Loyola Blakefield - Athletics

Athletics

The sports teams at Loyola Blakefield have been historically successful, most notably in football, lacrosse, swimming, basketball, and cross-country. Loyola Blakefield competes in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) for all interscholastic sports; in addition to the MIAA, the basketball team is also a member of the Baltimore Catholic League.

The Loyola Blakefield football team also plays every Thanksgiving Day in one of the oldest continual national Catholic high school football rivalries against cross-town rival Calvert Hall College. The game, known as the Turkey Bowl, is held at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Loyola had won the last six contests before being defeated by Calvert Hall in 2009 and 2010. The game is broadcast on television and radio by WMAR-TV.

The Loyola lacrosse program is among the school's most recognized. The lacrosse team won eight championships in the 1980s and recently won championships in 2001, 2007, and 2008. In 2007, they defeated Boys' Latin 10-6 in the MIAA championship game. In 2008, they defeated previously undefeated Gilman 12-11 in the championship game at Towson University's Johnny Unitas Stadium in front of over 8,000 spectators. Loyola has produced numerous players who have continued on to play collegiate lacrosse, including National Lacrosse Hall of Famer John Stewart, and Peter Kimmel. Recent alumni Matt Pinto and Tim Sullivan are now amongst a talented teaching staff.

The soccer program won the Maryland Championship in 2001 and has produced Division I talent. Loyola soccer is currently coached by Lee Tschantret, a former longtime player in the Major Indoor Soccer League who won several championships with the Baltimore Blast.

The Loyola basketball program reached regional prominence in the 1970s when it was led by head coach Jerry Savage, who won over 600 games from 1969 to 2003. He produced several Division I players. Savage also coached the 1997 MIAA Championship team, the last championship of any sort for the Dons basketball program. Loyola has been in the most Baltimore Catholic League finals with 13 total and 6 championships. More recently, the program had several disappointing seasons and experienced a four-year period with four different head coaches. Currently, Josh Davalli, a former All-Metro player at Cardinal Gibbons in the mid-90's, serves as varsity head coach while also teaching in the Middle School.

Cross country running and Track and field have recently gotten a turn in the spotlight, with some of the best athletes in the United States for high school.