St. Mary’s Athletic Director and Girls Basketball Coach Jeff Newhall says the school’s culture is all about family. Calling St. Mary’s a “special place,” chalk up yet another accomplishment to the school – this one in the realm of athletics.
For St. Mary’s Athletics, it’s been 16 consecutive years with at least one state championship, and 19 out of 20 spanning across eight different sports.
“It’s definitely something that everyone here, all of our athletes are aware of,” Newhall said. “It always comes up around August when we start coming back to campuses. What team is going to keep the streak alive?”
No pun intended, the success has been a team effort. From fans, coaches, players, parents, and the rest of the community, Newhall credits the entire Spartan faithful.
“We get great home court support – whether it be at Manning Field, or in our home gym, or in our own rink,” Newhall said. “Our kids are used to playing in that environment, and quite frankly, I’m not sure if some of the opponents that we play are really ready for that sense of community, sense of family, sense of camaraderie that comes with playing us.”
To Newhall, there are a few reasons for the success – one being that students and families choose St. Mary’s not only for its athletics, but also its academics.
“What makes us really attractive is we have a very good academic program, we have a very good athletic program, and our kids are going on to very good schools academically, and they’re going on to schools, in a lot more cases than ever, on athletic scholarships,” Newhall said.
He added that the true meaning of student-athlete is getting a “high level experience in the classroom and the athletic arena.” With that definition in mind, it’s safe to say the building on Tremont St. has obliged.
“We’ve won numerous titles, but we have kids going to grade schools, we have kids with great GPAs, we have kids going to get scholarships to go play athletically at high levels,” Newhall said.
Another reason for the success: coaching – not only with X’s and O’s, but in the community. Newhall highlighted that many Spartan coaches have strong attachments to the school they represent.
“We have a number of alums who coach these teams that we’re speaking of,” Newhall said. “It’s not like these people didn’t have some type of affiliation with the school.”
Mark Lee (boys hockey), David Brown (boys basketball), and Newhall (girls basketball) are just a few examples of alums who coach.
“It is extremely challenging to find good, qualified coaches across the board,” Newhall said. “We’re lucky that a lot of them want to come back here and work.”
Some schools thrive on just the field, or just the court, but St. Mary’s seems to thrive on any playing surface. Whether it’s the fall, winter, or spring, you can almost always count on a St. Mary’s team being in the mix come playoff time.
“The streak is one thing, but when you see the amount of programs that have been involved in that – eight different teams. I think that’s maybe as impressive, if not more impressive, than 16 straight years,” Newhall said.
The streak began during Newhall’s first year as St. Mary’s athletic director. He says the school has “added about eight different sports and probably up to 20 different teams” in that span as well.
The most recent championship came from the St. Mary’s football team just weeks ago at Gillette Stadium, and with winter sports underway, the Spartan faithful hopes this year can come with a bit more gold.
Yearly winners below:
2022-23 Football
2021-22 Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball
2020-21 Baseball
2019-20 Girls Basketball
2018-19 Baseball, Golf
2017-18 Golf
2016-17 Boys Hockey, Golf
2015-16 Boys Basketball
2014-15 Baseball
2013-14 Girls Basketball
2012-13 Girls Hockey
2011-12 Boys Basketball
2010-11 Girls Basketball
2009-10 Girls Hockey, Softball
2008-09 Girls Hockey, Softball
2007-08 Girls Hockey
