As St. Pius X begins the last week of school before Christmas break, the Golden Lions football team fell just short of a state championship.
Buford High defeated St. Pius 10-3 in the championship game at the Georgia Dome on Dec. 14. Though Buford led 3-0 at the half, St. Pius tied it up in the third quarter on a 47-yard field goal by Thomas O'Leary. However, Buford later scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
Ryan Braswell rushed for 71 yards on 15 carries and Jack Spear completed 10 of 20 passes for 80 yards for St. Pius.
Even with the championship loss, the Golden Lions made waves: they have won 12 games in three of the past four seasons and the Class of 2013 has 45 wins to its name for a new school record. (The Class of 2012 had 42 wins.)
On Dec. 11, the St. Pius boys' basketball team defeated Cross Keys 71-13 to get a record of 6-2 and 2-1 in Region 6-AAA play. John Kissell and Will Maguire had 11 points each in the win. This Friday, after exams are over, the team will take on Pickens County at 8:30 p.m. Later this month, St. Pius will host St. Joseph's at the 13th Annual St. Pius X Christmas Classic on Dec. 27 to 29. The tournament features 16 teams from 10 states.
The girls' basketball team also played Cross Keys and won this past week. Asia Durr had 16 points, Adriana Daves added 10 and Sally Varner had eight. The team now has a 7-2, 3-0 record and are eighth in the AAA poll. They will also go to Pickens County at the end of the week for a 7 p.m. game before the Christmas Classic, which they will open with a game against Mt. Paran.
The wrestling team won over Arabia Mountain on Dec. 12 to take a 5-4 record in dual matches. They also finished in fifth place at the Cherokee Invitational on Dec. 15. Next is a trip to Elbert County this Saturday before Christmas break.