Congrats to Divine Providence School's Junior Varsity Soccer Team for winning the Gold Division Championship of the Classic League!!!

DP’s Junior Varsity (5th and 6th grade players) team crowned its historic season with a win 4-2 in a championship game for the ages.   The final match was an exciting game of constant back and forth runs that was decided on penalty shoot-outs after the score remained tied at the end of regulation and extra time.

The heart-stopping final game w as the fitting end to a weekend that started with a great semifinal win on Friday.  The semifinal required our Crusaders to recover from being down 0-1 at half time against the number 3 seed St Giles 5th.  DP had lost the coin-toss and had to face the winds that at kick-off were 25 mph with gusts of 36 mph.  The team dug deep, started gaining back control and applied constant pressure that resulted in a header goal from a corner-kick to tie the game, and then 2 more scores to win 3-1.  But the win also was cemented by saving a penalty kick in the last minutes of the game.

The stage was set then for the championship game against the number one seed, St Giles 6th.

As with the semifinal, DP had to face strong head winds for the first half of the game that called for fierce discipline from the defensive line, even saving a shot at the goal-line that caused many DP fans’ heartbeats to skip.  Constant running up and down by the midfielders and great skill by the forwards to attack and retain possession marked the rest of the half.  The second half continued with the same tone: the back

four of DP and goalie fending off strong attack waves, many times under-manned.  Midfielders and forwards keep chipping at the St Giles defense, all played under constant screaming from over 100 cheering fans on the sidelines.  Then the whistle came and regulation ended.  Game tied.

The rules called for a 5 minute extra time, and luck again had DP play it against head winds.  But the defense and midfield kept gaining confidence throughout the game and were ready for the last stand.

So after 4 quarters and the extra time it all came down to the best-of-five shoot-outs.  Giles scored their first two shots and DP matched.  Then in the third exchange our goalie stopped the kick and then himself scored DP’s third penalty.  DP up 3-2.  The next St Giles penalty was also a miss.  And it came down to a “score and you win” opportunity……DP scored and the season for the ages was complete…14 wins in 16 games…a Championship…and much more important…22 faces with incredibly wide smiles that will always remember when they became champions:

Ellie B.,  Anthony B., Justin B.,  Max B., Gianna C.,   Neena F.,  Nicholas G.,  Alex  G.,   Xavier H.,   Casey K.,  Gabby L.,   George L., Henry L., Luke M.,  James N.,  Gina P., Jessica P.,  Mike P.,  Carlos S.,  Gabby S.,   Josh S., and Joey T.

DP’s Varsity make it to the Final Four
Our Varsity team (7th and 8th grade) finished its 2011 season by playing in the Final Four of its Gold bracket. The playoff run started when the team played its quarterfinal game last Wednesday (10/12) against Ascension 7th with a convincing 3-1 win. That win moved them into an incredible semifinal game against St William V that end up going to the ultimate stage: the penalty shoot-out. As with the JV semifinal, the game was played under strong winds Friday afternoon at Mayfair.
Both teams were able to fend off the opposing attack. The game went back and f orth, with nail-biting action at both ends. The game was so close that it ended tied after the regulation time expired, so the teams moved to a penalty shoot-out, where unfortunately St William (who went on to win the Gold bracket) proved too accurate in their shooting and DP lost 4-2.

Our 8th graders played their last game for DP in the Consolation final, but with a third of the squad missing they ended their successful 4 year run in 4th place.
We thank the generation that brought a final four appearance in each of their 4 years, including a third place finish in the Gold bracket in 2008 as part of the JV squad. It has been a joy to watch them grow and play together over the years.

Kudos to the JV & V coaches: Peter Burger, Chuck Franklin, Ron Ricchio and Carlos Sierra.

The function of the Athletic Association is to develop objectives and guidelines for the operation of the extracurricular athletic program.  They select the athletic coordinator, recruit the coaching staff, and are responsible for whatever fund raising activities are necessary to insure their budget.  Parents are encouraged to participate.

The Athletics Association encourages good Christian values and ideals of good sportsmanship and friendship in athletic competition.  Coaches that have experience or expertise with their specific sport are in demand.

Athletic Association Board:

Jeff Nowicki, President
Ted Grengs, Vice President
JoLynn Santore, Secretary
Liz Sone, Treasurer