Issue 5 Extended Sports Beats
Women’s Basketball
By James Hanzel, Staff Writer
Photos by Haley Chelemedos
As the women’s basketball team (22-1 overall, 7-0 league) continues to cruise through their season dominating league play, they seek to achieve their goals of a league title and NCS run. They have been extremely successful, as they are currently ranked the number eight team in California.
On Jan. 3, the team suffered their first defeat of the season, to the number three ranked team from Oregon, South Medford in a close game that ended 68-63. The team bounced back, and opened up league play against Berean Christian on Jan. 10, dominating the Eagles 87-19. The Dons took care of Las Lomas on Jan. 13, winning 85-26, and followed up with another dominating win against Northgate on Jan. 15 with a score of 76-24. The team continued their league dominance, beating Alhambra 79-20 on Jan. 22. On Jan. 24, the Dons beat Campolindo 77-31.
The team has relied on their upperclassmen to help lead the team and inspire and encourage their teammates.
“I think since we have a lot of upperclassmen on our team we’ve been able to help our younger class which is starting to grow our chemistry and it will be beneficial for us going into the playoffs,” senior KK Lacanlane said.
The Dons have excelled as there is not just one star player, but the whole team is full of strong players who are able to have great games at any time.
“We have many outside weapons, so every girl on the team can shoot a three, which is super helpful. You don’t know which player will be a high scorer which can create difficulties for other teams when they can’t just identify the best player because there are multiple,” Head Coach Margaret Gartner said.
Coming to the end of the season, the team still has important games left to achieve their goals and end the regular season on a successful note.
“I think that every league game is super important because our goal is to win league, so I don’t want to overlook those games, especially Clayton Valley because they are a pretty good team. Out of league I scheduled McClatchy and Vanden, and both are at the top of their respective leagues,” Gartner said.
Wrestling
By Saaj Shah, Online Editor
Photos by Gwyneth Lee
The Acalanes varsity wrestling team (0-0 overall, 0-0 league) is continuing the season strong to win new matches and learn new skills through both experience and practice.
One of the key aspects that members of the team were looking forward to was progressing their talents through math experience.
“I am looking forward to continuing to grow as a player and learn new skills to use during matches,” junior Gabe Van Houten said.
This year, there were many changes, including underdog wins and new members taking an interest in the sport.
“We have a lot of first year wrestlers having to step up into the varsity lineup when we have league duals. Definitely not ideal but if they all stick with it the team has a lot of potential to be good,” Head Coach Steven Nelsen said.
The team has now started participating in the dual portion of the season.
“Last Thursday, splitting it with a win against Ygnacio Valley and a loss against Mt. Diablo. We will take on Campo this week,” Nelsen said.
A few returning wrestlers have had promising performances so far indicating their growth as athletes.
“Marley Oh and Kirian Gracie have also performed well at some events. For the girls Lilah Kring and Gwyneth Lee have won or placed in the JV division at every tournament this season they are now wrestling the Varsity bracket the rest of the season,” Nelsen said.
The varsity girls team competed at the Napa Valley classic, a prestigious and large wrestling event tournament.
“The girls recently went to the Napa Valley Classic which is one of the oldest and biggest high school girls tournaments. There were 841 girls wrestling from almost 200 different schools,” Nelsen said.
This season, practices have included a variety of activities to enhance confidence and endurance for matches.
“We usually start with running, then go to stretches, dynamics, wrist grip exercises, practice different moves and techniques, then we will do some conditioning at the end of practice,” frosh Lilah Kring said.
Men’s Basketball
By Will Miller, Staff Writer
Courtesy Photo by Nicole Malm
The men's basketball team is off to a blazing hot start (15-4) and has an undefeated league record (5-0). Traveling to Alhambra, the Dons defeated the Bulldogs with a commanding (64-52) win.
The Dons then made the drive up to Marin on Martin Luther King day and had a win over Marin Catholic (56-42). The Dons swiftly defeated the Northgate Knights by holding onto a lead the whole game with a final score of 60-40.
Head Coach Bill Powers has focused on team culture of being positive teammates.
“I don't put a lot of stuff in their heads that they can't control, we can't control how many points we're gonna score, can't control how many points the other team is going to score, outside of executing and doing what we are going to do but for sure we can be a great teammate, we can help each other, and we can support a teammate their nothing tonight that Northgate can do from stopping us from being a great teammate,” Powers said.
The players have expressed their confidence towards winning the league this season.
“I think we’ve got a good chance of winning the league. We’ve started off hot and we have a lot of confidence in ourselves and our teammates,” captain and junior Gavin Dodge said.
Women’s Soccer
By Natalie Pecci, Staff Writer
Photo by Audrey Martin
After a difficult start to the season, the women’s soccer team (6-1-4 and 3-0 league) is kicking it into high gear with their league games.
On Dec. 9, the team went up against Bishop O’Dowd. Their efforts resulted in nine shots on the goal, and five saves by both of their goalies. However, they came up short, resulting in a 1-1 tie.
Following that game, they faced Maria Carrillo on Dec. 11 and Clayton Valley on Jan. 9, where their hard work finally paid off. They won 2-1 over Maria Carrillo with goals from two of their captains. The matchup between Clayton Valley saw 12 shots on goal by Acalanes and a shutout 2-0 win.
On Jan. 11 they faced California and tied 3-3 despite 15 shots on goal.
Facing Benicia, the team showed a dominant performance, resulting in a 4-0 shutout win, bringing their league record to 2-0.
On Jan. 17 the team battled it out versus Northgate with seven shots on goal resulting in a 2-2 tie.
One of the team’s goals this year was to beat their league rivals Campolindo and Miramonte.
“[Playing Campolindo and Miramonte] are always exciting games. I believe if we play to our potential and execute our game plan I like our chances,” Head Coach Alex Avelar said.
They did just that; against Miramonte on Jan. 23, they played another shutout game (1-0), scoring within two minutes of the start of the game. Playing against Camplindo, the team dominated, with yet another shutout (2-0) on Jan. 26.
The team again dominated on Jan. 27 against Alameda, winning 5-1 and setting their highest scoring game of the season at 5 goals. Then, on Jan. 31 the team lost to Las Lomas 1-3.
This year the women’s soccer team has many seniors, and no new underclassmen since last year.
“It helps a lot that it isn't the first time that the whole team is playing together, so we already have some chemistry. I also think that seniors are driven to win since it's our last year, and it helps bring a competitive environment every day,” captain and senior Lucca DeBiasse said.
Having a close bond can be vital to a great season. They have strengthened the bonds on the team through pasta feeds and getting food with each other after games. Having good team chemistry can lead to better communication and support from each other on the field.
“Chemistry is the hardest part because you can’t coach it, but luckily the team has come together, and the girls really fight for each other on and off the field,” Avelar said.
Moving forward the team has high hopes for the rest of the season.
“I think each game will be a battle, but if we all play our best we will have no issue winning,” DeBiasse said.
Men’s Soccer
By Mika Katznelson, Staff Writer
Courtesy Photo by Eric Morford
The men’s soccer team (9-2-1 overall and 2-2 league) is on a roll, setting the pace for the end of the season.
They started their season with a three game shutout streak, facing Pinole Valley on Dec. 5 (2-0), San Marin on Dec. 10 (3-0), and Petaluma on Dec. 14 (2-0).
This streak started their season strong after hard training and sparked confidence in both their players and coaches.
“Overall, this group of seniors is displaying discipline and grit, and the team is earning the benefits of their approach,” Head Coach Paul Curtis said.
The team stood their ground when they tied (1-1) with Sonoma Valley on Dec. 19. On Dec. 19 and 21, they faced Deer Valley (3-1) and Terra Linda (2-1), which both resulted in wins.
They won their first league game against Mt. Diablo on Jan. 8 (3-0); Ben Pecci* scored off of a corner kick from Jonny Roth, and Omri Norman scored with an assist from Simon Appel.
After that, on Jan. 14, they won against Las Lomas (2-0), with both Jeremy Lara and Colby Ebner scoring with assists from Pecci.
The whole team is incredibly dedicated to making it further than their past rankings in NCS and are confident in their approach.
“[Our players] know what it takes to win and we have had a large portion of our team play with each other, whether it’s on club or during the high school season. I think we’re very experienced and we’re also a close-knit team and we are all committed to our goal of winning NCS,” captain and senior Jonathan Roth said.
On Jan. 28, they faced and won against Mt. Diablo (3-0) with two goals from Pecci and one goal from Santi Vignoles.
The team suffered their first losses of the season to Clayton Valley on Jan. 16, Campolindo on Jan. 21, and Northgate (1-2) on Jan. 23.
“[The first Clayton Valley and Campolindo games were] a very tough matchup for the Dons. ... In the next match, the Dons will employ a different strategy to try to take advantage of [their] strengths and minimize [the other team’s advantages],” Curtis said.
They face all three of these teams later in the season, with goals to avenge these initial losses. Even with the ups and downs of their season, players are still committed to winning NCS.
“This year I think we’ve been the strongest in the past four years. I think [winning NCS is] very attainable this year,” Roth said.
