Hundreds gathered in LeBron James Arena at St. Vincent-St. Mary’s High School in Akron on Jan. 27 to watch the priests of the Diocese of Cleveland take on seminarians from Borromeo and Saint Mary seminaries in the second annual priests vs. seminarians basketball game.
Last year, the priests walked away victorious. But the seminarians turned the tables this year, winning the contest by 10 points with a score of 47-37.
Members of the seminarians’ team were Xavier Macfarlane, Martin DeSantis, Chris Cotone, Jeff Lindholm, Luke Rose, Anthony Donatelli, Andrew Karpinski, John Desmarteau, Cameron Popik, Cameron Ferrell, Joe McCarron, Jon Roberge, Dominic Gideon, and Arthur Bodenschatz.
The priests’ team consisted of Fathers Kevin Klonowski, Eric Garris, Jeremy Merzweiler, Mike McCandless, Matthew Pfeifer, James Kulway, Chris Zerucha, Pat Spicer, Matt Jordan, Andrew Hoover and Steve Flynn.
The seminarians came out from the start hot getting a quick led over the priests that lead into a 19-15 advantage over the priests into halftime. Coming out of halftime, the priests gained some momentum and took the lead. The last ten minutes of the game was controlled by the Semarians who ended with a 10 point victory over the priests.
The MVP for the priests’ team was Father Klonowski, who played 32 minutes and put up 19 points. He also had five rebounds, four steals and two blocks. Other standouts for the priests’ team included Father Garris with four blocks and nine rebounds and Father Flynn with six points.
Earning MVP honors for the seminarians’ team was Andrew Karpinski. He scored15 points, 13 of which came in the second half. Karpinski also had six rebounds, two blocks and three steals in 20 minutes of play. Other notable performances from the seminarians’ team include DeSantis who shot four of six from the field with 10 total points, Rose with 10 rebounds and Cotone with four steals.
The game had a twofold purpose since it was an opportunity to raise awareness for priestly vocations and to support charity. Proceeds benefited the St. Vincent de Paul Society. There was a recommended donation of $2 for admission, a 50/50 raffle and concession proceeds that helped support the cause.
The game was streamed live on Facebook at clepriesthood and is still available for viewing.