St. Jerome School clinches the championship

St. Jerome Elementary School's Seventh Grade Boys Basketball Team beams with excitement after winning the Mater Dei Mayhem Basketball Championship.

After only their second year back in CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) sports, St. Jerome School won the Mater Dei Mayhem Seventh Grade Boys Basketball Championship.

With a 12 and 2 season, the seventh grade boys triumphed against West Park Catholic Academy, 34 to 30.

Matt Galinac, the seventh-grade boys head coach, said that the team came into the season with the goal of winning a championship.

“I told them that if they wanted to win a championship, they could do it if they worked hard,” Galinac said.

Galinac is a graduate of St. Jerome Elementary School. He said the school has always held a special place in his heart and that is why he returned to coach. Galinac also lead the 2005 eighth-grade boys’ basketball team to a championship as well. Galinac attributes this team’s success to hard-work, dedication, and team work.

“These kids are a really close-knit group,” Galinac said. “They get along well together and are mentally tough.”

Jason Williams, one of the championship team’s leading scorers and point guard, said he credits the success the team has had to having a great coach.

“If we were ever down, he always told us that no team could beat us,” Williams said. “That made us feel confident that we really could win if we tried our best.”

 Williams, who has been playing basketball for four years, said that the trust that his teammates have also was an important key to leading them to a championship.

“We know we can count on each other out there on the court,” Williams said. “That is what helped us to be successful and win the championship.”

Raphael Reynolds, who is also a point guard for the team, made the game winning free-throws in the final seconds of the game. This is the second championship team that he has been on in his six years playing basketball. 

Reynolds said he felt nervous before the game, but once the game began, he knew what needed to be done.

“I was confident that our team could win,” Reynolds said. “We had worked really hard all season and I knew it was going to pay off.”

Reynolds, who will be attending St. Jerome School in the eighth grade, looks forward to repeating the team’s championship success next year.

“I know that we can do it again,” he said.

Sue Coan, the St. Jerome Elementary School Principal, beamed with excitement and pride when talking about the seventh-grade boys’ team.

“They have made all of us so proud here at St. Jerome School,” Coan said. “We are very excited about their success and we look forward to next season when we can cheer them on again.”

Chanelle McCloud is a teacher at St. Jerome Elementary SchooL, and is also the co-founder of Professchanelle Inspiraytion.