LYNN — When the St. Mary’s baseball team capped its season with the Division 2 state title last Saturday, the Spartans finished a banner year both for themselves and their school. During the 2018-2019 school year, St. Mary’s saw two of its athletic teams capture state crowns and three reach their respective state championship games. St. Mary’s has won at least one state championship for 12 consecutive school years (15 total over that span).
“I think it’s a testament to our kids and what I believe to be the best coaching staffs you can possibly have at the high school level across the board,” St. Mary’s Athletic Director and girls basketball coach Jeff Newhall said. “It’s not just that we’re dominant in one sport that wins every year. It’s a number of different sports, boys and girls. I think it’s really hard to put into words that a school our size can have that much success. The bar was set really high years ago. The kids are already talking about it, ‘who’s going to keep the streak alive next year?’ It’s really a tremendous run and a tribute to both the kids, going back a number of years, and the dedication of all our coaches.”
The Spartans were also champions in their academic endeavors. On average, St. Mary’s student-athletes accumulated a 3.4 GPA in 2018-2019.
“When you look at some of these kids’ grades and their curriculums, some of them are two or three-sport captains and you just don’t understand how they have time to get it all done,” Newhall said. “They’re thriving in sports and in the classroom too.”
In the fall season, the boys golf team repeated as the Division 3 state champion. Coach Jay Fiste and his Spartans returned an experienced group from their 2017 run and were determined to make the most of it.
Boys soccer shook off a slow start to its regular season, avenged its 2017 playoff loss to Boston City powerhouse Burke and reached the Division 4 state final. The football team, under first-year Spartans coach Sean Driscoll, set foot on the Gillette Stadium turf in the Division 7 Super Bowl.
“It’s important that the fall teams come out of the gate and set the tone for how you should behave, study and perform both on the field and in the classroom,” Newhall said. “Our fall teams really set the tone for us. If you believe the fall season sets the tone, there’s no greater way than to have three teams in state championship games in the first season of the year.”
The winter season also saw plenty of highlights. The boys hockey team made its second consecutive trip to the Division 1A “Super 8” tournament. The boys basketball team went toe-to-toe with some of the best teams in the state and reached the Division 3 North state tournament. The girls basketball team took down Catholic Central League rivals Bishop Fenwick and Archbishop Williams (the latter at TD Garden) en route to the Division 3 state championship game.
“There are a lot of kids that play sports in the school,” Newhall said. “It builds a family atmosphere. The girls soccer players are at the football games. In the winter, the football kids are at the hockey games. They’re used to supporting each other. It’s a small school. Everybody knows everybody, regardless of grade. It’s almost part of the tradition that everybody goes to the big game.”
In the spring, the boys lacrosse team set a program record for most wins in a season with 16. The Spartans won two games in the Division 3 North state tournament, including an upset over top-seeded Pentucket on the road, on their way to the sectional semifinal. Girls lacrosse went 16-4 and reached the Division 2 North tournament. Softball returned the majority of its 2018 roster and made plenty of noise in the CCL, finishing the regular season 16-4 and reaching the Division 3 North final. And the baseball team, in its second season in Division 2, allowed just one run through four postseason games en route to the state championship.
“The banner has been ordered,” Newhall said. “They’ll start a fundraising campaign for their championship rings. They’re being honored by the Red Sox July 15, on the field before the game. It’s a work in progress but we’re moving fairly quickly on it.”
