7th grade drops both tournament games

The 7th grade lost 35-19 in the CYO tournament championship game.

After a close first half, the other team got hot in the second half and ran away with it, hitting several 3 pointers.

In the night cap, the boys blew a halftime 20-13 halftime lead in the Flame Tournament and lost 35-28. They are eliminated with the loss.

About half of the 7th grade team including Jason H., Jonathan and Allen all did not play in either game.

Makeshift 7th grade team pulls off a win

With more than half of the regular 7th grade team on vacation, a team of Jason L., Justin, Spencer, Adam, Jia Jun and 6th grader Ethan won the first round of the Flame Tournament 33-20.

Justin scored a career high 10 points in the win and his Mom Wing is ecstatic.

Jia Jun added 4 points in his basketball debut.

They will play in an elimination game tomorrow night at 8 p.m. also at St. Ignatius.

Our Black Friday Special

Boys Basketball Schedules

Instead of pasting the schedules, I will instead go with just text so it's easier to make changes as they happen.

**ALL SCHEDULES AS OF JANUARY 16, 2014**

3RD/4TH GRADE
December 7, 12 p.m. @ Mission Dolores
December 12, 7 p.m. @ St. Emydius
January 5, 1 p.m. @ Mission Dolores
January 8, 6 p.m. @ Mission Dolores
January 13, 8 p.m. @ CYO Serramonte
January 18, 12 p.m. @ St. Thomas More
January 26, 4 p.m. @ St. Emydius
January 27, 7 p.m. @ CYO Serramonte

5TH GRADE
December 6, 6 p.m. @ SVDP
December 7, 1 p.m @ Herbert Center
December 13, 5 p.m. @ St. Emydius
January 10, 7 p.m. @ Holy Name
January 12, 12 p.m. @ FAIS
January 18, 9 a.m. @ CYO Serramonte
January 25, 1 p.m. @ St. Brendan
February 1, 10 a.m. @ St. Emydius

6TH GRADE
December 7, 3 p.m. @ St. Emydius
December 13, 8 p.m. @ Mission Dolores
December 14, 11 a.m. @ West Portal
January 11, 6 p.m. @ St. Emydius
January 17, 6 p.m. @ Mission Dolores
January 18, 4 p.m. @ St. Brendan
January 24, 5 p.m. @ CYO Serramonte   ***NEW
February 1, 10 a.m. @ Mission Dolores

7TH GRADE
December 8, 3 p.m. @ Ryan Seacrest School
December 13, 6 p.m. @ Ben Franklin Gym
December 19, 7 p.m. @ Mission Dolores
January 4, 12 p.m. @ St. Emydius
January 10, 5 p.m. @ St. Peter Pacifica
January 18, 12 p.m. @ Holy Name
January 25, 11 a.m. @ St. Emydius
February 1, 4 p.m. @ St. Emydius

8TH GRADE
December 6, 8 p.m. @ St. Stephen
December 13, 6 p.m. @ St. Emydius
December 20, 7 p.m. @ St. Emydius
January 4, 4 p.m. @ St. Emydius
January 12, 4 p.m. @ FAIS
January 17, 7:30 p.m. @ West Portal
January 24, 5:15 p.m. @ St. Gabriel ***NEW
February 1, 12 p.m. @ Star of the Sea

7TH/8TH GRADE
December 13, 6 p.m. @ CYO Serramonte
December 15, 3:30 p.m. @ St. Ignatius
December 20, 8 p.m. @ St. Cecilia
January 5, 3 p.m. @ St. Stephen
January 10, 8 p.m. @ St. Peter Pacifica
January 19, 5 p.m. @ St. Ignatius
January 24, 5 p.m. @ Holy Name ***NEW
January 31, 8 p.m. @ St. Emydius

5th grade drops final tourney game

The 5th grade lost their final game of the preseason CYO tournament Wednesday night and went winless in all three games.

They did play in the upper division due to a CYO scheduling conflict.

4th quarter run propels 7th graders

A 10-0 4th quarter run aided the 7th grade in a 54-45 win Tuesday night at CYO Serramonte.

They will play Saturday for the tournament championship.

The trio of Jason L., Jonathan and Michael combined to score all the points with Jason leading the way with 24. Jonathan chipped in with 18 and Michael scored 12 points.

With just a three point lead early in the 4th quarter, Jonathan hit two straight 3 pointers and then another jumper for eight straight, which pretty much put the game away.

The 7th graders led from start to finish.

High School Football Championship Set

Last Thursday, for the first time, I had the opportunity to go out and shoot a high school football game. This is a lot different than standing in the corner of a gym for CYO games.

The camera for one, is a tad bigger, and cost thousands of dollars.

And this time, if I screwed up, it wouldn't be, "Oh well, we just won't have that shot for the blog." Instead, we would not have anything for our newscast.

Luckily, it turned out pretty well. You can watch the sportscast below and be the judge for yourself as well as some of the other highlights.

Pretty cool experience.

Be sure to pay attention to the newscast. I captured a very special moment of the Lincoln team singing their school hymn. Very cool. I should've joined in the singing...

5th graders lose in round two

The 5th grade boys lost 33-11 in round two of their tournament game.

Calvin and Brendan provided the scoring.

They are playing in the upper division of the tournament and are extremely outmatched.

Their final game of the tournament will be next Saturday morning.

8th grade bounces back with strong performance, advance to tourney championship

The 8th grade bounced back from a sluggish first game with a convincing 29-6 win in the second round of the CYO preseason tournament.

It was an intense physical game which saw the 8th grade take a 9-0 lead into the 2nd quarter.

With the game pretty much decided after the first seven minutes, the remaining three quarters were a bit of a slugfest with some hard fouls and unnecessary physicality by both teams.

Both teams should've been called for several more fouls but the referees were not very tight with their calls.

Seven of the eight players on the 8th grade scored with Jason Ng leading the way.

With the win, they advance to the tournament championship game next Sunday.

Raymond started the game without a jersey.

8th grade struggles in round one win

The great Tiffy was once quoted after a game saying, "It was a good lose." Had she watched Friday night's 8th grade preseason CYO tournament game, she would've said, "It was a bad won (win)."

Perhaps they were a little too amped up going against their former soccer teammates at NDV. But nonetheless the 8th graders hung on to win an ugly slopfest 24-20, which saw NDV hit a three at the end of the game to make the score a little closer.

Their next game will be Saturday night at 6 p.m.

7th grade starts tournament off with a win

The 7th grade boys made quick work of their first round opponent Thursday night in the CYO preseason tournament, and won 32-11.

They held a 15-0 lead after the 1st quarter and never looked back.

Game two is scheduled for Tuesday night at 7 p.m.

Final Fall Highlights of 2013

5th/6th grade volleyball playoffs, Soccer Achievement Game, and SPECIAL DELETED SCENES!

St. Mary's Basketball Transaction

Spencer has been claimed off waivers by the 7th grade team and will join them immediately.

Raymond a late add to the soccer achievement game

With Matthew battling a cold, Raymond substituted for Matthew in the CYO Achievement Game Saturday afternoon at West Sunset.

For his efforts, Raymond did get a t-shirt and also got hit in the face by a ball during the game.

Raymond and Ryan, the other achievement game selection lost the match 3-1. Congratulations to the both of them for representing St. Mary's.

8th Grade Soccer Achievement Selection Show

Watch the 8th grade CYO Soccer Achievement Selection Show where we announce the two players who will represent St. Mary's in the Achievement Game this Saturday.

7th/8th grade girls championship highlights

Happy birthday Edwena!

7th/8th grade girls win epic match to take home the title

In an epic three set thriller that will go down in St. Mary's Athletics history, the 7th/8th grade girls won the volleyball championship Monday night at St. Emydius beating St. Finn Barr 21-25, 27-25, 15-10.

After dropping the first set, the girls were pushed to elimination point in the second set twice. But the girls dug deep and rallied to win the second set. And then Edwena closed it out with an ace on championship point to capture the first place trophy.

The seven girls left everything they had out on that court, diving for every ball and fighting to the very last inch on each point. Never has a St. Mary's game had this much intensity.

For the entire match, the standing room only crowd was on the edge of their seat. The game was not for the faint of heart.

"My blood pressure was through the roof," said 7th/8th grade coach Mitchell.

He was probably calm for a little bit, at least in the latter stages of the second set.

It looked like the girls were well on their way to evening up the match when they led 23-19 in the second set. The girls were smiling and looked loose in the huddle during the timeout. But when they got back out onto the court, St. Finn Barr made a charge that even the girls didn't think they'd be able to handle.

"I was hecka scared," Fiona said.

After the girls lost serve, the toughest server on St. Finn Barr served three straight rockets over the net to tie the game at 23-23, forcing the 7th/8th graders to burn their last timeout. This time the huddle consisted of a lot of worried faces and it even had some of the girls on the brink of tears.

Karina said she saw that some of her teammates "were about to cry," and they were.

"I was about to (cry)," Ivy said. "It was like, let's get this over with, we're going to lose anyways."

The confidence in the huddle, even with the game tied, was at an all-time low.

"I felt like..this is over," Vivianna said. 

But the coaches and some of the players did their best to make sure the team stayed focused. The next few points would dictate whether the girls would see their fear become a reality.

On the next point, the same girl drilled another one for an ace, and it was championship point for St. Finn Bar.

St. Mary's caught a break when the next serve went long and the set was tied at 24-24.

The 7th/8th graders lost the next point but rebounded strong to tie the game back up at 25-25.

On the next point, the ball was inches from hitting the ground, but Edwena laid out and got an arm on the ball, popping it high enough for Vivianna to bump it back over the net. A girl on St. Finn Barr then hit the ball into the net, giving St. Mary's a one point advantage.

Then on set point, both teams traded rallies until Edwena struck a ball with an overhand that landed a good foot inside the end line, pushing the match to a decisive third set.

The girls jumped out to a 10-3 lead in the third set behind some good serving by Karina and Victoria and some sloppiness from St. Finn Barr. There was nothing too spectacular from the 7th/8th grade girls in that stretch but they played mistake free volleyball which got them the early lead.

But St. Finn Barr would not go away, and they climbed right back into the game.

Up 12-9, the St. Mary's girls thought they had scored a point and had gone up 13-9 when a ball sailed long. But the line judge ruled that Victoria touched the ball, and a point was awarded to St. Finn Barr to make it 12-10.

After the game, Victoria said she didn't touch the ball and from the looks of the instant replay, she didn't. The volleyball gods evened things out on the next point as St. Finn Barr served it out of bounds.

With the score 13-10, it was fitting that their strongest player Edwena stepped up to serve at the end. Her first serve went off a girls arms and the ball went flying into the wall. And then on championship point, Edwena hit the biggest serve in St. Mary's volleyball history. The low liner hit the floor and the celebration began.

This game was nothing like their playoff game when they were able to almost spike at will. They were on the defense most of the time, trying to fend off some incredibly hard spikes by St. Finn Barr.

After a shaky start, Edwena pulled it together in sets two and three and fought off hard spike after hard spike. The team as a whole did the same and because they were able to withstand those hits, they were able to pick up points little by little.

It was also imperative Edwena ended the game because had St. Finn Barr forced a sideout, their best server would've stepped up to the line. The team leader played huge on the biggest stage of them all.

"Edwena was miraculous," Mitchell said. "She didn't have to hit hard but she was placing the ball everywhere."

"She's a good influence for the rest of the girls, she's a court general."

What a sweet storybook ending for 8th graders Edwena, Ivy, Victoria and Fiona. It's their second straight volleyball championship, after winning it last year as part of the 7th/8th grade team. These four girls were part of teams that won one or two games a year when they first started. And now they finish their St. Mary's volleyball careers with back to back titles.

"In the beginning, we had very little hope of even winning half the games," Fiona said. "Few years later, we won the championship. Not everyone can say they won a championship."

The 7th graders, Karina, Vivianna and Britney brought their game to a whole new level in just a few months. Last year, they were playing with volley lites and just learning the game. A year later, they were thrown into the fire and needed to learn how to bump, set and spike in order to survive. The three also came into an environment that had girls who had already won it all.

"We just had to build a relationship with the new team," Karina said. "And we all worked together to get to the top."

"I couldn't have dreamed of it," Britney added about winning the championship.

It was a shame one of these teams had to lose, because both teams played well. This was a championship where one team was going to beat the other team, and not one where one team beat itself.

And good thing for St. Mary's, it was the team in red that came out on top.

"I'm really happy for them," said coach Tiffany Ye, who actually did an interview. "Especially being an 8th grade team, their last time playing together."

Their playing days on the volleyball court at St. Mary's could not have ended better. Now we'll see how far they can go after they're set free.

"They all have the tools and good traits," Mitchell said. "The sky's the limit."

Championship Monday

7TH/8TH GRADE GIRLS VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
PLACE: St. Emydius (255 Jules Ave)
TIME: 6:15 p.m. TONIGHT!

Come out and support!

5th/6th grade drops playoff game in straight sets

In every regular season game the 5th/6th grade volleyball team lost in 2013, they went to a third set. But in Saturday's playoff, the girls never even got the chance.

The 5th/6th graders were eliminated after a straight set 25-21, 25-21 loss at St. Stephen, putting an end to a season that featured many ups and downs.

Both sets were well within reach, but down the stretch it was the other team making good plays, and the St. Mary's girls making the mistakes.

They got off to a hot start and led 3-0, but a fault on the next point seemed to derail the girls.

Playing catchup for most of the first set, the girls kept it close and actually took a 21-20 lead.

But after the other team perfectly placed a ball the girls couldn't return to force a sideout, the 5th/6th grade lost four straight points on serve receive and dropped set one.

It was a familiar position for the girls, as they faced this situation before, needing to come back and win two straight sets. However this time, they couldn't manage to do it.

Up against the other team's best server, they were unable to return the ball close to ten times and dug themselves an 11-3 hole.

Justina managed to bring the girls back within 11-9, but the girls then lost another four straight points and trailed 15-9.

Samantha rolled off a few serves to cut the lead to 20-17, but then faulted on her next serve, turning the ball back over to the other team.

Following the same pattern, Annie got the girls to within 24-21, but served her last ball wide to end the match.

As a whole, the girls didn't play well and made too many mistakes. In the first set alone, they faulted on six serves, and failed to take advantage of the other team when they weren't ready to play.

They were unable to fight off their struggles and when they lost a point or two, it turned into three, four and even five in a row.

If they could've stopped the bleeding at just a few points, the girls could be talking about a championship game Sunday.

But they are left with pondering what might've been. With four 5th graders in a 6th grade division, they were clearly the underdogs and were pushed to the limit several times during the season.

The biggest fault for this team is the lack of confidence and not having faith in what they do. Some of the girls on the team are afraid of being in the spotlight and don't want the ball during a game.

Everybody knows they are more than capable of being a good, if not great team. The girls just need to realize that themselves as well.

7th/8th grade girls going to the championship

For the fourth time in five years, a St. Mary's 8th grade volleyball team will play in the championship game.

The 7th/8th grade girls punched their ticket to the title match Monday night at St. Emydius with a 25-15, 25-18 straight set win over SAIC.

These two teams met in the first game of the regular season, which saw the 7th/8th graders lose in straight sets.

This time it was a different story.

They were helped by some inconsistent serving by SAIC, who faulted three times early in the first set. The St. Mary's girls took advantage of that and got off to an early lead.

Edwena has played remarkably all season long, but she might have had her best showing Thursday night. She looked like she had some extra power behind her spikes, which the other team did not have an answer for whatsoever.

In order for Edwena to spike it down, she needed some good sets, and Fiona provided just that, setting it up for the St. Mary's representative in the CYO Achievement Game.

It was a good bounce back game for Fiona who wasn't at her best down the stretch. Fiona went back to her serving from years, where she would serve similar to the sprinkler dance. It proved to be very effective as she tallied up several points. Up 23-15, she then perfectly placed a ball in the corner to set up set point. She then went back to the overhand to close out the set.

Set two didn't get off to too good of a start for the girls as they found themselves trailing 9-3. Karina was able to pull the girls back within 10-7, and then a Victoria ace tied the game at 10-10.

One thing the 7th/8th grade girls did a great job of was they never let SAIC get into any sort of rhythm. They will need to do more of the same against St. Finn Barr, their opponent in the championship.

The girls played a pretty mistake free game for the most part, which proved to be the difference in the game. They had less faults, they had less errors and overall just played a much clean and crisper game.

With Edwena on the bench, the rest of the team was able to string together five points to finish the match. Vivianna served five straight balls over for points -- and with the girls up 24-18, the other team could not cleanly return a Victoria spike, ending the game.

Up next, the aforementioned St. Finn Barr, which beat the 7th/8th graders a few weeks ago. That match went to three sets and it wouldn't be surprising if it went to another three this coming Monday night.

They'll definitely need to be more aggressive and net play is going to be a huge factory because St. Finn Barr has some of the tallest 8th graders in CYO. The 7th/8th graders will look to bring their "A" game and look to cap off their season with a first place trophy.

Final Regular Season Highlights

This time they are actually good...

BREAKING NEWS: Volleyball Playoff Schedules

Volleyball schedules released just moments ago.

7th/8th grade plays Thursday, 5 p.m. @ St. Emydius against SAIC. If they win their playoff game, the championship will be played Monday, November 11th at 6:15 p.m.

The 5th/6th grade plays Saturday, 11 a.m. @ St. Stephen. Their championship game if they win will be a little over 24 hours later, Sunday, November 10th at 2:30 p.m.

7th/8th grade soccer team shutout in finale

In a rematch of last year's championship game, the 7th/8th graders were shutout 2-0 in their final game of the season.

Their troubles all year have been putting the ball in the net, combining for only five goals the entire season.

Averaging less than a goal a game will not win you many games. It won them one.

Defensively, they had a handful of breakdowns in every game, but never yielded more than three goals, and their worse loss all season was a 3-0 shutout.

Again Saturday at West Sunset, the forwards just didn't click and the 7th/8th grade (1-7) was shutout for the fourth time. Half of their games they didn't register a goal.

It wasn't for a lack of effort in games, as all the boys did as much as they could. But without good fundamentals of soccer, it's hard to compete in division two.

They can take some consolation in the fact that they were in every game and did beat one of the top teams in the division.

But they will also look back at a lost opportunity because a goal or two here, or a breakdown or two less, they could've done something no St. Mary's soccer team has done before.

Sadly, this could be the last soccer team at the school for a while. With only a handful of 7th graders on the team, and no other team besides this one, soccer could be going on hiatus.

Two players will be selected to the CYO Achievement Game with the announcement coming in this week's highlights.

Alan finished the year with three goals, while Jackie and Thomas scored the only other two.

Victoria saves the 7th/8th graders

Shellshocked. Stunned. Baffled.

Just a few words that summed up the first few minutes of the 7th/8th grade girls final volleyball game of the regular season.

This team, built to contend for a championship, found themselves in a 10-0 hole to start the first set, against a team that entered the game with just two wins.

Yes, they played without Edwena, but consider the fact that Edwena isn't on the court all the time. If the girls show even half the signs they did Saturday, it will be one and done.

After scoring a few points, they once again self destructed. Vivianna, Fiona, Ivy and even Victoria faulted on serves.

Down 24-17, the 7th/8th graders were a point away from losing the first set. It would've been an epic fail considering they were completely out of sort and sleepwalked their way through the start of the game.

They forced a sideout to make it 24-18 and then Victoria pulled a rabbit out of her hat, serving eight straight balls over for points, rallying the girls to an undeserving, but yet remarkable 26-24 first set win.

The second set was a little easier as they won 25-10.

Victoria set an unofficial St. Mary's record by serving 15 straight balls over for points as she put the girls out to a 7-0 lead in set two.

After a scolding in between sets, the 7th/8th grade (6-2) looked more focused and played with a sense of urgency. They cutdown on their faults, served solidly and started setting up the bump, set and spike.

They'll need to do that and more come playoff time, because any of the four teams that are in the post-season can win the championship. There are no easy games the rest of the way.

For the better part of the first set, the girls looked uninterested, lethargic, and content with just trading bumps. They weren't aggressive, didn't set up spikes and were overall disoriented.

It didn't help they dug themselves that early hole. And with the 0 looming large on the scoreboard, the girls were tight and reverted back to playing bump ball.

But all that is now in the past. It's two games to win it all, one loss ends it all.

By far this is the best lowest division in the six years of St. Mary's volleyball. Realistically, the four teams in this division that are in the playoffs could compete in at least the next two highest divisions.

Going forward, they can ill afford any performance that resembled the early stages of the first set.

3rd/4th grade so close in final game

The 3rd/4th grade girls were so close in their final game of the year but fell 25-21, 26-24 to wrap up their season.

Both sets were close and the girls even had a 20-18 lead in the second set. But the other team caught a few breaks with the ball clipping the net. On those balls, the 3rd/4th graders had no chance and a point of two was the difference in the contest.

From the serve line, Avalon and Catharine were the most consistent, scoring several points for the girls.

Natalie had a rough first set serving but rallied the girls in the second set with some strong serves. Sara and Rebecca also got a few balls over.

And with that, the rookie campaign for the 3rd/4th grade girls comes to a conclusion.

5th/6th grade clinch playoff spot

With a St. Peter win over St. Philip Saturday morning, the 5th/6th grade girls clinched the final playoff spot in their division.

Their opponent has yet to be determined, but will either be St. Peter or St. Finn Barr.

Incredible! 5th/6th grade girls on playoff doorstep with fantastic win

***Update - 5th/6th grade girls clinch playoff spot

The 5th/6th grade girls were perhaps a foot away from a tragic season.

In a must win game and their playoff lives at stake, they were down 14-13 on serve receive against the other team's best server. That same server had previously served six straight balls over for points in the first set. She tossed the ball in the air and hit it over hand, and the ball just hit into the top of the netting and the girls still had hope.

Their best player Friday night Justina stepped to the line and served one over to give the girls a one point lead at 15-14. Her next serve went over, and when the other team hit it into the net, one of the most exciting St. Mary's volleyball games concluded with an incredible season saving 26-28, 25-21, 16-14 win.

If St. Peter can beat St. Philip Saturday morning, the 5th/6th grade girls (3-5) will head to the playoffs. But if St. Philip's wins, their season likely comes to an end.

In a season where every loss has come in three sets, the girls almost wrote the perfect ending to a story that nobody wanted to read.

Down 11-5 in the third, the girls had to make up six points in order to even make a wish at 11-11. Annie brought them close and rallied four points trimming the lead to 11-10 before faulting with a chance to tie.

The teams traded points until Justina ultimately won the game.

They were in a similar situation midway through the second set as they trailed 17-12. after breaking serve, Samantha was on serve and she gave the girls a brief 18-17 lead.

By far the girls played their most complete game of the season and were rewarded with their most satisfying win to date. Isabella and Annie were both pretty solid on their serve receive, but nothing compared to Justina who had the volleyball game of her life.

She was everywhere on the court and broke several serves throughout the course of the match. Her serves were also strong and really helped the girls seize momentum in the last two sets. It seemed like the entire team knew that when Justina was serving, the girls were going to pick up a point.

Should the girls reach the post-season, it's very likely their opponent will be the same team they beat Friday night.

At so many points in the game, the girls could've folded, but they didn't. They were able to stay focused and battled on every point. The girls wanted it and were finally able to get over the hump.

And if given the chance, they'll need to do it again.