Why? Because we want St. Leo’s students’ opinion on who will win the next Super Bowl!

If you didn’t watch the NFL Conference Championships today, the Indianapolis Colts (AFC) and the New Orleans Saints (NFC) are this year’s Super Bowl match up and they will be playing each other in Miami, FL on Sunday.

Vote in our new “Speak Out!” Poll on the front page of this website, or to the right side of this story. (This poll will expire at 11:59p on February 6th).

from Staff Reports
News Team / THE LION LEDGER

MCT is a joint venture of McClatchy and the Tribune Co.

No offense to any Cal or Stanford fans… THIS was the “big game.”

It was the talk of the day, if not, the whole week.  ”Are you coming to the game?”  What game?  ”We’re playing St. Lawrence O’Toole.”

Enough said.

No one quite knows–well, somebody does, but they’re not talking–when this heated rivalry between the two schools began.  Maybe it’s because the schools’ two mascots are big cats.  Maybe it’s because both schools’ saints’ names start with an “L.”

One thing that’s for sure, however, is that both teams play very well, and at last night’s game, both teams were determined to win.

The Lions led for the better part of the game.  The first half, the Tigers trailed by only a basket, first quarter 4-6, and second quarter 11-13.  After the half with some pep talk by Coach Kirby Harris, the team altered their strategy, widening the lead.

At the end of the third quarter, the score was 14-21, Lions still ahead.

In the fourth, the Tigers would come out of their cages to fight back in this round. Trying to defend their title, the Lions fought back just as hard.

With 1:10 on the clock, the score was 22-27, Lions’ lead.  Forty-five seconds later, with 0:27 left on the clock, the score changed to 28-29.  With a foul shot attempt by the Tigers, the “extra” point would tie the game, 29-29, closing the Lions’ lead.

The last few seconds of the game were the most intense.

Another foul on the Tigers by the Lions stopped the clock at 5:3… five seconds / three milliseconds.  Basket good, score 30-29, time out by the Lions.  After the time out, back to the second foul shot attempt by the Tigers, this one also good.

The score was now 31-29, except a mistake by the scorekeepers put the point in the Lions corner, inadvertently making the score tied at 30-30 instead of 31-29.  (Note: photos from the game taken for this newspaper reflect this fact).

After a pause in the game to fix the score, the scoreboard was changed to 32-30.  Still wrong, but “correctly” reflecting the two-point deficit, unfortunately, for the Lions’ team.

In the final seconds of the game, with the ball in St. Leo’s possession, an attempt at a basket by the Lions (to tie the game and bring it into overtime) was unsuccessful due to an aggressive block by multiple members of the St. Lawrence O’Toole team.

The clock would buzz to zero, and even with a technical foul called on the Tigers for that block–earning the Lions one foul shot, which sadly, did not go in–it was not enough, ending the game with the official score 32-30, a loss for the Lions.

by Joe Leo
Advisor / THE LION LEDGER

The team to watch out for this year is 6th grade, coming off the 2008-09 season as first place winners in the diocese championships. Rival team St. Lawrence O’Toole will be keeping their eyes on St. Leo’s for sure.

Later in the year, the girls basketball teams will take over, while the track and field teams will get back into gear.

For the latest in Lions sports, keep it “tuned” here for continuing coverage of the entire season. Sports scores will be posted on the scoreboard just as soon as they come in, while feature articles written whenever possible.

from Staff Reports
News Team / THE LION LEDGER

St. Leo’s is part of the “Section II” group of track and field teams in the Oakland CYO. There are three sections total, and all teams (almost 700 athletes!) in the Diocese will compete at the Diocean Meet next week for the championships.

The championships will be held on Friday, May 8th at James Logan High School in Union City, and Saturday, May 9th at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill. Good luck Lions!

Results from Sunday’s meet are as follows:

50-meter Dash
• Tyra Hearne, 3rd grade- first place
• Robert Wood, 3rd grade- second place

100-meter Dash
• Zyhir Brown, 6th grade- fourth place
• Jaime Edgerly, 3rd grade- second place
• Tyra Hearne, 3rd grade- first place
• Robert Wood, 3rd grade- second place

200-meter Dash
• Jaime Edgerly, 3rd grade- second place

400-meter Run
• Sophia Alexander, 2nd grade- fourth place
• Samiya Bremond, 3rd grade- first place
• Zyhir Brown, 6th grade- second place
• Nia Chinn, 2nd grade- fourth place
• Jaime Edgerly, 3rd grade- first place
• Tyra Hearne, 3rd grade- first place
• Raevyn Jones, 2nd grade- fourth place
• Joshua Mahoney, Kindergarten- fourth place
• Zakiya Mahoney, 3rd grade- first place
• Mikaela Stewart, 2nd grade- fourth place

Long Jump
• Jaime Edgerly, 3rd grade- second place
• Kendall Johnson, 8th grade- first place

Softball Throw
• Simone Bremond, 7th grade- fourth place
• Zyhir Brown, 6th grade- first place
• Zakiya Mahoney, 3rd grade- first place

Tetherball Toss
• Simone Bremond, 7th grade- third place
• Zyhir Brown, 6th grade- second place

from Staff Reports
News Team / THE LION LEDGER

SPORTS SCOREBOARD

Week Four
• Fri., 12/5— 6th grade vs. St. Joseph: 29-26 (W)
• Sat., 12/6— 8th grade vs. St. Bernard: 51-31 (W)
• BYE Week— 4th grade
• BYE Week— 5th grade

Week Five
• Sat., 12/13— 4th grade vs. Corpus Christi: 6-22 (L)
• Sat., 12/13— 5th grade vs. St. Philip Neri: 41-10 (W)
• Sat., 12/13— 6th grade vs. St. Jarlath: 44-7 (W)
• Sat., 12/13— 8th grade vs. St. Philip Neri “Green”: 28-51 (L)

Week Six
• Fri., 12/19— 4th grade vs. St. Theresa “Red”: 14-16 (L)
• Fri., 12/19— 5th grade vs. Corpus Christi: 42-11 (W)
• Fri., 12/19— 8th grade vs. St. Lawrence O’Toole (SLOT): 39-38 (W)
• Sat., 12/20— 4th grade vs. School of the Madeleine: (L)
• Sat., 12/20— 5th grade vs. St. Anthony: 50-5 (W)
• BYE Week— 6th grade

CURRENT SEASON STANDINGS

• Grade 8: 4-2
• Grade 6: 3-0
• Grade 5: 6-0
• Grade 4: 1-4

from Staff Reports
News Team / THE LION LEDGER

Tonight’s game versus the St. Lawrence O’Toole (SLOT) Tigers was a fight to the finish for the St. Leo Lions’ rival school. No one knows quite exactly when the deep rivalry between the two teams began, but one thing’s for sure– this game didn’t end it.

St. Leo’s gym was packed full, mostly with the home team’s supporters. Students, parents, some teachers and staff, principal Mrs. Simril, and athletic director Mr. Pollard (known as “Coach O”) were all there to cheer and show support for the 8th grade team.

Oh yes, and of course, the St. Leo’s Cheerleaders and Pep Squad.

The first quarter was all about the Lions, holding the Tigers in their cage for a good seven minutes. The Lions scored basket after basket, while the Tigers seemed to be on some type of tranquilizer. The score at quarter’s end was St. Leo’s 15 and SLOT 4.

In the second quarter, things started to heat up really quickly. With a packed house, and the action on the court, you could actually feel the temperature rise in the gym.

That heat may or may not have been the reason for the increased tension between the two teams, but fouls kept coming in one after the other, giving the Tigers a chance to get in some shots. The referees also had to remind the players to calm down.

Multiple time outs were being called almost every other minute, as both teams gathered with their coaches to roll out a new, or think up a new strategy. The pressure was on for St. Leo’s with SLOT catching up and closing the lead.

At the end of the first half, the score was now 15 to 13, Lions scoreless, and the Tigers having come out of their cage.

About a minute into the third quarter, with 2:37 on the clock, the Tigers finally tied the score at 15. Thirty seconds later, SLOT was now ahead by 2 points, not before the Lions’ Anthony Bowie answered back with a shot of his own, tying the game at 17.

Bowie again scored another shot later in the third quarter to advance the team to 19. At the end of the third quarter? The Lions and Tigers were tied again, 21 to 21.

The fourth and final quarter would become the biggest game of cat and mouse ever seen between two teams. (Except, you can’t call it that in this case, since both teams are, well, both cats). You would have had to be there and experienced it for yourself.

3:14, Tigers score two, 21-23… 2:57, Lions score two, 23-23 tied… 2:33, Lions score again, 25-23… 2:10, foul on Tigers, Lions score one, 26-23… 1:50, Tigers answer back, 26-25… 1:19, Tigers score, 26-27… 0:49, Lions 28-27… finally? 30-30 tied.

And that was just the first half of the fourth quarter!

In the final, final round, coming in tied at 30 points each, only one big cat was going to come out of this big game “alive” (the winner). If it wasn’t a zoo before, it would become one in the last three-and-a-half minutes as both teams fought to the finish.

Only thing about it was, even though there were only 3:30 minutes on the clock, it took almost twice that amount of time for the end of the quarter to finish.

At 1:50 on the clock, both teams were tied yet again, the score 34 to 34. Twenty-nine seconds later, SLOT made a basket, and in a huge upset for St. Leo’s, SLOT was able to steal the ball, turning the score 38 to 34 just a minute later with 0:50 left to spare.

The Tigers were determined to win this game, but the Lions were more determined than they, especially with the “enemy” playing on their home turf. A foul on the Tigers gave the Lions a chance to bounce back, but those two “free” shots never sunk in.

A rebound by 8th grader Keiland Callum narrowed SLOT’s lead, giving the Lions hope for the big win they needed against their rival team. With 0:35 on the clock, wild cheers came from the St. Leo’s supporters in the crowd, the score 36 to 38, SLOT lead.

This is where time stopped, literally, in St. Leo’s gym, as the following events occurred.

0:35 on the clock, Callum is fouled after that game-changing rebound… one foul shot, good, score 37-38… SLOT still leads… 0:33, foul on St. Leo’s, SLOT one shot, no good… 0:31, Callum is fouled again, one shot, no good… score still 37-38.

Twenty-six tiny little seconds on the clock. Foul on the Lions, and the Tigers get one shot to “widen” their lead. It doesn’t go in, and in the change of possession back to the Lions, a pass to 8th grader Andrew Abrams makes it into the basket, score now 39-38.

With five seconds left, the Tigers’ coach calls a time out. Back on the court after the timeout, the clock runs down and stops again with two milliseconds left (yes, the clock read– 0:2), ball in SLOT’s possession.

For a second there (more like, minutes), there was some type of dispute going on, called by the opposing team. After a talk with the referees and a whistle, the game was called, the clock moved to 0:0, and the Lions came away victorious, 39 to 38.

At the end of the game, Coach Ron Chinn said, “I’m just proud of the boys. They showed in this game that they’re maturing. They didn’t give up when things were going down and they gave it their all.”

Coach James Howard said, “This was the biggest game for us, hands down. The team really showed their St. Leo’s pride.”

by Joe Leo, Advisor
Publisher / THE LION LEDGER

The 6th to 8th cheerleading squad are very good at what they do. We also have a pep squad for 5th grade. They always support our basketball games and they always keep the team’s confidence up. Most of the other schools don’t have 6th and 7th grade students on their cheerleading squad, like we do, or a 5th grade pep squad either.

Their most famous cheer is “That’s all right that’s okay, shake it off shake it off.” They usually yell out this cheer when the team makes a mistake or misses a free throw, for instance. They also do a dance at halftime, which entertains the crowd while the teams are not playing. That following cheer seems to always pump up the crowd.

The coach of the cheerleading squad, Ms. McGill, made it possible for our school to have a cheerleading squad and provided them with new uniforms. She puts in a lot of work too, just like the cheerleaders, so that they are ready and on the top of their “game” at every game.

So at the next game get ready to stand up, be loud, and get ready to cheer with our cheerleaders.

by Anthony Bowie, 8th grade
Writer / CONTRIBUTOR

SPORTS SCOREBOARD

Week One (Season Opener)
• Fri., 11/7— 8th grade vs. School of the Madeleine: 31-27 (W)
• Fri., 11/7— 5th grade vs. St. Theresa: 27-13 (W)
• Fri., 11/7— 4th grade vs. St. Lawrence O’ Toole: 10-2 (L)
• Sat., 11/8— 6th grade vs. St. Philip Neri: 42 to 17 (W)

Week Two
• Sat., 11/15— 5th grade vs. St. Joseph: 34-4 (W)
• Sun., 11/16— 8th grade vs. St. Joseph: 31-27 (W)
• BYE Week— 6th grade
• BYE Week— 4th grade

Week Three
• Sat., 11/22— 8th grade vs. St. Philip Neri: 25-31* (L)
• Sat., 11/22— 5th grade vs. School of the Madeleine: 28-2 (W)
• Sat., 1//22— 4th grade vs. St. Philip Neri: 20-15 (W)
• BYE Week— 6th grade

*score discrepancy (foul shot— +1 point)

CURRENT SEASON STANDINGS

• Grade 8: 2-1
• Grade 6: 1-0
• Grade 5: 3-0
• Grade 4: 1-1

from Staff Reports
News Team / THE LION LEDGER

The boys began this tournament last weekend, up against two Parish CYO teams. Friday night versus Immaculate Heart of Mary of Brentwood, score 41-15, and a Saturday afternoon game against St. Joseph of Fremont, score 43-17.

With two games under their belt, and two left to go, the ball was in their court.

The day before the final championship game, the boys found themselves up against St. Anne of Union City, another Parish CYO team. (They also found themselves up early in the morning for that game). The Lions won, with their opponent trailing by almost half their score, 35-17.

Finally came Game 4, the big one. There was a slight possibility St. Leo’s would be playing a cross-town rival, with Corpus Christi in the bracket the day before. But the team they faced was a surprise, an “unknown” CYO team called the Catholic Community of Pleasanton (CCOP).

Sometimes Parish CYO teams bring fear to their opponent because of the unpredictable team roster. While the first and second teams St. Leo’s went up against weren’t that difficult to tackle–maybe the third team did give them a run for their money–CCOP proved themselves to be a worthy team.

Speaking of tackles, there were a few times in the game where the competition heated up to the point where it seemed the boys were playing football– “tackling” each other for possession of the ball on the field… oops, court!

After the second half, the paws were flying on both sides, and the coaches could see that their teams just needed some pause… a time out to re-think their strategies, and to calm down.

Thankfully, the Lions showed CCOP just who was king in this court! St. Leo’s Lions won the tournament, 46-35, the final score’s not so wide margin in comparison to the first three games, proof that they fought even harder to win this game in order to earn their title.

(Read more about Game 4 in the Sports section).

by Joe Leo, Advisor
Publisher / THE LION LEDGER