John Cooper Sports: Winter Athletes Complete Season With Solid SPC Performances

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- Results from the week of February 5

Winter Athletes Complete Season With Solid SPC Performances

VARSITY BOYS BASKETBALL

•• SPC 3-A Championships • 2nd Place ••

Semifinal game vs Cistercian Prep • 66-53 W
Championship game vs St. Andrews Episcopal • 63-61 L

Coach Matthew Wilson: Well, it’s been a ride. Our boys ran out of time in the SPC Championship Game. After falling behind in the first half, we once again rallied. The would-be game-tying basket was deemed one half second too late.

I am so extremely grateful for this team and these guys. We finished with the same grit and resiliency that we’ve shown all year. Though painful, these boys have exhibited character traits that will outlast all of their competitive basketball careers. Thank you to the players, parents, and coaches.

VARSITY GIRLS BASKETBALL

•• SPC 3-A Championships •• 4th place

Opening game vs. Duchesne • 35-32 W

Semifinal game vs. St. Andrews Episcopal • 45-24 L

For third place: vs. St. Stephens Episcopal • 43-27 L

Coach BJ Feuerhelm: I cannot express the level of pride I have in our team this year. Each and every day, these ladies showed up, ­­enjoyed each other and worked incredibly hard. We went through all kinds of ups and downs this season but did what every coach hopes for…we played our best ball at the end of the year. I’m proud to have secured 4th place in a wildly competitive SPC 3A.

VARSITY GIRLS SOCCER

2/5 vs. Duchesne* • 0-0 tie

•• SPC 3-A Championships •• 4th place

Opening game vs. Awty • 1-0 W

Semifinal game vs. Houston Christian • 8-0 L

For third place: vs. Fort Worth Country Day • 2-1 L

Coach Fri Engel: We finished the season with an amazing performance against Awty in the first round of the SPC tournament. After a hard-fought game, we won in overtime 1-0. The girls played their hearts out to take the victory. Heavy legs and the short turnaround time led to a loss against Houston Christian in the semifinals. On Saturday, we played a good game against Fort Worth Country Day. The game ended in a 2-1 loss, but the girls finished the season with a great game. Overall, we improved as a team and the individual players throughout the season. The girls fought hard every game. We are very proud of the team and the season they had. We had to overcome many challenges this year, but still, we ended the season with 4th place in SPC 3a.

VARSITY BOYS SOCCER

•• SPC 4-A Championships • 6th Place ••

Opening round vs. Kinkaid • 2-0 L

Consolation round vs. Greenhill • 2-1 W
Goals by Tanner Mandalinci and Michael Tang

For fifth place: vs. St. Marks • 4-2 L
Goals by Tanner Mandalinci and Krishna Venugopal

Coach Bryan Sherman: We finished in 6th place in 4A SPC this season. I am very proud of the boys’ efforts and how we competed each game. Thanks to our six seniors for their leadership. And I am excited to see how we can improve with the returning group next season.

VARSITY SWIM & DIVE

Coach John Vindiola: The Dragon Swim & Dive team capped off the season with a great weekend of racing at the SPC Championships.

A big thank you to seniors Alexander Harris, Kyleigh Jeter, and Morgan Robson, who suited up for the last time as Dragons and absolutely crushed it.

• Morgan Robson won the 1M Diving by over 120 points, which caps off an undefeated career as a Dragon.

• Monica Ianeva won the 100 Breaststroke, and finished second in both the 100 Butterfly and 200 IM.

• Ella Britt finished third in the 100 Breaststroke, 4th in the 500 Freestyle, and 6th in the 200 Freestyle.

• Diego Burgos had a great diving performance to finish second overall.

The Dragon Girls 200 Medley Relay (Jeter, Britt, Ianeva, Maddie Wang) finished 6th. The 200 Freestyle Relay (Jeter, Wang, Lexie FitzSullivan, Britt) finished 7th, and the 400 Freestyle Relay (Jeter, Ianeva, Wang, FitzSullivan) finished 5th.

The Dragon Boys relays, all comprised of Harris, Zach Sheirr, Lucas Frome, and Dylan Tao, finished 6th in the 200 Medley, 8th in the 200 Freestyle Relay, and 6th in the 400 Freestyle Relay.

The Dragons competed super hard, and I am so proud of all of the performances at the pool this year.

Spring Sports

VARSITY BASEBALL

2/5 at Legacy Prep • 12-3 W

2/8 at Lutheran South • 11-0 L

2/9 at Rosehill Christian • 12-7 L

Coach Domonique Lewis: Week 1 of the baseball season concluded with the Dragons securing a strong victory against Legacy Prep, winning 12-3. Charlie Heard made a significant contribution in the 1st inning, scoring 2 runs with a single. Cooper Dupuis and Neil Mallik also played their part, with Dupuis doubling in the 2nd inning and Mallik following with a double of his own.

Nick Hagle performed well on the mound, allowing only 4 hits and 3 runs in 3 innings, earning him the win. However, the standout player of the night was relief pitcher Rhylin Soltani, who pitched 4 innings without allowing any runs and striking out 8 batters, securing the save for the team.

In their next game against Lutheran South, the Dragons faced a tough challenge. Despite Lucas Triplett's efforts on the mound, battling against a formidable lineup, the team suffered a loss. Blake Lopez, a promising young talent, made his debut as a pitcher at the varsity level and showed great potential for the future. Cooper Dupuis also displayed resilience against the tough opposition.

The Dragons' third game of the week took place at Rosehill Christian. Although they faced a loss, Neil Malik stood out with an impressive performance, driving in 4 runners and going 3-4 with 2 doubles. The team's offense came alive in the fifth inning, with contributions from Rhylin Soltani, Cooper Dupuis, and Charlie Heard. Despite a comeback attempt, the game was suspended in the top of the 6th due to darkness with the Dragons trailing 12-7.

Next up for Dragon Baseball:

February 15-17 at SPC vs. TAPPS Tournament

February 22-24 at Round Robin Tournament

VARSITY SOFTBALL

Next up for Dragon Softball:

February 22 at Fort Bend Christian Tournament

February 24 at Tournament

VARSITY TENNIS

2/9 at Chancellors Tournament

Coach Jill DelRio: Presley Sansbury and Emma Angelkov won Line A doubles

Next up for Dragon Tennis:

February 16 at Episcopal Tournament, Metropolitan Racquet Club

March 1-2 at TTC Private School Championships, A&M Consolidated

VARSITY GOLF

Next up for Dragon Golf:

February 12 at St. John’s Invitational, BraeBurn Country Club

February 27 at Kinkaid Invitational, Blackhorse Golf Club

VARSITY TRACK & FIELD

2/10 at Dan Green Invitational, The Woodlands High School

Amir Rizvi – 6th Place 100m (10.85) New School Record, 7th Place 300m Hurdles (40.82)

Quinn deGroot – 32nd Place 100m (11.90)

Mahi Khurana – 18th Place 800m (2:07.60)

Nathan Montes – 20th Place 800m (2:12.02)

Michael Stupek – 11th Place 300m Hurdles (42.40)

Grey Mendenhall – 4th Place 1 Mile (4:28.11)

Jacob Bailey – 10th Place 1 Mile (4:40.85)

Walter Day – 24th Place 1 Mile (5:03.15)

Mac Vault Academy (Haven’t received official results yet)

Milla Signorelli – Pole Vault (11’6) New School Record

Nico Signorelli – Pole Vault (15’6)

Santi Fernandez Villareal – Pole Vault (Cleared 15’)

Next up for Dragon Track & Field:

February 24 at Dick Phillips Relays

March 1-2 St. John’s Maverick Relays, St John’s at Tournament