Bishop Ireton High School | Archive | September, 2010

After sweeping the Virginia Catholic School State Cross Country and Track championships last season, Bishop Ireton’s boys’ cross country team returned to racing this past week at the Episcopal Relays.  A relay-oriented meet scheduled to work athletes back into the season, the Cardinals took charge and showed the competition what is to come in the 2010 season.  The boys’ team put forth a dominating performance, placing three pairs in the top 5 to win the team title over the home-standing team, St. Stephens, Maret, Episcopal, and other competing schools.  Our top boys’ pair of Liam O’Connor and Michael Anderson took 2^nd place with the duo of Nick Manzek and Murphy Costigan not far behind in 3^rd.  Arthur Stier and Daniel Burns took the 5^th spot in the race to secure the Cardinals their first victory of the season.

The girls’ team also put on display the strong effort they put forth over the summer, with a handful of pairs placing in the top 10 of the meet as well to secure 3^rd place for Ireton.  Marin Nolan and Aubrey Gartlan secured the top spot for the Cardinals with the combos of Alex Georgieff, Sarah Fyffe, and Kathryn Gasper, and Annie Barletta rounding out the top three pairs.

In addition to the top pairs, all Ireton runners performed well across the varsity and junior varsity races.  Personal best times were ran by many, and the junior varsity race was even won by the Ireton duo of B.J. Townley and Connor Pearson.  With another strong week of practice in tow, the Cardinals look to a much challenging race ahead at the Woodberry Forest Invitational this Saturday.  After great success in the first meet of the season though, hopes are high to continue the running excellence!  Ireton heads to Orange County and Woodberry Forest School for one of the largest private school gatherings of the young season on Saturday.

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There were a number of similarities between Saturday’s home opener for the Cardinals and last week’s contest, including a disappointing setback, this time 28-17 to the Cadets of Benedictine.  The beautiful day for football, Ireton taking a lead, a big pass play by the opponent for a touchdown, and a late drive with hope for heroics thwarted by a turnover and subsequent touchdown to take the game away from the cardinal and gold, to name of a few of the similarities.

“We played a very good football team, well coached, and they played a better second half than we did.” commented head coach Tony Verducci.  The Richmond team improved to 2-1 on the season while Bishop Ireton (0-2) dropped their second game of the campaign.

Ireton took the opening kickoff and had the beginings of a good looking drive. Sophomore PJ Zingler hit senior captain Tommy Gallinaro for an 18-yard completion, the first of ten passes the lanky end would snare on the day.  But the Cadets’ Kyle Clark pried the ball loose from Moses Webb near midfield and Tim Joyce recovered the pigskin on the Ireton 46.

Quarterback David Geary engineered a 9-play, 42-yard drive to the Ireton 4, before the defense rallied and the Cadets settled for a 21-yard field goal.  The Cardinals could do little on their next drive after Webb’s 26 yard kickoff return gave Ireton their second possession near midfield. Following a short punt, Benedictine began it’s second drive behind the running of Kendall Squire who nearly singledhandedly drove to the Ireton 5. Geary’s aerial on first down was intercepted by junior Andrew Bladen to end the threat with 1:31 remaining in the opening quarter.

The turnover sparked the Ireton offense who drove 92 yards in just 5 plays, the highlight coming when Moses Webb dashed 61 yards down the sideline on the first play of the drive.  Zingler found Gallinaro three plays later in the end zone for an 18-yard strike and the Cardinals grabbed a 7-3 lead on the quarter’s final play.

Both clubs battled without significant success in the first three drives of the second period, thanks in part to Richard Walker with 13 tackles and Zayne Bush with 9, before the Cadets punted with 3:30 to play in the half. Aided by a personal foul on Bendictine, a 19-yard completion to Malcolm Westbrook, and a last foul again on the Cadets, Ireton found themselves 4th and 2 on the two yard line. Senior captain Theo Daubresse nailed a 20-yard field goal to end the half and send the home team to the locker room with a 10-3 advantage.

Benedictine took the ball to open the second half and rode Kendal Squire and Corey Downey to the Ireton 1 yard line. Another costly miscue by the green and white clad visitors cost them 5 yards, and the Cadets were forced to settle for another Geary field goal of 23 yards, cutting the Ireton advantage to 10-6.

The Cadets were poised to strike again almost immediately when Squire intercepted a Zingler pass and hauled it to the Ireton 20, but the Cardinals stonewalled the visitors on 4 plays and took possession on their own 17. Once more, however, the teams could muster little offense and the teams traded punts.  Ireton then began on their own 24 with 2:06 left in the third.

Once more penalties on Benedictine, there were 10 on the day, kept the Ireton drive alive with a holding penalty at one point, later too many men on the field for an Ireton punt that prolonged the possession. During the drive, after the Cardinals maintained the ball on the second penalty, Verducci turned to junior Andrew Bladen to quarterback the offense but the drive stalled and Aurelian Guillaud’s 28-yard punt gave the Richmond crew their first possession in what would be an eventful final period.

After Corey Downey rushed for 9 yards, Geary found John Paul Curtin for 64 yards and a touchdown at 10:50 remaining. Ben McSweeney rushed the ball for a two-point PAT and the visitors went back on top 14-10.

Pinning the Alexandrians on their 19 to start their next drive, the Cadets drove Ireton backward 10 yards and started their next drive on the 37 of Ireton.  But a 6-play, 16 yard drive stalled and Geary’s 38 yard field goal attempt was wide to the left.

With 6:20 left in the contest, the Cardinals would need just 2 plays to go 80 yards to regain the lead. Zingler hit Gallinaro for 22 yards, then found Webb on the sideline and the speedster outran the Cadets 58 yards for the score. Daubresse’ PAT gave Ireton it’s last lead at 17-14.

Just when it looked like the home team was gaining control, DeShawn Wells took the ensuing kickoff and plowed into the wedge, disappearing momentarily then breaking out of the mass and down the home sideline 51 yards to the Cards 29. From there it took 5 plays for Benedictine to regain the lead with a Geary toss to tight end Nigel Williams and the visitors were back on top 21-17.

“It was deja vu’ all over again” to quote humorous New York Yankee great, Yogi Berra. Ireton took the ensuing kickoff with 4:02 to play and promptly hit Webb for a 44-yard completion and the Cardinals were seemingly in business at the Cadet 36. But, similar to last week, an incompletion and a fateful quarterback sack resulted in a fumble and the Cadets regained the ball with 2:53 remaining.

Benedictine gave the weary Ireton defense a steady diet of Corey Downey and on his third consecutive carry, he bolted 38 yards to the end zone and effectively sealed the fate of the home team with 1:53 to play and Ireton on the short end of a 28-17 count.

Much like the previous week the Cadets held a substantial time of possession advantage of nearly 8 minutes and won the battle of the turnovers by forcing 4 and yielding but one. The Cadets David Geary was 15-25 for 233 yards, with an interception and a pair of TDs, while Ireton sophomore PJ Zingler was 20-30, 268 yards, a pair of touchdowns and an interception.  The Cadets were tough on run defense however, as Ireton could manage but 33 yards in 22 attempts, while the visitors rushed for 134.  “This is a young team, we have to keep that in mind.” remarked one assistant as the staff began the postgame study.

Benedictine returns to Richmond to tangle with Ireton’s homecoming opponent, St Christopher’s next week.  The Cardinals, meanwhile, start a 3-week road trip with journey to Woodberry Forest on Saturday for a 2pm start, St Stephens and Bullis to follow. WFS opened their season this weekend with a win.

Ireton’s cross country teams will join the gridders in Orange as they participate in the Woodberry Forest School’s annual cross country meet over a tough course with dozens of private schools in attendance.

Score by quarters

Benedictine     3   0   3   22   28
Bishop Ireton  7   3   0     7   17

Cadets     Field Goal, Geary, 21 yds 6:52
Cardinals   Gallinaro 18 yd pass from Zingler, (Daubresse kick) 0:00
Cardinals   Field Goal, Daubresse, 20 yds 0:00
Cadets     Field Goal, Geary, 23 yds 6:43
Cadets     Curtin 64 yd pass from Geary, (McSweeney run) 10:56 
Cardinals   Webb 58 pass from Zingler, (Daubresse kick) 6:19
Cadets     Williams 3 yd pass from Geary, (Geary kick) 4:02
Cadets    Downey 38 yd run, (Geary kick) 2:01

                                                            Cadets                Cardinals
First Downs                                                 15                    16
Rushes – Yards (net)                                 32-134                22-33
Passes Att-Comp-TD-Int                        25-15-2-1            33-20-2-2
Total Offense Plays-Yards                         57-367                55-301
Fumbles – Lost                                           0-0                    2-2
Penalties – Yards                                      10-81                 5-30
Time of Possession                                   27:53                20:07

Rushing leaders – Benedictine – Downey 19-125, Bishop Ireton – Webb 8-56  Passing – Cadets – Geary, 15-25-2-1, 233 Cardinals – Zingler, 20-30-2-1, 268
Receiving leaders – Benedictine – Meyer, 7-88, Curtin 3-104, Bishop Ireton – Gallinaro 10-109, Webb 3-102, Westbrook 5-47           

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Bishop Ireton volleyball has started the fall with three straight wins, built around a strong group of girls that play to their strengths, says varsity head coach Kathy Gutmann. “We aren’t going to intimidate teams, but we play a very solid game, strong defense, technically sound. The first three matches have reinforced with the team what we are trying to do and the success we can have sticking to what we do best.”

The Cardinals opened the season in Frederick, Maryland, where they stopped a very good Maryland School for the Deaf 3-1.  They returned home to overcome an athletic Bishop McNamara club in three straight.  The biggest test of the season came with Elizabeth Seton visiting Father Godley Gymnasium on Wednesday.

Seniors Richelle Villa and Allie Sobral had sparked Ireton with an average of 7.5 and 8 digs per game while senior middle hitter Margaret Coyle is leading the Cardinals with an average of 4 kills per contest.

A pleasant surprise for Coach Gutmann has been the play of freshman setter Ashley Cabrera who has paced the team after the first two matches with 10 aces.  

Ireton struggled past the Roadrunners in the first game 25-23, found some breathing room in the second game with a 25-20 win, then fought point  by point in the third. With the game tied at 18, the clubs traded points as Seton attacked and the Cardinals countered with their trademark defense. Like clockwork, Ireton would take one point lead, Seton responded, Cardinals went up one, Roadrunner answered. Finally a fault on a serve at 23 all gave Ireton an opening but they could not capitalize until they scored two straight to go up 27-26.  Following a timeout, Seton came back to bury a **** shot and Ireton made an uncharacteristic lapse to fall in game three 29-27.

The fourth contest wasn’t close. With Richelle Villa posting many of her match high 16 digs, the Cardinals broke to a 12-3 lead and cruised home to win the fourth 25-10, winning the match 3-1.

The freshmen won 2-0 over St Johns freshmen in the tipoff match while the JV stopped Seton 2-0 in their contest.

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Bishop Ireton  couldn’t muster the intensity they had in the season opener with Gonzaga, falling to St Johns 2-1 in Alexandria Tuesday. 

Kelvin Mejia opened the scoring for the Cadets with 14:25 remaining in the opening period. Zach Brown pushed the red clad visitors’ lead to 2-0 with a shot from ten yards away at 3:45 to go. 

The second period was one of St Johns playing it close and defensive, said head coach Philip Gyau. “Both teams had scoring opportunities in the first half, but we converted on two. We decided to play it tight the second half and take our chances. Ireton played it well, they caught us off side on a few occasions.”

Senior captain Dan O’Keefe tallied for the Cardinals with 3 minutes to play but the home team could not find the net in the time remaining.

Ireton travels to Archbishop Carroll on Friday to challenge the always dangerous and athletic Lions on Maus Collins Field. Game time is 4pm.

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Coach Marianna Sullivan’s team continues to find the solution so far the past two seasons to one of the WCAC’s premier programs as the Cardinals went on the road a second time enroute to a 2-1 win in the WCAC season opener for both clubs. 

The first half goal came off the feet of speedy attacker, Katrina Guillou.  St John’s found an answer before the half, when a strange bounce popped out behind the defense and a lucky St John’s player headed it in just out of reach of BI netminder Jess Bobeck.  

The girls came out very confidently in the second half, putting St John’s under consistent pressure.  When Guillou threatened to score again she was taken down in the box and the ref called for a penalty kick.  Freshmen Adrienne Maday was called on and neatly put it away for her first HS goal.  With few prep games under their belts, the Cardinals are still working out the details of a new system of play involving a target forward.  

“We really need to learn how to find the forwards reliably and not count on them winning a footrace over the opposition’s defense.”   The Cardinals’ “Player of the Match” was Helena Barber, who effectively controlled the tempo of the game and disrupted the talented St John’s midfield.  

The Cardinals have a break with the JV tangling with the Lions of Archbishop Carroll on Friday before the varsity gets into the grind of the twice a week routine of WCAC regular season play.

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Bishop Ireton High School has a newly appointed head coach for the men’s & women’s Rowing Team. Former coach Ryan Gibson, stepped down following the spring campaign as the increasing demands of his professional career in aviation required more and more time away from the northern Virginia region.

Eric Gehrke, native to Alexandria attended Gonzaga College High School in Washington, DC where he learned to row. During that time he won three National Championships (2002, 2003) and two Canadian Henley Gold Medals (2002, 2003) for Thompson’s Boat Center club program, as well as a 6th place finish at the Stotesbury Cup Regatta (2003) his senior year with Gonzaga.

Eric was named to the Washington Post All-Met team his senior year and also garnered an invitation to try out for the United States Junior National Team (2003). He went on to row for Boston College, where he was named captain for the 2006-07 school year and won a bronze medal in the Collegiate Four at the Head of the Charles (2006).

Since graduating Gehrke moved back to the Washington, DC area to coach at Gonzaga. In his two years there (2009, 2010) his Freshman Eight won a Bronze Medal at Stotesbury and won the WMIRA Freshman Eight event and Novice Eight event both years. While newly hired skipper oversees the entire program, he will be coaching the Varsity Men.

When asked about his move from a nationally ranked team to come to the growing Cardinals’ program  Eric stated, “Joining the Ireton family was the right choice. Everyone has been beyond welcoming and I know that this team is primed for some great races. The athletes are all very young and excited about the time they have to improve and put down the first building blocks for a perennial powerhouse program. We will succeed because we will hit the ground running and never look back.”

Gehrke will inherit three returning coaches from Ryan Gibson’s staff. Sean Underwood of East Lyme, CT was the Men’s Varsity coach last season and will be taking over the freshman boys for this Fall. Brent Keuch of Old Town Alexandria will be moving from the men’s team to the women’s side to take over the Varsity program. Last year, the Lady Cardinals finished 10th in the nation in the Junior 8, the best finish in school history. Coach Brent has higher expectations for this young group of girls. Ireton is lucky to have back former student/coxswain Julie Fischer as the Freshman coach for the women. Julie Fischer has been with with Bishop Ireton since 2009 and looks to have a promising season with the incoming freshman.

Bishop Ireton athletic director, Bill Simmons, had high praise for the head coach, “Eric has a superb resume, but he also impressed our community when he met with us. Gonzaga AD, Joe Reyda, gave him a strong endorsement and Joe knows talent as the results at Gonzaga under his athletic leadership clearly demonstrate. I am excited to welcome Eric to the Cardinal coaching fraternity. Attracting the best coaches available remains among my highest priorities.”

Coach Gehrke said in an interview, “Now that the planning is done we will work everyday to improve our place in the rowing world. Hopefully I can help the athletes succeed with their goals and they can teach me what it takes to build a team with strong values and even stronger personal bonds.”

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O’Connell sophomore Kenya Brown lumbered 55 yards untouched with a fumble recovery for a touchdown with only 1:05 remaining to blunt Ireton’s drive and seal the Knights’ win, 20-13 in Arlington Saturday.  The Cardinals (0-1) regrouped and marched 60+ yards in the final minute to close the gap to 7 on the final play of the contest, but the fourth Ireton miscue on the afternoon decided the affair.

It was a picture perfect Saturday afternoon with a good crowd, including a strong Ireton following, as the 2010 edition of Cardinal football displayed moments of thrilling offense and hardnosed defense, but also exposed their inexperience in falling to Bishop O’Connell in the season opener for both clubs.  For the Knights (1-0), they surprised few with a punishing ground game that was rarely flashy, but did prove to be relentless and time consuming.

The Cardinals took the opening kickoff to their 46 yard line and went right to work.  With Moses Webb pounding the ball on the ground and sophomore quarterback PJ Zingler finding Brandon Williams-Price and Malcolm Westbrook, Ireton marched smoothly down the field. Anthony Rivers scored on a 26-yard pass play and the Alexandrians had a 7-0 advantage with 8:42 left in the first period.

When DJO running back Patrick Simms fumbled on the next O’Connell possession at the 35 yard line, Ireton went back to work. The drive stalled when Webb was caught for a 5-yard loss on the first play and a third down pass fell incomplete. Theo Daubresse’s short punt sailed just into the end zone and the Knights began an 80-yard scoring drive, capped by a 29-yard dash by freshman Marvin Stewart. The PAT kick was wide right and the Cardinals clung to a 7-6 lead.

Ireton mounted another drive behind Moses Webb on the ground and Zingler’s tosses to Westbrook and Rivers, but the drive stalled on downs at the O’Connell 11 yard line.  

O’Connell fullback Michael Katz, one of four backs that pounded away on the ground 49 times for 219 yards, gained 11 yards on two carries, then senior got behind the Cardinals defense and dashed 74 yards with a Nicholas Morabito toss down the right sideline to give the blue and gray clan hosts a 12-7 lead.  With the earlier missed kick, DJO attempted to run for a 2-point PAT try but again was unsuccessful. Morabito would complete only 3 passes on 6 attempts, but this bomb provided the lead the Knights would not relinquish.

Zingler once more marched the cardinal and gold down the field, aided by a personal foul penalty and an effective mix of runs and passes. He would complete 23 of 28 passes on the day for two touchdowns and 255 yards.  But after a dash to the goal line, the young sophomore in his first varsity start fumbled the pigskin out of the end zone resulting in a touch back and ending the scoring drive.  With Katz, Trimble, and Sims rushing the ball, the Knights line began to control the scrimmage line and the clock as they rumbled down the field. Ireton stiffened their defense and the a 26-yard field goal was wide to the left as the half ended.

Coach Steve Trimble came out in the second half with the same attack that proved so successful at the end of the first. He fed the Ireton defense a steady diet of his son, Joshua; Katz, and Stewart, all methodically moved DJO down the field.  With only 8:07 remaining in the third, Morabito tested the Cards pass defense but found Ireton’s “mister everything” this day, Moses Webb, who picked off the aerial at the Ireton two-yard line.

Junior Andrew Bladen spelled Zingler to open the third for Ireton, but in such tight quarters two runs, a holding penalty on the Cardinals, and an incompleted pass left junior punter Aurelian Guillard without much room to work. He nonetheless drilled a 45-yard kick to give the visitors some breathing room, but still left the Knights at the Ireton 40 after Trimble added his five-yard return.

The Cardinals again stopped O’Connell, this time on downs at the 26, but then the game began to turn away from Coach Tony Verducci’s squad. On the second play of the drive, linebacker Jason Makoutz stepped in front of a Zingler throw and returned the interception to the Ireton 26. Penalty flags flew and both teams were assessed personal fouls for unsportsmanlike conduct, a situation that would occur again before the contest’s end as emotions and frustrations erupted in the heated rivalry.  

Yet again, with Daubresse, Rivers, and juniors Webb, Sean Boldaji, and Andrew Lutterloh leading the defense, Ireton would stall a short O’Connell opportunity and Trimble’s punt would pin Ireton deep in their own territory.

The clubs traded offensive series without making a threat to score as the final quarter wore on. Finally with just over 4 minutes to play, the Cardinals seemed to find a new urgency and began to gain chunks of real estate. Webb scampered 13 yards for a first down, Malcolm Westbrook hauled a pass 25 yards for another first down, then he lined up at quarterback and carried the ball for 7 more yards on the next play. Ireton seemed to be on the move.  But with 2:32 left, another interception and more personal fouls on both clubs began to marr an otherwise exciting contest.

O’Connell could not score, but did run time off the clock as Ireton burned through their timeouts and regained possession with 1:50 to play; still down just 12-7. Zingler quickly hit Westbrook for 25 yards before the fateful sack and Brown’s ramble with the loose ball to put the game away.   Ireton did fight back in those final 65 seconds with aerials to senior Tommy Gallinaro and Westbrook before Zingler’s touchdown pass to Westbrook in the corner of the end zone on the game’s final play.

While the Cardinals expressed disappointment in the outcome, Ireton AD Bill Simmons tried to reassure Ireton fans after the contest. “In this offense, to start a sophomore quarterback in his first varsity game on the road against your biggest rival, you have to be encouraged that PJ was 23 of 28 throwing the ball with two touchdowns, he played with confidence and poise. Moses Webb had a great game, as did a number of guys on both sides of the ball.  Our defense played well against an all conference calibre back, they made two big plays against us.  It’s a young team and looks like an exciting team to me. Sure, we **** losing to O’Connell but we did alot right today. The one thing that did concern me was the unsportsmanlike penalties. I haven’t talked to the staff, but I know that will be an issue Coach Verducci will fix this week.”  

The Cardinals return to Alexandria for their home opener Saturday, September 11th with Benedictine High School from Richmond before going back on the road the following week to Woodbury Forest School.  The Cadets head to Ireton with a 1-1 record after an opening win over Goochland, but a 42-7 setback to Atlee this weekend. Game time with Benedictine’s Cadets is scheduled for a 2pm kickoff, admission is $5, booster club season passes will be at the Club’s will call table before the game.

Bishop Ireton      7  0  0  6   13
Bishop OConnell 6  6  0  8   20

First Quarter:

BI Rivers 26-yard pass from Zingler (Daubresse kick) 8:42
DJO Stewart 29 run (kick failed) :53

Second Quarter:

DJO Katz 74-yard pass from Morabito (run failed) 7:19

Fourth Quarter:

DJO Brown 55-yard fumble recovery (Morabito run) 1:05
BI Westbrook 30-yard pass from Zingler (game end) :00

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