Middle School Sports Soar

Middle school athletes thrived in fall and winter sports, earning multiple HJPC tournament champions, record numbers of goals and points scored, first seed spots and many other tournament successes.  

With many varsity coaches coaching middle school teams, student athletes in seventh and eighth grade are being prepared for a future in athletics by the very best. Middle school athletic director Jeff Schroeder reflects on the 2021-2022 school year so far, saying, “I am really proud of our middle school athletes and our coaches. They have invested together in a quality culture and athletic experience. We are seeing a foundation for the future being built with excellence.”

Director of Athletics Mike Walker shared the importance of middle school athletics as a valuable part of the SBS educational experience. According to Coach Walker, the top goals for SBS middle school athletics this year were “quality coaches with a heart for students who fit our mission, robust schedules to give middle school teams plenty of opportunities to play games and excellent communication to parents and community members.” He added, “I am convinced that victory on the field is a byproduct of doing things well on a day-to-day basis; we have seen tremendous achievement in a short amount of time.”

FALL SPORTS - MIDDLE SCHOOL

Football

With both seventh and eighth grade football teams ending the season undefeated, head coach Cecil Shorts was proud of the boys’ perseverance and effort. The eighth grade team won the HJPC championship playoff game, defeating St. Francis Episcopal School 40-8.

• Seventh Grade: 7-0

• Eighth Grade: 10-0

  • HJPC Champions

Cross Country

Coach Roxanne Worley shared about the successful cross country season, saying each runner showed great improvement at every meet, “shaving seconds and sometimes minutes off their times.” Furthermore, “at the Lutheran South meet, Samantha Bailie ‘27 placed seventh overall for the middle school girls and at the SBS Soaring Eagles meet, she placed eighth overall in the girl’s gold race. Taylor Zimmerman ‘27 placed ninth overall in the girl's blue race. It was an amazing season with an amazing group of kids!” 

Volleyball

Led by head coach Amy Konzelman and varsity softball coach Margo Ostarticky, the middle school volleyball teams had successful seasons, with eighth grade volleyball advancing to a close game in the semifinals of the HJPC after winning the title of Emery Tournament Champions.

• Seventh Grade: 12-4

• Eighth Grade: 18-6

  • Emery Tournament Champions

  • HJPC - First round win versus First Baptist

  • HJPC - Semifinals #1 SBS defeated by #4 Presbyterian, 0 - 2

WINTER SPORTS - MIDDLE SCHOOL

Boys’ Basketball

With a combined record of 50 wins and one loss for middle school boys’ basketball, it was a season to remember. Coached by Director of Athletics Mike Walker, the eighth grade team walked away HJPC tournament champions as the number one seed, outscoring opponents 513 to 299.

• Seventh Grade: 22-0

  • Tournament Champions - Little Tiger Classic and Lake Houston Tip Off

• Eighth Grade: 28-1

  • Emery Tournament Champions

  • HJPC Champions

Girls’ Basketball

In a 69-43 point win over AOS, girls’ basketball won the HJPC championship.

• Seventh Grade: 13-3

  • Tournament Champions - Tiger Tourney Zone

• Eighth Grade: 20-4

  • HJPC Champions

Boys’ Soccer

Improving on last season by 4 wins, seventh and eighth grade boys’ soccer had a tough but successful winter season under Head Coach Blaine Spencer. 

• Seventh and Eighth Grade: 6-7

Girls’ Soccer

In their combined seventh and eighth grade girls’ soccer team, over 100 goals were scored in the 2022 season. In the semi-finals of the HJPC tournament, the game ended in a 3-3 tie and the Eagles lost in a nail-biting (10) penalty kick shootout.

• Seventh and Eighth Grade: 12-3

Spirit

Middle School Spirit 2021-2022 had a very successful season. The fall kicked off early during early August for Eagle Week. Working hard on their dance and cheer technique, “the team caught on to new skills faster than we could have imagined,” said middle school spirit coach Elleana Yarborough. “They worked so hard and were always improving.” 

During football season, the team brought energy and hype to all home football games, cheering on the successful football teams with great enthusiasm. Come winter, the Spirit team brought energy to the court to help cheer on the Eagles in basketball season. Coach Yarborough also shared a highlight of the season was learning a difficult pyramid. “It was a big accomplishment,” she said. 

“Throughout both seasons,” shared Coach Yarborough, “we watched the girls take on leadership roles on the team by praying for one another at the end of practice along with praising a teammate for something they saw them accomplish during practice. The team not only grew as athletes, but they also grew as  individuals who lead courageously and encourage others daily.”

Swimming

Seven SBS middle school swimmers competed at the 2022 HJPC championship swim meet at the UH Natatorium, many placing in the top 20. Ford Chapman ‘26 won the Boys 50 Breast, just missing setting a new HJPC record by .13 hundredths of a second, breaking his own SBS school record with 31.48 in the race.

HJPC Championship Meet

• Ford Chapman - Boys’ 50 Breast: 1st place, 100 IM: 3rd place

• Cash Franz - Boys’ 50 Free: 7th place, Boys’ 50 Back: 6th place

• Owen Rancher - Boys’ 50 Free: 15th place, Boys’ 50 Breast: 9th place

• Taylor Zimmerman - Girls’ 50 Free: 17th place, Girls’ 100 Free: 12th place

• Mila Veeningen - Girls’ 50 Back: 15th place

• Charis Chambers - Girls’ 50 Back: 19th place

SE Texas Middle School Championship

• Combined team - 7th place

• Ford Chapman set meet record in 50 Breast and SBS school record in 100 IM

• Cash Franz - 50 Free - 4th place, 50 Back - 4th place

Director of Athletics Mike Walker concluded, “Thank you to Jeff Shroeder who stepped up and provided leadership to our middle school teams, and thank you to Kim Marshall, Cecil Shorts III and Ellen Barrett who made sure student achievements were celebrated through announcements, pep rallies, Chapel services and more.”

It’s a great time to be a middle school Eagle!