Jonathan Eades

Head of School Mr. Jonathan Eades (fourth from right, back row) poses with the field hockey team and coaches after a victory against Episcopal High School.

When athletes step outside, they are no longer smacked in the face by weather that is more than 100 degrees. Fall has finally come, and sports teams have flourished as they prepared for the Southern Preparatory Conference championships. 

Boys’ volleyball has started off strong with a 4-3 record. Senior captain Mason Howes said he feels good about the team’s performance so far. 

“Practices have been very productive and we bond well as a team,” Howes said. “I hope to end the season with two more wins before SPC play.” 

One setback the team has faced is senior captain Ryan Stubbs’ finger injury. 

“Ryan is the starting setter and his injury definitely impacted us,” Howes said.

Overall, the boys’ volleyball team seems to be playing well and plans to make a successful run during the SPC tournament.

Girls’ volleyball is doing well with a 3-2 record in SPC play. 

Senior captain Onyi Ndee committed to playing volleyball at Case Western Reserve University and said she believes that the team is headed in the right direction. 

“We feel like there is better team morale this season and it is definitely showing in the way we play,” Ndee said. “Right now, we are focusing on becoming more consistent in our defense as well as honing our mental skills.” 

The six seniors on the team have demonstrated great leadership, and the girls are confident that they will finish the season strong. 

Boys’ cross country is having a great season with many talented runners from all grade levels. Senior captain Talan Tellepsen is very satisfied with the team and its performance. 

“We’ve had a lot of personal records this year, and our team is the biggest it has been in a while. The only thing I think we can improve on is our lactic threshold training,” Tellepsen said. 

The boys continue to improve every week, and they look forward to the upcoming SPC meet in Fort Worth on Nov. 4.  

Girls’ cross country is also running very well, placing high in multiple meets. On Sept. 23 at the McNeil Invitational, the girls finished in second place, which is impressive considering that they were in the 5A division in a particularly large meet. 

Senior captain Tori Livingstone wanted to shout out a few of her teammates for their performances so far this season.

“There are two freshmen that are nothing short of amazing,” Livingston said. “Freshmen Maya Bernal and Tori Walton are blowing upperclassmen out of the water at every meet. It is special to have young talent on our team this year.” 

The girls will also go up to Fort Worth for the SPC meet on Nov. 4 and are expected to finish in the top five. 

Field hockey’s season has been successful, but it had its challenges. The girls have a 6-4 overall record and are 3-0 in conference with wins against Bellaire Episcopal, Awty and Duschene. 

“Our season has been good so far, and our team is tightly bonded,” said senior captain Lauren Shu. “Our Philadelphia trip was disappointing, but we are learning a lot from it. We need to focus on ourselves and stop worrying about other teams and other people’s high expectations for us.”

The team consists of many younger players as compared to previous years. Still, the girls remain confident in their abilities and believe that they will be very successful in SPC. 

Football has moved up in the ranks with a 5-2 overall record and a 1-0 record in SPC. Senior captain Nico Gomez has high praise for the team’s effort and leadership.

“What we have this year is special,” Gomez said. “Our team has unmatched chemistry, and we are willing to play our hearts out every game. Our defense is unstoppable, and our offense has recently added more playmakers to make us even better. We can’t wait to show everyone who we are this year as we face Episcopal and St. John’s in the next couple of weeks.”