De Smet Jesuit and St. Louis University High have a rivaling history dating back to 1967 when De Smet Jesuit first opened its doors. The two schools are competitive with one another in both sports and academics. Although they maintain respectful relationships, nothing is ever held back when these schools meet on the athletic fields.

It is always a unique atmosphere when De Smet meets SLUH on the field, especially in high impact sports like hockey and lacrosse. In hockey, the teams play for the Jesuit Cup every year. The winner of the J-Cup game gets to keep the cup and the bragging rights until the next year when they face off again. Similarly, in lacrosse, De Smet and SLUH play for the Father Marco Cup.

“There’s a lot more at stake [when you play De Smet]…It’s a bragging rights thing,” SLUH goalie Joe Warnecke said.

The Jesuit Cup is always a game that is sure to fill the stands. The Jesuit Cup usually falls over Christmas break, allowing alumni home from college to come back and support their high schools. As exciting as the game is, the crowd gets into it just as much as the players with the alumni leading classic chants back and forth from either student section.

“There’s a lot of pressure because there’s always a lot of people there and it’s a big game because both teams are usually pretty good,” Warnecke said.

The Father Marco Cup is named after Father Michael Marchlewski (Fr. Marco), who has served for many years teaching at both schools and has been involved in both schools’ lacrosse programs. Father Marco always begins and ends the game by sharing a prayer with both teams as they come together for the presentation of the cup. The game is also anticipated because SLUH and De Smet are always two of the best teams in the state.

“The Marco Cup is such a big game because so many people always come out to watch, and it’s just an amazing atmosphere to play in,” senior midfielder Alex Stackle said.

The De Smet hockey team held onto the J-Cup for the second straight year after an overtime tie on December 22. The lacrosse team, however, lost the Father Marco Cup on April 18, relinquishing the cup after keeping it for two years.