield as Scotland, Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Virginia, and Florida to play in tournaments and attend camps.

Who really knows what will happen during the 2016 season? The articles written about them and the other forms of recognition they have received and will undoubtedly continue to receive, in the end, mean nothing.  What is certain is that, without a doubt, the blood, sweat, and tears that the Bishop Ireton girls’ lacrosse team continues to expend and the voluntary sacrifices they will certainly make between now and next spring means that no one will “overlook” them starting in March and they will earn every honor that comes their way the old-fashioned way—hard work.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

The Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) recently released their all conference honorees for baseball and lacrosse and a number of Cardinals were on their lists.

In baseball, the Conference honored Bishop Ireton’s Ryan Scott as their DH/utility player of the year. The rangy catcher led the redbirds with a .395 batting average and defensively sparked behind the plate.  Scott threw out 14 runners during the course of the season, establishing himself as one of the Conference’s premier defensive receivers. Sophomore outfielder, Chandler Wilder earned the attention of Conference voters in his abbreviated season with an honorable mention award.

The Cardinals’ Ryan Verducci was named to the league’s third team, men’s lacrosse squad as a goalkeeper. The tight end in football used his quickness to be among the WCAC leaders in saves and save percentages, drawing the support of coaches in the final voting. Alex Duke joined on the list as an honorably mention attack player based on his play as one of Bishop Ireton’s most lethal scoring threats.

The nationally-ranked, second-seeded women’s lacrosse team saw five Cardinals selected the Conference’s first team, while three more received second team honors, and an honorably mentioned player.

Senior defender Kaitlin Luzik, midfielder Charlotte Sofield, and attack Kelly Mathews joined junior attack Kelly Larkin and Maggie Lohrer on the elite team. Sophomore Kayla Duperrouzel was tapped for the second team as an attack player while senior Natalie Irwin and sophomore Amelia Cole were also honored on the second squad at defense and goalkeeper, respectively.  Brittany Dolan drew the attention of the league’s coaches as junior defender was honorably mentioned.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

The Fr George Godley Trophy was presented to the male and female athletes that excelled in multiple sports. Kelly Mathews, center, Boston University-bound lacrosse player, earned the women’s award.

Bishop Ireton High School celebrated its 14th annual varsity athletic awards banquet, Wednesday, May 27th at the Hilton Mark Center Hotel in Alexandria.  The gala recognized more than 60 athletes, coaches, and supporters of Cardinal athletics over the course of the two and half hour event.

Seniors Kelly Mathews and Ryan Scott were presented the Father George Godley Memorial Trophy, recognizing outstanding performance in multiple varsity sports over the course of the academic year. In the early years of Bishop Ireton, Fr Godley was ubiquitous after school and unwavering in his continuous support of Cardinal athletics and the honor for the multiple-sport athlete bears his name.

Mathews exemplified that spirit, the only athlete in the school year to be selected first-team, all-WCAC in two different varsity sports; field hockey in the fall and also for the nationally-ranked, state-championship lacrosse team in the spring. Likewise, Ryan Scott excelled as a first-time varsity football player before he earned all-league honors while leading the ice hockey Cardinals and swimming on a school record-setting relay team during the winter. He completed an exemplary senior year behind the plate for the baseball team, again leading the Cardinals on the diamond with a .395 batting average and earning first-team, all-WCAC accolades in his final season as a Cardinal.

Jimmy Grant and Charlotte Sofield were honored as the “Cardinals of the Year” by the coaches. Grant ran cross country in the fall and captained the men’s swim and dive team in the winter. He capped off his busy senior year on the lacrosse field for Coach Brandon Rose, as that team’s MVP. Charlotte Sofield, was again a stalwart on the basketball court, providing a physical inside presence for Coach Jason Harris and the 15-win basketball team. But, her first love was in the spring, where the future North Carolina Tar Heel had another superb season, leading the Cardinals with 50 assists and 114 points, earning first-team, all-conference honors for the fourth time and was named the Player of the Year in the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association’s  (VISAA) Division I.

Women’s basketball coach Jason Harris, in his first campaign leading the Cardinals, was voted as the Coach of the Year by his peers. Without the addition of any star player or reduced competition on the schedule, Harris instilled a new attitude, a new enthusiasm, and a dose of self confidence that led Bishop Ireton to a school-record 15 wins, including four in the ultra-competitive WCAC.  The squad advanced to the quarterfinals of the conference tourney, earned a number 4 seed in the VISAA post season, advancing to the semifinals before falling to 9-time state champs, Paul VI.  He mentored the Oberlin-bound senior Alex Stipano in her final season, seeing the sharp shooting guard lead the metropolitan area in three-point shooting and becoming the Cardinals first all conference, first team honoree as well as first-team, all state selection.

The Chris Delaware Memorial Assistant Coach of the Year award was presented to a long-time men’s basketball assistant, Cliff Cooks. Coach Cooks is the longest tenured men’s basketball assistant coach and was recognized for tirelessly doing the “little things” that often receive scant notice or acknowledgment.  His work in the off season, opening the gym, working with individual players and representing the School in the larger metropolitan area have paid dividends on and off the court for Bishop Ireton.

Bishop Ireton recognized a distinguished alumnus with the Bob Pollard Distinguished Alunni Athlete of the Year.  This year’s winner, Mr. Kevin Gaghan, class of 1978, has been a strong supporter of Bishop Ireton wrestling and volleyball. Not only donating thousands of dollars in support of the programs, he has also instructed novice wrestlers, assisted coaches, and aided in wrestling events, he and his brother donated money to purchase a second competition wrestling mat that today bears the “Gaghan Family” name on the mat. The Gaghans have also generously donated to the Bob Pollard Scholarship Fund, which assists deserving student-athletes with financial aid for their attendance at Bishop Ireton.

Annually, the athletic department recognizes the service of one person among many that go the extra distance to assist Cardinal athletics and their athletes.  The 2015 service award winner was Mr. John (Jack) Lohrer. Lohrer, with two daughters at the school, has been the “voice” of the Cardinals all year long for live stream broadcasts of home football, men’s and women’s basketball, as well as women’s lacrosse in the spring.  As the citation suggested, he endured the summer heat on the roof of the building during football, scrambled to cover basketball through an endless winter, and  stood in near solitude on many frigid early spring afternoons to bring the story with the pictures to viewers across the country.

The Father Edward Roszko Spirit Award is presented annually to a Cardinal that promotes spirit within the school community, organizes events, and encourages enthusiastic support of Bishop Ireton teams. Senior Cory Conway epitomized that Cardinal spirit; his positive outlook and constant presence at nearly every varsity game made “Cardinal Crazy” a familiar description for young and old.

Sophia Gull was selected as the Manager of the Year by the varsity coaches. The junior from Alexandria, was in her first year with the wrestling team, under Coach Kwinten Brown. Coach Brown described Gull as a dependable, tireless manager, always there, doing those support jobs that make a coach’s job easier and the athlete’s focus less distracted.  Whether keeping statistics or managing equipment, Coach Brown knew Sophie had everything under control.

New to the program this year was the Cardinal Cup. This team award is presented annually to the varsity program that combines success in their own endeavors; rewarding success on the field and in the classroom, with their support of other varsity teams through their attendance at games, home and away, as well as the team’s undertaking of community service. Though the girls’ lacrosse team made a late season run, and the swim and dive team’s Christmas outreach to Bucknell Elementary School put them in the running, it was the boys’ soccer team that grabbed the lead early in the fall and steadfastly continued to be regular sight at games, strong in the academic performance, and extremely competitive on the field. Under Coach Jon Norem, the team snared the inaugural Cardinal Cup for the 2014-15 school year.

Presenting the awards to the winner of these honors as well as the most valuable player and Cardinal awards to each individual varsity sport was Dr. Thomas Curry, head of school, aided by director of athletics, Bill Simmons.  The winners of each team’s MVP and Cardinal awards are listed below:

Men’s Cross Country:

MVP – Thomas Ward

Cardinal – Aaron Alt

Women’s Cross Country:

MVP – Maggie Lohrer

Cardinal – Isabelle Wilcox

Football:

MVP – Drew Smith

Cardinal – Andre Robinson, Josh Ammon

Men’s Soccer:

MVP – Nick Ducceschi

Cardinal – Preston Haugh, Josh Esteverz

Women’s Soccer:

MVP – Lilly Weber

Cardinal – Grace Hamilton

Field Hockey:

MVP – Christine Macey

Cardinal – Angela Click

Women’s Tennis:

MVP – Haley Mckeen

Cardinal – Kirsten Parker

Fall Cheerleading:

MVP – Madison Houser

Cardinal – Megan McNutt

Volleyball: 

MVP – Stephanie Cabrera

Cardinal – Catie Hoffman

Men’s Basketball:

MVP – Nick Schmelzer

Cardinal – Jamie Pasha

Women’s Basketball:

MVP – Alexandra Stipano

Cardinal – Cecilia Leone

Winter Cheerleading:

MVP – Margaret Casper

Cardinal – Lauren Kennedy

Ice Hockey:

MVP – Ryan Scott

Cardinal – James Wendell Beane

Men’s Swim & Dive:

MVP – AJ Salvatori

Cardinal – Jimmy Grant

Women’s Swim & Dive:

MVP – Emma Klein

Cardinal – Clara Boggs

Wrestling:

MVP – Richard “Trey” Lovisone

Cardinal – Joseph Siedlarz

Baseball:

MVP – Chandler Wilder

Cardinal – Ryan Scott

Men’s Crew:

MVP – Matt Gottlieb

Cardinal – Evan Ferree

Women’s Crew:

MVP – Noelle Chaney

Cardinal – Veronica Richardson

Golf:

MVP – Dominic Wagner

Cardinal – Jake Murray

Men’s Lacrosse:

MVP – Jimmy Grant

Cardinal – Ciaran Lewis

Women’s Lacrosse:

MVP – Natalie Irwin

Cardinal – Kaitlin Luzik

Men’s Tennis:

MVP – Peter Murphy

Cardinal – Dylan Louison

Softball:

MVP – Erin Rockwell

Cardinal – Katie Reilly

Men’s Track & Field:

MVP – Josh Ammon

Cardinal – Owen Beals

Women’s Track & Field:

MVP – Isabelle Wilcox

Cardinal – Genevieve Thanh

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

Bishop Ireton’s award-winning athletes, coaches and scholarship winners posed together following the ASC banquet. Winners from left to right, back row, Ben Gorski, Ryan Scott, Drew Smith, Nick Ducceschi, Evan Feree, Brandon Hutchinson, Coach Rick Sofield. Front row, left to right, Maggie Lohrer, Alex Stipano, & Lilly Weber.

Bishop Ireton saw a number of Cardinal athletes, a coach, and even parents honored at the 60th annual Alexandria Sportsman’s Club Awards Banquet May 19th at the Westin Hotel in Alexandria.  US Senator Angus S. King of Maine, but an Alexandria native, was the guest  of honor at annual awards gala.

Senator King entertained the crowd of nearly 300 from the four city high schools, TC Williams, Episcopal, St Stephens & St Agnes as well as Bishop Ireton, as well as a parks and recreation youth athlete,  with fond memories of his high school football days in Alexandria as well the important life lessons he gained for his experiences in athletics. He particularly noted the strong bonds of life-long friendships he made on the football field, reciting from memory the starting lineup of his football team and recalling the scores of many of the games.

Bishop Ireton alumnus Ryan Fannon again served as the master of ceremonies and moved the evening through more than 25 individual awards, chapter honors, and a wrap up with the four scholarship winners the Club presented, three of whom were Bishop Ireton Cardinals.

Notre Dame-bound swimmer senior Ben Gorski received the male swimmer of the year award. The second team, all Met senior won a state championship and swam on a school record-setting relay team to pace the Cardinals to another impressive season in the pool.  Likewise, first team all-Met soccer player Nick Ducceschi was honored as the male soccer player of the year. The future James Madison Duke was also a first team, all WCAC selection for the Cardinals.

Lilly Weber picked up the female honors for soccer as well. Another first team, all WCAC performer, the speedy junior led the Cardinals in a number of offensive categories and has committed to play at Virginia Tech when she graduates in 2016.   Maggie Lohrer was honored as the women’s cross country runner of the year. The athletic junior is also a mainstay on the state champion lacrosse team, but blistered the city course in the fall to win the Alexandria individual title at Episcopal last fall as well as placing in the top of a number of meets throughout the season.

Stephanie Cabrera, a senior who is headed to Marymount to play volleyball for Saints in August, was selected as the volleyball player of the year.  Despite injuries that sidelined her for a portion of the fall campaign, she led the Cardinals in a number of statistical categories and was named to the all conference  teams.

A pair of football players were honored. Senior Drew Smith was named the city’s football player of the year.  Smith rewrote the record book for receptions and yardage in his senior campaign, helping the Cardinals to an 8-4 record and a state championship appearance at Benedictine. The fleet footed receiver will head to Villanova in the fall.

Teammate Ryan Scott played four varsity sports with exceptional skill, but was honored as the city’s ice hockey player of the year.  Not only a receiver on the football team, Scott was part of the school-record setting relay team in the pool while also leading the Cardinals on the frozen water in goals scored. He represented Ireton at the NVSHL all star game before finishing his senior year as a first team, all-WCAC baseball player.

Bishop Ireton’s Rick Sofield was named the city’s co-coach of the year with TC Williams’ boys’ soccer coach, Marty Nickley.  Sofield led the Cardinals’ girls lacrosse team to a 20-3 season, losing a pair of one goal decisions while defeating more than half a dozen top 20 teams in the country. While his Cardinals couldn’t repeat as WCAC champions, they did rebound to hand the Washington Post’s top-ranked and previously undefeated St Stephens & St Agnes their only setback in a 28-1 season when the Cardinals successfully defended their VISAA state championship at Randolph Macon College on May 16th.

The Sportsman’s Club annually awards a “sportsman of the year” at the banquet and this year honored  two.  John and Silke Duke, parents of junior Alex Duke, were surprised with the honor for their collaborative efforts with the Club’s  membership, nearly tripling membership in their year’s tenure as chairman.

Each spring the Club also presents college scholarships to essay winners.  This year, again with the financial support of Marion Moon whose contributions memorialize her son, Rick Mann Moon, the Club made four scholarship awards, three of which went to Bishop Ireton seniors.   First team, all WCAC basketball player, Alexandra Stipano and a pair of rowers, Evan Ferree and Brandon Hutchinson were all awarded $2500 college scholarships for their essays on the impact of athletics on their high school experience.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

Coach of the Year Rick Sofield (right) high fives his daughter, Charlotte (15), named the VISAA’s player of the year Monday. It was Coach Sofield’s second coach of the year award, but the UNC-bound Charlotte was the state’s player of the year for the first time.

Bishop Ireton landed 6 players on the VISAA Division I all state teams and had a father-daughter coup of sorts when Coach Rick Sofield was selected as the coach of the year for the second consecutive year and UNC-bound daughter, Charlotte, earned player of the year honors.

Joining Sofield on the first team was senior Kaitlin Luzik, junior Kelly Larkin, and sophomore Kayla Duperrouzel.  Boston University’s Kelly Mathews was selected for second team honors as was junior defenseman Maggie Lohrer.

The two finalists dominated the all state selections, St Stephens & St Agnes garnering 4 first team, 1 second team selectees, while the Cardinals placed four on the first squad and two on the second.  Twelve schools in all placed one or more players on the elite lists.

For Coach Sofield, it was his second consecutive selection for the distinguished recognition. His 2014 team won both the WCAC and VISAA titles. His 2015 squad was upset in the WCAC semifinals but upended the Saints for the second year in a row, spoiling a perfect season to end 28-1. The Cardinals ended their campaign at 20-3.

The complete list is below:

Division I, First Team:

Charlotte Sofield, Player of the Year,   Bishop Ireton

Ellie Majure,  St Stephens & St Agnes

Ellie Carson, St Stephens & St Agnes

Kaitlin Luzik, Bishop Ireton

Julia Haney, St Anne’s Belfield

Campbell Brewer, Collegiate

Kelly Larkin, Bishop Ireton

Lizzy Schwien, Flint Hill

Sheila Rietano, Potomac School

Katherine Golladay, Trinity Episcopal

Kendall Swenson, St Stephens & St Agnes

Audrey Schreck, St Anne’s Belfield

Zoe Belodeau, St Stephens & St Agnes

Shannon Cross, Bishop O’Connell

Annie Cory, St Anne’s Belfield

Kayla Duperrouzel, Bishop Ireton

Division I, Second Team:

Haley Tucker, St Catherine’s

Hannah Kurisky, Paul VI

Kelly Mathews, Bishop Ireton

Meredith Hughes, Trinity Episcopal

Caroline Wiseman, St Stephens & St Agnes

Jordan Marcus, Collegiate

Sarah Jones, Episcopal

Courtney Byler, Norfolk Academy

Erin Scherrer, Cape Henry

Maggie Lohrer, Bishop Ireton

Mariel Cardenas, Bishop O’Connell

Grace Marshall, Norfolk Academy

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

Senior captain Ryan Scott ended his high school hockey career as the Cardinals’ representative in the annual all star game in February.

Notre Dame-bound Ben Gorski is flanked by Anna Shumate (l) and Emma Klein (r) at VISAA swim & dive championships.

Coach Jason Harris, (center, right) presents a 1,000 point commemorative ball to senior Alex Stipano before the Holy Cross game. Alex’s parents, Dan & Tena joined her at center court prior to tipoff.

The 2015 Washington Post winter all Met selections were released Thursday.  Bishop Ireton had four athletes honored, including a second team male swimmer as well as an ice hockey player, a women’s basketball player, and a female swimmer honorably mentioned.

Notre Dame-bound swimmer Ben Gorski was named the Washington Post’s elite second team, all Met swim team while Ryan Scott, Alexandra Stipano, and Anna Shumate were on the honorable mention list.

Gorski set new Ireton records in the pool in 100 meter breaststroke (:54.76), 200m IM (1:53.12), and swam on a record-setting 200m Medley relay team.

The Oberlin College-bound Alex Stipano’s 93 three-pointers led the DMV in her senior enroute to becoming the Cardinals’ first ever 1st team, all WCAC basketball player. She recorded just over a 1,000 career points, breaking the barrier in Ireton’s game at St John’s in February.

Senior Ryan Scott paced Bishop Ireton through their 10-game NVSHL season with 21 goals and 19 assists. That effort earned the rangy senior a trip to the 2014-15 NVSHL all star game held in Ashburn this past February.

Sophomore swimmer Anna Shumate also claimed a VISAA 100-meter breaststroke championship in School record time of 1:04.97 and set a new Cardinal mark in the 50 meter freestyle in a time of :24.07.  She was one of three WCAC swimmers honorably mentioned and Bishop Ireton’s only underclassmen of the four recognized.

“All superb representatives of student-athletes here at Bishop Ireton. I am very proud of each of them.” said athletic director Bill Simmons . “I know the best is still to come for Ben, Alex, and Ryan and we wish them all great success as they leave Cambridge Road this summer. And we are all excited to see what Anna does in the pool in her remaining two seasons!”

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

Senior Nick Ducceschi (7) was one of 4 Cardinals recognized by the Washington Post. Nick, a first team selection, was joined by 2d team Joey Faddoul, HM Preston Haugh and the girls’ Lilly Weber.

The Washington Post has selected four Cardinals for post season soccer honors this past week, highlighted by a first team, allMet honor for senior Nick Ducceschi.  The Post also named junior Joey Fadddoul for the second teamwhile juniors Preston Haugh and the girls’ Lilly Weber were both tapped for honorable mention in soccer.

For the men’s program, the three players named were the most in more than 20 years. Coming off a 14-5-2 campaign, one that saw the Cardinals sitting as high as second in the WCAC in the final week of the season, Bishop Ireton began to gain the respect not seen since the 1970’s and 80’s, when Coach Jon Norem played for the Cardinals.

The Post lauded Ducceschi, who scored a team-high five game-winning goals of the 11 he tallied in 2014, and always drew the opponent’s most dangerous player for his defensive assignment.

For Faddoul, the Cardinals’ leading scorer with 28 goals and team-leading 16 assists, the selection suggests more good things in store for Ireton, as they look ahead to 2015 with junior Preston Haugh, an honorable mention selection also returning to the squad.  Haugh, the squad’s play maker in the midfield, was perhaps Norem’s most versatile, reliable player; someone the coach could insert in a variety of positions and roles depending upon the opponent or situation.

Coming off another strong season with arguably their most challenging schedule, one that included McDonogh School, Archbishop Spalding, Visitation, as well as WCAC heavyweights Good Counsel and O’Connell, the record may not have suggested a banner season, but junior Lilly Weber anchored a balanced team of talented young players. Her 12 goals and 7 assists were team-high numbers for Coach Gino Leon.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

The 2014 Bishop Ireton football gathered at Springfield Country Club on December 1 to honor the players and coaches who worked so well and so tirelessly this past fall. The Cardinals, who finished the season with an 8 – 4 record, finished as Division One runner-up in the Virginia Independent School Athletic Association (VISAA) coming up short in the championship game against Benedictine College Preparatory School on November 15, 2015.

Ireton coaches Joe Blaszkow, Bernie Hayes, David Britt and Stevie Jones handed varsity letters to the team’s offensive players before Charlie Meyers, Herb Holmes, and Keith Harding recognized the defensive and special teams players. In addition to varsity letters, all sixteen seniors received a blanket embroidered with the helmet decal as well as their name and jersey number. Head Coac h Tony Verducci announced several special awards as well, where Drew Smith (Most Valuable Player), Andre Robinson and Josh Ammon (Cardinal Awards), Joe Dickinson (Most Outstanding Player – Offense), Nigel Bullard (Most Outstanding Player – Defense), David Cooper (Most Outstanding Player – Special Teams), Jack Retcher (Most Improved – RMA), Bernie Hayes (Most Improved Defense), Ryan Scott (Most Improved Offense) and Cory Conway (12th Man – Spirit of “Together”) were recognized for their contributions.

Coach Verducci and the VISAA Division One coaches recognized many of the same student-athletes and more when they met in Richmond on December 10 to select the 2014 All-State Team. Senior Drew Smith, Ireton’s single season and career leader in receptions, yards receiving and touchdowns, was a first team wide receiver and he was joined on the first team by Josh Ammon, another senior and the Cardinal’s leading tackler for the second year in a row. Quarterback Joe Dickinson, who set school records for yards passing and touchdowns in his senior season, was a second team all-state choice on offense; as was senior Andre Robinson, the offensive center who protected the offensive backs! Junior placekicker David Cooper was a second team all-state selection too; as was senior defensive end Nigel Bullard and junior defensive back Corey Johnson (for the second straight year). A handful of players who will return to wear the Cardinal red and gold in 2015 were recognized as honorable mention all-state performers at their respective positions: juniors Patrick Gallagher (offensive line), Charlie Ladd (defensive back), Ryan Verducci (tight end) and Gavin Webster (defensive line) and sophomores Perris Jones (running back) and Sam Smith (wide receiver).

Congratulations to all the honorees as well as those who did not receive individual recognition at this time. Be sure to cheer for the many Cardinal football players who are representing the school on winter sports teams, as well as those who are working to prepare for spring sports or the 2015 season. The Bishop Ireton Football Program wishes everyone a beautiful Christmas season! There will be an organizational meeting for new and returning players during late January 2015 as the team prepares to build on the relationships and successes experienced this past fall!

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

Junior goalkeeper Amy Krotine (green jersey) was once again returned to the all Conference team, this time the 2014 edition.

The Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) released the 2014 all Conference selections and three Cardinals were on the first team while three more were selected for the honorably mentioned list.

Junior forwards Lilly Weber and Grace Hersey joined goalkeeper Amy Krotine on the all conference first squad.   The fleet footed pair of attackers led Ireton in goal scoring this season, while the tenacious Cardinal goalie was the league’s best.

Three other Cardinals were selected by the Conference’s coaches as worthy of honorable mention. Grace Hamilton, Grace Sklopan, and Laura Mueller were lauded by the WCAC for their play during the 2014 campaign. All three were instrumental in Bishop Ireton’s second place finish, according to Coach Gino Leon. “I am very proud of our first team players, a little disappointed that my honorable mention players didn’t get more support for the second team.  But we will have a chance to make that case on the field in the days ahead.”

The road begins Tuesday when the Cardinals (8-5-3, 5-1-2) face a tough 7th seed in Paul VI, who they edged 2-1 in the conference regular season finale last week. If the second-seeded Alexandria school advances, they will likely host the third-seeded Bishop O’Connell Knights, who host Elizabeth Seton, on Thursday, still stinging from the 4-1 setback on Fannon Field in the regular season meeting of the diocesan rivals.  The championships are set for Saturday, November 1st at 6pm in Boyds, Maryland. The title match will be held at the main stadium of the Maryland SoccerPlex.  Admission is $10 per person.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)