Issue 3 Extended Sports Beats

Cross Country

By Olivia Foster, Head Section Editor

Photos by Emmett Fretwell, Jackie Leidy, and Sebastian Springfield

   The 2024 Cross Country season is well underway, with only a couple of invitationals and the North Coast Section (NCS) left. 

   “Everyone seems to be progressing along pretty well ... it seems like people are getting stronger and faster and more confident,” co-cross country coach Jeff Hutson said. 

   In addition to the positive trends regarding the runners’ abilities, the team also has a positive social environment. 

   “It’s a good season of energy, the energy’s positive ... I’ve been doing this [for] eight years ...  and every season’s a little bit different, I think the energy’s always a little bit different, this season ... there’s just a lot of support and a lot of team camaraderie,” Hutson said.

   Though it is coming to a close, this season has shown much growth for the team. 

   “We’re definitely progressing as a team, but we definitely still have room to grow,” varsity cross-country runner and senior TJ Cronin said. 

   Despite the competitiveness of the challenging courses, the team thrives during the races with the help of one another.

   “When we’re together I think we bring together all of the best moments of our days and we like to make jokes and all of that will carry into our runs which... People like to ask me a lot, ‘How could you just run five miles after school?’...  but it’s all because I’m running with these people and... we push each other by being able to hang out with each other... overall it's a really good community,” varsity cross-country runner and senior Charlotte Sutherland said.

Flag Football

By Gwyneth Lee, Staff Writer

Photos by Ashlyn Fogarty and Isaiah Castillo

   As they near the end of their second season, the women’s flag football team (6-9 overall, 2-6 league) continues to fight hard with the playoffs in sight.

   During their match against Berean Christian on Oct. 9 the Dons fell short 0-24. In their second consecutive game against Clayton Valley Charter, the Dons fought hard before losing 6-12. On Oct. 16, the Dons faced off against College Park, losing 6-26. The game was followed by a loss against Northgate, with a final score of 6-13. The Dons faced Northgate and Clayton Valley Charter again the following week, losing 0-12 and 6-12, respectively.

   With it being their second-ever season, the Dons worked hard to learn the rules of the game. The seniors made up a majority of the team last year and this season few students were returning members. 

   “What we’re hoping is next year we can start significantly ahead of where we did this year because there will already be so much that so many of the players show up already knowing. That was really the greatest challenge this year, starting everyone from the very beginning,” Head Coach Mike Ivankovich said.

   Despite these challenges, the team has the goal of making the playoffs. They continue to fight hard and put in the work in hopes of winning.

   “I think we have a good chance of making the playoffs as long as we all put in the work and do our best,” junior Maya Shoenhair said. 

   While the senior group is small, the players still enjoy their time on the team and the opportunity they have to play the increasingly popular sport.

   “It's bittersweet knowing that this is my last year, but I am excited for the team to continue strengthening the program and bringing attention to the sport in general,” senior Leila Hamildi said.

   Although members were relatively new this season, the team is optimistic that next year they will be more prepared. With a higher percentage of returners, the team will have the chance to play beyond the basics and improve even more.

   “Our hope is that we’ll have returners who have already developed, as far as their understanding of their assignments and just their general understanding of football,” Ivancovich said.

   Flag football is still a growing school at Acalanes. In the two years they have been in season, the team has grown immensely, and will continue to progress in the future. 

   “Flag football is super competitive and fun, and we’re proud of our team for all the progress that they’ve made, and we want to keep moving forward,” Ivancovich said.

Football

By Maya Stafford, Print Arts Editor

Photos by Isaac Topp

   With several rookie starters, new senior leadership, and competitive rivals, the Acalanes Dons have been working hard to finish the year strong. With hard work and dedication, they have had a successful season so far.

   The Dons are undefeated in league (3-0), with an overall record of (7-2). They defeated Miramonte on an Oct. 11 home game (35-28), narrowly defeated Clayton Valley Charter on Oct. 18 (32-31), shutting down a two-point play. With Acalanes’ most anticipated game of the season, they won against Campolindo on Nov. first (21-12), rivals to the Dons.

   Their victory against Clayton Valley was a huge milestone for the team, as they were faced with a challenge and worked hard to overcome it.

   “Our favorite moment so far happened Friday night when we beat Clayton Valley Charter, who was the number three ranked division one team in the North Coast Section,” varsity football coach Floyd Burnsed said.

   Teamwork has been crucial for the team this year which they have worked on both in and out of practice.

   “It is important to understand that we know we can win, we just need to focus on not making our own mistakes…we know that we are capable of winning anything if we put our heart to it, and play for each other,” football player Andrew Tresser said.

   With the defending state champions nearing the end of their season, the football team (3-0) hopes to carry out their legacy in the 2024 NCS (North Coast Section) portion of their season.

   “Our goals are to win the league, the NCS and the state championship.  We do that by playing our best football in October, November and December,” Burnsed said.

Men’s Water Polo

By Owen Curley, Staff Writer

Photos by Joaquin Bordi

   The Acalanes men's water polo team (10-14) makes a push for the playoffs as the end of the season is near.

   The Dons season started off strong, maintaining a winning record for most of the year which was a big step up from the team's play last year, matching last year's total wins in only eight games. Heading into October, it looked like the Dons were bound to make the playoffs until they went on a six game losing streak.

   This losing streak started against James Logan on Nov. 24 and continued until the Dons upset Alhambra (12-9) on Oct. 21. 

   As the season begins to wind down the Dons are in the running for one of those last playoff spots and know what they need to do in order to punch their ticket, 

   “A successful season [would mean]  continuing to improve each game as we fight for a playoff spot. The boys have done an incredible job to put themselves in this position, and are continuing to look better each game. We are looking to get a few more wins together late in the season to help us for the playoffs,” coach Nick Jordan said.

   One thing players said has helped the team improve so much is the bond they have built with each other,

   “Our team chemistry has been excellent. We’ve had a lot of fun and worked hard to improve. It’s made it much easier to stay accountable for practice,” senior Sam Whipple said.

Women’s Golf

By James Hanzel, Staff Writer

Photos by Eric Morford

   As the women’s golf team’s (4-4 overall, 4-2 league) season comes to a close, they look back at their season and senior players’ contributions.

   On Oct. 21 at DAL Championships at Blue Rock Springs Golf Course, the team finished third in the championship and third overall in league standings, highlighted by fifth and sixth place finishes from Haley and Hana Chelemedos, respectively. The sisters have qualified for the individual NCS Championship, and the team hopes for a school record fourth straight team NCS berth.

   The team had goals of a successful season and strong postseason play, which they achieved.

   “The team’s goal this year was to do well at the DAL championship yesterday where we finished in 3rd place after a tiebreaker. The season went pretty well, our record was 4-4 going into DAL. Hana and Haley Chelemedos both got 1st Team All League and Miracle Gu also received Honorable Mention All League,” junior Jordan Huskins said.

   The team did have to persist through some challenges, but they managed to be resilient and successfully tackle obstacles.

   “Our two most experienced players were simultaneously playing flag football so didn’t have much time to practice and still earned all league first team honors,” head coach Roger Chelemedos said.

   Although this team relied on its star seniors, there is still lots of hope for the future, and the team looks forward to successful future seasons.

   “We are definitely graduating a lot of experience with Haley and Hana Chelemedos and Campbell Evans, but there is a lot of experience remaining with Taylor Baker, Miracle Gu, Jordan Huskins and Grace Wolpert and there are a handful of promising JV players who will move up to varsity. The outlook is bright,” Roger Chelemedos said.

   Women’s Tennis

By Jake Colaco, Head Section Editor

Photos by Arielle Sears and Maya Kayiran

   The women’s tennis team (4-8 overall, 2-6 league) ended their season on a high note, hitting their stride in the last few games. 

   On Oct. 10, The Dons traveled to rival Campolindo and lost 0-9. Although many of the individual matches were close, the final score was not ideal for the team. 

   However, they bounced back on Oct. 15, beating Las Lomas at home by a score of 6-3. The team came together under positive coaching to find themselves back on the winning side. 

   “It was really amazing getting to watch our players channel so much determination and drive for our coaches and each other to come out on top,” team captain and senior Sienna Moise said.

   Two days later, the Dons traveled to Northgate and lost a close game 4-5. Although this was a tough loss for the team, with one game left to go, they were determined to keep up the energy that they had maintained all year. 

   “This year, we have consistently focused on spirit, and we will continue to do so through the final week,” Moise said.

   The team had their senior night on Oct. 22, where they took on College Park for the second time this season, and ended the season with a tremendous 9-0 win. 

   “We had a lot of support and cheering during these [senior night] matches, and I think this definitely boosted team morale,” team captain and senior Piper Duff said. 

   Ending their season on a strong note, the coaches look to continue developing the underclass players into another solid team for next season. 

   “We have many juniors who will step up in singles [matches], and we have a lot of doubles players coming up from [junior varsity],” head coach Sharon Langtry said.

Women’s Volleyball

By Jake Colaco, Head Section Editor

Photos by Eric Morford

   The women’s volleyball team (16-13 overall, 7-3 league) finished the season strong and looks to excel in the North Coast Section (NCS) playoffs. 

   On Oct. 10, the Dons faced Northgate and won 3-2. The team played with unmatched energy, which they look to carry into NCS. 

   “The game against Northgate was a really important win for us, I think it was a turning point this season in our playing as we sped up our game which will help us in the rest of league and NCS,” senior Annie Baker said.

   Although the squad looked to build off their momentum in their rematch against rival Campolindo, on Oct. 15, despite winning in their previous encounter, the Dons lost 0-3.

   The loss to Campolindo was short-lived, however, as the Dons, during their senior night two days later, beat Las Lomas 3-1.

   On Oct. 22, the Dons followed up their win over Las Lomas with a tremendous 3-0 win against Miramonte in their season finisher. Unfortunately, the Dons lost their league playoff game in a rematch against Northgate two days later by a score of 0-3.

   Although the team was unsuccessful in league playoffs, the coaches have high hopes for NCS playoffs and next season.

   “The team is going to have space open for people to step in as leaders … we are losing people from pretty much all positions so it will be fun to see who steps up in those areas,” head coach Haley Walsh said.

Women’s Water Polo

By James Hanzel, Staff Writer

   The Acalanes women’s water polo team(18-5 overall, 2-1 league) continues to dominate, as they finished up their regular season and look ahead to NCS playoffs.

   On Oct. 8, the Dons conquered league rival Las Lomas 8-2, but they slipped to another league foe, Miramonte, 5-11 on Oct. 9. Following that, the team hosted both Clovis North and Leland HS on Oct. 12, winning 12-6 and 9-8, respectively.

   The team has been able to grow from their losses and they attribute that ability as part of their success.

   “Our key to success this year would be to continuously take feedback from [coach] Misha and always grow from our losses that can make us a stronger team as the year goes on,” team captain and senior Maddie Walsh said.

   On Oct. 16, the Dons went to Northgate and won easily by a score of 13-7, led by 6 goals by junior Ella Del Rosario. Tamalpais HS came to Lafayette on Oct. 22, and the team cruised 15-3.

   The Dons played Monte Vista on Oct. 23, winning 10-6. The team beat Clovis West 10-7 on Oct. 25. They also defeated San Ramon Valley 9-4 on Oct. 26. On Oct. 30, the team ended their regular season against rival Campolindo.

   The team has overcome some difficulties coming into the year, as they had a very new team, and lots of last year’s talent graduated.

   “The season has been going well this far with our ups and downs with how every sports season goes and how we’ve overcome losses and how we grew from that, one of our challenges this year was coming off of losing so many players from the previous year with having only 5 returning players and 4 that are able to play,” Walsh said.

Unified Soccer

By Molly Jones, Print Photo Story Editor

Photos by Eric Morford

   Unified Sports kicked off the year with the start of their soccer season. The team, composed of Unified athletes and partners, played in their first game on Oct. 9 against Miramonte High School. The Dons faced off against Pittsburg High School on Oct. 28, and Miramonte once again on Oct. 30. 

   Athletes participate in two practices a week and up to four games throughout the season. Various other schools compete against the Acalanes Unified team in the soccer games which typically take place during lunchtime at each high school.

   “In our district it is only Acalanes and Miramonte [that participate in Unified soccer], because we are the only two schools that have the particular students that would qualify for this program, Campolindo and Las Lomas do not. I have already scheduled, or I am in communication with Pittsburg [High School], Heritage High School ... and Freedom High School,” Athletic Director Randy Takahashi said.

   Unified athletes play alongside their partners, passing the ball between players and scoring goals. Unified partners help with various aspects of the program including playing with students at practices, partaking in drills, and participating in the games as well. 

   “I really enjoy being a partner, and being able to help our Unified athletes play soccer. I think that they should get the same opportunities to take part in athletics, and by being a partner I get to support all our athletes and have fun playing alongside [them] in games,” Unified partner and junior Sofia Fernandez said. 

   The program, which was brought to Acalanes in 2016, gives Essential Skills students the opportunity to engage in sports as well as participate in activities with their peers. 

   “I think it’s essential because it allows everyone to participate in sports, especially because athletics are big here at Acalanes. It adds inclusion and lets everyone play sports regardless of any limitations or challenges they may face. It gives all students a chance to do something they love,” Fernandez said.