Benilde-St. Margaret’s has many sports teams that excel in their divisions. With many state championships and state tournament appearances under BSM’s belt, some Red Knights believe they are ready to take the next step and become a perennial powerhouse. With a new Athletic Director, Rick Johns, BSM has bright plans for the future for the sports at BSM.
Johns has a strong plan in mind for the BSM sports programs. Although he is a new staff member at BSM it is not new to him he graduated in 1970. He will spend the next year or two assessing what needs help and correcting it. His goal is not necessarily make BSM a powerhouse but have the sports grow to a community. “I want to support our coaches. I want to make sure they get the professional development, guidance, and the support that they need,” Johns said.
Some sports seem to be more prominent than others at BSM, this is based on the time and effort put into the sport by the school and the students participating. One of the biggest things that makes BSM different and makes the sports have a sharper edge is the in school coaches. “One thing that we have here that a lot of schools don’t, is that we have on campus coaches. So you’ve got coaches in the hallway saying, “Hey Riley, want to come play basketball?” or whatever it is. And so I think that’s critical,” Johns said.
I want to support our coaches. I want to make sure they get the professional development, guidance, and the support that they need
— Rick Johns
BSM might not be a “powerhouse” yet, but we are always in the running. We always have at least one powerhouse sport a year that draws in all different types of crowds. Ranging from basketball or even esports league. “I would say we definitely excel. We have at least two or three sports every year that win state [every year],” junior Charlie Platt said.
When it comes to BSM, there are many clubs and sports that are available. Students can go on a trip to a river and fly fish with Greg Hoemke, Junior High Literature teacher, or go trap shooting with Porisch, our high school biology teacher. There are more than just traditional sports, giving people more chances to find something they love. “I just think the sky’s the limit for almost anything because there’s so many more opportunities, especially on the sports side. You know drone racing there’s just all sorts of things that are coming out besides the traditional sports,” Johns said.