Athletics News

Isaac Acosta is a three-year starting first baseman on the HGP baseball team. He is also a volunteer fireman nearing the end of a six-month fire academy course that will enable him to become an interior firefighter upon graduation in late June. Read more about Isaac in this excellent Bucks County Courier Times profile by Tom Moore. 

On a postcard-perfect May 10^th morning, Holy Ghost Prep celebrated a landmark day in its 125-year history with a groundbreaking ceremony for the Duaime Athletic Complex (DAC).

After an extensive search, Holy Ghost Prep realized that the best man for the job was already on campus and hired Tom Heston ’12 to be HGP’s next head varsity basketball coach. Heston has taught chemistry at Ghost and has been a varsity assistant basketball coach at his alma mater under the legendary Tony Chapman. 

On April 25 in the Chapman Arena, seven members of HGP’s Class of 2023 officially signed with colleges to continue their academic and athletic careers at the collegiate level. (photo courtesy of Catalano Studio)

On April 15, the HGP track and field team competed in the Bensalem Invitational and continued to improve with 12 personal records out of 18 individual performances. The sprint relays fared well, with the 4x400 meter relay—composed of junior Papakojo Danquah, senior Jack Evans, senior Jack Frain, and junior Maurece Jean-Brian (pictured)—placing second. 

John Ritchie ’06 has landed his dream job, being named the new head ice hockey coach at his alma mater Holy Ghost Prep.

Holy Ghost Prep athletic director Craig Conlin was one of 15 new inductees into the City of Philadelphia chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame on April 18. 

On April 4, Holy Ghost Prep president Gregory J. Geruson '79 announced that the school will receive $1,250,000 in state funding from the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) to aid in the cost of the construction of the school’s new Duaime Athletic Complex.

In the April 9th edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer, writer Isabella DiAmore profiled Holy Ghost Prep's legendary hoops coach Tony Chapman, who recently announced his retirement after 45 seasons. 

Gump Whiteside, the head ice hockey coach at Holy Ghost Prep for the past 15 years, has decided to retire from coaching. He will remain at Holy Ghost Prep as the assistant director of facilities and assistant director of athletics. (photo courtesy of Robert Barnes) 

Holy Ghost Prep’s legendary coach Tony Chapman, one of only six high school basketball coaches in Pennsylvania history to reach the 900-win plateau, has decided to retire from coaching. Chapman finishes his illustrious coaching career at Holy Ghost Prep with an impressive 928-351 record.  

The Bensalem Township Council unanimously approved the $4 million, 320,000-square-foot Duaime Athletic Complex project, including the John Mundy Track, at Holy Ghost Prep during its recent bimonthly meeting.

The Northeast Times profiled HGP junior Papakojo Danquah, who has blossomed into one of the area's best 800-meter and cross-country runners.

Holy Ghost Prep will break ground on the new $4-million Duaime Athletic Complex in early May. Bucks County Courier Times reporter Damon C. Williams recently wrote about the project. 

Holy Ghost Prep has entered into a multi-year partnership with Yardley Makefield Soccer (YMS), allowing the highly recognized Bucks County soccer club to run some of its youth programs on the school’s brand-new Duaime Athletic Center synthetic turf field beginning in the fall of 2023. 

Peter Cerenzo MS, LAT, ATC, CES, became Holy Ghost Prep’s new athletic trainer, effective February 6. In addition to working in clinical settings, Cerenzo’s professional experience includes working with student-athletes at the Division I and Division III college, high school, and junior high levels.

The Northeast Times profiled HGP senior basketball player Mel Lindsey, the son of a high school coach who hits the books as hard as he hits the glass for the Firebirds. A Maguire Scholar, Lindsey maintains a 3.16 grade point average in the classroom.

On Jan. 11, the Holy Ghost Prep ice hockey team scored three times in the first period and went on to a 6-5 win over Malvern Prep in the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference (APAC) Outdoor Classic at Spring Mountain in Schwenksville, Pa.

The Holy Ghost Prep varsity basketball team is now 8-6 on the season—thanks to its current four-game winning streak. With seven games left in the regular season, the senior-laden Firebirds are seeded seventh in the current PIAA District One Class 5A rankings. 

The Northeast Times profiled HGP senior basketball player Ian Hendrix, who arrives at school at 6 a.m. to get up extra jump shots before school starts. A true scholar-athlete, Hendrix maintains a 4.25 grade point average in the classroom. (Photo courtesy of Douglas Benedict/Academic Image)

The 2022-23 HGP swim team should be strong, led by returning swimmers like Aidan Sloan, TJ Farrell, Brian Chewning, Liam Halligan, and Peter Patrick. 

Holy Ghost Prep head coach Tony Chapman ’71 enters his 45^th season with 914 career victories. With a 16-man roster that includes 13 seniors who clearly know the Ghost way, Chapman’s impressive win total should continue to grow. (photo courtesy of Douglas Benedict/Academic Image)

The 2022-23 Holy Ghost Prep ice hockey team will be led by its 10 seniors, including this year's captains Landon Stout, Brady Baehser, and John Seravalli. 

On November 9 in Holy Ghost Prep’s Chapman Arena, HGP baseball players Matt Goldenbaum and Aiden Robbins saw their Division One dreams become a reality as they signed national letters of intent to attend the University of South Florida and Seton Hall University, respectively.

The Northeast Times profiled Holy Ghost Prep senior Labrant "Deuce" Davis, the starting left wing on the Firebirds' soccer team who is excelling on the field and in the classroom. (photo courtesy of Robert Barnes/Pro Action Sports)

HGP's cross-country team captured a third straight PIAA District 1 Class 2A cross-country team title on October 28 at Lehigh University. The Firebirds had five top-20 finishers in the District I race: Ciaran Chambers (second place), Papakojo Danquah (third place), Daniel Perez (fourth place), Brendan DiEnna (11th) and Jack Evans (18th).

On September 26, over 100 golfers participated in the 2022 HGP Golf Classic at the Union League Golf Club at Torresdale, raising $40,000 in proceeds for HGP athletics.

At the Mass of the Holy Spirit on Sept. 11, Holy Ghost Prep president Gregory J. Geruson ’79 delivered his annual state-of-the-school address—announcing a “Tradition Rising” capital campaign that will result in a new Duaime Athletic Complex and a $3 million increase in the school’s endowment.

Holy Ghost Prep cross-country runners Guru Patel '25, Nicholas Giordano '26, Jack Evans '23, Papakojo Danquah '24, and Patrick McGowan '26 accept the first place Class AA trophy at the 2022 Moravian Lions Invitational. The Firebirds are the two-time defending District One Class AA champs. 

Holy Ghost Prep has entered into a five-year partnership with Under Armour, naming the global performance brand as the official outfitter for HGP athletics. (photo courtesy of Douglas Benedict/Academic Image)

Junior Tim Devine (pictured), one of the area's top goaltenders, will be one of the leaders for the 2022 HGP soccer team that will play a really difficult schedule. 

Led by the proven quartet of Ciaran Chambers, Daniel Perez, Papakojo Danquah, and Jack Evans, the Firebirds should be one of the top teams in PIAA District One yet again in 2022.

Second-year HGP golf coach Norm Muller will rely on his two returning varsity players, senior Aidan Irons and junior Eric Holt, to be the team leaders for the 2022 Firebirds.

Holy Ghost Prep alum Nolan Jones ’16 couldn’t have scripted a better start to his major league baseball career. In his first week after being called up to the majors by the Cleveland Guardians on July 8 in Kansas City, Jones has batted .333 with one home run and eight RBIs.

The Bucks County Courier Times and The Intelligencer recently named their annual all-area teams for the spring 2022 season and a total of 10 Holy Ghost Prep student-athletes, including tennis players Felix Flis and Paul Pabalan, earned spots on these all-area teams.

The Holy Ghost Prep baseball team made history this spring—winning a third consecutive PIAA District 1 Class 4A title and then making it all the way to the program’s first-ever state championship game before falling, 10-9 to Montour at Penn State’s Medlar Field on June 16.

At the recent U.S. Rowing Mid-Atlantic Championships, Holy Ghost Prep senior Chris Conboy and junior Cole Smiley won the silver medal and seniors Stanley “Stash” Gondek and Joe Pintimalli took home the bronze medal in the men’s youth pairs—securing bids to the U.S. Rowing Youth National Championships in Sarasota, Florida next month.

Six former Holy Ghost Prep student-athletes and one longtime coach (Bruce Simon) were inducted into the HGP Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, January 29 at the Bensalem Country Club. (photo courtesy of Catalano Studio) 

Holy Ghost Prep senior James Corbett, the 2021 PIAA District One individual cross-country champion and one of the top students in HGP's Class of 2022, is pondering a future that will have continuing to look forward as a collegiate runner, while also gazing upward as his intended field of study is aerospace engineering.

Third-year HGP bowling coach Norm Muller is excited about his team—and with good reason. Led by senior Tyler Muller, the Firebirds are off to a 2-0 start, defeating both Devon Prep, 3-1 on Dec. 6 and Dock Mennonite, 4-0 on Dec. 7.

Tony Chapman enters his 44^th season at the helm of the Firebirds with 901 career wins. His eye-popping win total figures to grow considerably this winter—given Chapman’s X-and-O acumen combined with the overall skill level of the 2021-22 Firebirds. 

Co-head coaches Ed Roussel and T.J. Farrell have an exciting team with several strong returning seniors in PIAA state swimmer Patrick Lichtner (pictured), PIAA District 1 swimmer James Samuel, and PIAA District 1 qualifier Kamil Rozanski. 

Holy Ghost Prep senior Calen Sanderson signed his national letter of intent on November 10 to continue his academic and golf career at the University of Notre Dame. (photo courtesy of Catalano Studio) 

Six former Holy Ghost Prep student-athletes, including former HGP standout ice hockey goalie Jim Britt ’00 (pictured), and one longtime coach will be inducted into the HGP Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, January 29, 2022 at the Bensalem Country Club.