The 2017-2018 school year marked the 60th Anniversary for Servite High School and another opportunity to continue the tradition of athletic excellence on campus. Championships were won and records were broken as our current Friars left their mark in Servite’s storied athletic history.
Golf won back-to-back CIF-SS Championships and their third in the last four years while tallying their 5th consecutive Trinity League title. Seniors Kyle Kinnane (LMU) and Jack Rahon (Seattle) led the Friars’ championship run going 39-1 in league play and 87-2 overall during their Servite careers with two undefeated seasons. They also set a new Servite record for lowest round shooting 13 under as a team blowing away their previous record of seven under set in 2016.
In keeping pace with Golf, Soccer also won their 5th consecutive Trinity League title while Coach Jon Spencer tallied his 100th career win with the Friars. Track and Field earned Trinity League title No. 2 while Wrestling brought home two CIF-SS Runner-Up plaques led by newly inducted members of the California Wrestling Hall of Fame, Coach Alan Clinton and Coach Tony Okada.
The opening of the Father Kevin Fitzpatrick Aquatics Center brought excitement to the pool deck as Water Polo advanced to the CIF-SS Division 3 Semifinals and four Servite swimmers earned CIF State berths! Standout sophomore Guillermo Ocasio and senior Jon Lien (LMU) earned 1st Team All-CIF honors in Water Polo while junior swimmer Christian Martinez set new school and league records in the 50 Free in addition to anchoring the 200 Free relay that posted the fastest time in league history on their way to State!
Thirty-one student-athletes made commitments to continue their academic and athletic careers at the collegiate level including two-sport phenom Julius Irvin (Washington) who was named the Servite, Trinity League and OCADA (Orange County Athletics Directors Association) Athlete of the Year. In Track, he set records in the 100 and the 4×100 relay and was named 1st Team All-Orange County in Football. Oregon-bound Pitcher Christian Ciuffetelli was selected Trinity League Pitcher of the Year after throwing a no-hitter versus Mater Dei while Hayden Rodenbeck (Utah) earned Trinity League MVP honors becoming the first lacrosse player in Servite history to be recognized with the accolade.
It was also a big year for alumni as Equanimeous St. Brown ’15 was drafted by the Green Bay Packers joining fellow Friars Ryan Kalil ’03 (Panthers), Matthew Slater ’03 (Patriots), Matt Kalil ’08 (Panthers) and Troy Niklas ’11 (Patriots) in the NFL. Patrick Cantlay ’10 notched his 1st PGA Tour title in November winning the Shriner’s Cup after a two-hole playoff while Chris Pontius ’05 returned to Southern California after signing with the Los Angeles Galaxy in January.
With a tradition of success deeply rooted in Servite history, only time will tell how the legacy will continue over the next 60 years.
