St. Thomas Episcopal finishes second in TAPPS' Henderson Cup
1. St. Thomas Episcopal finishes second in TAPPS' Henderson
Cup
Photo: Jerry Baker, Freelance
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Andrew Hawk of St. Thomas Episcopal High School competes at the Houston Christian Invitational.
Freelance photo by Jerry Baker
Photo: Jerry Baker, Freelance
St. Thomas Episcopal finishes second in TAPPS' Henderson Cup
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When George Alderete announced his retirement earlier this year, he had the perfect parting gift in
mind.
Alderete, St. Thomas Episcopal's athletic director since 2006, wanted his school to claim the
Henderson Cup, a combined sports and academics competition sponsored by the Texas Association
of Private and Parochial Schools.
"Winning the Cup would have been the perfect way to go out," said Alderete, who has been at St.
Thomas Episcopal for 11 years and has coached softball and other sports. STE won the Henderson
Cup in the 2010-2011 school year.
Instead, St. Thomas Episcopal ranked second overall in TAPPS' Class 3A division during the 2012-13
school year. Bullard The Brook Hill won the Henderson Cup with 73 points, just two better than St.
Thomas Episcopal's 71.
St. Thomas Episcopal file
Year to remember: St. Thomas Episcopal finished second in the Henderson Cup, the Texas
Association of Private and Parochial Schools' combined sports and academic competition. St.
Thomas Episcopal was only two points behind Bullard The Brook Hill in Class 3A.
2. Familiar finishes: St. Thomas Episcopal won state championships in boys cross country and girls
swimming and diving for the fourth straight year. Other highlights included a state runner-up
showing in girls tennis and Final Four appearances in boys basketball and boys soccer.
Parting shot: George Alderete recently retired as the school's athletic director. Alderete spent 11
years at the school, including seven in charge of the athletic department. He also previously coached
softball and assisted with other sports.
"To come that close and not win the trophy hurts, but it was still a phenomenal year," Alderete said.
St. Thomas Episcopal was in the lead until Bullard The Brook Hill grabbed the TAPPS Class 3A state
baseball title during the final week.
The odds were clearly stacked against St. Thomas Episcopal, which doesn't field baseball, football,
softball and wrestling teams. St. Thomas Episcopal was forced to take a few zeroes, according to
Alderete.
"It came down to baseball and softball, which are two sports we don't offer," Alderete said. "It's
unfortunate, but we knew it was a possibility."
But it takes nothing away from what St. Thomas Episcopal student/athletes accomplished over the
past school year.
St. Thomas Episcopal won state championships in boys cross country and girls swimming and diving
for the fourth consecutive year.
"Boys cross country and girls swimming have been our two signature sports," Alderete said.
Coach Brett Ramsey has built a boys cross country dynasty, with St. Thomas Episcopal reeling off
another TAPPS Class 3A state crown. Senior Andrew Hawk finished second individually. He was one
of six St. Thomas Episcopal runners in the top 15, joining senior Anthony Adames, juniors Tom
Landers and Andrew Calvert and sophomores Benton Graves and Matthew Hrncir.
"What they have been able to achieve is just amazing," Alderete said.
St. Thomas Episcopal captured the girls Division III aquatics crown on the strength of victories in
the 200- and 400-yard freestyle relays and a second-place finish in the 200 medley relay. Team
members included senior Colleen Chen, junior Rebecca Hawk, sophomores Kelley McGough and
Amanda Schneider and freshmen Molly Egan and Hannah Hawk. McGough was the lone individual
medalist, finishing second in the 200 freestyle.
Alderete diverted much of the credit to former head coach Helena Finley, who stepped down last
year but handed the program over to Josh Hawk, her assistant coach and a St. Thomas Episcopal
alum.
3. "Helena got it all started, but kudos to Josh for keeping the streak going," Alderete said.
St. Thomas Episcopal, coached by Carrie Bastin, nearly added its third state title in girls tennis but
settled for runner-up. Freshman Stephanie Adames came in second in girls singles, while
sophomores Anastasia Grilley and Alexandria Reeves reached the semifinals in girls doubles. Other
state qualifiers included the girls doubles duo of juniors Cimron Kashap and Katherine Ware.
"Five of our top six players are coming back," Alderete said. "We have a shot to win state in girls
tennis next year."
St. Thomas Episcopal placed third in the state in girls golf - the highest finish in the program's
history. Sophomore Anoosha Anupindi was seventh overall to lead the way.
Alderete said Skip Westfall, the school's head golf coach, has made steady progress over the past
decade.
Another highlight was St. Thomas Episcopal's run to the TAPPS Class 3A State Boys Basketball
Tournament. Although St. Thomas Episcopal fell to The Woodlands Christian 72-53 in the state
semifinals, it was the school's maiden Final Four appearance. Meanwhile, senior guard Jalen Twine,
who will play collegiately next season at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va., was a
first-team, all-state selection.
4. Alderete brought in Chris Twine as St. Thomas Episcopal's boys hoops coach a few years ago. It is
looking a smart hire.
"Fortunately, I've been able to bring in some excellent coaches, like Chris," Alderete said. "Most of
them are part-time, stipend coaches, like myself. They coach because they love what they do."
St. Thomas Episcopal enjoyed another stellar season in boys soccer, advancing to state but falling to
eventual champion Colleyville Covenant Christian 4-0 in the TAPPS Division III semifinals. St.
Thomas Episcopal, coached by the legendary Dragos Manga, had five all-state selections - senior
goalkeeper Joseph Franklin, junior defender Andrew Listi and junior forward Michael Nolte on the
first team and junior midfielder Brian Diaz and senior defender Peter Mickael on the second team.
But St. Thomas Episcopal barely missed a trip to state in girls soccer, losing to Austin Veritas
Academy 4-3 in the regional finals.
St. Thomas Episcopal also placed fourth in girls cross country. Junior Emma Durain placed ninth to
set the pace.
The boys tennis team took fifth at state as senior Benjamin Belfort and junior Eric Yang advanced to
the boy doubles finals. St. Thomas Episcopal placed sixth in boys swimming and diving and also
qualified for the girls basketball playoffs, losing a nail-biter to Bay Area Christian 52-49 in the first
round.
St. Thomas Episcopal ended the year with a sixth-place effort in boys track and field. Calvert,
though, won the 800-meter run and was second in the 400. Andrew Hawk, who plays to run at
Stephen F. Austin University next year, also had a pair of third-place finishes in the 1,600 and 3,200,
while senior Stephen Mason was second in the shot put.
In addition, St. Thomas Episcopal won state in instrumental music and scored valuable points in art.
Alderete said it wasn't an easy decision to leave St. Thomas Episcopal, but his other work
commitments made it impossible to continue. Alderete has been employed by the Houston Police
Department for 35 years.
"I recently joined a federal task force and I couldn't hold two jobs and do them both justice,"
Alderete said.
Alderete informed St. Thomas Episcopal Headmaster Michael Cusack about his impending departure
a few months ago.
"It was tough because Michael and I have become good friends," Alderete said. "I'll always love St.
Thomas Episcopal. My wife and two daughters went there and it's been like a second home to me."
Alderete is confident that his successor, Clayton Harrell from Sugar Land Logos Prep, will excel.
Harrell will arrive on campus in early June.
"When I took over, our sports program was at the bottom of the (Henderson Cup) standings. This
year, we almost won it," Alderete said. "I expect Clayton to take St. Thomas Episcopal to the next
level. If he needs my help, I'm always here for him."
