Soccer and volleyball and football, oh my!

This weekend is a big one for several high schools from our Archdiocese. Here's why:

PA Boys Soccer (AA) Championship @ Hersheypark Stadium
Friday, Nov. 19, 7 p.m.
Archbishop Wood vs. Hampton

PA Girls Soccer (AAA) Championship @ Hersheypark Stadium
Saturday, Nov. 20, 3 p.m.
Archbishop Wood vs. Peters Township

PA Girls Volleyball Championships @ Central York HS
Friday, Nov. 19 (quarterfinals)
Saturday, Nov. 20 (semifinals and finals)
(A) Country Day School of the Sacred Heart
(AA) Merion Mercy Academy
(AAA) Mount St. Joseph Academy

City Football Title Games
Saturday, Nov. 20
(AA) West Catholic vs. Bok @ South Philly (10th & Bigler), 11 a.m.
(AAA) Archbishop Wood vs. Dobbins @ Northeast HS, noon
(AAAA) La Salle vs. Northeast @ Northeast HS, 4 p.m.

For more info, visit www.piaa.org.

State playoffs begin!

Fall sports are in full effect! Several high school teams will be representing the Archdiocese in the state tournament for their respective sports. Let's hope "year three" in the PIAA builds off the success we've had so far!

All games take place Saturday, Nov. 13, unless otherwise noted.

Field Hockey State Quarterfinals
Villa Maria vs. Wyoming-Sem @ Emmaus HS, 11 a.m.
Mount St. Joseph Academy vs. Northampton @ Gov. Mifflin HS, 11 a.m.

Girls Soccer State Quarterfinals
Villa Maria vs. Midd-West @ Milton Hershey HS, 5 p.m.
Archbishop Wood vs. Pennridge @ West Chester East HS, 1 p.m.

Boys Soccer State Quarterfinals
Arhcbishop Wood vs. East Pennsboro @ West Chester East HS, 3 p.m.

Volleyball Round One (pool play-in)
Merion Mercy @ Council Rock South HS
Archbishop Wood @ Council Rock South HS
Cardinal O'Hara @ Liberty HS
Mount St. Joseph Academy @ Liberty HS
Country Day School of the Sacred Heart @ Liberty HS

And, finally, Catholic League football!

AAAA Championship
Friday, Nov. 12 @ Northeast HS, 7 p.m.
Roman vs. La Salle

AAA Championship
Saturday, Nov. 13 @ Plymouth-Whitemarsh HS, 7 p.m.
Archbishop Wood vs. Cardinal O'Hara

AA Championship
West Catholic defeated Bishop McDevit last weekend. Next game TBA.

This weekend's games

Below are some high school football games to catch this weekend:

Friday, Oct. 22
St. Joe's Prep at Roman (Germantown), 7 p.m.
Pope John Paul II vs. Owen J. Roberts (Roosevelt), 7 p.m.
O'Hara at Carroll (Radnor), 7:30 p.m.


Saturday, Oct. 23
Ryan at La Salle (Plymouth-Whitemarsh), 1 p.m.
Wood at Bonner (Upper Darby), 1 p.m.
West Chester East at Shanahan, 1 p.m.
West Catholic at Neumann-Goretti (Southern), time TBD
Episcopal at Malvern Prep, 2 p.m.
McDevitt at Conwell-Egan (Truman), 7 p.m.

Zumba craze

Over the past few months, I've been hearing relatives and friends talk about Zumba -- a lively dance fitness program set to Latin music. I did some research and found out that it's actually been around for a while. Choreographer Alberto "Beto" Perez created Zumba in Colombia during the 1990s. Since its humble beginnings in an aerobics class in Cali, Colombia, Zumba is now being taught at over 60,000 locations in 105 countries, has sold millions of DVDs and has changed the lives of Zumba® fanatics worldwide with an astonishing 7.5 million participants taking Zumba classes every week (zumba.com).

Students at St. Hilary School in Rydal joined in on the party and kicked off "Wellness Wendnesdays" with a school-wide Zumba lesson a few weeks ago (photo above).

Here's more:

RYDAL — Students in kindergarten through eighth grades at St. Hilary School in Rydal kicked off their yearly wellness program with Zumba lessons in the school yard Sept. 22.
“Zumba is basically aerobic moves set to Latin music,” said Ellen Romano, a Zumba instructor who led children and faculty in the exhilarating workout. In addition, children rotated throughout a wellness fair to different exercise stations, including hula hooping and jumping rope.
St. Hilary’s Home and School Association treated students to chilled fresh fruit salad and water for their efforts, refreshing them while providing examples for healthy snack choices.
The school’s health and wellness program, titled “Wellness Wednesdays,” is held in conjunction with Holy Redeemer Hospital’s outreach program and exposes students to a “variety of health, nutrition and exercise information and activities that guide them toward taking an active role in their own fitness.”
Throughout the year parents and faculty encourage students to eat well and be on the move by providing plenty of activities and healthy food options, such as making salads the main entree sold in the cafeteria on Wednesdays. Students are also encouraged to participate in a weekly walking program on parish grounds during lunch recess. As incentive, children who walk earn raffle tickets toward prizes related to fitness and exercise or health.
According to Kathy McCrea, an educational resource committee member and program coordinator, last year a student won a WII Fit system.

Happy September!

After a few months of no posts (sorry!) I thought I'd kick things off with something new, literally -- the sports teams at Pope John Paul II High School in Royersford. The school opened its doors this month, welcoming students mostly from St. Pius X High School in Pottstown and Kennedy-Kenrick High School in Norristown, which both closed this past June.

Below are some sports happenings on the state-of-the-art PJP campus Sept. 2.

Congrats to (some of) our champs!

Spring 2010

Catholic League girls lacrosse
Archbishop Carroll

Catholic League boys lacrosse
La Salle College High School

Catholic League softball
St. Hubert

Catholic League boys tennis
La Salle College High School

Catholic Academies League softball
Nazareth Academy

Catholic League baseball - TBD
Semifinals
Friday, May 28
Bonner vs. Neumann-Goretti, 3:30 @ Widener University
Wood vs. Ryan, 3:30 @ La Salle College HS

Final
Tuesday, June 1 @ Widener

Some playoff info

Below are a few playoff and championship games being played over the next couple weeks.

FRIDAY, MAY 21
Catholic Academies Softball Final
Nazareth Academy vs. Villa Maria, 4 p.m. @ Arcadia University

Catholic League Boys Lacrosse Quarterfinals
Conwell-Egan at La Salle, 3:45
Roman Catholic at Cardinal O'Hara, 3:45
(*Winners will play Lansdale Catholic & Carroll in semifinals)

Catholic League Softball Quarterfinals
Little Flower at Lansdale Catholic, 3:45
Conwell-Egan at Kennedy-Kenrick, 3:45
Wood at St, Hubert, 3:45
Prendie at Ryan, 6:00

MONDAY, MAY 24
Catholic League Girls Lacrosse Final
Wood vs. O'Hara @ Prendie, 5:00

Catholic League Baseball First Round
O'Hara at La Salle, 3:30
St. Joe's Prep at Father Judge, 3:30
Kennedy-Kennrick at Conwell-Egan, 3:30
Carroll at Lansdale Catholic, 3:30