BearSportsNews 09.29.2024

HIGHLIGHTS

• Football beats Bishop O’Connell

• Soccer has 2 ties in IAC matches; StA next

• Cross Country

• Water Polo Coach recounts early season

• 13 Bear alum football players- 13 rostered, 12 games, 6 played—frosh got to play

• 2 Bear Alum rugby players no results– MORE???

• 5 Bear Alum soccer players rostered, 1 EPL, 2 Div I, 2 Div. III, 3 played this week and 1 has had PT.

INSIDE THE WHITE ROCKS

Cross-Country

Tom DiChiara team competed in the Skip Grant Invitational 

Jeremy Chud  20:32.90 89 

Football

Coach Padalino’s squad (4-1) beat the O’Connell Knights 44-10.

Water Polo

TO ALL BEAR WATER POLO ALUMNI, PARENTS AND FRIENDS 

if anyone is in town or able to come into town for homecoming, and played water polo at Landon, we would love to have them participate in the first ever Landon Varsity v Alumni game to kick off the homecoming weekend. The game will be at 4:30 on Friday, October 25^th at Landon’s pool. Interested and able players should email directly – chris_ros@landon.net. 

Coach Ros reports on his squad’s results so far:

“BATTLE OF THE BELTWAYS RECAP. This tournament was held on Saturday, September 14^th, and featured games against Mount St. Joe’s and McDonogh. Unfortunately, we had a few players absent from this tournament for other family obligations, and while I would like to blame that for the tournament results, there were other aspects of our games that are really the cause. 

In short, our team has not found its groove yet. We have talent and we have desire and enthusiasm. We even have a group of young athletes willing to put in the work. To use a bit of a baking analogy, the ingredients are all there. I am now trying to find the right order in which to add those ingredients, the appropriate mixing time and intensity, and the correct baking temperature. We are starting to get some results we want, albeit for short bursts, but the promise and potential is there. 

While the tournament overall was not the most uplifting experience, there were several highlights I would like to call out. My apologies if I forget some. In our first game,LUKE FINNELL fired from the 5-meter mark or farther to put in two goals. LIAM PILKINGTON stepped up to have a powerhouse of a game and a 2^nd quarter where he added two goals to our total. And JIMMY QUINN also started to demonstrate his water polo chops puttting one in between the posts early in quarter one. Communication during the first half of this game was effective, and we had some decent movement to help create some opportunities. Unfortunately, the second half tested our endurance, and we were unable to keep up with MSJ, ultimately taking the defeat – 13-5. 

The second game was clearly impacted by our first. Our mindset was a little off, we appeared more tired, and our game struggled as evidenced by an increase in bad passes and less movement into and out of the lane. After the first half, we had only scored 1 – another screamer by  FINNELL. The second half was better from a goal perspective with Will Rook muscling his way in front of the goal to put in t Luke wo, BRODY REISFIELD who was brought up from the JV squad, also rung up two goals, and one more by Cap #9, which was worn by someone who usually doesn’t normally wear that cap. I have looked back at some photos but can’t find one that confirms who it was. I will send a correction/update once I find out. At the end of regulation play, the score was 17-6. This stung a little more not really because of the score, but because the team was not as strong as MSJ, and we all knew that we have the potential to have been more competitive with this team. 

Despite the frustration in the air, our group of boys is resilient, and they know how to persevere. The tournament taught us a lot, and as always, each player came away better for the experience. We also have a lot of fodder for our practices over the coming weeks, and I am optimistic that our band of brothers will soon start to reap the rewards of their hard work and grit. 

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BEAST OF THE EAST is probably the largest water polo tournament for high school teams on the east coast. With 45 schools in attendance, it involves a great deal of choreography and 10 school helping to host the event. This tournament uses flights that ultimately funnel teams down to more equally matched play for day two. 

Our tournament began at 4pm on Friday with our first game vs Springfield. While the game ultimately resulted in a loss (16-9), there was a new team out there playing for Landon. There was effective communication, lots of movement, and passes that were hitting their targets. In short, it looked like a corner had been turned. Our efforts against Springfield were consistent, and most of the game was played without one of our captains – LUKE FINNELL. However, despite only being in the game for the beginning of the 3^rd corner, Luke laced in one of his traditional 5-meter+ shots. The first quarter saw JIMMY QUINN, ANDREW COFFMAN, AND NOAH FORREST all put up points for Landon. At the end of Q1, the score was 6-3 in their favor, but a game well within our reach, especially given the way we were playing. Jimmy and Noah added two more goals in the 2^nd, and Sam Bynum added 1 goal in both the 3^rd and 4^th quarters. On a great steal by BRODY REISFIELD, he drew a 5-meter penalty shot and faked out the goalie dumping it in on a skip shot to the lower right-hand corner. Yes, it was a loss, but the team was hyped. They were beginning to see themselves truly coming together as a team. MATTHEW GUO, GUNNER SMALL, RAWLEY TIBBS, RAYAN ANVARI, AND LIAM PILKINGTON all helped to create our goal opportunities. Logan Edma went the distance stopping a number of goals. 

For the second game of the day, we faced Central York. The score keeping was not as solid as our first game, so I unfortunately don’t have as many details to share. However, I will say that while we were not as strong as we were in our first game, there was an overall improved level of play. We lost some effectiveness in our passing and timeliness of our drives, but in the end, we were able to keep the score relatively tight, only losing by 5. 

This put us playing at Lower Merion High School for day 2. For you basketball fans, this is the high school that Kobe Bryant went to. After our Friday games, we were feeling pretty good. The boys were seeing themselves come together more as a team, and I would say that they were starting to realize some more of their potential. Our first game was against St. Benedict’s Prep. In our pre-game discussions, the gauntlet was dropped – “we are winning this game…no negotiations!”. And so, that is what we did! Our game play was by far, better than it has been all season, and that gave us the results we wanted. RAWLEY TIBBS (4 GOALS), LUKE FINNELL (4), JACK MCDERMOTT (1), AND SAM BYNUM (2) all worked together with GUNNER SMALL, JIMMY QUINN, LIAM PILKINGTON, DASH COFFMAN, MATTHEW GUO, NOAH FORREST, BRODY REISFIELD,WILL ROOK, AND LOGAN EDMA to put up our 11 goals against St. Benedict’s 7. Landon puts one in the win column, and we now have a score to help show how we are becoming a team! 

This earned us a spot in the semis, and we played against Pingry from central Jersey. This was probably our best-played game of the year, with a come from behind situation to tie things up in the 4^th quarter at 9-9. NOAH FORREST (2), LUKE FINNELL (3), RAWLEY TIBBS (2), AND MATTHEW GUO (1), all contributed to our goal totals. Gunner Small, who is always contributing tirelessly on defense and consistently making opportunities happen for his teammates, had a great play at the Pingry goal where he stole the ball from the goalie and scored his first goal of the season! We had some unfortunate calls during the game and unfortunately lost 10-9 with a Pingry goal that came with less than 10 seconds left on the clock. 

Despite the loss, we left with our heads held high. 

Tournament play at the Varsity level is challenging. And the support of the team, whether in the water or on deck, is crucial to our overall success. The success we had this weekend is due to all 15 members of the team that were there. They have come together to form a more cohesive group of players in the game and during their down time. I couldn’t be prouder of how far we have come this season so far, and I am really looking forward to seeing how much further we can go. To all fifteen of you: Logan Edma #1, Sebby Barahona-Levin #1A, Brody Reisfield #2, Jimmy Quinn #3, Rayan Anvari #4, Rawley Tibbs #5, Gunnar Small #7, Dash Coffman #8, Liam Pilkington #13, Matthew Guo #14, Jack McDonald #15, Luke Finnell #17, Will Rook #18, Noah Forrest #19, and Sam Bynum #20…great job this weekend! Walk the halls of Landon proud! We are working now to bring back the legendary teams that have come before you, so know and remember that you are the new foundation of what will become our dominant force once again. 

We are water polo! We are a team! We are Bears!!! 

Soccer

Coach Reed’s side tied EHS and SSSA 1-1 in each match. #1 StA home 10/1 @ 4:30pm.

BEAR TRAX

Football

College

13 rostered – 12 had games; 7 played, including a L’24’s 1st game

• Tomás Kenary,L20 #21 Senior-Middlebury Panthers (2-1): beat Colby 24-16; #21 PLAYED and had 1 solo, 2 assists, 2 TFLs for –11, 1.5 sack and 2 QHs. 

• Eric Ford, L21 OLB #40, MAPS junior-the UNDEFEATED Army Black Knights 4-0; Army crushed Temple 42-14 #40 PLAYED and had 1 solo 1 sack

• Chantz Harley, L21, DB #24 RS Junior- Maryland Terps 3-2; lost to Indiana 28-42; #24 PLAYED with 1 solo and 1 assist

• Greg Johnson, L21 OL #71, Senior – Georgetown Big Hoyas (3-2); STARTED in win over Columbia 20-17 

• Dameon Ming, L21 RB/DB #26 senior- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Engineers (2-2), lost to #9 Endicott 20-28 PLAYED #26 RAN 12 times for 38 yards and 1 reception. 

• Carter Phillips, L22, DB #43 Junior— Georgetown Big Hoyas (2-1) lost Georgetown 14-26 

• Taylor Best, L’23, DB #29 Redshirt Freshman -University of MarylandTerps (3-2); lost to Indiana 28-42 

• Ethan Ming, L23, DB #2 Sophomore — #24 UNDEFEATED Carnegie Mellon University Tartans (4-0); beat previously 3-0Washington & Jefferson in OT 30-27; #2 PLAYED had 1 Solo Tackle 

• Chris Wells, L23, LB #49 Redshirt Freshman, University of Maryland Terps (3-2); lost to Indiana 28-42 

• Dylan Aryavand, L24, QB #16, Freshman; Dickinson College Red Devils (2-1); bye week  

• Zach Cameron, L24, DB #33 Freshman. Marist Foxes (0-4), lost to Dayton  

• Barrett Hoffman L24, OL #76 Freshman, Denison College (2-2) Big Red beat Hiram 35-0 PLAYED 1ST GAME

• Nate Rosner L’24 Freshman. LB #53 at Williams Ephman (2-1) lost to Trinity Colby 14-45 

Football Coaches

• Mike Ruttenberg L99, NY Jets (2-2) linebackers coach, lost to Denver 9-10THREE OF THE NYJ leading tacklers are LBs—WELL COACHED

• Paul Padalino L15, Appalachian State Mountaineer (2-2), quality control assistant (defense); game cancelled due to Helene 

RUGBY-2

Brian White, L’23, Robert Morris Colonials (0-2); 2 games no results 

Ty Reyes, L’23, Penn State University (0-2); picture of Ty in a loss to USNA 10-35 – this week’s game NTS??? 

SOCCER- 5

Professional Soccer 1

• Kristian Fletcher L’23: Nottingham Forest FC (2-1) #46,  

College- 4 rostered; 3 played this week and 1 has played

• Issa Mudashiru, L21, #33 Senior defender, Princeton (3-3), beat Harvard 2-0, PLAYED 45’ min.

• Carlos Febles, L22, #6 Junior defender, Oberlin College Squirrels, (4-5-1) PLAYED 76’ in 2 games started 1 game total of 135’  

• Conrad Brady, L22, #26 Sophomore midfield, PSU Nittany Lions; team 4-5, 1 GP 8’ 

• Masai Gordon, L23 #19, Freshman defender, Bowdoin Polar Bears (4-2-2), in most recent win started and had 45”; season 3GP, 3 GS, 170’

Swimming-2

Ethan Tun L21, Carleton Senior, 1st match 10/26 

Harrison Tun, L23, Tufts University not rostered yet 

Golf -4  

Pro -2  

Morgan Egloff L’15 Minor League Tour Career Earnings: $3,466.59 

John Kalavritinos L’17 Minor League Tour Career Earnings: $325.00.   

College -2  

Charlie Bundy L’22 Cal Berkley,junior John Bates L’23 Sophomore Rhodes College Lynx