Knight Runners Claim Crowns at Kudzu Hills Invitational

Montgomery Catholic juniors Katherine Terino and Jarrett Mason dominated their races at the Kudzu Hills Cross Country Invitational at Cold Springs High School in Bremen. The Meet features some of the best small school competition in Alabama on a challenging course marked by lots of hills.

In the girls race, Terino was one of the pre-race favorites along with Logan Ayres and Ayleana Mami from St. Bernard’s Prep, Cassi Still of host Cold Springs High School, Maaike Shelton of Pisgah, and 2010 runner-up, Rachel Stowe of Hatton. During the first half mile of the 5 km race, there was a lot of congestion in the front of the pack as a few of the girls attempted to control the pace. As the course widened, Still shot a gap between the top three runners and Terino went right with her. Finally able to run freely, Katherine accelerated down the hill leading to the one-mile mark and began building an insurmountable advantage. By the end of the race, Terino was almost a full minute ahead and broke the finish tape with fastest time ever run by a Lady Knight and the second fastest time ever run in the history of the race, 19:58.43.

Sophomore MacKenzie Colvin, like the rest of the girls’ team, ran her best race of the season to claim ninth in 22:34. Fellow classmate Tara Bourke finished in 57th in 29:21.74. Seventh grader Katie Lawrence, in only her second 5K race ever, was 54th in 28:08.14.

In the boys’ race, the Knights hoped to defend their team title from 2010. The primary challenge would be from 3-time 1A-2A state champion, Hatton, and host Cold Springs High. A fast race was expected since some of the best runners in the state were entered. Cold Spring High’s own Blake Clavert shot off the starting line and led the field in a fast opening pace. Racing Knights Jarrett Mason, Matt Pouncey, and Skip Martin followed in the lead pack. Close after them were sophomore Dylan Martin, freshman Tucker Wilkinson, and eighth grader Patrick Gregorius. In the next group were seventh graders Josh Davis, James Sadie, and Sullivan Fralish.

At the mile mark, junior Jarrett Mason stormed in to the lead and set a blistering pace. Pouncey and Martin responded by going with Mason’s surge. As the racers emerged from the kudzu, Jarrett had lengthened his lead to almost 30 seconds and Pouncey was in hot pursuit of runners from Cold Springs and Hatton. As they sped to the finish line, Mason crossed the line in 17:16.11 to claim first. Pouncey cruised in at 17:35.66 for fourth and Skip finished in 18:21.02 for sixth. The team scoring for the Knights was rounded out by Tucker Wilkinson’s new personal record of 19:20.44 for 23rd and Patrick Gregorius nailing down 39th in 20:29.18. Hatton won the meet with 49 points and Catholic had to settle for second with 63 points (low score wins in Cross Country).

Jarrett Mason’s time was the tenth fastest ever recorded in the history of the meet. It was also the fastest time ever run by a Knight on the course. Almost every Catholic runner ran their best time for the year. Both teams head to the Jesse Owens Invitational on the same course in Oakville that will host the State Meet in November.

Montgomery Catholic Band Members Named to Montgomery Youth Orchestra

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School Band members Will Brunson and Brian Lee were recently selected as the newest members of the Montgomery Youth Orchestra, which is sponsored by the Montgomery Symphony League.  Musically talents students from all over the River Region auditioned for 80 seats in the youth orchestra.  Will, a sophomore, plays the tuba while Brian, an eighth grade student, plays the clarinet.  Both Will and Brian participate in the Montgomery Catholic Band program.

Catholic's Kevin Norris Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School proudly announces Kevin Norris as a National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist.  Kevin is the son of Larry and Stacey Norris of Montgomery.  Kevin will have the opportunity to compete for some 8,300 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $34 million that will be offered next spring.  Today officials of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced the names of approximately 16,000 Semifinalists in the 57th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. The preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test serves as an initial screening of program entrants. In addition to the test scores, the student's academic record, community involvement, leadership ability, and personal essay are considered when determining semifinalists. About 90 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the title of Merit Scholar.


Pictured:  Montgomery Catholic's National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist Kevin Norris.

Class of 2024 Enjoys First Annual "Cookies with Kindergarten"

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School hosted their first "Cookies with Kindergarten" for the class of 2024 just before school began.  All kindergarten students were invited to enjoy cookies and juice while getting familiar with their new classroom before the first day of school.  Mrs. Redden and Mrs. Wilson greeted the students as they entered, distributed nametags, and introduced the students to their new classmates. 

The students were encouraged to explore the classroom, play in the interactive stations, climb into the reading lofts, and get familiar with the classroom computers.  Parent anxieties about the first day of school were also eased as they met new friends and saw how excited the children were in their new setting. 

Pictured:  Kindergarten student Luke Shatzer enjoys getting familiar with the computer in Mrs. Redden's class at Montgomery Catholic at "Cookies with Kindergarten."

Catholic's Terino Captures Title at Montevallo Early Bird Classic

MONTEVALLO, Ala. - Katherine Terino became the second runner in as many races for the Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School Knights to capture an individual title this week, as she crossed the line first at the Montevallo Early Bird Classic Saturday.

Terino outran 148 other runners to the finish line, crossing the line in a time of 21:21.80; almost a full second ahead of runner-up Jordan Richmond of Holy Spirit. The finish was the second consecutive top-two finish for Terino as she finished second at the Capital City Conference Opening Meet on Thursday.

On the boy's side, Jarrett Mason finished sixth overall out of 219 runners with a time of 17:51.38, finishing 18 seconds out of first place. Tucker Wilkinson narrowly missed finishing in the top 50, crossing the line 53rd in a time of 20:32.72.

Meanwhile, in the middle school division, Katie Lawrence finished 40th overall on the girl's side in a time of 16:39.67. On the boy's side, James Sadie led a trio of Knights in the top 50 as he finished 29th overall with a time of 12:28.52. He finished just ahead of teammate Patrick Gregorius in a time of 12:31.59.

Catholic's Josh Davis rounded out the trio with a time of 12:59.41 and a 44th place finish.

Knights Charge at Capital City Conference Kick Off Classic

The Montgomery area High School Cross Country Season had its official start Thursday at Montgomery Academy. The Racing Knights performed well as individuals, but came up short in the team competition.

In the Boys Varsity, junior Jarrett Mason executed a brilliant race plan and bested the finest field that ever ran at the venue. Mason let other runners dictate a fast early pace as the course circled the MA track and plunged onto the grass separating the baseball and softball fields. As the runners negotiated the hill behind the baseball field, Jarrett steadily climbed through the pack. When the pack hit the mile mark in under six minutes, Jarrett hit the accelerator and surged into the lead at the halfway point. He continued to add to his lead throughout most of the rest of the race. Meanwhile, sophomore Matt Pouncey also had been skirting his way through the pack. As the leaders turned for home and stepped onto the soccer infield for the final yards, Mason maintained his advantage all the way to the tape and the victory. Pouncey unleashed a devastating final kick and surged away from his closest pursuers to claim second place. Freshman Tucker Wilkinson grabbed 15th in a personal best time. Middle school students Patrick Gregorius, James Sadie, and Josh Davis rounded out the scoring for the Knights.

Jarret set a new course record by 15 seconds with his 11:06 finishing time. Matt was right behind in 11:07 as the first four runners all bested the old mark. Tucker’s 12:29 would have placed 10th last year.

For the Girls Varsity, a very fast competitive race was expected and the athletes delivered. Junior Katherine Terino led all the Lady Knights with her second place finish. She chased Taylor Gerard, the winner from MA, but could not close the gap in the last half mile of the two-mile race. Gerard broke the course record, but Terino established a new personal best over the course. Sophomore MacKenzie Colvin finished 16th in 14:41. Seventh grader Katie Lawrence shaved 20 seconds off her previous best by clocking 18:27. Tara Bourke, in her first race, out sprinted an opponent from BTW Magnet in 22:02.

MA claimed both team titles, scoring a perfect 15 to win the girls meet. The Catholic Boys claimed third behind MA and LAMP.

Pictured:  Montgomery Catholic Boys Cross Country team members Skip Martin, Tucker Wilkinson, Jarrett Mason, James Sadie, Matt Pouncey, Josh Davis, and Patrick Gregorius at the Capital City Classic meet.