The Athletic Achievements of Former St. Mary’s Crusaders

Michael Pasquella
November 14, 2018

Today, I will delve into a subject that I believe has not received the recognition that it deserves.  A certain extraordinary species that has been breeding from a certain common ground. Today, I shine light on the successful athletes that have emerged from the small private School of St. Mary in Lake Forest Illinois.  I will purely focus on the graduating class of 2015, my class, as our athletic achievements are more than enough to pack an article with.

The SMS graduating class of 2015 consisted of 50 students.  27 students attended LFHS, 25 of which participated in sports. 14 continued on to the varsity level.

St. Mary’s Crusaders turned LFHS Varsity Athletes

  • Tommy Hanson – Varsity Football, Varsity Basketball
  • Jack Bender – Varsity Basketball, Varsity Track
  • Will Freeman – Varsity Football
  • Thomas Burden – Varsity Track
  • Kellie Jean Camardo -Varsity Poms
  • Bridget Eckland – Varsity Cross Country
  • Kevin Halloran – Varsity Football
  • Carlos Minetti – Varsity Swimming
  • Michael Pasquella – Varsity Basketball
  • Eddie Scheidler – Varsity Football
  • John Torosian – Varsity Golf, Varsity Swimming
  • Sam Davis – Varsity Golf
  • Jacob Trevino – Varsity Golf
  • Clare Green – Varsity Golf

As you can see, the Crusaders cover a variety of sports in LFHS.  To start the Scouts quarterback this year was a former Crusader.

When quarterback James Swarthout fell injured in game four of the Scouts season, SMS graduate Tommy Hanson was the next man up for the job.  Hanson took advantage of his opportunity and lead the Scouts to a 3-2 record as the starter, including a thrilling victory over the Stevenson Patriots to conclude the regular season. Other Crusaders to tear up the football field include seniors Kevin Halloran, Eddie Scheidler, and Will Freeman.  Scheidler and Hanson recently received First Team All-Conference Honors, a very competitive and respectable award.

The Boys Varsity Basketball team has three former Crusaders on its tight roster: Tommy Hanson, Michael Pasquella(myself), and Jack Bender.  The three of us should all play significant roles this season for the Scouts and are bound to grind out a successful season.

Varsity Captain Poms dancer Kellie Jean Camardo has been on the varsity roster for three years now.  She will look to lead the highly competitive team to nationals this year.

Jacob Trevino, John Torosian, and Sam Davis all are varsity golf members who recently wrapped up a brilliant season, finishing fourth in state.  Sam Davis was an elected captain of the team, where he displayed leadership skills which could only be learned at the School of St. Mary’s.  Sam also will be taking his talents to Denison University where he will display his crusader spirit at a collegiate level.  Clare Green has also represented the Crusaders as a three-year varsity player on the girl’s golf team.

If you thought that Crusaders were purely terrestrial beings, you would be sorely mistaken.  Crusaders are aquatic creatures as well. Carlos Minetti has proven this as he has thrived in the varsity swimming program at LFHS since he was a freshman.  He has successfully swum at sectionals every year since his sophomore year. He and fellow Crusader John Torosian make up ⅔ of the 2018-2019 varsity swim captains.  

The impact of former SMS Crusaders on LFHS is indisputable, but successful Crusaders extend beyond these schools walls.  Of the 2015 graduating class, 27/50 students have played varsity athletics across all schools. Some of the greatest successes outside LFHS include Patrick Cronin, a 3-year varsity lacrosse player at Loyola.  Another Loyola student Lauryn Repp committed to The University of Denver her sophomore year to play lacrosse and will continue representing the Crusaders nationwide.

Hockey phenom Henry Carlson left LFHS after his junior year to pursue his hockey career at The Governor’s Academy, a boarding school in Massachusetts.  In the past, he has won an unbelievable four Illinois state championships. He has recently played for Team Illinois and the Chicago Young Americans where his teams have been ranked top 10 in the country and have been invited to multiple national championships.  Henry does a phenomenal job representing SMS and all of us wish him the best from home.

The Crusaders are not even held back by the borders of our nation, however, as sailor Finn Rowe has aspirations of attending the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo with his partner Harry Melges.  Finn moved to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin after his freshman year at LFHS to be closer to his dream. He has toured the U.S. and most recently Europe this past summer competing in sailing competitions.

Across all schools, 26 SMS 2015 graduates played varsity sports.  Therefore, to all the parents with young children reading this article, if you want to raise an athlete, I highly recommend choosing the School of St. Mary for your child’s primary and middle school education.  God must be sprinkling down some athleticism on students attending SMS, or maybe he hides it in the wine at weekly mass, but for one thing is for certain. The School of St. Mary breeds athletes.