Spartan Scoreboard: Winter Athletes Hit the Ground Running in 2024

Spartan Scoreboard, January 2 - 6

Spartans have hit the ground running in the new year! St. Stephen’s Varsity teams are entering conference play, and JV teams are rounding out the winter seasons. Here is your Spartan winter sports recap for the week.

Girls Soccer: Coming off of winter break, the St. Stephen’s Girls Varsity Soccer team expected the first weekend of 2024 to be one of their most challenging of the season. They faced two of the strongest girls soccer programs in the Southwest Preparatory Conference – The Kinkaid School in Houston and St. John's School. In the match against Kinkaid, the Spartans started the game a bit flat.  The team conceded a goal 20 minutes into the first half, but the response from the team was excellent and they went into halftime feeling hopeful they could win the game. The Spartans created good chances and competed well, but ultimately came up short. The team was quick to regroup on Saturday morning, and their resilience and heart contributed to a massive win for the program. St. John's is a perennial powerhouse–they've made it to the SPC Championship for the past five years in a row, winning the title on two of those occasions. 

“We knew it would take a gutsy and disciplined performance to come away with a result against them, and that's exactly what our girls gave us,” remarked Head Varsity Coach Andy Aceves. “It was truly a team win, one that we will remember for a very long time, but we don't want to dwell on it because we have more difficult SPC competitions coming up this weekend. We have seen that we can compete with anyone in this league, and we are looking forward to the next challenge!”

Girls Basketball: The St. Stephen's Girls Varsity Basketball team secured a notable victory on Saturday, January 6, defeating St. John's by a score of 38-32. With a current season record of 12-4 and a 1-1 standing after the first weekend of SPC play, the team has demonstrated their competitive prowess. This win is particularly significant as it breaks a streak since their last victory over St. John's on January 16, 2015. Embodying their motto, "Get Better Every Day," the team's dedication and hard work are clearly paying off, and contributing to their success on the court. 

Boys Basketball: The Spartan Boys Varsity Basketball team secured a win in their first SPC matchup of the season versus Kinkaid. Staying focused and resilient, the team’s offensive game secured the team win. The Spartans went 1-1 on the weekend, which gives the team a strong start as they head to treacherous territory in Houston this weekend to take on The Awty International School. 

— Juliann Johnson, Sports Information Director