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Monday, November 30, 2009

New blog format, Schedules released

So starting today, every day there will be a post titled (DAY OF THE WEEK) Rundown, that will preview the next day. It will be up whenever there is a St. Mary's sporting event, whether it be practice or a game.

So be sure to check the left side with previous posts in case you miss anything. Also scroll down to see other good nuggets you missed.

It was one of the best weeks ever on the blog, with a lot of good stuff, including highlights from both 7th grade games. Please check those out if you haven't already. Also, our 4th/5th grade soccer coach wrote a nice little memoir about this year's squad.

CYO schedules are out. A full hard copy of the schedule will be made available tomorrow in class.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4TH
8th grade, 5 p.m. @ St. Emydius
7th grade WHITE, 6 p.m. @ CYO Serramonte
7th grade RED, 7 p.m. @ CYO Serramonte


SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5TH
5th grade, 12 p.m. @ CYO Serramonte
8th grade, 12 p.m. @ St. Vincent De Paul
6th grade, 2 p.m. @ CYO Serramonte
7th grade RED, 5 p.m. @ CYO Serramonte

The 4th/5th grade soccer team


By Apollo Rojas, 4th/5th grade soccer coach

Every week I play soccer. I am not the best player on the team and I don't score a bunch of goals. I am not a superstar. I am not an MVP. I just play hard. Playing soccer has given me the opportunity to play with people from all over the Bay Area and with people from Japan, China, Iran, Egypt, Nigeria, South America, and several other countries. And playing soccer allowed me to coach soccer for St. Mary's.

Coaching soccer for St. Mary's was the first time I ever coached young kids. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed coaching and how rewarding it was. I had a blast running practices and teaching them "the beautiful game.” I learned that I could have just as much fun coaching soccer as I could playing it.

What I will remember most about the team is the personalities. They are a bunch of characters. It's important to be professional in life, but it’s also important not to be a robot. It's important to enjoy yourself especially when you are young. So I hope every single one of these kids enjoys themselves regardless of what sport they choose. And I hope they continue to look out for each other.

Regardless of our record, I enjoyed the experience. It's an experience that was better than I had imagined and made me want to continue coaching. My kids showed me they have a lot of toughness hanging in games when they had fewer players than the other team. That is hard to do and I was extremely proud of them. I enjoyed all the time I spent with my players, my assistant coach and the AD. It was my privilege to coach for St. Mary's and I wish them all the best.

Tuesday's Rundown

Tuesday, December 1 Schedule

Flame Tournament 7th grade RED - 5 p.m. @ Mission Dolores
Location: 16th Street and Church

PRACTICE @ CAMERON HOUSE 6 P.M.
7th grade WHITE, 8th grade

Sunday, November 29, 2009

7th grade Red Team wins big, advances to 3rd round

The 7th grade Red Team blew out their opponent today. Thanks to Andrew Chuong for shooting the highlights. They will play next this Tuesday night, 5 p.m. at Mission Dolores in Round 3 of the Flame Tournament.

On tap for this week...

Tuesday
Flame Tournament Round #3
7th grade RED, 5 p.m. @ Mission Dolores(16th Street and Church)

BASKETBALL PRACTICE @ CAMERON HOUSE
7th grade WHITE, 8th grade

Wednesday
BASKETBALL PRACTICE @ CAMERON HOUSE
5th and 6th grade

Thursday
BASKETBALL PRACTICE @ CAMERON HOUSE
3rd/4th, 7th grade RED, 8th grade

Friday
Boys basketball regular season begins, schedules should be out some time tomorrow night

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Exclusive 7th grade white team highlights

So for Black Friday, I bought a little mini-HD camcorder -- although from the video, you couldn't tell it's in HD. I don't know how many games will get this kind of coverage, but enjoy this for what it is...

6th grade and 8th grade win their firsts

Kevin, 4 points and Gary, 7 points, scored career highs in round three of the CYO Tournament and the 8th grade PWNED their opponent 44-18, to snap a two game losing streak.

Derek had a game-high 20 points -- his second straight game where he has had at least 20 points.

Up 19-8 at the half, they stretched out their lead and ran away with it in the second half thanks to some solid defense, something they hadn't done in the first two games of the tourney.

Brandon made his return to the team after missing Wednesday's contest with an undisclosed upper body injury. Tommy added 11 points in the win.

6th grade picks up win #1
The 6th graders won by forfeit for their first official win of their young careers.

7th grade teams both on the losing end
After a strong performance last night, the Red Team played solo for the first time this season and almost came from behind to steal a victory in round one of the Flame tournament.

However, a lot of uncharacteristic turnovers in the game, most notably lob passes left and right, led to easy fast break points for the other team and a 30-26 loss.

They trailed on a few occasions by double digits in the fourth, but kept fighting back, and a Michael N. 3-pointer within the 2 minute mark helped draw them closer. They had the ball with less than 10 seconds left, but were unable to score.

Miles had another great game, scoring 13 points, his career-high and Jeremy followed last night's game with another 9 points. But in the end, their mistakes were too egregious to overcome.

Playing with only five players on their team, they held their own against a very athletic squad. The same five will try their luck again tomorrow in round two of the Flame tournament.

The White Team had no luck today as they looked like polar opposites of the team that played a spectacular second quarter last night. They lacked execution on all sides of the ball and are in a funk.

One thing they can improve on that has nothing to do with basketball is their passion and determination. Many of the players look like they sleep walk and just step onto the court to pass the time. Nobody has an extra jump in them or seem to have a knack for the ball.

They have the talent to succeed, as evident by quarter two Friday night. But their lack of energy lead to a one-sided game, where they only managed to score 11 points.

Calson had 24 rebounds in the loss.

Bad second half dooms 5th grade
The 5th grade boys were tied at 4-4 going into the third quarter and it looked like we were in store for another close tight game. Unfortunately, the other team didn't get the memo, as the 5th graders were outscored 17-6 in the second half, and lost 21-10.

On offense, the 5th graders seemed too bunched up and they were unable to get off good shots. The few times they had good looks, they were unable to convert.

This is a small team in terms of height. So the fact that other teams are usually taller and a the lack of boxing out will usually lead to some problems. They couldn't get many fast break opportunities since they were unable to generate turnovers or clean breakout passes.

Justin had 9 points to lead the way.

Sunday's Rundown

Flame Tournament 7th grade RED - 10 a.m. @ St. Ignatius
Location: 2001 37th Ave

PRACTICE @ NDV
3rd/4th grade - 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
6th grade - 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
5th grade - 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
7th grade WHITE - 3:45 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
8th grade - 4:45 p.m. to 7 p.m.

ON TAP FOR THE BLOG TOMORROW...
The 4th/5th grade soccer coach Apollo reflects on the soccer season

Friday, November 27, 2009

7th grade bounces back strong to win in round two

The 7th grade boys basketball teams avenged their loss Tuesday night and played a good three quarters and won 26-17 in round two of the CYO Tournament. The win sets up tomorrow's consolation championship, which will be played by only the White Team at 2 p.m.

The Red Team put the 7th graders out to an early lead with a 10-0 burst to start the game. Jeremy had a very strong showing tonight and hit a three in the first quarter and had a game-high 9 points.

The White Team picked up where the Red Team left and extended the lead to 18-4 before halftime. Ball movement was a lot more fluid setting up some open shots. Gavin C. had 4 points on the night on two really nice jumpers. Gavin L. and Mark took care of the ball a lot better and the results showed.

However, a near disastrous 3rd quarter cut the score to 20-17. The White Team turned the ball over way too many times and soon the double digit lead became three. Too many lob passes and lazy outlet passes hurt the team. They were also unable to box out and grab rebounds like they did in the first half.

The Red Team finished the game off with some solid defense and added just enough breathing room on the offensive side of the ball to seal their first victory of the season.

GAME NOTES: The 7th grade as a whole shot a disastrous 1-for-13 from the free-throw line...Justin picked up 4 fouls in only two quarters of play, but had 5 steals. Miles, 7 points, had 14 rebounds on the night and was a beast on the boards. Gavin C. and Calson, who had 10 rebounds scored for the first time this season...Thanks to the greatness that is the White Team coach Ed for these elaborate stats. Tianna showed up to the game.

Saturday's Rundown

Flame Tournament 7th grade RED - 9 a.m. @ Kezar Pavilion
Location: 755 Stanyan St

CYO Tournament 6th grade - 9 a.m. @ CYO Serramonte
Location: 699 Serramonte Del Ray Blvd

CYO Tournament 8th grade - 9 a.m. @ St. Emydius
Location: 255 Jules Ave

CYO Tournament 5th grade - 11 a.m. @ St. John
Location: 925 Chenery St

CYO Tournament 7th grade WHITE - 2 p.m. @ Epiphany
Location: 827 Vienna St

ON TAP FOR THE BLOG TOMORROW...
Game recaps of all the Saturday games

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving and some great Thanksgiving stories

Happy Thanksgiving to everybody out there who reads this, and only for those who read this. Kidding, kinda...

Today, three stories caught my attention that can directly relate to the Thanksgiving spirit.

Cleveland Cavaliers center Shaquille O'Neal paid for the funeral of a slain 5-year old girl in North Carolina. I won't get into the details of what happened to the poor girl, but Shaq, as usual came through.

This is not the first time Shaq has done something charitable. When he was traded from the Lakers to the Heat, his first game back in Los Angeles was on Christmas. Shaq arrived in Southern California a few days before Christmas and passed out toys to a bunch of under privileged kids.

NEXT Story...

Green Bay Packers cornerback and former Oakland Raider Charles Woodson donated $2 million to the new University of Michigan Mott Children's Hospital and Women's Hospital.

Woodson played earlier this morning against the Lions and returned an interception back for a touchdown. Do good deeds go unrewarded?

It's not very often we see athletes who make millions of dollars donate millions of dollars. Could you imagine if every athlete donated even 10% of their salary per year to a charitable cause?

Woodson took a step in this direction and will be definitely appreciated for this kind and selfless gesture.

FINALLY...

Over 3,500 fans including myself gathered at Kezar Stadium today to watch Galileo PWN Lincoln 35-0 for the city championship. In case you do not know the story, Galileo lost 18 straight games coming into this season, lost their first game of the year, and still went on to win the San Francisco high school football championship.

This is probably one of the, if not the most remarkable comeback story in the history of San Francisco high school sports. For these kids and coaches to stay dedicated after two plus years of losing is admirable -- especially for us at St. Mary's when we feel like we are underdogs more often than not.

I hope we can look at this championship Galileo football team and find some inspiration from this story.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

A Thanksgiving tradition of another kind

Every Thanksgiving, a San Francisco tradition for the last 85 years takes place at Kezar Stadium -- the high school football championship, better known to most folks as The Turkey Bowl.

For the fifth straight year, Lincoln, where I graduated, will go for the championship. If they win, it'll be the first time in San Francisco history that a high school has won five straight Turkey Bowls.

This year, their opponent is Galileo, who is making its first appearance since 2001.

What makes this story special is that Galileo had lost 18 straight games coming into this season. They lost their first game this year and had a 19 game losing streak before winning their first game this season. For a little over 2 years, they lost every single game. However, they weren't quitters, they stuck with it, and persevered through the hard times and they are now one win away from a championship. Sound familiar?

I had a blast at work Tuesday as I went to both high schools to interview the coaches and players from Galileo and Lincoln before the big game. Both were pretty optimistic and said the usual we tried hard, worked hard and it'll be a good game stuff. But I felt like they really meant it.

The two seniors I talked to at Galileo played on those losing teams and you can just tell by the look in their eyes the hard work they put in to get to where they were. Their coach, also an art teacher at Galileo has done a remarkable job taking this team from worst to a possible first.

Over at Lincoln, it seemed like business as usual as the team goes to the championship on almost a yearly basis. The coach was joking around with his team, making fun of them, but ended the huddle seriously making sure his team knew that they had to put in the work to make history.

Of course, I will be rooting for Lincoln, but I won't be disappointed if Galileo takes this one.

We at St. Mary's can identify with those who struggle and hit rock bottom, yet continue to fight.

Kick-off tomorrow is at 11 a.m. from Kezar Stadium. If you have nothing to do, it is definitely worth checking out.

Here's what aired earlier tonight on the news:


5th, 6th and 8th grade all handed losses

Not a good night for the boys basketball teams tonight as the 5th, 6th and 8th grade all lost in their second games of the CYO Tournament.

All three teams played a better game than their first, even the 5th graders who lost tonight.

The 8th grade lost their second straight in a one-sided fashion, something very uncharacteristic of this team. They simply could not rebound and were unable to play solid defense. When that happens, they are unable to generate fast break opportunities. Derek did have a career-high 22 points in the loss.

The 6th grade looked a lot better than they did in their debut, but were unable to keep the game close. However, Jason scored his first 3 points in a St. Mary's uniform.

To cap off the night, the 5th grade hung in there for the first half and trailed only 4-0 at halftime. Their shots just weren't going in tonight. They had numerous lay-ups and clean looks but weren't able to make their shots.

They got on the scoreboard in the 3rd quarter, but ran out of gas towards the end and fell 24-4. Nonetheless, you can make a strong case that they might have played better overall. Other than their lack of rebounding, they moved the ball efficiently on offense and put pressure on a very good team. This was one of those nights where the ball just doesn't go in.

The schedules for their games Saturday are listed in the post below.

Thanksgiving weekend schedule

Friday
CYO Tournament 7th grade BOTH TEAMS - 6 p.m.@ Epiphany
Location: 827 Vienna Street

Saturday
Flame Tournament 7th grade RED - 9 a.m. @ Kezar Pavilion
Location: 755 Stanyan St

CYO Tournament 6th grade - 9 a.m. @ CYO Serramonte
Location: 699 Serramonte Del Ray Blvd

CYO Tournament 8th grade - 9 a.m. @ St. Emydius
Location: 255 Jules Ave

CYO Tournament 5th grade - 11 a.m. @ St. John
Location: 925 Chenery St

CYO Tournament 7th grade WHITE - 1 p.m. OR 2 p.m. @ Epiphany

SUNDAY
Flame Tournament 7th grade BOTH TEAMS - 10 a.m. or 12 p.m. @ St. Ignatius
Location: 2001 37th Ave

PRACTICE @ NDV
3rd/4th grade - 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
6th grade - 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
5th grade - 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
8th grade - 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Happy Birthday to Mrs. Mayfield



We wish a Happy Birthday to Mrs. Mayfield, the best 4th grade teacher at St. Mary's currently. She is now 27.

Turnovers doom 7th graders in game one

The inability for the 7th grade team to break a press led to a sloppy performance and a 22-11 loss in round one of the CYO tournament.

They simply could not break the press -- lob pass after lob pass, turnover after turnover, mistake after mistake. Players in the first quarter looked unprepared and they set the tone for the entire game.

Miles and Mark played probably the best out of the two teams. The deficit was cut to as close as 9, but neither team is made to play catch-up.

They'll try their luck next this Friday night at 6 p.m.

Monday, November 23, 2009

5th grade comes from behind for victory

The 5th grade unleashed their full court press and turned a 13-10 deficit into a 16-13 lead.

The game was tied late 16-16, but Justin sank a long jumper to give the 5th grade boys an 18-16 lead. After a tumultuous and sloppy last 30 seconds, the boys hung on for the 18-16 win.

It was by far a pretty game to watch as both teams were a little sloppy, as expected, since it was their first game. There were a lot of turnovers and the 5th graders got themselves into some foul trouble. Daniel even fouled out late in the 4th quarter.

One of the best sequences of the game came when Brandon K. stole a ball when the team was pressing, crossed it over and turned it into 2 points on a beautiful drive to the basket.

They will play in the winner's bracket Wednesday night at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving eve.

TOUGH NIGHT FOR 6TH AND 8TH GRADE
It was an off night to say the least for both the 6th and 8th grade basketball teams.

The 8th grade jumped out to an early 5-0 lead and it looked like they were going to have a good game. Instead, the score quickly turned lopsided and the team was held to only 8 points the rest of the way, with only 2 points coming in the second half.

They will play next on Wednesday starting at 5 p.m.

The 6th grade made their debut and were just trying to get acclimated to game speed. They were easily outmatched and lost their game decisively. Hartman scored the lone point for the team.

They will next play on Wednesday night at 5 p.m.

PRACTICES TOMORROW

3rd/4th, 5th, 6th and 8th grade will practice tomorrow night at Cameron House.

Follow the games tonight on Twitter

The 5th, 6th and 8th grade boys basketball teams are in action tonight. If you won't be able to make it, you can follow along LIVE with the game on the official St. Mary's Sports Twitter.

Twitter.Com/StMarysSports

Sunday, November 22, 2009

On tap! Huge week of basketball

MONDAY
CYO Tournament Round #1
8th grade, 5 p.m. @ St. Emydius (255 Jules Ave)
6th grade, 6 p.m. @ CYO Serramonte (699 Serramonte Del Ray in Daly City)
5th grade, 8 p.m. @ St. John (925 Chenery St)

Tuesday
CYO Tournament Round #2
7th grade, 7 p.m. @ Epiphany (827 Vienna St)

BASKETBALL PRACTICE @ CAMERON HOUSE
3rd/4th, 5th, 6th and 8th, 6 p.m.

Wednesday
BOTH 7th grade basketball practice @ Cameron House, 1 p.m.

CYO Tournament Round #2
5th, 6th and 8th
NOTE: Game 2 will be played in the same gym as Game 1. Time will be determined following the outcome of Game 1.

Thursday
HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Friday
CYO Tournament Round #2
7th grade
NOTE: Game 2 will be played in the same gym as Game 1. Time will be determined following the outcome of Game 1.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Sunday NDV practice schedule

3rd/4th grade: 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
7th grade RED: 12:15 p.m. - 2 p.m.
7th grade WHITE: 1:15 p.m. - 3 p.m.
5th grade: 2:45 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
6th grade: 3:45 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
8th grade: 5:15 p.m. - 7 p.m.

If you haven't seen the tournament schedule, look on the left side of the blog and find the link to the boys basketball pre-season tournament schedules.

ST. MARY'S TRANSACTIONS
Andrew Chuong has been named assistant coach of the 6th grade boys basketball team.

CAR WASH
Among the many b-list celebrities at the volleyball championship on Wednesday night was class of 2009 graduate Winnie.

She is now at Washington and is promoting her FREE car wash for tomorrow.

It is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Washington High School parking lot, located on 30th Ave between Geary and Anza.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Bay Area pitchers take home awards



Two Bay Area pitchers, one from the Giants and one from the A's, won two prestigious baseball post-season awards this week.

On Monday, it was announced that the A's rookie pitcher Andrew Bailey, was named American League Rookie of the Year. In his first year, he posted 26 saves and was one of the most dominating closers in the league. He even made the All-Star game in his rookie season.

If you don't know what a closer is, he is the pitcher that comes in at the end of the game when the team is winning. His job is to protect the lead and make sure the team wins. Bailey did it as well as any other pitcher in only his first year.



Earlier today, Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum won the Cy Young Award for the second straight season. The honor is given to the best pitcher in the league and Lincecum has now won this award two years in a row.

Lincecum has one of the funkiest deliveries in baseball and his numbers win wise weren't even that great this season. But he led the league in strikeouts and just pulled out a victory in the Cy Young balloting.

Congratulations to both pitchers for their great seasons.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Dream season falls short

A year ago, if you were to mention the words volleyball, championship and St. Mary's in the same sentence, you would've been laughed out of the gym.

Yet tonight the class of 2010 was competing in the first St. Mary's volleyball championship in years.

The 8th grade girls almost completed the ultimate Cinderella story, but unfortunately came up one game short of winning the volleyball championship, losing tonight's final 25-14, 25-13.

Sometimes it just isn't there and this was one of those nights. This isn't the pros where you can play a best of series -- it all comes down to one game, and in this game, the girls just didn't have it.

What hurt them most was the inability to string together points. They couldn't gather any momentum and therefore found themselves losing ground little by little. They dug themselves a deep hole in the first set as they trailed early on 9-2. They caught up a bit and cut the deficit to 10-6, but that's as close as they would get in set number one.

When the team doesn't have momentum, they are forced to simply bump the ball over the net, instead of setting up a bump, set and spike, something they did so well in the playoff game. The other team was not spectacular but solid, converting on almost all their serves, and returning serves. They did nothing flashy, no real bump, set and spike, but their fundamentals were incredibly sound.

The second set looked like it had the makings of a much more competitive set, as the girls took a brief lead early, and were still tied at 8-8 with the serve.

However, it unraveled little by little and the match quickly came to an abrupt end.

Nevertheless, this team faced more adversity than any St. Mary's team in the past several years. They were focused and if you asked any one of the girls on the team, they would tell you that if they played this game again, they would come out the victors.

Every girl didn't even start playing any sport until two years ago, and many are playing in only their second year of any sport, period. Yet they've come so far and everyone in the crowd and coaching staff have echoed the same sentiment that this team couldn't have made the school more proud.

It's not easy playing a new sport, let alone having no success the first year. Then to come back the next year with a positive attitude, and make it to the championship is an unbelievable story, and one that will be retold for years to come.

The girls may have lost the game, but they won the respect of the entire St. Mary's family.

Huge crowd for tonight's championship

Thanks to all those who showed up tonight for the volleyball championship. It was a great crowd as many students and families from almost all of the classes showed up to cheer on our 8th graders in their title match.

Also, a big thanks to all the teachers and the alumni of the last few years who came out to support this team.

And a huge thanks to everybody who came out even once this entire year, as we had our best volleyball season in years and years.

Kudos for all the school spirit and let's see this continue through the rest of the school-year.

Countdown to championship

We are less than 3 hours away from the 8th grade volleyball championship. 6:15 p.m. game-time from St. Emydius (255 Jules Ave).

Please be there to see history in the making. If you won't be able to make it, you can follow along LIVE with the game on the official St. Mary's Sports Twitter.

Twitter.Com/StMarysSports

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

8th grade girls championship preview

Tomorrow night: Wednesday, November 18
Where: St. Emydius
Time: 6:15 p.m.
Address: 255 Jules Ave

The 8th grade girls go for it all tomorrow night when they play for the championship. I'll need to do my research to see exactly how long it has been since a St. Mary's team has been in a volleyball championship, but it's definitely been a while.

Their opponent tomorrow night did the exact opposite as the 8th grade girls did in terms of regular season, losing the first four and then winning the next four to make the playoffs in the final game of the year.

These two teams met in game one of the regular season and the 8th graders pulled off a three-set victory, their first ever win.

By no means is the team they are playing a slouch, and they will need to bring their best to win this game. The thing that has been a constant in their recent struggles have been serving. They served brilliantly in the playoff game and if they can do so again, they will be successful.

The first time they played this team, they still hadn't learned how to bump, set and spike. However, they have played a good portion of games and incorporated their hitting. This will be a very valuable asset in the game tomorrow night.

This team has faced more adversity and struggle than almost any team in the last few years. They have battled long and hard to get to where they are. They've had a remarkable journey and will look to top it off with the ultimate accomplishment, a championship in their 8th grade year.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Boys basketball pre-season tournament schedules

Here is the current tournament schedule for next week's preseason tournament. The first games are a set time, while games two and three will be determined based on the results of the previous game.

5th Grade (All games at St. John)

Monday, November 23, 8 p.m.
Wednesday, November 25, 6 p.m. or 8 p.m.
Saturday, November 28, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Address: 925 Chenery St

6th Grade (All games at CYO Serramonte)
Monday, November 23, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, November 25, 5 p.m. or 7 p.m.
Saturday, November 28, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Address: 699 Serramonte Del Ray in Daly City

7th Grade (All games at Epiphany)
Tuesday, November 24, 7 p.m.
Friday, November 27, 6 p.m. or 8 p.m.
Saturday, November 28, 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Address: 827 Vienna Street

8th Grade
(All games at St. Emydius)
Monday, November 23, 5 p.m.
Wednesday, November 25, 5 p.m. or 7 p.m.
Saturday, November 28, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Address: 255 Jules Ave

NOTE: CAMERON HOUSE PRACTICES WILL BE SHIFTED DUE TO GAMES NEXT WEEK.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

On tap for this week...

MONDAY
Girls Volleyball, 4 p.m. @ Chinese Playground

Tuesday
BASKETBALL PRACTICE @ CAMERON HOUSE
7TH GRADE TEAMS
8th grade

Championship Wednesday
8TH GRADE VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP @ ST. EMYDIUS, 6:15 P.M.

BASKETBALL PRACTICE @ CAMERON HOUSE
6th grade

Thursday
BASKETBALL PRACTICE @ CAMERON HOUSE
3rd/4th grade
5th grade
6th grade
8th grade

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Derek vs Elliot play to a draw

Derek and Elliot represented St. Mary's today in the annual CYO Achievement soccer game, featuring some of the best 8th graders in San Francisco.

The two were split up and placed on different teams, but the outcome was a 0-0 tie. Derek opened some eyes and got two really good shots on goal in the 4th quarter.

You could even overhear some fans talking about how Derek was quick and almost scored on two separate occasions.

Elliot, on the other hand, played some solid defense. And according to Derek, there was one Derek vs Elliot encounter when Derek stole the ball from Elliot's feet.

Congratulations to both of the boys for their accomplishments this season.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Happy Friday, Weekend Preview!

We are still basking in the glow of the 8th grade girls victory last night in their playoff game. It was an incredible feat and if you haven't read up on it, just look below. The girls will play in the championship Wednesday night at 6:15 p.m. from St. Emydius.

Preview for this weekend...

SATURDAY

Elliot and Derek will represent St. Mary's and play in the CYO Soccer Achievement Game. The game will start at 1 p.m. at West Sunset. Please come and watch the two play.

SUNDAY

NDV PRACTICE SCHEDULE

8th grade girls volleyball: 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

3rd/4th grade: 12:15 p.m. - 2 p.m.
7th grade RED/7th grade WHITE: 1:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
5th grade: 3 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.
6th grade: 4 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.
8th grade: 5:15 p.m. - 7 p.m.

And for your Friday viewing pleasure, Dwayne Wade posterizes Anderson Varejao.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

8th grade girls serve their way to the championship!!!



This was the full game that the girls needed. Great serves, great returns, hustle and execution. The result, the girls dominated their semi-final playoff game and won decisively 25-15, 25-17, punching their ticket to the championship game.

In only their second year, the team has gone from winless to the brink of a championship in only one year.

Going into tonight's contest, they knew they were going to have to serve, and they did just that. Patricia played the best game of her career and put the girls out to an early 7-1 lead in the first set, and also extended the lead in the second set, serving the girls out to a 21-14 advantage.

The last time these two teams met, the girls were their own worst enemy and had an off-night, unable to serve the ball over the net, which resulted in a two-set loss. Tonight was the exact opposite, as their faults were only a less than a handful.

Every girl was confident in their serve and the scoreboard reflected that as they pulled away after a 12-12 tie in the first set. The second set was also neck and neck, and the girls did the exact same thing, pulling away and eventually taking the set.

Not to be overlooked are Melinda's sets, which set up several hits by Marissa. The girls did a great job working together, going for the bump, set and spike every time they had the opportunity.

This marks the first time in years that St. Mary's has won a volleyball playoff game. Next Wednesday will also mark the first time a St. Mary's team will be competing for a volleyball championship.

The girls were mentally prepared and came out relaxed. It was evident in the body language that that St. Mary's wanted it more. They were the aggressor and played with determination and grit. In return, they made quick work of their opponent.

What an amazing story these girls are as they are not even a year removed from not even reaching 20 points in a set. And in 6 days, they will be going for gold.



CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
6:15 p.m. @ St. Emydius

Happy Birthday Edwena!!!



Happy Birthday to Edwena!!!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

8th grade girls volleyball playoff preview, Happy Birthday

We are about 24 hours away from the 8th grade girls playoff game and the excitement is building.

Of the new sports we have played over the last few years, this team has had the best regular season record and have had the most success in year two.

The team they are playing is a formidable opponent, but they are by no means unbeatable. The last time these two teams played, St. Mary's had their worst night of serving all season long. They probably lost anywhere from 10-20 points by their own service faults.

Despite that, they still managed to hang around both sets and were almost able to pull off a victory. If they can serve, this will definitely be a close game.

Their learn on the fly approach is evident in how they play, as they have only recently in the last month began to develop the mentality to bump, set and spike. This is extremely difficult to begin with, let alone learn it mid-way through the season. In their last few games, they have shown glimpses of this. If they can execute this in tomorrow night's game, it will definitely put them over the hump.

The girls have had two strong days of practice and are excited to get this show on the road.

WHEN: Tomorrow night @ 8 p.m.
WHERE: St. Emydius
LOCATION: 699 Jules Ave

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO FB...

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

The biggest game in St. Mary's history is Thursday

The title says it all, so please come out Thursday night to watch our 8th grade girls play in the first St. Mary's volleyball playoff game since the early 2000s.

Game time is set for 8 p.m. @ St. Emydius.

Come out and show your support for this huge semi-final playoff game. Win, and the girls will punch their ticket to the championship!!!

Monday, November 9, 2009

8th grade girls practice tomorrow night changed

Practice will now be from 6:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. @ NDV due to some gym conflicts.

Sally's team takes first set, but drop next two

Sally represented St. Mary's tonight in the 8th grade CYO Achievement Game and played well. Her team was on a roll in the first set, winning 25-14. But their team ended up losing set two 25-21 and the final and decisive set 15-9.

Congratulations to Sally for a well played game and making it as our representative.

8th grade playoff set for Thursday night

The 8th grade girls will play in the first volleyball playoff game in the modern St. Mary's era Thursday night. The first serve is set for 8 p.m. at St. Emydius.

The girls will practice tomorrow, 6:30 at NDV and Wednesday, 4 p.m. at Chinese Rec. Center.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Cross Country!


Thanks to everyone who took the time today and came out to Cross Country. Mad props and congratulations to all of those who actually faced the challenge instead of being afraid. It is a run that builds character and because you ran, you are a stronger person out of it. Great job to all of you who made the time and effort.

On tap for this week...

MONDAY
NO PRACTICE MONDAY, SO...EVERYONE CAN GO WATCH...

Sally play in the CYO Achievement game at 5:30 p.m. from St. Emydius.

Tuesday
8TH GRADE GIRLS VOLLEYBALL @ NDV, 6:30 p.m.

BASKETBALL PRACTICE @ CAMERON HOUSE
7TH GRADE TEAMS

Wednesday
BASKETBALL PRACTICE @ CAMERON HOUSE
5th grade and 7th grade (white)

Thursday
BASKETBALL PRACTICE @ CAMERON HOUSE
3rd/4th grade and 8th grade

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Cross Country Tomorrow! Be there!!!


Cross Country is tomorrow at the Polo Fields. This event is free and anybody from grades 3-8 are eligible to come out and run.

3rd and 4th graders run a mile, 5th and 6th graders a mile and a half and the 7th and 8th graders race for 2 miles.

Here are the following start times:

3rd grade – 12 p.m.
4th grade – 12:15 p.m.
5th grade – 12:30 p.m.
6th grade – 1 p.m.
7th grade – 1:30 p.m.
8th grade – 2 p.m.

Wear a St. Mary's shirt or jersey if you have one and some shorts or sweatpants. Find either myself or Matt and we will give you a name tag. Bring a bottle of water so you can replenish after your race.

Come out and show your spirit tomorrow and hope to see a lot of you there!

BREAKING NEWS ON THE TWITTER!!!

Twitter.Com/StMarysSports

Saturday Re-Cap

Both soccer teams were shutout in their season finales this afternoon as both teams were unable to generate much offense on the final day of the season.

With the flu big hitting the entire school, both teams had a lot of players not at 100% but whatever was left in the tank was left out on the field, which was a great sign of character.

Earlier this morning, the 4th and 5th graders closed out their rookie volleyball season in a 25-17, 25-16 defeat. It might have been a little too early for the girls as the balls they were normally hustling to weren't returned this morning.

Their serves however were pretty good and kept them in both sets.

BREAKING NEWS ON THE TWITTER!!!

Twitter.Com/StMarysSports

Friday, November 6, 2009

8th grade girls fall to .500, playoffs up in the air, Saturday preview

Mid-way through the first set, it looked like this could be the night the 8th grade girls punch their ticket to the playoffs. 10 serves later, everything changed.

After leading 14-13, a girl on the other team served 10 straight, and the 8th grade girls were unable to return any of them for points. The same story repeated itself except earlier in the second set and the girls fell 25-16 and 25-11, and now need some help in order to guarantee themselves a playoff spot.

After winning four straight to start the regular season, their record now sits at (4-4), but they currently are still holding on to a playoff spot. Depending on the results of two games tomorrow, they will automatically clinch a playoff spot, or be forced to play a tie-breaker (if not two) to get into post-season play.

The girls didn't play bad, but they couldn't overcome the hard overhand serves of the other team. They themselves did a lot better at serving, something they struggled with in the previous game.

Marissa and Emily T. both took several tumbles as they went for numerous balls, and Melinda had a strong bounce back game, including a beautiful tip at the net. The 8th graders went away from the bump, set and spike, which was natural since they were trailing.

Now the girls should know where they stand and what they need to work on, because their next game is the game where there will be no margin of error and the difference between going on or going home could rest on a handful of plays.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY/CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS

Happy Birthday to the great Mr. Yu...Erica, Catharine and her sister Michelle, graduate of 2008 attended tonight's game.

SATURDAY PREVIEW!

FINAL 4TH/5TH GRADE GIRLS VOLLEYBALL GAME
10 a.m. @ Herbert Center
Address: 2222 Broadway

SOCCER DOUBLEHEADER
FINAL 7TH/8TH GRADE SOCCER GAME
3 p.m. @ West Sunset

FINAL 4TH/5TH GRADE SOCCER GAME
4 p.m. @ West Sunset
Address: 40th Ave and Quintara

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Happy Thursday

Quick reminders for everybody...

FRIDAY
7th grade (Red team) practice, 1 p.m. @ Chinese Rec. Center

8th grade girls volleyball game @ 7:45 p.m. from Star of the Sea

CROSS COUNTRY THIS SUNDAY!

Be sure to show up for Cross Country this Sunday at the Polo Fields. Just show up and run, it's as simple as that.

And last but not least congratulations to Sally who was selected the the St. Mary's representative to go to the CYO Achievement game.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Are you sick too?

It seems like everybody, including yours truly is sick. I changed my shirt that I slept in about 5 times because I was too busy sweating. I think this may be an all-time record for people being sick at school.

Be sure to wash your hands and when you cough, how about covering your mouth???

Anyways, here is the schedule for tomorrow:

SOCCER
ALL TEAMS AT MARINA GREENS, 1 P.M. TO 3 P.M.

6TH GRADE BOYS BASKETBALL
6 P.M. @ CAMERON HOUSE

8TH GRADE GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
12:30 P.M. @ NDV

Monday, November 2, 2009

UPDATED! Sports Schedule for this week

UPDATE:5:30 p.m. Tuesday

TUESDAY
7th/8th Grade Soccer @ Moscone - 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

ALL BOYS BASKETBALL TEAMS - SHOOTAROUND @ CAMERON HOUSE, 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY
BOYS BASKETBALL PRACTICE

3rd/4th grade @ Cameron House
5th grade @ Cameron House
7th grade (WHITE) @ Cameron House

All of the above practices will go from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Location to be announced.

8th grade - 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. @ Cameron House

8th grade Volleyball @ Chinese Rec. Center, 2 p.m.

THURSDAY
4th/5th Grade Soccer @ Marina Greens - 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
7th/8th Grade Soccer @ Moscone - 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

8th grade Volleyball @ Chinese Rec. Center TIME TBA

BOYS BASKETBALL
6th Grade @ Cameron House - 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

FRIDAY
BOYS BASKETBALL
7th grade (RED TEAM) - 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. @ Chinese Rec. Center

Sunday, November 1, 2009

4th/5th grade soccer and 8th grade volleyball fall

The 8th grade girls bounced back from a rough first set to win set number two, but couldn't close it out as they fell in three sets this afternoon 18-25, 25-21 and 15-9.

The girls played a really good game for the most part as they were consistently attempting to bump, set and spike. They converted on several of those attempts, but unfortunately the basic fundamentals were missing.

It was fitting they started the game with a fault on a serve and ended the game as well with a fault on the serve. Every girl who played today faulted at least once and the self-inflicted wounds were too much to overcome. They are playing at a much higher level and the margin of error is so small. Those serves came back and haunted them and the result is a (4-3) record.

Even with the loss, they currently sit at worse in a second-place tie in the division, however they are not guaranteed a playoff spot at this point. If they win their final regular season game Friday, they will be going to the post-season. Otherwise, they will need one of the other teams below them to lose.

UNDERMANNED 4TH/5TH GRADERS SHUTOUT

Daniel dragged himself out of bed just so the team could officially start the game. Many of the players on the team are sick and were either unable to play or played at less than 100%. They were shutout 5-0 and will conclude their season next Saturday.

8TH GRADE CHAMPIONSHIP TONIGHT

8TH GRADE CHAMPIONSHIP HIGHLIGHTS

LATEST LIGHTS

3/15-3/23 Lights

6th Grade Championship

VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP