Clark tennis was burning in Boerne last weekend. Junior Ricky Keh made it to the final round and senior Rudy Bonilla to the semis in the varsity boys’ singles draw. Sophomore Karsten Lowe won the JV boys’ singles draw—first out of 32 players—with soph Andrew Palomo making it to quarters. Sophomore Fernanda Sepulveda made it to quarters in the JV girls’ singles draw.

This week Varsity tennis goes to District. GO COUGARS!

Clark tennis wrapped up a successful trip to the Kemah Boardwalk Tournament last week, winning the the top two spots in boys’ singles and mixed doubles, a third place in girls’ singles, and a 5th and 8th place finish in boys’ doubles. This week the Coogs play in Boerne, and next week is the District tournament

In their first playoff game, the Clark men took on the Mustangs of King High School in Corpus Christ. The Mustangs challenged the Cougars in the first half but Clark found its footing in the second and finished strong.

King scored first and held Clark throughout the first half. The tide started to turn in the second half when Junior Matt Jacobs put the ball in the net; however, the linesman called it offside, pushing both sets of fans into a frenzy. Despite having the wind against them, Clark kept up the pressure and, in the 54th minute, junior Tristan Cavazos scored for Clark, 1-1. Clearly, the Cougars were gaining momentum because, just a short minute later, senior Gus Moir scored again for Clark, 2-1. It was hard to tell whether Clark found their rhythm or King lost theirs – maybe a bit of both as senior Chris Pantaleon again attacked, narrowly missing the goal after a fabulous shot. The King keeper attempted to block it but it flew by and hit the post. Next, senior John Cintron nearly scored when he booted a free kick from midfield; the Mustang’s keeper did a great job in catching the ball though. Persistence won out, however, when Cintron made another shot and this time put it in the net, 3-1 for Clark in the 66th minute. The Coogs kept up the pressure, interrupting the Mustangs’ passing game and preventing them from scoring again. Everyone did well in passing the ball and staying focused. The win was very much a team effort!

The rest of this playoff round will be played Friday night. Once the winner in the other bracket is determined, we’ll know who the Coogs play next.

By Caryn Moir

Congratulations to the Clark men, who wrapped the 2014 season strong, beating Warren in the final game in normal district play.

In the ninth minute, defender Matt Jacobs put Clark’s first goal in the net, 1-0. The junior’s great run was a give-and-go, a sign of great teamwork to come.
Next, senior Chris Pantaleon made a 60 yard run and placed the ball in the far side of the net, 2-0 for Clark.
Shortly after, senior John Cintron passed the ball to freshman Javi Martinez, who made another long run, 40 yards this time, scoring Clark’s third goal in the 29th minute, 3-0.

After the half, the Cougars took the field with as much energy as they did in the first. With a comfortable lead. Warren’s defense managed to hold Clark until the 71st minute when junior Tristan Cavazos made a nice pass around the keeper, 4-0 Clark.

This game brings Clark’s record to 13-2-1, placing them second in playoff berths. Playoff schedule still to be posted, stay tuned for details.

By Caryn Moir

Score: Clark 7 Brandeis 11
Player in picture: Abby Mullins, shortstop

A great game by the Varsity Softball team, but the Cougars came up short considering a solid offensive performance with 13 hits by Clark on the night, Isabel Pisano leading the team with 3 hits, Raynelle Nash and Jasmine Perez with 2 a piece. A tight game throughout, the Broncos pulled away in the last innings to claim the victory in the first meeting of the district foes for the season. This team is young, but coming together and has high expectations as we continue to battle through a tough district race.

Whoop Whoop! On another beautiful south Texas night, the Clark men dominated the soccer pitch, beating Taft 6-1. Clark junior Tristan Cavazos got the party started at the 21st minute, 1-0. After five minutes of constant pressure on Taft’s keeper, the Taft defense made a tactical error and gave away a penalty kick. Clark’s sophomore Jake Peterson put it in the net, 2-0. Three minutes before the half, senior Chris Pantaleon passed the ball to senior John Cintron, who then scored and put Clark at 3-0 in time for the half.

Taking the field after halftime, Clark continued to rule the field. At the 56th minute, Chris Pantaleon made a beautiful run down the field and ended it with a clean shot, 4-0. Eleven minutes later, junior Diego Sepulveda skinned by Taft to put Clark’s fifth goal into the net. Shortly after, junior Colin Segura passed the ball to freshman Javi Martinez, who scored again for Clark, 6-0. Taft rallied to put the ball in the net, putting the final score at 6-1.

This game ended Clark’s shut out streak (6 games straight) but their record is still strong at 10-1 in district play. Tuesday’s game is a bye, so the Coogs get the night off. They’ll next take the field against Brandeis, Friday 3/7 at 7 pm, Gus Stadium.

By Caryn Moir

Clark men triumphed over third place O’Connor this evening in a fierce competition at Farris Stadium. Both teams passed well and played aggressively but Clark took the lead in the first half and finished strong. Tonight’s game was the second match between the two schools this season, Clark having beaten O’Connor 2-1 in January. This win puts Clark at six shut outs for the season; congratulations to tonight’s keepers, senior Paolo Nardi and sophomore Colby Lorenz for successfully defending Clark’s net.

Clark’s first goal was a successful penalty kick taken by junior Tristan Cavazos; it was his 7th goal this season and put Clark ahead, 1-0. Despite intense pressure from O’Connor, Clark rebuffed every goal attempt while trying to widen the lead. In the final minute of the game, senior John Cintron scored off of a beautiful shot past the keeper, bringing the score to 2-0. This was Cintron’s 6th goal of the season. O’Connor received two yellow cards, one for an attack on Clark’s keeper and one for poor sportsmanship; Clark received none. Clark men are now 11-2-0 (8-1 in the district).

Way to play, Coogs! Next game is Tuesday, 5 pm, against Stevens, on Northside Field #2.

By Caryn Moir

On Valentine’s Day, Clark’s Chronicle ran a story on the men’s soccer team, titling it “A Shot at Glory” and describing their potential for going to state. Tonight, the Clark men took another step in the right direction, using a strong passing game to win against Warren, 3-0.

Clark scored their first goal when senior Chris Pantaleon handed off the ball to freshman Luis Carlos Garcia in the 13th minute, putting Clark in the lead 1-0. A few minutes before halftime, junior Tristan Cavazos deftly passed the ball to senior Andre Garcia, 2-0.
Clark took the field in the second half looking to widen their lead, which they did at the first corner. Junior Matt Jacobs passed to senior Gus Moir, both defenders at Warren’s net for the corner, and Moir then shot the ball past their keeper, 3-0. As always, Coach prompted the team with heartfelt encouragement, taking the time to call players to the sidelines for customized direction.
Great team effort, Cougars!

Clark men play next on Friday at Farris Stadium against O’Connor, 7 pm.
Go Coogs!

By Caryn Moir

Clark played Marshall Wednesday, shutting them out 1-0 thanks to a very early goal by freshman Luis “Javi” Martinez. With several players battling colds, Clark was down but not out and managed to hold Marshall for the rest of the game.
Friday night against Holmes found the Coogs back in good form and the Cougars shut out Holmes, 2-0. Going into the game, Holmes was in 3rd place in District play while Clark was in 2nd. Friday night’s game could have reversed District rankings but Clark dominated the field and maintained their position.
Clark’s first goal again came in the first few minutes, with senior Gus Moir assisting junior Tristan Cavazos on a corner, 1-0. Before half time senior Fernando Maya neatly put the ball in the net from a free kick at midfield. While Clark didn’t score in the second half, they kept the pressure on Holmes and maintained their lead. Clark received numerous free kicks and Holmes received a yellow card.
Next game is against Warren at Gus Stadium, 5 pm on Tuesday 2/18.

by Caryn Moir

Relays:
Girls 200 Med – 7th  (Anastasiya Byelousova, Lauren Cartee, Reagan Nentwich, Marielle Rominger)
Boys 200 Med – 4th (Josh Kaler, Michael Macha, Aidan Plummer, Connor Harris)
Girls 200 Free –  6th (Marielle Rominger, Rachel Deschner, Bailey Ratner, Katy Crouch)
Boys 200 Free – 10th (Connor Harris, Connelly Dallahan, Aidan Plummer, Dylan Vincesilio)
Girls 400 Free – 5th (Reagan Nentwich, Marielle Rominger, Bailey Ratner, Anastasiya Byelousova)
Boys 400 Free – 7th (Connor Harris, Aidan Plummer, Josh Kaler, Dylan Vincesilio)
 
Individual Events:
Reagan Nentwich – 5th 200 Freestyle; GOLD in 100 Fly
Josh Kaler – 13th 200 Freestyle
Bailey Ratner – 14th 50 Freestyle
Michael Macha – 4th in 100 Fly; SILVER in 100 Breast
Marielle Rominger – 10th in 100 Freestyle