The progress was evident throughout last season for St. Mark’s, as the Lions snapped a 15-game skid against SPC 4A competition and posted their first winning season since 2021.
It all culminated with erasing a 21-point deficit to beat rival Episcopal School of Dallas for the first time in a decade in a thrilling season finale.
“Last year was definitely a positive step forward,” said St. Mark’s head coach Harry Flaherty. “We saw we could compete with every opponent on our schedule.”
Sustaining that momentum and potentially moving up the conference ladder will require improvement from a mix of returnees and newcomers, including skill-position talents such as David Dickson, Archer Wilburn, Matthew Wier, and David McAtee.
The quarterback competition comes down to a pair of juniors. Blaize Schuhmacher was last year’s backup, and Braden Scott returns from injury.
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The offensive line will be big and experienced, anchored by Brady Wyatt and Matei Oprea, joined by Peter Rubi, Brooks Main, and tight end Grant Kennington.
On defense, leading tackler Mac Saye returns at safety as part of a secondary that also features Jack Levy, Ford Robinson, and Jax Blaylock. Experience in the front seven belongs to Adam Dalrymple, Zac Yarckin, Tobias Pulido, and Marshall Bagley.
“On one hand, it’s a challenge because we lost a lot of good players. At the same time, I like the idea that we have a lot of guys in the mix who have potential,” Flaherty said. “We’re not going to be just about a few star players.”
