Avier NEWS
Saint Xavier High School • Louisville, Kentucky
Vol. LXXXVI • No. 1 • September 5, 2014
HOW THEY SPENT THEIR SUMMER VACATION
Building a Home in Belize
Appalachian Mission Trip
By Lucas Baker
group from St. X returned to Auxier, Kentucky this past summer for another lifechanging experience facilitated by Hand in Hand Ministries. Led by Mr. Benjamin Kresse and Ms. Susan Jaffe, a group of about 30 guys spent a few days repairing
homes of the impoverished in Appalachia. One group laid down a new roof on an
elderly lady’s house.
Among the Saint Xavier students was three-time attendee senior Lowell Brown.
“The bond you form between not only the people you help but your fellow volunteers
is what has brought me back through the years,” said Brown.
Past attendees of the trip continuously rave about the redeeming experience service in Appalachia offers. Additionally, the multi-day mission trip offers something
that many students can’t resist: finishing all service hours.
“There is nothing better than getting all of your service hours done and changing
another person’s life at the same time,” Brown said.
A
By Evan Heichelbech
n late June, a group of 11 students and
three faculty members (Mr. John Zickel, Mr. Frank Hulsman and Fr. Anthony
Vinson) traveled to Belize for the annual
service trip to build a home for a family
in need. The group of student volunteers
included current seniors Tyler Boarman,
Gabe Frankel, Owen Peters, Wes Taylor,
Matt Uhls, Jesse Vining and Jack Werner;
juniors Logan Lee and Mason Wolford;
sophomore Dominic Hickerson; and former St. X student Nick Marks.
It was an incredible experience for
all who went as it was an opportunity for
them to expand their spiritual and moral
outlook on service.
“It changed my spiritual outlook by
helping me realize to always be open to
I
what God puts in front of me and to adapt
to it for the better,” Boarman said.
All of the students felt a stronger
bond forming among themselves as well
as with the people they were serving.
During their time in Belize, the students
and faculty built a small house for Florine
Martinez and her family, who were struggling to find a stable home.
“It was a huge eye-opener and
amazed me how happy people can be with
so little. It really impacted me to stop being so selfish at times,” Werner said.
Boarman added, “Experiencing those
conditions makes you realize how fortunate we are in the States, and it impacted
me because they made the best of what
they had and lived to survive rather than
for pleasure.”
Germany and France Tour
By Chris Grismer
his past June, eight students went to Germany, led by Herr Richard Knoop and Herr
David Stewart, to experience European culture and practice speaking German.
“Instead of reading about a certain element of culture, I got to experience it for
myself, and it made a lasting impression on me,” said senior Sean Hynes.
The group first spent three nights in Paris, France and then stopped in Metz before driving to Heidelberg, Germany. The next day, they traveled to Berlin, stopping
in Weimar on the way there. After touring Berlin for a few days, the group headed to
Mainz, Louisville’s sister city, where
students were able to witness the spirit
of the country.
“While we were in Mainz, Germany played in the World Cup, and it
was awesome to watch the game with
the locals before watching the huge
party that came after a 4-0 victory,”
Hynes said.
“It was a really cool experience,
and it’s made me want to learn more
German than ever,” said Hynes.
T
Students Experience China
By Jimmy Gates
wenty St. X students took a 19-day
trip to China this past summer. This
was Mr. Rick Ayres’s last trip to China,
making the time spent there extra special
to all the students. The trip included a seven-day stay in Beijing, where the students
were able to check out the Great Wall.
Students had plenty of free time in Beijing and they got to go shopping in lots of
silk markets. They bought fake Beats, laser pointers, movies, and one student even
bought a taser (which was taken away at
the airport).
Another city visited was Guilin,
which was a group favorite. “Guilin was
my favorite city because of the noodles,”
said senior Ollie Alfir. “So fire!”
T
Students had lots of fun in Guilin;
they went on a cruise down the historic Li
River and ate lots of Chinese delicacies,
such as scorpion. The group made a nice,
relaxing visit to Yangshuo, where they
had a few days to enjoy themselves. There
were more markets in Yangshuo, including a street “very similar to Bardstown
Road,” according to senior Will Tougher.
The last visit the group took was to
Hong Kong. This city was much more
commercialized and everything was more
expensive. Students described Hong
Kong as a city like New York.
Everybody who went on the trip loved
every second of it. Tougher described it as
“the best trip of my life,” and Alfir called
the trip “absolutely life changing.”
Exploring España
By Gus Young
n June, 18 St. X students, along with
Mr. Daniel Stuber and Ms. Stephanie
Dierig, embarked on a ten-day journey
through Spain. The trip began in Barcelona, where the group spent their first
afternoon enjoying the beautiful Mediterranean beaches while getting accustomed
to the local culture and food. They spent
three days in “Barca,” visiting famous
landmarks like the Park Güell, Montjuïc
and the beautiful Sagrada Familia Cathedral.
While in the city they also visited
Camp Nou, home of FC Barcelona, and
spent the afternoons watching World Cup
matches in the hotel lobby with people
from all around the world. The group was
there to witness the Spanish loss to the
Dutch.
“The national reaction wasn’t riotous, it was more like a feeling of national
shame,” said senior Drew Chandler, describing the shift in mood after the defeat.
The group then traveled east to the
capital city of Madrid. During their four
days in the city they spent a large majority of time in Plaza Mayor, the heart of
the city’s historic district. There the group
got to fully experience the historic Span-
I
ish culture through an 18th-century royal
palace, the palace of King Philip II, and
an original series of Roman aqueducts.
From the capital city, the group traveled south to Granada. Even though the
snowy Sierra Nevada surrounded the city,
the weather was perfect for experiencing
all the city had to offer. In the evenings,
as the group walked around the city sightseeing, the streets were filled with performers dancing the tango, Flamenco,
singing and playing the guitar. Granada
marked a relaxing end to the trip, where
the group could enjoy the last few days
in the Spanish countryside, free from the
energy of the major cities.
“There were a ton of mini stories that
I don’t even have time to tell you about,”
remarked Chandler. “It was just a really
fun and super adventurous experience. I
would totally recommend it to other students.”
“Our half of the world can’t really be
lumped together under a blanket term like
‘Western Culture’,” noted senior Reed
Repasky. “And it wasn’t until I walked
around another country for two weeks as
an abhorrent American tourist that I began
to realize the amazing scope of foreign
cultures and what that really meant.”
2
SPO
September
Tiger Lacrosse Back on Top Track and
Field Win
Region
By Jacob Hayslip
A
fter a one-year absence from the top of the
mountain, St. X Lacrosse is back. The Tigers
avenged their 2013 state-championship game loss
to Trinity and dethroned the Shamrocks the past
spring by a final score of 10–6. This victory marks
St. X’s sixth lacrosse state championship in the last
seven years.
St. X had previously drubbed its archrival from
Shelbyville Road in the regular season by a final
line of 16–3. Current senior attackman Collin Roppel anticipated that this game would be closer, and
prepared with that in mind.
“We knew they were a lot better than they
showed in the first game,” Roppel said. “Anytime
you play in a game when the stakes are that high,
you know you’ll get your opponent’s best effort. We
just played our game and that proved to be enough.”
Tiger Lax finished the 2014 campaign sporting
a 19–3 record, with a 17–0 record against in-state
opponents. Senior goalkeeper Max Cartor attributed the team’s successful season to sticking to Head
Coach Scott Howe’s game plan.
“We were a great team when we didn’t try to
do too much individually and everybody just played
their part,” Cartor explained. “We ran Kentucky.”
After the state title game concluded, Roppel,
Cartor, senior midfielder Coleman Webb, and junior
By Cole Bollinger
T
defenseman Caleb Grimes, along with then-seniors Nick King and Will
Roshkowski, were named All-State selections. Roppel and Webb were
also named All-Americans. Webb said team chemistry was vital in taking back the state championship.
“I think we not only had great senior leaders, but the entire team
was on the same page all year,” Webb explained. “We were all very
close and focused on one mission: winning state.”
St. X is back on top of the totem pole, and Cartor is glad. “It felt
like I made up for losing the first state game I played in,” Cartor explained. “It was like redemption in an even better sense because it was
against the same team.”
Rugby Completes 3-Peat
Photo by Tim Porco
By Jacob Hayslip
“3-Peat” is a rare occurrence in
sports at any level. It takes a special team makeup: a coach who knows
how to bring out the best in his players,
a lot of leadership, and both consistency
and persistency in every aspect of the
game. St. X Rugby has all of those components and more.
The Rugby team won its third
consecutive State Championship last
spring, defeating Trinity 48–0. This win
gave St. X a pair of blowout victories
over the Shamrocks, having blasted
them 72–0 in the regular season. It was
the only acceptable farewell to the Class
of 2014 seniors, most notably Rugby
All-American and USA Rugby team
member Wes Parker and longtime team
captain Kevin Riggs. They were pioneers of St. X Rugby and integral parts
of all three state-championship teams.
“They showed the new players how
XAvier NEWS
Editorial Staff
A
Xavier News is the student newspaper
of Saint Xavier High School, 1609
Poplar Level Road, Louisville KY
40217. Web: www.saintx.com
Email: [email protected]
All contents Copyright © 2014 by
Saint Xavier High School. All rights
reserved.
Lucas Baker
Jimmy Gates
Chris Grismer
Jacob Hayslip
Evan Heichelbech
John Horlander
Kody Nalley
Tommy Sullivan
Gus Young
Faculty Advisor
Mr. Rick Mattingly
to play the game the way it needed to
be played.” said current junior Logan
Butler, who scored a try in the state title
game.
For senior Joey McSweeney, who
also scored a try in the championship,
the third state championship especially
resonates with him.
“It was incredible,” said McSweeney. “You put in work with your teammates for months to get to that spot, so
getting there was just amazing. It’s hard
to have that kind of sustained excellence
in any sport, so to be a part of that type
of run was definitely special.”
The 2014 Rugby Tigers finished
with a record of 8–2, losing only to national powers Indianapolis Cathedral
and Cincinnati Moeller. Senior Keaton
Byrd is already looking forward to adding to the legend next season.
“The 3-peat was perfect,” Byrd
said. “When one season ends, however,
that is when you begin thinking about
the next. We will be training hard this
season to make it a 4-peat.”
he Tiger Track and Field team finished another strong season last
spring, as they finished 3rd at the 2014
KHSAA 3A Track and Field State
Championships.
The Tigers were led at State by juniors William Mulloy and Jake Glass
and senior Chris Striegel. Mulloy won
the 1600 meter run and placed 2nd in
the 800 meter run. Glass placed 2nd in
Shot Put, and Striegel finished 2nd in
the 3200 meter run.
“Normally there is a great divide
between sprinters/throwers and distance
runners,” said Mulloy. “I often feel like
we are two separate teams, but last year
was completely different. The track
team felt much more like one team than
two separate ones, and a lot of credit
goes to the seniors for helping mesh the
team. We had a sense of unity, and everyone wanted to do his job to the best
of his ability to contribute to the greater
good of the team.”
Before the team traveled to State,
the Tigers won their second consecutive
Region 3 Championship. Event winners
were the 4x800 team of Ben Metzger,
Ben Farber, Ben Kleine-Kracht and
Jack Minogue; the 4x400 team of Colin
O’Daniel, Patrick Ritter, Eli George and
Mulloy; Glass, who won the Shot Put;
and Mulloy, who won the 1600 and the
800.
The Tiger Track and Field team
won two other meets during the season
at the Brother Borgia/Coach Cooper
Invitational and the Harry Greschel Invitational. The Tigers placed 2nd at the
Lenny Lyles Invitational and the Male
Invitational.
After the season ended, it was announced that Head Coach Mike Brockman was steeping down from his position. Brockman led the Tigers to a
7th-place finish in 2012, a runner-up
finish in 2013, and a 3rd-place finish in
2014. Ms. Stephanie Dierig has been
named the new head coach.
Photo by Tim Porco
Letters to the Editor
Xavier News is interested in
your opinion and response to articles.
Please observe these guidelines:
1. The newspaper reserves the
right to edit material.
2. Letters must not be libelous,
obscene or defamatory.
3. Letters should concentrate on
ideas, problems and solutions affecting the entire school.
4. Name and student number
must accompany the letter.
Letters may be sent to
[email protected]
William Mulloy
3
ORTS
5, 2014
Baseball Wins First State Title in 33 Years
Photo by Tim Porco
By John Horlander
T
he Saint Xavier Tiger Baseball team
broke a 33-year cold streak by winning their 6th state championship in
school history, defeating Simon Kenton High School 5–2. The team talked
and joked about how it would be fun to
win and to break the streak, according
to then-junior Scott Spurlock. The team
was a contender but never truly realized
their potential until the end of the year.
At the beginning of the season,
the Tigers were led by senior shortstop
Austin Clemons, who is now attending
the University of Louisville on a baseball scholarship, until he tore his ACL
against Eastern with two months left in
the season. St. X adopted a “next man
up” mentality; they relied on every
member of the team to lead them to victory.
When asked about their favorite
moment of the year, excluding the state
championship, the players talked about
the time when they took Moeller High
School to 11 innings. Despite their loss
in that game, the Tigers realized just
how dangerous they could be, spurring
their confidence and securing them-
selves as a threat for state champions.
Another memorable moment was
when St. X stumbled in the district
championship, losing to Male 5–2.
Since St. X and Male are the only two
teams in the district, the Tigers received
a “District Runner-Up” trophy for losing.
After the game, Head Coach Andy
Porta placed the trophy in the parking
lot and ran over it with the bus. The trophy shattered into seven pieces, one for
every game they would need to win to
earn the title of state champions.
The Tigers rallied around this event
and blew away anyone who stood in
their way, notably a 3–1 victory over
Trinity in the regional championship,
a 13–4 waxing of North Bullitt and the
all-important win over Simon Kenton.
“It was the greatest feeling in the
world,” Spurlock said. “I looked to my
right and congratulated Brandon [Blaser]. It was nice to know that all our
hard work paid off.”
The Tigers are looking to defend
their title this year, and like their chances as they return many key players, such
as Blaser, Spurlock, J.D. Mundt, and
Josh Finerty.
Trifecta of Tennis
Team, Singles and Doubles State Champs
By Kody Nalley
Photo by Tim Porco
T
he Tiger Tennis team took the court at the State
Tournament in a dominating fashion. The team
brought home the singles, doubles and overall team
State Championship. The program has now won six
straight and 21 overall team titles.
Junior Brandon Lancaster stole the victory from
the 2013 defending State Champion, Austin Hussy of
Covington Catholic. Lancaster came from behind to
clench the title.
“It felt amazing when I won it because it looked
like I was going to lose early on,” Lancaster said. “We
became the first team in a long time that won singles,
doubles and team championships.”
The doubles tournament had an electrifying finish.
Seniors Coleman Cox and Nick Quinones were playing junior Nick Waldeck and sophomore Matt Graft in
a very competitive, all St. X match.
“We had already beat them once in regionals,”
Waldeck said. “The pressure was on them because
they were seniors.”
Waldeck and Graft pulled out the tight 10-8 victory in a tiebreaker. “It was very exciting that we were
able to win under the conditions of being considered
an underdog,” said Graft. “It was very saddening to
see the two seniors leave without the win because we
were all very close.”
Tiger Tennis was only one game away from a per-
fect score in the 2014 State Tourney. Freshman Drew
Singerman had a deep run, losing in the semifinals just
one game away from sweeping the board in points.
This year’s tennis team is arguably the most domi-
nating and power driven team in all of St. X history,
leading the state as the team to beat. Coach Kerry Lancaster looks to make it another great year for Tiger
Tennis.
4
ON CAMPUS
September 5, 2014
St. X Players to Stage Harvey
By Tommy Sullivan
he St. X Drama Department’s fall
show, Harvey, will premiere Wed.,
Sept. 24 at 7:00 p.m. Harvey is a Pulitzer
Prize-winning comedy by Mary Chase
that first opened on Broadway in 1944.
Seniors Joe Glaser, Daniel Stapp and
Eli Meyer will act the lead roles. Glaser
plays Elwood P. Dowd, who is very misunderstood but always happy. The role
will be a change of pace for Glaser. In
his last two roles as Robin Hood (Robin
Hood) and J. Pierrpont Finch (How to
Succeed in Business Without Really Trying), his character had a specific goal.
However, Elwood only wants to spread
his joy with those around him.
T
Glaser
Stapp’s character, Dr. Sanderson, is
a sarcastic and arrogant man. This is far
from Stapp’s personality and from his
previous roles in St. X drama. “It requires
me to step out of my comfort zone and try
something new as an actor,” says Stapp.
Meyer faces a similar challenge in
playing Chumbly, whose personality is
unlike Meyer’s. “He is a guy who has to
have things go exactly to plan all the way
down to the finest detail,” says Meyer.
“I’m more of a go-with-the-flow-guy.”
St. X students and students from
Mercy, Presentation, Sacred Heart and
Assumption make up the rest of the cast
and crew.
Who’s playing Harvey? Harvey is
not on the cast list because he’s not a
character in the play. Harvey is a six-footthree-and-a-half-inch tall rabbit that only
Elwood can see.
“I often share laughs and inside jokes
with Harvey, and no one knows what’s
going on,” says Glaser.
“Our biggest challenge is to create
the effects for an invisible six-foot-three
rabbit—doors opening and closing, footstep sounds, pages of a book being ripped
out and flying through the air, and so
forth,” says director Ms. Rebecca Reisert.
The plot revolves around Elwood’s
sister Veta (played by St. X cheerleader
Madelyn Steurer), who is trying to climb
the social ladder. She decides to commit
Meyer
Stapp
Steurer
Elwood to an asylum to prevent him from
holding her back by embarrassing her, but
she is the one who ends up in the asylum.
After the mistake is discovered, Elwood
and Harvey must be found.
St. X’s production will reflect the
time period in which Chase wrote it. The
set, created by students led by Mr. Stephen
Ashby, Mr. Tom Malewitz and Mr. Robert
Scheler, will have the feel of the 1940s.
While this is Ashby’s first play with St. X
as a faculty member, he is no stranger to
the art of set design. He worked on sets as
a student at St. X for four years and has
even had college training in set design.
The set will be functional but also
subtley represent the play’s themes. For
example, Elwood’s house will be warm
and homey with soft surfaces and lots of
color, while the mental asylum will be devoid of color with cold, hard surfaces.
A beloved St. X faculty member
posed for the portrait of Elwood’s mother,
but you will have to look closely to recognize her through her special makeup.
Although Harvey is going to be 70
years old this September, there is a lot to
learn from this drama. “To this day, it still
shows us that no matter what, we should
be proud of who we are,” says assistant
director Chris Smith. “The opinions of
others are not what is most important; our
happiness and pride in ourselves and all
that we can and will accomplish is truly
the most important thing in life.”
Harvey will be performed in St. X’s
Brown-Forman Cultural Arts Center on
Wed. Sept. 24 at 7 p.m., Thur. Sept 25 at 7
p.m., Sat. Sept. 27 at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sat.
Oct. 4 at 2 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $6.00
for students and senior citizens and $8.00
for adults.
St. X Welcomes New Faculty and Staff
Mr. Zane
Buckey
Mr. Adam
Billings
A
D
By Lucas Baker
uring his four years as a St.
X student, Mr. Adam Billings was a member of the football team, powerlifting team and
chess club. He cites winning the
football state championship his
junior year as his best memory
from his time as a student at St.
X. After graduating, he headed
off to Maryville College, earning
a BA in mathematics.
Mr. Billings always envisioned Saint Xavier as his dream
employer, so he’s excited to be
back. “I love everything the
school stands for and the types
of young men that we send out
to have impacts on the world,”
he said.
Mr. Billings teaches math
and heads up the JV football
team. Outside of school, he loves
to spend time with his wife and
children.
Mrs. Gail
Ernstberger
By Chris Grismer
fter graduating from St. X
in 2010, Mr. Zane Buckey
is back—but this time, he’s a
Chinese teacher. “The best thing
about being back is it’s very
comfortable,” Mr. Buckey said.
A graduate of the University of
Maryland, Mr. Buckey took Chinese his junior and senior years
at St. X after encouragement
from Mr. Richard Ayres, and he
lived in China during his junior
year in college.
This year, he’ll be teaching freshman and sophomore
Chinese classes, and he hopes
that anybody interested in the
language will give it a try. “We
don’t have a lot of native Chinese
speakers here, so pretty much everyone starts from zero,” he said.
“Your potential for improvement
is basically limitless.”
Mrs. Heather
Hoerter
A
By John Horlander
M
rs. Gail Ernstberger is the
new Campus Ministry administrative assistant, and she
will help with service projects
and retreats. She will also assist
with administrative details for
the Drama department. When
asked about her experience at St.
X thus far, Mrs. Ernstberger said,
“Everyone has been so welcoming and I am impressed with the
integrity of the faculty and students.”
Mrs. Ersntberger is a graduate of Providence High School
in Indiana, and she got a degree
in Chemical Engineering from
Purdue University. She worked
at General Electric and Dow
Corning for a combined 15 years
before taking a leave of absence
to spend time with her children.
Mr. Tyler
Spears
By Gus Young
new counselor has joined
our guidance office: Mrs.
Heather Hoerter, who attended
Holy Cross High School. She
received her undergraduate degree at Bellarmine, playing on
the field hockey team all four
years. After college, Mrs. Hoerter taught Theology for four years
at Holy Cross. From there, she
taught at Mercy for several years,
where she taught Theology and
served as a guidance counselor.
Mrs. Hoerter spent the last two
years as a guidance counselor at
Iroquois High School.
Her husband is a St. X grad,
so Mrs. Hoerter understands our
traditions and the brotherhood
we share. In her free time, she
enjoys “running, staying active
and cheering on the University
of Louisville Cardinals!”
By Tommy Sullivan
M
r. Tyler Spears is one of
the new math teachers; he
will teach Algebra 2 and Geometry. He attended Bowling Green
State University (Ohio), where
he earned a bachelor’s degree
in Mathematics Education and
a graduate degree in Curriculum
and Instruction.
Before coming to St. X, he
taught math at both Buckeye
Valley High School (Ohio) and
Valley High School in Louisville. He says that St. X’s culture
is different than any other school
he’s been in.
“There is a sense of pride
in the community that I have
never experienced before,” said
Spears.
When he’s not teaching
math, he enjoys golf, tennis,
swimming and good food.