On Jan. 21, JC travelled to Pennsylvania to participate in the Octararo Invitational meet, and it was the first Pennsylvania wrestling tournament JC has won. Pennsylvania is known for their wrestlers from the University level down to the junior leagues.  In the past, JC has failed to bring home a trophy against Northern competition until that meet. The closest runner up was 90 points away.

Individually, JC had four champions in juniors Devin Davis and George Weber, and freshmen Chris Almony and Hunter Ritter.

The next wrestling meet for the men is the MIAA Duals on Feb. 7.

Because JC placed reserve champion at the Oldfields show, the team gained enough points to qualify for Zones. A team gains points to qualify by picking a point rider at each show per class. The JC coaches do not tell the riders who they choose as point rider in order to keep the pressure to a minimum. The points earned in each class help gain points throughout the day. At the end of the day each team tallies up the points and are placed first through last. The team with the most points wins the show. Once the team qualifies for zones, the coaches must pick a point rider who will ride for the team in each class.

“As a team we really came together and had a lot more people qualify individually as well as a team which is a great way to end my senior year,” senior and captain Kelsey Lebuhn said.

Junior Nathan Barringer took first in the over fences class, which is a series of at least six jumps testing the riders’ different abilities and third on the flat in JV novice, which tests different skills at the walk, trot, and canter. Freshman Grayce Moran placed second in the JV beginner class.

“We had a lot of new freshman on the team this year, but we all worked together and ended up qualifying for Zones,” senior Heather Scampton said.

Each rider can participate in a total of five shows in the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA), and there are four divisions based on skill level, where riders compete against other riders in the same division. These divisions are varsity open, varsity intermediate, JV novice, and JV beginner.

Further dividing each division are two classes: a jump phase and a flat phase. Beginners, however, have two flat phases. To qualify, the rider must earn 15 points per class. At regionals, a rider must place in the top three of his or her class to move on to the zone finals. From there, if the rider places in the top two, he or she moves on to Nationals.

The list of riders that qualified for regionals was solidified at this past show. Those who qualified for varsity open are Scampton, Lebuhn, and fellow seniors Adrienne Clarke, and Megan Foard. Freshman Erica D’Anna qualified for varsity intermediate. Barringer and junior Bridget Rodriguez both qualified for JV novice. Moran and freshman Carlie Hopkins qualified for JV beginner.

“I feel so fortunate to be in such a program. It is going to be so much fun going to zones and regionals. I can’t wait,” Rodriguez said.

Miranda Ripken is a Sports Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

Additional reporting by Megan Foard.

On Jan. 26, the women’s varsity basketball team faced the Fallston Cougars, who in the past have provided JC with close games.  In a tooth and nail battle, JC came out on top 59-49.

Before the game started, senior Miranda Ripken was honored for scoring 1,000 career points in women’s high school basketball amidst last week’s game against the Institute of Notre Dame. This event also earned Ripken the titles Athlete of the Week at the Arena Club and Fox 45 New’s Prep Player of the Week.

“Getting 1,000 points was incredible for me. When I was a freshman, I viewed getting 1,000 points as something that would just be ‘cool to get,’ and never actually thought that I would get it,” Ripken said.

The team had decorated the gym with streamers and posters to congratulate Ripken.  She also received a basketball signed by her entire team.

“Miranda deserved the 1,000 points.  She is a wonderful teammate and amazing person,” long-time teammate and senior Maria Edwards said.

“The ceremony before the game was awesome. When the divider came down and the number 1,000 was on it, I couldn’t stop smiling. My team put a lot of work into making this ceremony something special and I am really grateful to them. The ceremony is something I’ll remember for a long time,” said Ripken.

With excitement filling the gym, the game began with JC gaining first possession of the ball and Ripken scoring an easy two points.  JC didn’t let the pressure of playing against Fallston get to them during the first quarter, as they moved the ball quickly from one side of the court to the other.  They ended the first quarter leading 11-8.

Both teams faced struggles during the second quarter with the referees, which caused frustration among the players on the court. The number of fouls JC committed began to creep up on them, but the team made up for it by scoring points.  Junior Mackenzie Reese was the leading scorer of the night and took charge during both the first and second halves.  JC ended the first half in the lead 27-22.

Throughout the rest of the game, JC and Fallston kept it close.  With the clock running out in the fourth quarter, JC committed seven fouls giving Fallston the advantage, allowing them to shoot foul shots every time a Patriot fouled.  With two minutes left in the game, Fallston pulled ahead by three points.  JC had one last play that could tie the game.

Soller made the three-point shot in the final play of regulation sending the crowd into an uproar of excitement and the teams into overtime.

“Even though we let the lead slip away, we didn’t give up and came out and played well in overtime,” Edwards said.

JC shut out Fallston in overtime keeping the ball consistently on the offensive side of the court.  The game became more at ease for JC as Fallston let up on defensive end giving JC easy foul shots, which helped them win the game 59-46, the first win against Fallston women’s basketball in the past four years.

“It felt amazing to win against Fallston. Even though it was out of conference, the game was a big one since we’ve had close loses to them in the past,” Ripken said.

Megan Battaglia is a Multimedia Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.org.

“It is disappointing to have such an opportunity and not be able to go, especially because it is my senior year and season. However, I think that the exciting things that are bound to happen in Spain are worth it,” Anderson said.

Also traveling to Spain with Anderson are juniors Ally Kozel and Leanne Ches, and senior Lauren Baretto. Track and field coach Robert Torres identified Kozel and Anderson as runners who will have the most impact on the team while they are away.

“Our number one sprinter is missing. Again,” Torres said.

Kozel, whom Torres was referring to, qualified for the 55-meter sprint, the 300 meter sprint, and the 4- by-400 meter relay. She has the second highest total points behind junior Rebecca Driver.

This year Kozel set two school records. In the 55-meter dash, Kozel holds the school record of 7.4 seconds, and she ran the 300-meter sprint in 42.9 seconds.

“I’m now kind of sad that I’m missing championships because we’re doing well in the season and I wanted to be a part of it,” Kozel said.

Despite the loss of some key runners to the Exchange, Torres and the team are optimistic about how the championship meet is going to go.

“I think the team will do really well. We have great seniors on the team, some amazing juniors, and the freshman and sophomore bunch will definitely be able to pick up the pace . . . We’ve had a lot of [personal records] and new school records this year, which is always encouraging. I’m sure that the positive energy that has come out of this season will carry on into championships,” Anderson said.

“We have a very good shot at second place. We’ll need every point we can get,” Torres said.

Disappointed that they could not compete in the championship meet, all Anderson and Kozel can do are hope their team can perform the best they can.

“My advice for the rest of the team would be to get excited of course and not let nerves get to them,” Anderson said.

“Good luck and I hope everyone does really well because we’re still a good team. Make me proud,” Kozel said.

Miranda Ripken is a Sports Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

The men’s game against St. Frances, who they beat in the MIAA ‘A’ Conference Championship game and the Baltimore Catholic League Tournament, wasn’t as exciting as anticipated, but they did pull out a win 63-57.

They suffered close loses against Sagemont in Weston, Florida by four points, Archbishop Spalding by two points, and against Washington D.C.’s Bullis Prep in the Roundball Classic by seven points.

“We played okay, but we could have done better as a team instead of individual,” freshman Justin Jenifer said.

The Roundball Classic took place in North Charleston, South Carolina Dec. 27-30 where the team ended up taking the second place crown.

“I think our best moment was after we lost the game, we played so hard that our coach took us out to Kobe’s and we ate there and we had a good experience,” senior Jarred Jones said.

“We played wellas a team, there was a lot of competition and we did well. This trip helped us bond because we just kind of got to spend more time with each other and we got to talk to each other more,” junior Marcus Monroe said.

The men’s basketball team took on Glenelg Country School on Jan. 20 and pulled out another one point win against them, after beating them on Jan. 13.  The women’s team currently has a 14-3 record, was featured on Fox Baltimore News High School Game of the Week, and recently won first place in the Diamond State Classic Tournament Championship, which took place at St. Elizabeth School in Wilmington, Delaware.

“It was great to go back to the Diamond State Classic. It’s such a great tournament with high competition. The championship game was a challenge since we were playing St. Elizabeth who was hosting the tournament. The gym was filled with St. Elizabeth students and it was a fun atmosphere to play in,” senior and team captain Emily Soller said.

Soller also received the MVP award in the tournament. “Getting MVP was a huge shock for me; I wasn’t expecting it at all. It was such a privilege to win it though,” Soller said.

“I think we played very well. Our first game was a little rough, we won by 10 or so but we could have played a lot better and we knew that if we wanted to the win the tournament we needed to come out stronger,” senior and team captain Maria Edwards said.

“We played the home team of the tournament and Emily played incredible and it felt really good to win. One, because we won and, two, beating the home team while they had a crown and all felt great. I am excited for our conference play to pick up and we have a lot of potential to get very far this year, so it is very exciting.”

“I was really happy with our win at Delaware. We all played really well together, especially the championship game. It seemed that everything just came together. This season has been great and I am so excited to get into the playoffs, I think we will be very successful.” junior Mackenzie Reese said.

The women’s team even beat their number one rival Notre Dame Prep 55-47 on Dec. 16, who they lost to last year in the MIAA ‘B’ Conference championship game by three points.

The women’s basketball team takes on Maryvale at 4:30 on Jan. 27 at JC.

Imani Love is a Sports Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

However, things started to look up as freshman CJ Skokowski and junior Devin Davis won their weight classes for six-point victories each. Skokowski, in the 106 pound weight class, created an 11-0 lead early in the third period against Marcellus Brown of Loyola.

At the 4:52 mark, Skokowski pinned Brown, winning his weight class. In the 113 pound weight class, Davis won effortlessly with a forfeit. These two wins tied up the score.

JC didn’t catch a break though, as the Dons answered back with three consecutive wins. Freshman Steven Jernigan lost 4-2 in the 120 pound weight class against defending state champion David Mohler.

Junior Artie Milner, in the 126 pound weight class, wrestled for 3:46 before being put away by Ben Smist. Loyola’s Walter Johnson finished the Loyola run with 17-5 point win over freshman Christian Scott.  Johnson had seven takedowns and three late back points to complete his win.

Those three matches placed the Dons in the lead, 26-12. The Patriots soon struck back, not allowing Loyola any more victories.

Junior Scott Strappelli began the seven-match win streak against Loyola that led to the Patriot’s win. Weighing in at 138, Strappelli had a 16-1 win that changed the momentum of the meet.

“I don’t really think when I’m out there. I’ve trained myself a lot so that over the years I have muscle memory and know what I want to do out there before I go out to the mat,” Strappelli said.

“I thought we could win them all once we got to Strappelli,” coach Keith Watson said.

Freshman Chris Almony had the quickest win of the day pinning his opponent in 15 seconds in the 145 weight class. Junior George Weber kept the victories consistent when he pinned his opponent in 1:40 in the 152 pound weight class. Following suit, freshman Hunter Ritter pinned his opponent in 3:15 in the 160 weight class.

Weighing in at 170, senior Zach Donato took on Loyola’s Kyle Saunders. Donato overpowered Saunders with 5-4 win, taking down Saunders in the last five seconds of the match.

Finishing off the meet, juniors Rob Stahl, 182, and Daniel Kelble, 185, won their matches both in the second period. The seven-match win streak left the Patriots with a 50-26 win. The Patriots are 3-1 overall and 2-1 in conference action.

Emily Clarke is a Managing Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

Each swimmer is allowed to enter up to a maximum of six individual events for the meet. Dukes competed in the 100 meter butterfly, the 200 meter butterfly, the 100 meter freestyle, the 50 meter freestyle, the 100 meter breast stroke, and the 200 meter individual medley.

In the 200 meter butterfly, Dukes placed sixth. In the 100 meter butterfly, Dukes placed sixth with a time of 56.33, which ranks her at 21st in the nation, an improvement from her previous rank of 83.

“Preliminary heats occur in the morning and the top qualifiers come back for the championship at night. In both butterfly events, I made it back and placed in the championship heat. This was big since my competitors at night were women who were much more experienced,” Dukes said.

Going into the Husky Invitational, Dukes’ goal was to lower her times in all her events in order to get closer to qualifying for Nationals and the Olympic trials.

“I was very surprised at how well I did. I dropped a lot of time in these events and moved up places from where I was seeded. It was a lot of fun because I got a feel of how the west coast kids swim and how I compare to them. Even though I did very well, there
are still people out there that are just as good as or better than me so I know I need to focus and keep working hard to accomplish my goals by the end of the season. My biggest goal for this year is to make Nationals in the 100 fly,” Dukes said.

Miranda Ripken is a Sports Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

Ultimately, the team came up short and lost to Notre Dame Preparatory School.  Reese, a point guard, recalls the game as the greatest achievement in her basketball career, a moment when her team mutually worked together for a common goal. 

“We worked so hard to get there and we all came together at the end.  We fell short, but we almost came back, which only means more work for this year because we have some unfinished business,” Reese said.

According to Reese, a competitor in the sport for eight years, her favorite aspect of the game is the team itself.  “We all are close and we’re always there for each other no matter what,” Reese said.

Although she stopped playing club basketball her sophomore year, Reese believes that basketball is a big commitment.  “I honestly think any sport is a huge commitment, but it is a commitment I chose because I love the sport,” she said.

Reese credits her mom for helping fulfill the commitment that basketball entails.  “She has always driven me around everywhere and signed me up for camps that have gotten me to where I am today,” Reese said.

But her mom isn’t the only person she credits her basketball success to.  “I also have to give a lot of credit to Coach Blizzard.  He is tough on all of us sometimes, but he knows what he is doing and really cares about all of us,” Reese said.

Reese is also an avid lacrosse player, and she is able find the similarities between lacrosse and basketball. “I actually think they are a lot alike.  Playing lacrosse really transfers over when helping with my basketball,” Reese said.

Looking into the future, Reese doesn’t think that she will play basketball in college, but would love to continue with the sport and still play even if it’s not at a college level.

Kailey Tracy is a Copy Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

Centi has only wrestled since his sophomore year, and began wrestling because of the people already on the team.

“I wanted to be on the team because the coach is funny and I get along well with a lot of the guys on the team now and in the past,” Centi said.  He also thought it looked fun as something that he would like to do. In just three years, he has made the varsity team and earned the captain role. 

Centi likes that wrestling is an individual sport, unlike baseball, the other sport he plays at JC. “I like the challenge of winning by myself and having no one to blame if I do lose,” Centi said. 

One of Centi’s favorite memories during wrestling season was participating in the Battle of Bel Air. “I had some really good matches last year at the Battle of Bel Air,” Centi said. 

Even though Centi is not planning on wrestling in college, he has still formed lasting memories with the JC team. “I have good memories of last year of joking with all the guys on the team in bleachers at tournaments when we were there all day,” Centi said.

Amanda Graziano is a Opinion Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com

On Friday, Dec. 16, JC went on to win against Notre Dame Preparatory School (NDP), the team that beat JC in the championships last year. This game has been voted as “Game of the Week” on Fox 45.

NDP won the toss up, but Soller quickly scored 3 points. They were only able to catch up through foul shots, but fell behind when Soller scored 5 straight points, bringing the score to 11-3. By the end of the first quarter, JC was up 17-6, with Soller scoring 3 more points than all of NDP combined.

NDP opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer, but JC quickly answered with a 2-pointer and foul shot from Soller, bringing the score to 21-9 JC. NDP and JC continued score with JC keeping a firm lead until senior Miranda Ripken stole the ball and went coast to coast for 2 points, doubling NDP’s score with 38-19 to end the quarter.

The third quarter was slow to start with nobody scoring until NDP made a foul shot over two minutes into the quarter. NDP then forced a JC timeout with a 6-0 run, bringing the score to 40-26 JC. NDP outscored JC 14-4 by the end of the third quarter, bringing the score to 42-33 JC to end the quarter.

With only a couple of minutes until the end of the game, JC had a 5-0 run and brought the score to 51-40 JC. With 30 seconds left, NDP was making a desperate attempt to catch up with 7 points scored, but it wasn’t enough after senior Maria Edwards took two foul shots, bringing the score to 53-47 JC. JC scored 2 more points and were victorious against NDP, 55-47.

“It meant a lot to them to beat the team that beat us in the championships. We didn’t use the word ‘revenge,’ especially in a Catholic school. Instead, we used the word ‘avenge,’” Coach Mike Blizzard said.

While Blizzard described the game as avenging their loss last year, Soller couldn’t begin to say what the game had meant to her.

“It [winning the game] felt amazing. No words can describe it right now,” Soller said after the game.

Martha Schick is a Managing Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

Additional reporting by contributing writer Brian Reid.