SportzBuzz - October 2024

With an impressive 34-7 victory over St. Thomas, the St. John’s Mavericks were off to a great start in the 2024 football season. “It was obviously a huge win for our program especially since we haven’t beaten St. Thomas in quite some time,” said Mavericks head coach Kevin Veltri. 

The season opening win was highlighted by a sensational night from four-year starting running back Cole Allen, who rushed for a lofty 278 yards and five touchdowns. “Cole is an amazing player and even better person off the field,” said Veltri about the Harvard University commit. “He’s the quintessential captain that you want on your football team.”

The victory over St. Thomas also marked a successful debut for junior Shea Quinn as the Mavericks starting quarterback. The six-foot-three signal caller is the son of former NFL quarterback Mike Quinn. The Mavericks offense is also bolstered by the return of four-year starting offensive lineman and captain Wyatt Childers.

Defensively, senior cornerback Yahya Mir has committed to play college football at Amherst College, while sophomore defensive end Malachi Booker already has collegiate offers in both football and basketball. “Yahya is one of our captains and leaders,” said Veltri. “He’s just a great kid.”

In addition, senior defensive lineman Alexander Rustay is a key returning starter. “Alexander is a high-energy guy,” said Veltri. “He’s also the closer for our SPC Champion baseball team and is trying to decide which sport he’ll play at the next level.”

SUPER IN SIX-MAN Led by the return of standout quarterback Bennett Grossman, The Emery/Weiner School Jaguars have their sights set on winning a second straight state championship in six-man football. (Photo: Lorelei Elusine - Digital Imaging & Design)

In six-man football, the Emery/Weiner School Jaguars are in pursuit of a second straight state championship in TAPPS Division 1. “We’ve won four state championships, but never back-to-back so we’re definitely focused on going after another title,” said Jaguars head coach Samuel Castello.

Emery returns several top players from last season’s state championship team including senior quarterback Bennett Grossman. “Bennett is calm under pressure and can make almost any throw on the field,” said Castello. One of Grossman’s favorite targets at wide receiver is Byron Strug, who is back for his senior season. “Byron is an extremely intelligent player. He knows the offense well and has great chemistry with Bennett,” said Castello.

Two of the top defensive returnees for the Jaguars, according to Castello, include junior Blake Saikin, who had a pair of interceptions in the Jaguars season opening win over Brazosport Christian as well as all-state defensive back Brenden Domsalla.

“We have a lot of depth on our team. We’re up to 39 players, which is quite a lot for six-man football. It brings out a lot of competition for playing time. The great thing about Emery is that the school really embraces six-man football. The community rallies around us and the kids just love playing this style of football,” added Castello.

ON THE COURT With victories in 20 of its first 21 games, the Stratford Spartans were again a powerful force on the volleyball court. Soaring high for the rejection here are the Stratford tandem of sophomore Tess Stephenson (#9) and junior Sarah Hickman.

In volleyball, it was a hard-hitting start to the season for the Stratford Spartans, who won 20 of their first 21 games. The victory total included seven wins in eight matches at the prestigious Katy ISD/Cy Fair Volleyball Classic, which featured many of the region’s – and even the state’s – top teams. “That’s a really great tournament so I was really proud of the way our girls rose to the occasion,” said Spartans head coach Jenny Adcock.

The Spartans then followed up by winning four straight matches in consecutive days at the Bridgeland Invitational tournament. “To play back-to-back three out of five matches over two days was a great test of our stamina,” said Adcock. “You had four great teams in Fulshear, Bridgeland, Tomball, and ourselves competing, so it was just a fantastic showing by our girls to go undefeated.”

Leading the way for Stratford this season is six-foot-five junior Sarah Hickman, who has committed to play college volleyball at Stanford University. “Sarah not only leads our team kills and aces, but she’s playing in six rotations in both the front and back rows,” said Adcock.

In addition, junior Providence College commit Gwen Koss provides the Spartans with another powerful force on the court. “Gwen is a fantastic ball control player,” said Adcock. “She’s very intelligent and crafty with her shots.”

The Spartans feature another future collegiate player in junior setter Audrey Cook, who has committed to Grand Canyon University, while junior libero Rachel Ashby is also a major contributor to the Spartans lineup. “Audrey just does a great job of handling and distributing the ball, while Rachel is extremely smart and athletic. Rachel is also the starting point guard for our basketball team.” 

Editor’s note: Todd Freed is the host and executive producer of H-Town High School Sports, which airs Saturday at 10:30 p.m. on CW39 and Monday-Thursday on AT&T SportsNet SW. To submit high school sports news for possible inclusion in SportzBuzz, please email [email protected].