Knights Finish Second in CCC Golf Tournament

Montgomery Catholic senior Matt Christie, who has battled a painful shoulder most of the season, shot a one-under-par 71 Thursday afternoon to win the individual title at the Capital City Conference golf tournament played at Lagoon Park.

Christie's 71 was his lowest round of the season and helped the young Knights team to a second-place finish, just one shot behind Montgomery Academy. Catholic posted a team score of 312 while Montgomery Academy had a 311.

Sophomores Jacob Stinson and Corey Jackson also posted excellent scores. Stinson shot a 74 and Jackson a 79. Seventh-grader Zack Jones had an 88 and eighth-grader John Watts a 105.

Saint James followed Catholic in the team scores with a 315. Alabama Christian had a 329 and Trinity followed with a 337.

Congratulations to our Top Pizza Sales Winners!

Congratulations to our top three students who sold the most Little Caesar's Pizza Kits for our Middle School Parent-Teacher Council (PTC). The top prize of $100 went to Willie Ravelo. The second place prize of $75 was Matt Pouncey, and the third place winner of $50 was Sarah Berryman. Thanks for all of your hard work!

Pictured: Middle School students Willie Ravelo, Sarah Berryman, and Matt Pouncey.

Partners In Catholic Education To Host 10th Annual Golf Tournament October 1

Partners In Catholic Education will host its 10th annual charity golf tournament at the Capitol Hill Robert Trent Jones Golf Course in Prattville on October 1, 2010. Last year the tournament netted over $94,000 for Catholic education, and with everyone’s support, we hope to exceed that this year.

Registration and lunch will begin at 11am and the shotgun start on both the Senator and Legislative will be at 1pm. Format will be best ball.

The four-man scramble includes lunch, gift bags for each player filled with goodies, special gift, refreshments, many door prizes, all par three holes will have a prize, plus a Hole-In-One cruise trip or a new Hyundai Sonata.

There will be a $5,000 putting contest between 11am – 1pm. The top three net and gross teams will receive superb notch prizes. Entry fee will be $600 per foursome. Sponsorships are available.

Mark your calendar for this premier event that will be a great day of fun and benefit for Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School. For more information, contact Mary Kelley at (334) 272-7221, ext. 15.

Click to download our Sponsorship Form.

Click to download our Player Form.

Julie Wood Named as Montgomery Catholic's New Varsity Volleyball Coach

Julie Wood has been named the new varsity volleyball coach at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School.

Wood, who was the assistant principal at Montgomery Catholic’s elementary campus at St. Bede from 2007-2008, coached volleyball at Saint James School from 1988-1999, guiding the Lady Trojans to two area titles, two sub-state titles and two trips to the state tournament.

Except for the year at St. Bede, she has been a teacher at Saint James since 1988.

“I am excited about the opportunity to teach and coach at Montgomery Catholic,” said Wood, who is a member of St. Bede the Venerable Catholic Church along with her husband, Patrick and their two children, Stuart and Kirstin. Stuart is a senior at Montgomery Catholic and Kirstin is an eighth-grader.

“I have become acquainted with many of the female athletes at Montgomery Catholic and I look forward to working with this outstanding group of young ladies. With my coaching background and strong Catholic faith, I hope to strengthen the program by developing well-rounded athletes who strive to be their best in the classroom and on the court.”

Wood takes over the volleyball program for Jill Clark, who led the Knights to the state playoffs each of the last five years.

“We are committed to building a strong program for our female athletes,” said Athletic Director Jim Tolbert. “Adding Julie to head our volleyball program benefits all our female athletes.

“Jill won’t be spread so thin by coaching both volleyball and basketball as well as serving as assistant athletic director. She can now direct more of her energies toward building a strong girls basketball program and Julie can focus her energy on the volleyball program. It’s a win-win situation for both teams.”

Wood will waste no time getting the volleyball program started for the 2010 season. She and JV coach Wilma Jackson will conduct a volleyball skills clinic May 8 at Catholic, then hold tryouts for the 2010 teams on May 15. More information about middle school volleyball tryouts will be available in the next couple of weeks.

Summer workouts for all volleyball teams, including local play dates and at least one team camp, are being planned.

Montgomery Catholic Names New Football Coach

Montgomery Catholic has named Mike Shatzer its new head football coach. Shatzer, 38, has been the offensive coordinator/offensive line coach at Northwest Cabarrus High School in Concord, NC for the past three seasons, helping guide them to a 23-14 mark and three playoff berths.

Prior to that, Shatzer was the head coach at South Stanley High School in Norwood, NC. He took a program that was 1-11 the year before he arrived and led them to two straight state playoff appearances and a 17-11 overall mark in two seasons. He was named coach of year in 2006 by the Stanley News and Free Press.

“I am honored to be the next head football coach at Montgomery Catholic, and my family and I are excited to join both the Catholic family and the Montgomery community,” said Shatzer.

“I sought this position because of the great reputation that Catholic has. The academics, athletics and spirituality are all areas that are very important to my family and me. The strong sense of community and family attracted us immediately.”

Before going to South Stanley, he was an assistant coach at Jay M. Robinson High School in Concord, NC. He coached wide receivers on the first team fielded by the school in 2001. After struggling to a 2-9 mark that first season with no seniors on the team, he helped Robinson to three straight state playoff berths and a 25-11 record.

“We are excited to have Coach Shatzer as our new coach,” said Athletic Director Jim Tolbert. “He has a proven record of success in helping build competitive football programs, both as a head coach and as an assistant.

“His skills as a leader and communicator were key factors in our selection as were his faith, character and family values.”

Though his teaching assignment at Montgomery Catholic has not yet been finalized, Shatzer is certified in Social Studies and Spanish. He was honored for teaching excellence in 2001 when he received the Time Warner Star Teacher of the Year Award for Union County.

Mike and his wife, Amy, have two sons, Luke (4) and Grant (2). They are members of St. James the Greater Catholic Church in Concord.

“My goals for the program are to unite our school, community and players in a way that will be memorable and enjoyable for everyone involved. We will work hard in the classroom, in the community and on the playing field, and we will represent our school and our program with the utmost respect,” said Shatzer.

The new coach will be in Montgomery April 23 to meet with players and coaches during the day and to meet the Montgomery Catholic community at a reception in the Dolly Barranco Center at 6:30 p.m.

He will begin organizing his coaching staff immediately and will be here to conduct spring football practice, which begins May 4.

Montgomery Catholic Honors Five State Qualifiers for Duke Talent Search

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School proudly honors five middle school students who have earned State Recognition for their SAT scores by the Duke Talent Identification Program.

The Duke University Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP) identifies academically talented seventh grade students in sixteen states across the Southeast, Midwest, and Southwest who have scored at the 95th percentile or above on standardized achievement tests. Montgomery Catholic had 17 middle school students who qualified to participate in the Duke TIP Program last fall with five students whose high scores qualified them for state recognition.

Montgomery Catholic students who will be honored at the Duke Talent Search State Recognition Ceremony held in May at the University of Alabama are Paige Barranco, Mandy Jones, Mary Janet McLaughlin, William Russell, and Maggie Ward.

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic Duke TIP State Recognition Honorees William Russell, Paige Barranco, Maggie Ward, Mary Janet McLaughlin, and Mandy Jones.

Kindergarten LIKES Green Eggs and Ham

Mrs. Burden's Kindergarten class at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School feasted on delicious green eggs and ham to celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday week! A special thanks to Charlie Philippou of Flip's Uptown Grill for providing the delicious treat!

Knight's Boys Track Finish Third at Capital City Junior High Competition

Ninth graders Skip Martin and Calvin Freeman led Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School in the Capital City Conference Junior High Track Championships on Monday, April 5, 2010, held at Montgomery Academy. Martin won the 1600 and 800 meter runs and anchored the second place 4x400 meter relay. Freeman won the 200 meters, was second in the 100 meters, and anchored the winning 4x100 meter relay. The Knights scored in every event the team entered and finished third in the team competition behind Alabama Christian Academy and Trinity Presbyterian School.

Ninth grader Conner Preston was second in the 400 meter dash and was also on the second place relay. Freshman Dylan Craig was third in the 100 meter, fifth in the 300 hurdles, and ran on the victorious 4x100 meter relay. In the field events, freshman Zach Hulcher placed fourth in the javelin, fifth in the shot put, and sixth in the discus.

In the girls' competition, the Lady Knights had strong performances in a fifth place team finish. Eighth grader MacKenzie Colvin took second in the 1600 meter run and anchored the third place 4x400 meter relay. Ninth grader Katherine Terino and eighth grader Sarabeth Parker also scored, third and sixth respectively, in the 1600 meter. Terino was also fifth in the 800 and anchored a fifth place 4x400 relay. Parker was also on the third place relay. Eighth grader Elizabeth Jackson took bronze in the 400 meter dash and ran on the third place relay. The Knights Track teams are coached by Ed Wright, John Terino and Shelby Soukup.

Pictured: Montgomery Catholic track team member Skip Martin.