Bishop Ireton High School | Archive | February, 2012

Senior Rima Lghzaoui was selected as the Cardinal player of the game versus St Johns.

The Cardinals were the talk of the tournament at Gonzaga heading into quarterfinal play.  Bishop Ireton’s stunning 48-41 upset of #7 Bishop McNamara turned heads around the conference.  Unfortunately for the Alexandria school, the trip ended emphatically Saturday at the hands of #2 seeded St Johns (22-7), who had no plans to be part of any Cinderella story.

Ireton controlled the game’s opening tipoff and grabbed a quick 2-0 lead on a layup. St John’s would score the next 23 points to remove any doubt as to the outcome of the contest. The Cardinals were game, make no mistake, they played from tipoff to final horn with determination and hard work. On this day, however, the talent on the other side was too much for the upstart Cards. The Cadets surged to a 33-10 lead after one period, a dominating session that led the public address announcer to declare it a halftime score until he belatedly corrected himself.  St Johns took a 53-25 lead to the locker room and played the entire squad throughout the second half, holding a 67-33 lead after three quarters.

The Cardinals continued to work hard, getting everyone into the game, if only for the experience of playing on the bigger stage they hope to be more regular attendees to in the future. Senior Laura Hart led Ireton in scoring with 11, while Rima Lghzaoui added 7, as did junior Camille Weber. Mara Celis  and Bianca Ojiegbe each chipped in 6,  senior Helena Barber had 4. Alexandra Stipano dropped a three on the Cadets and Taylor Gallahan and Isabelle Kendall had a bucket while Julia O’Brien was held to a free throw, well below her game average.  11 Cadets got on the board for St J0hns, four in double figures, led by senior Mooriah Rowser’s 16.  Lghzaoui was named the Bishop Ireton “player of the game” by tournament officials.

The Cardinals (6-24) now await the Virginia state playoff announcements on Sunday to determine whether they begin turning in their equipment or turn out for practice Monday afternoon.

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Former Cardinals Sarah Rupp (left) and Katherine Simmons (right) were co-captains of the 2011 Bishop Ireton girls lacrosse team, but now play for the UC, Davis Aggies and San Diego State Aztecs.

Bishop Ireton’s girls lacrosse program has sent a number of alums to the college ranks over the past five years.  Two of the Cardinals’ 2011 captains ventured west to play lacrosse and met for the first time since heading off to college when Sarah Rupp and the Aggies of the University of California, Davis, made a marathon bus trip to San Diego to play  Katherine Simmons’ Aztecs of San Diego State on Sunday, February 19th. It was San Diego State’s first ever Mountain Pacific Sports Federation lacrosse game, they entered the game 1-1 in non conference play. For Rupp and the Aggies, it was their season opener.

For the girls, the Aggies’ 18-7 win over the Aztecs was anticlimactic. With their parents in attendance, the girls hugged and mugged for photos on the field after the contest. Rupp, an attack player for Bishop Ireton, the start as a defender for UC, Davis, was a change but she played the position like a seasoned veteran on that day. For Simmons, an ankle injury sidelined the Alexandria native and Cardinal defender was reduced to moral support from the sidelines.

The Cardinals, with 9 seniors on the current roster, look for more such reunions in the future, as when Villanova’s Maria Bowman meets Lauren Gray at Georgetown, both see Janet Tela at UConn, as well as  Heather Olson with the Hawks of St Joseph’s or Maddy Connor of Christopher Newport.

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The Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association (VISAA) has announced the brackets for the Division I boys’ and girls’ basketball playoffs and both Ireton varsity squads are going to “the dance.”

The boys, with a 14-15 season mark, are matched against the MAC champions, The Potomac School of McLean, with a 19-10 mark.  The Panthers, led by Holy Cross-bound three-pointer shooting senior guard, Cullen Hamilton,  will host the contest on Tuesday.  Tipoff to be announced on Monday by The Potomac School.  The Cardinals, with 6 WCAC wins and 14 wins on the campaign were buoyed by a late season charge with a pair of lopsided wins over top tier WCAC programs, Archbishop Carroll and Bishop McNamara, by 30 points and 20 points respectively.

Likewise, the girls, at 6-23, get the 12th seed in the girls bracket, where they will travel a mile and quarter for a rematch with the Saints of St Stephens/St Agnes School, the 5th seed. The committee, while not unmindful of the Cardinals record, again gave great deference to the punishing schedule the Cardinals play in the WCAC as well as the quality non conference schedule the Cardinals had in playing the Bulldog Bash and challenging the ISL’s Bullis and Georgetown Visitation.  The playoff win over Bishop McNamara (17-12) 48-41 undoubtedly made an impression on the committee. The Saints, at 20-4, edged the Cardinals in the first round of the St Stephens/St Agnes Tipoff Tournament in the first week of December.  The Saints’ Dhyamond Crenshaw proved to be the difference in that contest and has led the Saints throughout the season.  Tipoff of the first round game is set for 5pm at St Stephens/St Agnes School.

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Junior Da'von Wiley, a 2012 2d team all conference pick, led the Cardinals with 21 points in the overtime loss to Good Counsel

For Coach Neil Berkman, the fourth meeting of the year with the Falcons of Good Counsel provoked nervous anticipation. The Cardinals had topped Good Counsel in a December holiday tournament in overtime, then upended the Falcons in Olney by 11 just after the Christmas holidays. The third match up was another nail biter, but Ireton prevailed again in Godley Gym  to sweep the regular season series.

After a pair of stunning blow outs at home, by 30 over Archbishop Carroll and 20 over Bishop McNamara, Ireton was riding high before their senior night setback against Bishop O’Connell sent the Falcons back to Godley Gym for a second visit and the fourth match up of the season in the WCAC playoffs. Once again it was a tight game that needed overtime to settle. This time however, Coach Blair Mills’ charges would outlast the home town redbirds.

With Da’von Wiley, a recently announced 2d team, all WCAC selection, leading the Cardinals with 21 points, Ireton jumped out to a 17-11 first period advantage and held on for a 31-26 lead at the intermission. But Falcon sophomores Byron Hawkins and Tre Thomas, who ended the evening with 14 and 17 points respectively, kept Good Counsel close then pulled them even in the final quarter.

Ireton’s sophomore Patrick Moseh, a season long spark plug off the bench, once again gave Ireton key plays late and his bucket in the waning seconds tied the contest at 49 and sent the game to overtime.  While Moseh and Taylor McHugh each had 11, the three point shooting of Good Counsel spelled doom for Ireton in the OT.  The Falcons would drain 8 on the evening to the Cardinals’ one, Hawkins and Thomas both chipping in 3 each.  The Cardinals hit a dry spell in the overtime as the blue and gold pulled away to their first win in four tries this season.

The Cardinals did get some good news when the WCAC released their all conference selections.  Junior Da’von Wiley was a second team pick while sophomores Dan Noe, Taylor McHugh, Patrick Moseh, joined junior Louis Khouri as honorably mentioned all conference selectees, all five underclassmen!

The Cardinals at 14-15 look forward to extend the season in the VISAA division I playoffs beginning next week, while Good Counsel, 10-19 head to the quarterfinals of the WCAC tournament to face top ranked PVI.

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Senior Andrew Lutterloh, a 2-time state champion, capped his career with a third place finish at the National Prep tournament at Lehigh on Saturday.

Senior 220 pound wrestler Andrew Lutterloh became Bishop Ireton’s second prep all American in as many years with a third place finish at the National Preps wrestling tournament at Lehigh University Saturday.  Lutterloh, one of four Ireton grapplers to qualify by finishing fourth or better at the recent state tournament, follows Elliot Mondragon who finished third at 103 pounds last winter.

The Cardinals also qualified Nick Womack, Darcy Gomez, and Jimmy Keegan for the prestigious tournament which draws the top wrestlers from across the United States, with teams from as far as Texas and Nebraska represented. As the team, the Cardinals rode Lutterloh’s third place finish as well as points from a Gomez win to snare a respectable 29th place overall with 24 team points.  Gomez defeated Stephen Guglielmo of Avon Old Farms by a pin in 2:31 of the match before losing by a fall to Corey Huntley of Archbishop Curley in the second round.  A video link to the Gomez winning match is at http://www.flowrestling.org/coverage/248325-Prep-National-Championships-2012

For Lutterloh, the sixth seed in the 220 pound bracket, Jack Melgard of The Hill School in Philadelphia became his first victim, losing by a fall in 1:36.  The all-state football defensive lineman for Ireton this fall moved on to Wyatt Cook of McDonogh in the next round, edging the Marylander 3-2. Third-seeded Nicholas Grossi of Germantown Academy in Pennsylvania, a name you will see later, decisioned Lutterloh 5-2 to advance. Ninth-seeded TJ Blackburn, a post graduate at Phillips Exeter in New England fell in the consolation round by a 3-1 count to Lutterloh who then pinned Marshall Hollerith of St Christopher’s of Richmond in 1:46 before dispatching 5th seeded John San Filippo of Mercersburg 7-2 to advance to the final bout for third place.  There he would meet Mr. Grossi of Germantown Academy in a rematch. Once again the score was 5-2, but this time, Andrew Lutterloh had his arm raised in victory, his 55th of the season, for a third place medal and a prep all American designation.

Junior Jimmy Keegan, at 285, drew the 4th seed, Chuck Boddy of Germantown Academy in the first round and lost by fall in 2:19. He then dropped a 3-0 decision to Egan Kennedy of Avon Old Farms to end the tournament.

At 138, junior Nick Womack drew third seeded Chris Yankowich of Germantown Academy and the senior stopped Womack in 2:28 of the match by a fall. Cory Rich of St Albans ended the tournament for Womack in a wild 19-7 decision in the consolation round.

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The turf is going down on the Witter Street fields little more than a block from Bishop Ireton. Check them out behind the gas stations and Land Rover dealership.

It has been a promise for years, new artificially turfed fields just two blocks from Bishop Ireton.  Cardinals will have some relief from the crunch of outdoor fields that has plagued the School nearly since its inception. “Yeah, but when?” is the common refrain. “I’ll believe it when I see it. Where are the fields again?”

Part of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge project, the undertaking is funded with federal and state transportation money, but the “keys” will be turned over to the City of Alexandria upon completion. With the help of the Bishop Ireton athletic booster club’s donation of two electronic scoreboards, the fields will be ready with two rectangular, artificial turfed fields to host soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, as well as rugby, Gaelic football and a host of recreational activities. The far east end of the complex will see a softball field with natural grass, currently earmarked as TC Williams High School’s new softball home.  Parking, rest rooms, sheltered areas are also park of the design.  The City anticipates the completion of the turf fields by mid April.

“This is a great addition to the City and to Bishop Ireton.” said athletic director Bill Simmons of Bishop Ireton. “Our booster club has shouldered the task of helping Ireton put its money to work in a unique partnership that the City values and recognizes.  Thanks to the boosters and generous benefactors, like Passport Auto, we provided scoreboards to Frank Mann Field, our city-designated baseball facility, and Luckett Field, our assigned varsity softball field.  These are quality facilities. Witter will be the same thing, allowing us to play soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey on state of the art fields.  We are very excited about the progress and the City’s willingness to share the 3-6pm timeframe with us during the school year.”

The fields are hidden between the CSX rail lines and the businesses along Duke Street, from the Shell station to the animal hospital. The Victory Temple Missionary Church sits on the corner of Witter Street and Duke on the south (right side) of the street as you travel from BI towards old Town Alexandria, one block from the Cambridge Road intersection with Duke Street.

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Senior Bianca Ojiegbe has anchored an Ireton defense that has lifted the Cardinals to #6 in latest VISAA polls.

All season long, Coach Derek Campbell’s team worked tirelessly to find a way to get the most of their potential. After they put it together in January will a home win over rival Bishop O’Connell 59-50, the Cardinals have found intensity and performance narrowing the gap with the WCAC’s best programs. In Campbell’s biggest win in his two-year tenure at Ireton, the redbirds erupted for 29 4th quarter points to down 7th seeded Bishop McNamara 49-41 in Forestville.

“We believed in ourselves and we made free throws.” said senior Laura Hart, who scored 12 for Ireton. Junior Mara Celis led the team with 13 on the night.  It was a  struggle for both teams for three quarters, the Mustangs had but 5 points after one period and led 23-20 after three periods of play.  But, whatever happened to the Cardinals, it happened in the final quarter. Ireton made 13 of 15 free throws in the final stanza and became the aggressor at the game’s end.

Campbell credited the attitude and the strong play of senior Bianca Ojiegbe for the win, one that wasn’t as big a surprise to many close to the program as it was the general public.  “I had more than one person around the league suggest that we were right there, ready to surprise someone,” said Ireton AD Bill Simmons. “It was a great win for the team. I hope there are more games for these this season!”

Business at hand is #2 St Johns at 3:30pm at Gonzaga on Saturday.   Admission is $5, no passes are honored for tournament action.

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Bishop Ireton's Cardinals, shown here at City championships, swam in one of the area's most competitive meets prior to the VISAA state championships coming up.

The Bishop Ireton Swim and Dive team made their presence known at the  WMPSSDL Championship meet this past weekend in Takoma Park, Maryland.   The boys and girls teams were scored separately and both girls and boys finished in the top half of the field.  The women finished 8th out of 18 teams and the men 9th out of 18 teams.

The team had great success in both individual and relay events.  The two top relay finishes were by the men’s 200 freestyle relay team of Michael Ryan Clark, Kevin Grant, Andrew Crandall and Ben Gorski which finished 5th overall and the women’s 400 freestyle relay team of Emi Quinn, Kelly Palmer, Hayley Snell and Maddie Zeigler which finished 6th overall.  This women’s relay team also swam in the 200 medley relay and placed 8th.  The third women’s relay team of Catherine Kennedy, Tori  Camardella, Eileen Louison and Alex Branham had a great race and finished in 13th place.

Two other men’s relay teams competed and the boys 200 medley team of Michael Ryan clark, Ben Gorski, Andrew Crandall and Kevin Grant finished 8th in that event.  The final men’s relay team of Andrew Crandall, Carl Smearman, Giovanni Salvatori and Rob Mejia had an impressive swim in the 400 freestyle relay and earned 12th place in the finals.

In addition, Bishop Ireton  swam more relay teams that also turned in great times.  Swimmers who made up these relays and who are not mentioned above  are:  Caitlin Lucas, Margaret Gray, Kaitlin Nguyen, Juliana Sampaio,  Kevin Abbed, Vince Mule’, Max Becker, Jimmy Grant, Cory Conway, and Tommy Corridon.

Beside the great relay swims, there were many noteworthy individual swims.  On the girls’ side, junior Kelly Palmer finished 6th in the 500 freestyle and 10th in the 200 freestyle.  Freshman Hayley Snell finished 8thi n the 50 freestyle and 10th in the 100 backstroke.  Senior Maddie Zeigler finished 8th in the 100 backstroke and sophomore Alex Branham finished 9th in women’s diving.  Junior Emi Quinn placed 12th in both the 50 free and 100 back and sophomore Catherine Kennedy made her first  high school swimming  finals appearance  and finished 16th in the 100 breaststroke.

On the boys’ side, senior Michael Ryan Clark finished 11th in the 50 free and 14th in the 100 backstroke.  Junior Kevin Grant placed 14th in both the 50 and 100 freestyle and freshman Ben Gorski made his high school finals debut and finished 16th in the 200 freestyle.

Parents and supporters of Ireton swimming made an impact as well.  “A big thanks must be extended to the BI parents who volunteered at the meet.  Ireton parents stocked and ran the hospitality room for the meet officials and volunteers, more timers than any other school, according to the team officials who offered a hearty,  Thanks to all of you!” for the strong support.

The Cardinals will participate in the prestigious Metros Championship meet this coming weekend in Germantown, Md.

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Senior Andrew Bladen, above, was one of 4 Cardinals advancing to the finals at the 2012 WCAC wrestling championships Saturday at PVI.

Buoyed by 4 wrestlers in the WCAC championships and two more finishing third, Coach Don Dight’s grapplers earned a 4th place in the 9-team WCAC championships at Paul VI Catholic High School Saturday.

DeMatha won their 27th WCAC/WMAC title regaining the crown from defending champs, Good Counsel who finished second. Host Paul VI earned a third, and the Cardinals edged St Mary’s Ryken for 4th place. Bishop McNamara, Bishop O’Connell, St Johns and Gonzaga rounded out the finishers in the annual event.

“With two exceptions, we wrestled where we were seeded.” commented Dight. “You always want to win the ones you are seeded to win, and then steal a couple where you weren’t expected to win.”  That was the case as Gibson Hawk at 150 topped last year’s runner up, St Johns’ Patrick Wynsloff in the semi finals to advance to the title bout.  Gibson joined Nick Womack, Andrew Bladen, and Andrew Lutterloh in the evening’s title matches.

Darcy Gomez claimed a third place finish at 113 after falling to the tournament’s most valuable wrestler, champion freshman Jake Vosburgh of St Mary’s Rylen.  Likewise, Nick Womack lost to one of the area’s top wrestlers, Bishop McNamara’s Alfred Bannister, the Washington Post’s top ranked 138 pounder.  Andrew Lutterloh suffered a similar fate at 220, as the top ranked and undefeated Kyle Snyder of Good Counsel topped the third-ranked Ireton senior for his second WCAC crown.  Andrew Bladen was second after losing to  DeMatha’s Dylan Devine,  while junior Jimmy Keegan was Ireton’s other third place finisher in the 285 lbs weight class.

The Cardinals continue in “tourney mode” for the next two weekends as they travel to St Albans on Feb 10/11 before heading south for the VISAA’s state meet on Feb 17/18.  The season will conclude at that point for the team although selected wrestlers may qualify for the National Preps at Lehigh on Feb 24-26 in Pennsylvania.

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Sophomore Patrick Moseh came off the bench to score team-high 15 in win over Good Counsel Friday.

Coach Neil Berkman’s boys basketball team evened their season record at 11-11 Friday with their third win of the year over Good Counsel, including a home and home sweep of the Falcons in regular season play, a first for the redbirds in more than 25  years. Gonzaga stopped Ireton the next day in DC, but Ireton remains in 8th place in the competitive WCAC.  Read more at the link:

http://www.thesportsfannetwork.com/articles/5608-bishop-ireton-sweeps-good-counsel/#.Ty9gibkAthg.email

Here the audio call of the key 4th quarter rally that sparked the win:

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/20202857/highlight/238657

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