Sports Week in Review, Nov. 5

As two varsity programs end their fall campaigns, three others are prepping for the Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC) Championships this week in Houston. Read on to learn how coaches and athletes are preparing for tough conference competitions.
 
There is no denying that cross country Head Coach Paul Carrozza is expecting peak performances at Saturday’s meet. The team has been training since August, and each week Spartan runners have made important gains. Coach Carrozza is taking a young boys team to the SPC Championships on Saturday, including 9th-grade varsity runners Gabriel Estrada, Fernando Arroyo, Harrison Ratliff and Marshall Cloyd. Older students round out the roster, as Sloan Wittliff, Hnasen Zhang, Yusoo Hwang and Shaunuk Divine look to place this weekend.
 
Julian Baeza (12th grade) is a favorite to come in first, and the boys’ team is hoping to crack the top three spots as a unit. On the girls’ side, 11th grader Katie Cline, current school record holder in the 5K, is a contender for first; she recently earned a personal record at the SPC South Zone meet. Running along side Cline will be a solid core of Spartans, including Hattie White, Kira Rosen, Zoe Erlich, Olivia Korensky, Clea Bell, Sophie Johnson and Devon Bell.
 
After finishing third in SPC South Zone competition, the varsity field hockey squad is ready for the first battle of the SPC Championships on Thursday. The team will face a highly physical Fort Worth Country Day program as they vie for a third consecutive year with a top-three tournament finish. For the first time in SPC history, the field hockey championships will be played on the hockey turf at Kinkaid and St. John’s.
 
“You can expect games to be fast-paced and full of scoring opportunities,” said Head Coach Chelsea Richards. “The young team is eager to prove they have what it takes to compete at a high level.”
 
More than half of the varsity field hockey squad is made up of 9th and 10th grade players. Co-captains Kate Goodman (12th grade), Aubrey Johnson (12th grade) and Casey Bray (11th grade) are ready for the challenge and excited to have one more weekend on the pitch with their teammates.
 
After a hard-fought loss to St. Andrew’s last week, the varsity girls volleyball team was motivated to utilize this week of practice to refocus. The Spartans finished sixth in South Zone with a conference record of 2-5. The squad is preparing for a tough first match at the SPC Championships on Thursday, when the Spartans will likely take on SPC North Zone third place team Hockaday at Episcopal of Houston.
 
Head Coach Elizbeth Quanaim said her players are eager to prove themselves at the tournament. “The team is united and ready to face the north division of the SPC Conference,” Quanaim said.
 
The Austin Saints football team celebrated their seniors in style on Friday night. In the first half, the Saints took the Dragons by surprise and executed a halfback pass for a touchdown. Despite ultimately falling to John Cooper, the team has a lot to be proud of this season. And Friday’s crowd at St. Andrew’s did not disappoint.
 
When asked what he would miss most about the Saints, Captain Edbert Wu (12th grade) answered, “I'm going to miss the general sense of comradery that the Saints had together on and off the field. The football plays with Xs and Os were great, but what really made it worthwhile and special was the people. I will miss all the little moments together in the locker room, in between drills, during team dinners, on the bus and even in the training room, because those were the moments that allowed each of us to be friends rather than just teammates.”
 
While varsity boys’ volleyball did not make it to the SPC Championships this season, the team still has a lot to celebrate. The team ended their campaign at the second annual St. Stephen’s Invitational Boys Volleyball Tournament in third place after defeating St. John’s in the final match of the weekend. The team also defeated Austin Juniors and Fort Worth Country Day earlier in the tournament. The team finished their conference match-ups with a 6-4 overall record. The team will return with most of their starters for the 2020 season, and they hope to compete for the championship next year.

—Chelsea Richards, Sports Information Director

Photos courtesty of Dennis Sheeter
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