Featured Story
St. Luke's Boys Varsity Squash: Season Preview
There is a new look to the St. Luke’s Boys Varsity Squash team with a number of new faces ready to take on the challenge for the 2018-19 season.
With many key players graduating last year, only co-captains Liam Patty ‘21 and Jack Conti ‘21 remain from the 2017-18 squad. Head coach Brian Mathias also returns and is looking forward to working with this group of players. He said, “We have a really young group of boys which is exciting as there are some kids who have played a good amount of squash. Everyone who has come out is really into it and seems to be pushing hard. The enthusiasm is high.”
The youth Mathias talks about is highlighted by 7th grader Angad Sethi who played his way onto the varsity roster during the preseason tryouts. “Sethi has been working really hard and set himself the goal of taking the bull by the horns to get ready,” Mathias said. “He did extremely well at the tryouts and earned himself a spot on the team. Including this year, he will have six seasons with St. Luke’s squash, which is very exciting. He’s a talented athlete with a good mindset and is a very hard worker.”
St. Luke’s will also have a fresh number one this season, James Kontulis ‘21, who is also a new member of the team after joining St. Luke’s in the fall. Mathias has been very impressed with what he has seen so far. “Kontulis is a very experienced squash player. He’s a great athlete, fun to watch and has a great attitude to the game,” he said.
Patty, despite only being a sophomore, is classed as a veteran on the team as he also made the varsity roster in 7th grade and will play in the number two position. “He is really coming into his own as a player and really focused on his game this fall to be ready for the season.” Mathias said; “He’s another person I am excited to see. He’s someone this season who I think is ready to really break out.”
This season also sees the introduction of an FAA tournament towards the end of the campaign and Mathias believes this will add even more excitement for the group; “The new FAA tournament is going to be very cool. No matter what happens this year it will be something we target in the future. For me, we need to create a pathway so the players can see the steps they need to take toward improvement and eventual success.”
Mathias is hoping to create a real team-first culture around St. Luke’s squash and is confident his two captains can help him achieve this goal; “Patty and Conti have been great and have set the bar very high. They have been very proactive and I want them to continue to set the tone creating a team atmosphere and chemistry among all the boys.”
The fifth-year coach knows this is no mean feat but also understands the importance of this for the players' development: “This can be very challenging in squash. The plays that you are making on the court don’t depend on anyone else. Preparing yourself to make those plays really does depend on your teammates though so just helping create that culture of working together in the practice sessions and supporting each other in the matches is truly beneficial. It is very real and just an extra leap of faith to get people to subscribe to that is going to be key. If we can get that chemistry right it improves the results and obviously improves the experience for everyone.”
St. Luke’s opened up the season with a hard-fought loss to Rye High School on Wednesday, December 5 but will be back on the courts to take on Darien High School on Monday, December 10 at 5:15pm.
St. Luke’s School is a secular (non-religious), private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5 through 12 serving over 35 towns in Connecticut and New York. Our exceptional academics and diverse co-educational community foster students’ intellectual and ethical development and prepare them for top colleges. St. Luke’s Center for Leadership builds the commitment to serve and the confidence to lead.
