Basketball season is well under way and the boys’ team is working harder than ever to continue their success. The team started the season by playing in competitive scrimmages against schools such as Holmdel, Long Branch, and Toms River East in early December. These scrimmages allowed the boys to develop team chemistry as well as gave Coach Devaney and his assistants valuable insight on the players during game-like situations. With these experiences, St. Rose became ready to face their tough opponents.

On Friday, December 16, the Purple Roses played in their first official game away against the Keyport Red Raiders and secured a well-deserved victory. The next Monday the boys were fired up as they hosted rivals Point Beach for their home opener. Students, parents, and friends of St. Rose packed the MAAC to support and cheer on the players. Although the team lost the difficult game, they kept their spirits and energy high as they traveled to Asbury Park where they earned a win against the Bishops.

As Winter Break quickly approached and the regular season games dwindled down for the holidays, the boys participated in the annual WOBM Christmas Classic at the Pine Belt Arena in Toms River. Throughout the tournament, St. Rose succeeded in numerous ways, winning games against strong opponents like Marlboro and Toms River South. Even though the team lost to the number one seeded team, Toms River North, the boys placed 4^th overall in the tournament. Also, senior Brendan Hueth was named 1^st team WOBM Christmas Classic and won the Chuck Kearney Award.  The coaches are very pleased with effort and results of the team. “There is a lot of time left in the season. We are an improved team from last year and we are moving in the right direction,” said assistant coach Ryan Murray. The Purple Roses ended 2016 with hope and determination.

So far, after the New Year, the Roses hosted plenty of home games, playing Keansburg, Henry Hudson, and Mater Dei in the MAAC, as well as traveled to St. John Vianney to play the Lancers.  The boys pulled off three wins out of their four games and strive to continue to add victories to their record. Coach Devaney says, “It’s exciting to see what’s in store in the future.”  With so much potential and the rest of the season to look forward to, the boys’ basketball team is aiming to see their hard work pay off as February and the team’s final games draw near.

By: Caroline Lowry ’17, Staff Writer

In New Jersey, the girls basketball season is well underway and the St. Rose Girls Basketball Team is hitting their stride. The number eleven ranked team in the nation (according to highly touted high school sports website Max Preps) St. Rose Purple Roses have a winning record of 9 and 1; their only loss coming from the number one team in Delaware out of Wilmington Ursinus Academy, in the invite only National Tournament Diamond State Classic. The game was a
nail biter and hard fought until the end, the Purple Roses came back from a thirteen point deficit in the third quarter and tied it up in the fourth quarter; with the ability to take the lead with crucial free throws in the last minute of the game St. Rose could not capitalize and lost the game by only three points.

Despite the heartbreaking loss, the Purple Roses are very optimistic and looking forward to their upcoming out of conference games. On Sunday January 15th they are traveling to West Chester, Ohio to play Lakota West High School out of Columbus, Ohio in a neutral tournament game, this game is expected to be a challenging for the Roses playing in front of 2,500+ people but if they stick to the game plan a win is expected. They also have games against Franklin High School on February 4th and against their rivals Manasquan High School on February 11th; both are sure to be extremely exciting games and all fans of New Jersey girls high school basketball will be in attendance.  “We will continue to work hard every day throughout the rest of the season to make sure all of our aspirations (to win the Shore Conference Tournament, States, and the Tournament of Champions) are successfully fulfilled,” remarked Senior Co- Captain Jennifer Louro.

By Alex Pendergrass ’17, Staff Writer

The St. Rose boys and girls swim teams are having successful seasons filled with, exciting races, difficult practices, close matches, intense competition and, of course, a number of successful events and meets. It has, no doubt, been a year where St. Rose’s largest athletic team has improved greatly.
This season, the girls swim team has a record of 5 wins and 4 losses and has dominated in relays as well as individual events. As sophomore Abi George states, “I think swim is a really good balance between working hard and having fun. Coach Miller does a great job of working the team harder than ever before – but also never getting too serious. She always leaves room for fun!” The girls also have outstanding talent. This talent will be displayed against their next two meets, one against Raritan and the next against Trinity Hall. Both schools are big competitors. The team is truly diverse. There are many girls that swim different strokes, leaving the coaches to decide who swims which races.
The team is all about sportsmanship, dedication to the sport, and of course, having fun! The talented sprint freestyler, sophomore, Brenna Harold, strongly believes,”that the girls team has become really close and we have learned to work together to win some of the hardest meets. Everyone is so supportive and always willing to help the team out!” Brenna is often one of the team’s most spirited swimmers. She also stated, “I am hoping that the girls team will make it past the second round of the state tournament this year because we can do it! I am excited and hope everyone swims their individual best times.  All the hard work and effort will be well worth it!”
The boys swim team has also been extremely successful as well. So far, with a 3-5-1 team record, the team has been very competitive. Many of those meets were so close in scoring that the outcome could have gone either way. With outstanding, unrecognized talent, the boys are training hard and working towards a successful finish to their season. They have high hopes for the state tournament and shore conference meets. As Coach Miller states, “I look forward to the results of the Shore Conference tournament and view that as an important milestone in our season.” Also, Coach Miller is expecting a successful Monmouth County Tournament showing from both the boys and girls teams. She is quick to highlight that she believes “ this season’s first ever relay win against CBA is better than any record. That was a true and lasting highlight if ever there was one, Senior Liam Cosgrove has dominated New Jersey’s swimming world since he was a freshman. Specializing in the 100 butterfly event, he is planning to finish his high school swimming career with the Roses and to lead the team to more victories. “I hope that we keep training hard and get as many people as possible to the Meet of Champions,” Liam humbly states. Liam will be continuing his swimming career at Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ. He believes that the Roses swimming program has prepared him for Seton Hall because, “St. Rose’s atmosphere has helped me greatly because we’re all so close and no matter how talented or successful we are, we always remember to have fun at the end of the day. This team’s atmosphere and dedication has prepared me to swim at the collegiate level at Seton Hall because they are a very close knit team as well.”

The swim team bond is unlike any other. Even though swimming is consisted of individual events, each event is counts and is vital for your team. The St. Rose boys and girls swim team is currently in the middle of a successful and memorable season. It is up to the coaches and swimmers to see where their next victories take them.

By: MK O’Malley ’17, Staff Writer

With Christmas break and the holiday hockey tournament behind them, the St. Rose hockey team is nearly halfway through their season, making considerable progress on some of their goals and making the St. Rose community proud. With a record of 4-5-4, the frozen roses, although not thrilled, are optimistic to improve upon it during the second half of the season. Coming in as a projected top team this season, injuries have really plagued the boys, causing them to lose their first three games and tie the fourth. As the team has gotten healthier, their record has improved, including a three game winning streak in early December and a character building win over Rumson Fair Haven, perennial divisional powerhouse. Seeing how the well the team can play is an encouraging thing, but it’s hard to swallow when the young teams inconsistency shines through. Keelan Macgovern, a senior assistant captain, said, “It’s been a tough year for us. Nothing has come easily, especially with three or four guys being hurt in the beginning of the season, we’ve struggled to get back to a .500 record. I know we have it within us because at practice the intensity is so high and in games like Rumson Fair Haven where everyone was playing well we were nearly unstoppable. For us this year it’s just a matter of putting it all together.”

This year’s team is considerably younger than teams in the past years, with only four seniors on the team. This youth is resulting in underclassmen stepping into the spotlight and delivering huge performances for the team when they need it most. Steven Gibilisco, a sophomore, has captured the starting goalie designation and has given the team a chance to win game in and game out, while last year’s goalie, junior Will Lemonie, is using his talent to contribute each game on offense, and is one of the top scorers on the team. The big freshman and sophomore classes, including a Donovan Catholic freshman in Sean Grant, are littered with talent and present coach Dan Grothues with an exciting team for the next few years. Sophomore Shane Force said, “I think this year’s team is preparing the younger guys really well for when we’re older. Since there are only four of them (Seniors) the younger guys get a lot of time and it’s really helpful towards our development. In a two years time, considering the depth of talent we have coming through the school, we have a really exciting opportunity to be a strong team.”

Most recently, the team is coming off of a huge win against Brick Township, and they are 1-1-1 in the last three games. There is a game every Friday night at Jersey Shore Arena in Wall at 8:30, with this week’s tilt coming against Howell (1/13). The Huskies present themselves as a tough divisional opponent but the boys are hoping to pull out the win and get some momentum rolling into next week with a big game against Wall. Make sure to come out and support the boys tonight and every Friday night for the rest of the season. Go Frozen Roses!

By: Alex Phipps ’17, Staff Writer