From team championships to individual milestones and achievements, the Class of 2025 had plenty of monumental sports moments in the fall, winter and spring seasons.
The Catholic Star Herald looks back on remarkable high school athletic moments from the 2024-2025 academic year.
Bishop Eustace Preparatory School
Bishop Eustace started the school year strong thanks to senior running back Mekhi Simmons posting his second 1,000-yard rushing season and finishing his career with 3,525 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns during a 6-3 football season.
The Pennsauken school carried that momentum into the winter, with Tommy Semiraglio playing a large role in a 20-win season for Eustace’s basketball team. Semiraglio scored 360 points to end up with 1,115 for his career.
Springtime achievements included Frank Semiraglio netting 43 goals during his senior season on the lacrosse field to finish with 134 for his career.
The baseball team secured its eighth straight 20-win season and a run to the South Jersey Non-Public B championship behind a staff of senior pitchers.
In girls sports, Giavanna Rogers joined the 1,000-point club during the Crusaders’ 21-8 basketball season. Her teammate Isabella Serano contributed another strong season on the hardwood after making 166 saves as goalkeeper on the soccer team.
The Crusaders soccer team went 11-6-2, led in scoring by Mia Abbey’s 13 goals. Abbey finished with 51 goals in her career.
Renee Bak finished her stellar swimming career by pacing the Crusaders to an 8-4 record and an appearance in the semifinal round of the Non-Public South playoffs. Claire Jefferis (214 digs this season) led Bishop Eustace to its first volleyball sectional final appearance in the program’s history.
In girls lacrosse, Anna Marquardt pieced together her fourth straight 40-goal season to lead Eustace’s lacrosse team to a 13-6 record. She finished her career with 189 goals.
The Crusaders produced several star track and field and cross country athletes, including state champion discus thrower Imani Dennis.
Camden Catholic High School
The Irish had a winter to remember as the basketball and bowling teams brought home sectional championships while the wrestling team experienced the thrill of a state title.
But before the cold air set in, Camden Catholic’s field hockey team won its fourth straight South Jersey championship during an 18-3-1 season. Isabella Moore and Madison Logan made four trips to the state championship game during their high school careers, winning two of them.
On that same turf field in Cherry Hill, Camden Catholic’s football team sent the fans home happy six times on the way to a 9-2 season. Quarterback Michael Moritz and defensive lineman Sean Welde were key contributors to the Irish’s comeback season.
Welde carried those good vibes into basketball season, as the Irish went on a thrilling ride that resulted in a South Jersey Non-Public A championship. Luke Kennevan eclipsed 500 points on the season and finished second all-time in the program’s history with 1,694 career points.
But before the basketball team seized its glory, the bowling team grabbed headlines by winning a sectional title in just the third year back from a 30-year absence. Senior Sean Lacey rolled a 300 game, and Keith Leibrand and Luke Baylouny played significant roles in the historic journey.
Camden Catholic’s wrestling team returned to the top by winning its 19th state title in school history. The Irish had just one senior – Dom DiGiacomo – in the starting lineup when they won their 17th and final match in an undefeated season.
In the spring, senior Dani Brown pitched Camden Catholic’s softball team to a tremendous playoff upset over highly-touted Paul VI High School.
Gloucester Catholic High School
Many of Gloucester Catholic’s teams were led by underclassmen, including a girls basketball team that made a state final appearance without a single senior on the roster.
But when it comes to seniors that made an impression, the list begins with three-sport star Jack Mustaro, who quarterbacked the football team, became the school’s all-time scoring leader in basketball, and was part of one of the top baseball teams in the state.
Mustaro broke the basketball career scoring mark by more than 300 points and set the new mark at 1,882. He then batted above .400 for the two-time defending state champion baseball program en route to another successful postseason run. The Rams helped coach Dennis Barth capture his 600th career behind a rotation of senior pitchers including Mustaro, Jackson Smallets, Sal Marziani and Brody Gates.
Gloucester Catholic’s ice hockey program took a step in the right direction this year, led by seniors Declan Morris (nine goals) and Mike Joyce (seven), while the boys lacrosse team won six games this spring behind leading scorer senior Trevor Leone (36 goals).
Gloucester Catholic’s girls programs relied on youth in most sports, but the high scorers in both field hockey and soccer were led by the senior class. Kiley Niederman scored seven goals and Morgan McManus made 79 saves in field hockey. Hailey Molis and Isabella Partridge led the way in soccer with eight goals apiece for a Rams team that won 10 games.
Holy Spirit High School
After winning a Philadelphia City championship and a New Jersey state championship, Holy Spirit senior rower Franklin Hudak took second place at the Scholastic National Championship Regatta, which was held on the Cooper River in Pennsauken.
The Spartans also excelled on the football field as Holy Spirit was a state semifinalist that ended its season with an impressive 10-2 record. Credit goes to another great performance by senior running back Jahcere Ward, who finished his career with more than 2,000 rushing yards and 36 touchdowns. The defense was led by senior Nick Medina, a talented two-sport athlete who also excels at lacrosse.
The baseball diamond was another area of excellence as a senior-driven roster that included Bernie Hargadon (.484 batting average), Doug Schuster (.415) and Gavin Cohen (.333) supplied the offense for a 14-win season. Pitchers Brayden Birchler and Chase Rubenstein were key components of the pitching rotation. Rubenstein was also a standout soccer goaltender who made 277 saves in the fall.
Anthony Hermenau surpassed 100 career goals early in the lacrosse season and ended up second all-time in total points at Holy Spirit. Goaltender Andreas Ginis set a new school record with 211 saves in a season.
In girls sports, Sabrina Little broke a 23-year-old record and became the highest scoring basketball player at Holy Spirit with 1,532 career points during a 20-win season.
In field hockey, Meghan Phillips scored a team-high 18 goals to lead the Spartans to a 12-5 season.
The girls lacrosse team’s streak of three straight state finals appearances finally came to an end, but Brielle Soltys graduated as one of the best players in the program’s history, breaking the single game, single season and career draw control records while surpassing 200 career goals. Goaltender Marissa Gras made 270 career saves to graduate as the program’s all-time leader in that category.
Softball season was filled with impressive senior feats, too. Mia Merlino recorded her 200th career strikeout and also notched her 100th career hit to become the first Spartan to hit the century mark in 13 years. Her teammate Mary Kate Armstrong finished with more than 350 strikeouts.
Our Lady of Mercy Academy
The Our Lady of Mercy Academy swimming team reclaimed its spot as state champions as the Villagers won the Non-Public state title for the second time in three years. The resurgence was led by senior Scarlett McGlinchey, who will swim for Duke University next year. Fellow seniors Reese Hetzer and Lauren Terista contributed greatly to the state championship run. Hetzer also played first doubles for the tennis team alongside Sara Weiss, and the duo went 12-5 in their matches for the 6-11 Villagers.
The soccer team had an outstanding season, going 14-6-1, led by senior defender Addison Mello, who led the Villagers with 20 assists.
Gabby Celli proved she could score in two sports, netting six goals for the field hockey team before finding the net 28 times during lacrosse season. Celli was one of three big senior scorers on a lacrosse field that included Alex Sirakides (21 goals) and the program’s new career leader, Gabby Eaise. Eaise scored a school record 82 times this spring, graduating with 204 career goals – a new record at OLMA.
Paul VI High School
The Paul VI High School girls soccer team won the Non-Public A state title in the fall in thrilling overtime fashion. Danielle Hennessy, Sara O’Donnell, Angela DiDonato, Lauren English, Chloe Wellens and Madison Eli were the six-pack of senior leaders that brought home the school’s first soccer state title.
Although the girls volleyball team fell short in their state title run, the Eagles were still regarded as one of the best teams in the state and recorded a 22-3 season. Leading the way were a trio of talented seniors in Kassadi Avent, Danielle Mascolo and Kayle Arozio.
Natalya Slonis (first singles), Hannah Rowan (second singles) and Caroline Woodside (first doubles) fueled the tennis team to a 17-5 record and a division championship.
The football team also had a winning fall season, as the Eagles grinded out eight wins with a fairly young team. Seniors Elijah Wilson (438 rushing yards) and Austin Bailey (364 receiving yards) were key contributors on offense, while seniors Jaylen Bishop, Moe Keshen and Tyrell Loper were stars on the defensive side of the ball.
The wintertime was very eventful, as the boys and girls basketball teams combined for 53 wins; each had significant tournament success. The senior-heavy boys team went 26-4 and added a Camden County Tournament championship, led by 1,000-point scorers Judah Hidalgo and Isaiah Thomas.
The girls basketball team won its first sectional championship since 1989 during a 27-game winning streak. Seniors Kiyanna Blacks-Stewart, Azanah Campbell and Anya George were the backbone of the history-making squad that ended up 27-1.
Christian Napoli, who also runs on the cross country team, won an indoor track and field Non-Public A state championship in the 800 meter run and broke his own Paul VI school record at the Meet of Champions, where he ran a 1:53.59.
Back outdoors in the spring, Anthony Ungaro recorded a 1.67 earned run average in nearly 30 innings of work for the baseball team; Camryn Harry, Morgan Chambers and Quinn Cunningham all batted over .300 for the softball team, which finished 15-7.
Sophia Greenwood, Danielle Hennessy and Natalya Slonis led the way for the 7-1 girls golf team.
Saint Augustine Preparatory School
Not many athletes get to experience two state championships in the same season. But senior Michael McCarthy achieved the rare feat during swimming season when the Hermits recorded their third straight undefeated season. McCarthy also captured individual gold in the 500 freestyle at the state Meet of Champions.
The boys soccer team produced one of its best regular seasons in the program’s history as the Hermits ended up with a 20-2 record, led by Alex Clark’s 18 goals. On the hardwood, Rory Friel became the 27th basketball player in school history to join the 1,000 point club. Friel scored 466 points in his senior year to lead the Hermits to a 17-13 record.
Although the ice hockey team was unable to win its third straight state title, Lucas Riccardi (19 points), Riley Capecci (15) and Sal Triolo (12) all posted double-digit points in the valiant chase of a three-peat.
The baseball team was filled with talented champions as the Hermits entered the season as defenders of the Non-Public A state title. The Hermits’ roster was loaded with a senior core and finished 18-8 on the year.
Julian Onesti proved he was one of the fastest high school runners in the state, taking third place in the 100 meter dash at the track and field Meet of Champions. He also took ninth place in the 200.
Dominic Polistina fueled the golf team to a 12-4 record and finished 4th individually at the Cape-Atlantic Tournament with a score of 79.
Wildwood Catholic Academy
The small school at the shore made big headlines in several sports as Wildwood Catholic Academy proved it was back on the rise in many ways. That trend began in the fall when the boys soccer team went 15-5-1, led by a pair of seniors in Teddy Woolery (20 goals, eight assists) and goalkeeper Keynan Alston (109 saves).
At the same time, the girls soccer team posted a dozen wins, led by Megan Feketics (12 goals), Maeve Farrell (17 assists) and goalkeeper Grace Murphy (117 saves). Evie DiAntonio and Evelyn McNicholas paced the girls tennis team to five wins.
Basketball met high expectations as the girls team went 23-6 with Anastasia Bowman playing a big role on the boards (247 points, 214 rebounds). The boys team captured a 20-win season, led by a trio of senior scorers of Tayshaun Jackson, Ryan McGrath and Riley Powell.
The baseball team, which was revived last year, upped its win total from one victory last year to six this season. Many of the stars are underclassmen, but seniors Cade Vogdes, Keynan Alston and Ryan McGrath all played huge roles in the progression of the program.
In softball, Julia Wallace batted an incredible .750 on the season before the Crusaders were forced to forfeit several games due to an insufficient number of healthy players. Fellow seniors Kristen Wareham (.579 average) and pitcher Emma Johnson (75 strikeouts) were impressive throughout the year.
The boys tennis team racked up 11 wins behind the senior leadership of Chase Adams and Christian Sorensen.
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