Don't Miss a single moment of the best prep coverage in South Carolina in print and on the web! Two For ONE!
Get HSSR ONLINE AND 12 Issues of The Sports Report FOR ONE Price $40! Click here to subscribe online!

click to return home page

click to return schools page

Volunteer coaches keep Bishop England athletics on top

By David Shelton

Staff Writer

Charleston – With a strong foundation and a large alumni base, Bishop England High athletic director Paul Runey has little trouble finding people to help out when the need arises.

Runey says volunteerism is alive and well at Bishop England. The attitude of giving extends to the field of competition as Runey estimates that nearly 90 percent of those who coach sports at the school are volunteers.

“We have only a handful of coaches who actually teach or work here at the school,” said Runey. “We rely heavily on people to volunteer their time and energy to help our program succeed. We’ve been real fortunate in that respect. We are able to find good people who care a lot about our school and these kids, and they are knowledgeable in their respective sport. The important factor is they are willing to give back.”

Runey recently had to hire a new boy’s basketball coach when Jeff Dibattisto decided to pursue other opportunities. The athletic director looked no farther than Bryan Grevey, who was a volunteer assistant on the staff.

“He’s ready to take over and he will do a good job with that program,” said Runey.

Taking over the boy’s tennis program next spring is Allen Moore, who is not employed by the school.

Runey says the school also plans to hire a new golf coach, who will also be a volunteer from the community with a background in the sport as an instructor and player.

The remaining members of the varsity coaching staff should return for the 2010-11 school year, according to Runey.

Heading up the girl’s tennis program will be former player Kristen Fleming, who took over the program last fall. Returning for their second year as lacrosse coaches are Jeff Weiner and Bay Burch. Weiner coaches the girl’s team while Burch heads up the boy’s program.

Runey will return in his role as the girl’s basketball coach while Tony Colizzi will be back to direct the highly successful cross country and track programs.

Speaking of success, the volleyball team has won 10 consecutive state titles and coach Cindy Baggott will return as coach this fall.

Bill Collier will head up the baseball program once again while Mark Pender handles the softball program. Paul Spence is the wrestling coach and Rose Van Metre is the coach of the boy’s and girl’s swim teams.

Returning in soccer will be veteran Ed Khouri (boy’s) and Dave Snyder (girl’s). John Cantey returns as the head varsity football coach this fall.

“We had a pretty successful year last year and we certainly expect big things from our athletes this coming year,” said Runey. “We didn’t win as many state championships as we would like but we were very competitive and pretty close in several sports. We’re looking to win a few more this year.”

Bishop England won the volleyball state title last fall. The girl’s basketball team lost in the lower state finals and the boy’s soccer team lost in the state finals. The boy’s cross country team won the AA state title and the girl’s team was fifth.

The track teams each finished third in the state AA meet and the baseball team and tennis teams were strong contenders but came up a little short. The boy’s and girl’s tennis teams each lost in the lower state finals.

The boy’s swim team was 13th in the AAA/AA state meet but was the second best AA finisher in the meet. The girl’s were the top AA finisher and eighth overall.

 

 

 

1.5 assists per game.
"Walker is a really good tennis player," DiBattisto said. "He's a jack of all trades. We need to get him to rebound a little more consistently. He can shoot it."
Leading the team in assists is junior guard Evan Solomon, who is averaging 2.2 assists per game.
The team's other starter is Mikell Fosberry.
"He's great defensively," DiBattisto said. "He's a tough, hard-nosed kid. He isn't afraid to get into somebody. That's where he really helps us."
Other members of the team include freshman guard Nick Theos, sophomore guard Glenn Lewis, sophomore guard Andrew Bunch, junior guard Matthew Puckhaber, sophomore forward Harold McGill, senior forward James Shahid, junior guard Christian Graham and sophomore forward Andrew Thatcher.
During the holiday break, Bishop England will be competing in the Hilton Head Ocean Front Classic.
"I think it's a great experience for us," DiBattisto said. "Having to play three games back-to-back-to-back means we're going to have to get into our bench. Every team is going to need to have a bench to win three games in three days. That's the No. 1 thing. The No. 2 thing is to win it."
Of course, one thing DiBattisto doesn't fret about is his team's handling of new surroundings. That's because during the preseason, the Bishops traveled to New York City and scrimmaged Ridge View at Madison Square Garden.
"We've told our guys there really shouldn't be anything at Bishop England that makes them nervous," DiBattisto said. "If they can play in Madison Square Garden, they can probably play anywhere. They're not allowed to use nerves or unfamiliar territory as an excuse for the rest of their careers."

Lady Bishops also off to 5-1 start
Charleston  (12/22/09) Bishop England is off to a 5-1 start this season. The Bishops have defeated Northwood Academy (48-46), St. John's (91-17 and 71-15), Academic Magnet (74-34) and Cardinal Newman (63-40).
Bishop England's lone blemish on the team's record was a narrow 71-70 loss to Class AAAA power Wando.
Leading the way for Bishop England has been senior forward Mallory Molony, a five-year starter for the Bishops.
Thus far, Molony is averaging 19.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 1.3 assists per game.
She's shooting 58 percent from the field, including a 35 percent shooting percentage from beyond the 3-point line. She's connected on 85 percent of her free throws.
The team's second leading scorer is Amber Corbett, a sophomore guard. Corbett is averaging 11.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.7 steals and 2.3 assists per game. She's shooting 54 percent from the field.
Also in double figures for Bishop England is junior forward Elizabeth Works, who is averaging 10.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and three steals per game, while shooting 60 percent from the field.
Sophomore point guard Katelyn Grisillo is averaging 5.2 assists per game, plus averages 3.3 points and 1.8 steals per game.
Sophomore forward Mary Wyman Moore is averaging 4.7 rebounds per game.
Other members of the varsity team include freshman forward Mia Kiernan, sophomore guard Megan Latorre, sophomore guard Jane Vardzel, senior guard Julianne Runey and senior forward Stephanie Collier.