Lancaster Catholic High School
Encyclopedia
Lancaster Catholic High School is a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

 co-educational high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...

, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The school is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg
Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg covers 15 counties of South Central Pennsylvania: Adams, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder, Union and York. The seat of the bishop is in St...

 secondary schools.

Academics

The school is coeducational and runs on a traditional quarter system. As a parochial school, LCHS requires all students to take one credit (full-year course) of religious study for each year of their duration at the school. LCHS offers classes from academic to honor, AP classes, college prep level, and college transfer credit classes.

Good Samaritan Program

Service is an integral part of the educational process at Lancaster Catholic High School. The Good Samaritan Program has been established for all students to foster the proclamation of the Gospel, and to form good habits of service to others. The Good Samaritan Program is being promoted with two goals in mind: first, to help fulfill the needs of many community and civic organizations, as well as churches and parishes, who rely on volunteer hours to accomplish many of their own goals; and second, to give ALL students at Lancaster Catholic High School an opportunity to be OF SERVICE to the Church, school, and community.

Each student, as approved by Lancaster Catholic High School Board policy, will be required to perform 20 hours of non-remunerated (no salary or wages) service to school, church, or community per year. Accredited service must be performed at an approved location or have the approval of the Director of Service.

Athletics

LCHS is a member of the Lancaster-Lebanon League as part of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association
Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, Inc. is one of the governing bodies of high school and junior high school sports for the state of Pennsylvania, United States....

 in Section 4 (Section 2 or 3 in some sports).

PIAA Sports

  • Men's/Women's Basketball
    Basketball
    Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

  • Men's/Women's Soccer
  • Men's/Women's Track and Field
    Track and field
    Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...

  • Men's/Women's Cross Country
    Cross country running
    Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...

  • Men's/Women's Swimming/Diving
    Diving
    Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...

  • Men's/Women's Tennis
    Tennis
    Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...

  • Men's Golf
    Golf
    Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....

     (Open To Women)
  • Men's Bowling
    Bowling
    Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...

     (Open To Women)
  • Men's Wrestling
    Wrestling
    Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...

  • Men's Football
    American football
    American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

  • Men's Baseball
    Baseball
    Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

  • Women's Softball
    Softball
    Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...

  • Women's Field Hockey
    Field hockey
    Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...


Football

There is a history when it comes to the football program at LCHS. Beginning in 1950 when the team posted a 7-1-1 record and won the Central Penn Catholic Football League Championship, to the Edward Maley and Ben Charles (USC) guided 1956 Central Penn Catholic Football League Championship team which compiled a 10-0 record and the days of James Paul (1961–64) the first alumni to play in the NFL with the Denver Broncos, there has been a tradition of excellence when it comes to the football program.

In 1974, LCHS, led by phil kirchner and bob gramola, won the highly competitive Tri-County Football League Championship. It would be the last championship until a group of athletes under the guidance of coach Joe Mack and running back Chris Hogarth (William and Mary) Tom Berger (Duke), Steve France (Ohio State), and Eric Baumgardner(Syracuse) to mention a few, returned the team to glory in the 1980s. The 1982 team won the inaugural District III AA title, and the 1983 team won a second consecutive title. That team beat a Bishop McDevitt team that was led by James Bryant (Ohio State), Sean Barowski (Penn State), and future NFL running back Ricky Watters(ND) 7-6.

In 1998, the team won a Section III title under the guidance of coach Tony DiPaolo, whose 156-97-6 record over a twenty-five-year coaching career makes him the winningest football coach in school history. After returning to the gridiron in 1993, DiPaolo stepped down in 2001. His teams consistently fronted strong defensive squads and captured the 1982 and 1983 District 3 Championships.

In 2003, Bruce Harbach took over for the Crusader football program. Through the 2008 season, his overall record stands at 63-22. During his tenure as Head Coach, the Crusaders have appeared in the District 3 AA playoffs 5 straight years. His teams appeared in 4 of the last 5 District 3 AA Championship games from 2004–08, taking home 2 gold medals in 2005 & 2008. The Crusaders made their first ever State playoff appearance in 2005 and in 2008 Catholic advanced to the Eastern Finals and State semi-finals losing to Philadelphia West Catholic. The Crusaders have won 4 straight Lancaster/Lebanon League Section 3 titles, have gone undefeated in the regular season in 2005 & 2006 (10-0) and set school records by recording the most wins in a season during the 2008 campaign at 13-2. Bruce has been named Lancaster/Lebanon League Section 3 Coach of the Year by his peers three times (2005, 06, & 07). Lancaster Catholic won 24 regular season games from 2004 to 2007. The Crusaders have won 34 of 35 Section 3 L/L League games and have finished in the top 10 in the state rankings the past 5 years in the State’s AA classification. In 2009, the Crusaders compiled a 15-1 record, losing only to Manheim Central in week 3. The team went on to claim the PIAA State AA Championship at Hersheypark Stadium in a driving snow storm by defeating Greensburg Central Catholic 21-14. QB Kyle Smith and WR Tyler Purvis were named to the all state AA first team, with K Geoffrey Arentz and HB Jordan Stewart capturing second team honors. The state title marked the first in the history of Lancaster Catholic's storied program.

Basketball

The boy's basketball program had varied success up until the late 90's and the 2000s. Since the 1970s LCHS has qualified for the LL League Championships 14 times (4th most in league history), earned 5 second place finishes (2nd most in league history), and captured the title in 2003. From 2000-2010 the program recorded 9 out of 11 section championships, which included a string of 7 straight, numerous District III playoff appearances with a title in 2003 and 2011 and a 2nd place finish in 2010. Since 2001 LCHS has qualified for the PIAA Championships 7 times. The 2003 boys basketball team which posted a record of 35-0, the greatest in state history on their way to the PIAA AAA state championship. The Crusaders had previously competed at the AA level. Lancaster Catholic defeated Oxford 87-76, Allentown Central Catholic 61-57, Harriton 74-69, Steelton-Highspire 66-60 in the PIAA playoffs, before downing Perry Traditional Academy of Pittsburgh in the finals 75-59. The 75 points was the most scored in a Class AAA championship since Pottstown beat Valley, 85-66, in 1993. Their season total 2509 points ranked #1 in Pennsylvania in 2003. Greg Testa (Millersville University- basketball) played a big role in the win with his ballhandling and shooting, while Ryan Purvis
Ryan Purvis
Ryan J. Purvis is an American football tight end who is currently a Free Agent in the National Football League. He was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2009...

 (Boston College- football), a 6-5 junior center, made 10 of 15 shots from the field, scored 25 points and pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds.
Head Coach Bill Southward was named the state's Triple-A Coach of the Year by the Associated Press. He is the first basketball coach from Lancaster County to receive the AP's state Coach of the Year award, and he is believed to be the first county coach from any sport to earn an AP State Coach of the Year award. Southward retired after 11 years at Catholic, six as the head coach. He posted a 144-36 record. The boy's program compiled a winning streak of 46 straight games from 2002–2004, which is known to be in the Top 20 basketball winning streaks in state history.

Led by Lamar Kauffman, who in his 26th season at the helm of the Lady Crusaders, the girls basketball team has seen great success and is noted as one of the premier programs in the PIAA. The team has 13 District 3 AAA championships to their credit and the 1996 team won the PIAA state AAA title one of three under his guidance. Kauffman is known for his high pressure defense and intense off season conditioning. The program boasts the most state titles of any in the school and the 1974 team which went 27-0, winning the PIAA Girls State Basketball Championship, the first state championship title for any team sport in school history. In 2002 Katie Hayek graduated LCHS to become a co-captain for the University of Miami Women's Basketball team. During her four-year high school career, she became LCHS's second-leading all-time scorer with 1,510 career points. She averaged 20.6 points, four rebounds and four assists per game her senior season and also led her team in assists and steals. She earned All-Star honors from the Intelligencer Journal, Harrisburg Patriot News and the New Era and was named to the Pennsylvania All-State Second Team by the Associated Press her senior year.

Track and field

The boys track team in the 1980s under the tutelage of coaches Andy Benko, Tom Simpson, Joe Bering, and Lou Portas posted some of the schools most impressive win records. From 1980 to 1986 the team lost just one dual meet; in 1985 it had its finest season ever, as the team captured the PIAA State championship, the first ever for LCHS's boys Track & Field team. Since then the success has been down. However, in the past decade the track and field teams have captured several men's/women's section titles, and have sent competitors to the Penn Relays, Districts, and State Track Meets bringing home numerous medals.

Wrestling

Also having success over the years is the wrestling program. Current Lancaster County commissioner Scott Martin was a state champion for the Crusaders in the 1990s and under coach Tom Vargo, from 1972-1987 the program's overall record was 184-61-3, with one Central Penn Catholic League Championship in 1974, L-L League Section II Championships in 1980 and 1981 and an L-L League Section I Co-Championship in 1983. In addition, LCHS teams won PIAA District III AAA Championships in 1982 and 1983 and a PIAA District III AA Championship in 1985.

Non-PIAA Sports

  • Men's Lacrosse
    Lacrosse
    Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...

     teams is a joint program with J.P. McCaskey High School
    J.P. McCaskey High School
    J. P. McCaskey High School is a public high school located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. Located on the east side of Lancaster, it is named after John Piersol McCaskey, a Lancaster educator. The McCaskey campus consists of two buildings: J.P. McCaskey, which is usually referred to either as...

     and Lancaster Country Day High School
  • Men's Ice Hockey
    Ice hockey
    Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

     - Lancaster Catholic is in a CPIHL joint program with Conestoga Valley High School, the team has done extremely well the past few years, always atop the tier 3 latter.

Marching Unit

The Lancaster Catholic High School Marching Unit has excelled for well over the past decade, competing in the COB
Cavalcade of Bands
The Cavalcade of Bands is one of many competitive band organizations in the United States and is one of several major circuits in the mid-Atlantic states . CBA was founded in the late 50's by the members of the Mid-Atlantic Judges Association and its member high schools...

, TOB
Tournament of Bands
The Tournament of Bands is one of the largest competitive band organizations in the United States and is one of several major circuits in the mid-Atlantic states . TOB was founded in 1972 by the National Judges Association and currently has 439 member bands...

, and now USSBA
United States Scholastic Band Association
The United States Scholastic Band Association was formed in the Fall of 1988 to provide high school band programs with a competitive circuit featuring top judges from across the continent and a venue for the US Scholastic Band Championship....

. Capturing first place at Atlantic Coast Championships within the Tournament of Bands several times, they have recently begun competing within the USSBA league, and took second place at their championships in 2008.
The Marching Unit's website is LCHS Music.com http://www.lchsmusic.com

Parochial Feeder Schools

Lancaster Catholic draws a large portion of the student body from the local parochial school system. Additionally, the parishes of the local deanery support the financial aide efforts of LCHS to make Catholic education available to all.
  • Sacred Heart Catholic School (Lancaster City, PA)
  • Our Lady of the Angels (Columbia, PA)
  • Our Mother of Perpetual Help (Ephrata, PA)
  • Resurrection Catholic School (Lancaster City, PA)
  • St. Anne Catholic School (Lancaster City, PA)
  • St. Leo the Great School (Rohrerstown, PA)
  • St. Peter's School (Elizabethtown, PA)
  • Seven Sorrows B.V.M. (Middletown, PA)

Alma mater

O Catholic High, we hail thy name,
Loved guardian of our youth.
O Radiant the holy flame
That lights thy lamp of truth.
We pledge you our firm loyalty,
O Alma Mater dear.
We'll cherish, love and honor thee
And thy great name revere,
We'll cherish, love and honor thee
And thy great name revere.

Bright colors waving in the sky,
The purple and the gold;
Proud banner of dear Catholic High
For all men to behold.
We'll pledge you our firm loyalty,
O Alma Mater brave.
We'll boldly stand for purity
Where'er thy banners wave.
We'll boldly stand for purity
Where'er thy banners wave.

O Catholic High, thy name we sing
We lift our voices high,
And clear and strong let our song ring
Of love that will not die.
We pledge you our firm loyalty,
O Alma Mater true.
We vow to always honor thee
And thy great goal pursue.
We vow to always honor thee
And thy great goal pursue.

Notable alumni

  • Vince DiCola
    Vince DiCola
    Vince DiCola is an Italian-American composer, keyboardist, and arranger best known for his work on the The Transformers: The Movie, Staying Alive and Rocky IV soundtracks...

    , 1975, composer, keyboardist, and arranger, noted for movie soundtracks Rocky IV
    Rocky IV
    Rocky IV is a 1985 American film written by, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the fourth and most financially successful entry in the Rocky franchise...

    and The Transformers: The Movie
    The Transformers: The Movie
    The Transformers: The Movie is a 1986 animated feature film based on the animated series of the same name. It was released in North America on August 8, 1986 and in the UK on December 5, 1986....

  • Gary P. Gilroy
    Gary P. Gilroy
    Dr. Gary P. Gilroy is a musician, composer, and educator. Currently he is Professor of Music and Director of Bands at California State University, Fresno.Dr. Gilroy also substitutes at John F. Kennedy Middle School in Hanford, California.Gary P...

    , 1976, composer, arranger, music publisher, California State University Fresno Director of Bands
  • Ryan Purvis
    Ryan Purvis
    Ryan J. Purvis is an American football tight end who is currently a Free Agent in the National Football League. He was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2009...

    , 2004, Boston College
    Boston College
    Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...

     Tight End
    Tight end
    The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...

     2004-2008, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
    Tampa Bay Buccaneers
    The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...

     Tight End
    Tight end
    The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...

  • James R. Stengel
    James R. Stengel
    Jim Stengel is an American businessman, author, professor, and public speaker. He served as the global marketing officer of Procter & Gamble from 2001 to 2008. Stengel is currently the president and CEO of The Jim Stengel Company, LLC, where he advocates for ideals-driven businesses and brands...

    , 1973, former global marketing officer of Procter & Gamble
    Procter & Gamble
    Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....

     and president of Jim Stengel, LLC
  • Lawrence F. Stengel
    Lawrence F. Stengel
    Lawrence Francis Stengel is a United States federal judge.Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Stengel received a B.A. from Saint Joseph's University in 1974 and a J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1980. He was a teacher at Lancaster Catholic High School from 1974 to 1977...

    , 1970, a United States federal judge
    United States federal judge
    In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....

     on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
    United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
    The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania is one of the original 13 federal judiciary districts created by the Judiciary Act of 1789...

  • Christopher West
    Christopher West
    Christopher West is a Catholic author and speaker, best known for his work on Pope John Paul II’s series of audience addresses entitled the Theology of the Body.-About:...

    , 1988, theologian and author, noted for writings on the Theology of the Body
    Theology of the Body
    Theology of the Body is the topic of a series of 129 lectures given by Pope John Paul II during his Wednesday audiences in the Pope Paul VI Hall between September 1979 and November 1984. It was the first major teaching of his pontificate...


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK