M-A’s fall sports season is coming to a close, with many teams qualifying for Central Coast Section (CCS) Championships. We broke down how each team finished in the Pacific Athletic League (PAL) and what they look to accomplish in CCS in the upcoming weeks.
The cross country teams wrapped up the 2015 PAL season with finals last weekend. The girls won league for the fourth year in a row, while the boys finished third. Senior Annalisa Crowe, senior Cat Depuy, senior Madeleine Baier, freshman Anna Leake, and sophomore Olivia Shane finished individually first, fourth, sixth, seventeenth, and eighteenth respectively at PAL finals. The boys were led by sophomore Andrew Salinas, senior Kevin Conrad, and junior Rohan Depuy, who individually placed eleventh, fifteenth, and sixteenth respectively at PAL finals.
M-A traveled to Crystal Springs this Saturday for CCS. Seniors Annalisa Crowe, Madeleine Baier, and Cat Depuy led the Bears to a third place finish in CCS, placing first, eighth, and tenth respectively. The boys finished eleventh in CCS. Senior Robert Lane led the Bears, placing 32nd individually.
Boys water polo finished second (5-1) in the PAL Bay Division losing only to Menlo School. Seniors Mostyn Fero, Alex Hakanson, Christian Huhn, Jorge Pont and sophomores Nik Caryotakis and Noah Smith led the team to a fourth place seed in CCS in Division 1.
The Bears defeated fifth place seed Leland High School this Saturday, November 14, 8 to 4. Fero led the Bears, scoring three goals from set. Senior Spencer Gran, Caryotakis, Beasley, Pont and Hakanson each added a goal. Smith played a great game in goal with multiple influential blocks. The Bears continue into CCS quarter finals this Tuesday against first seeded Bellarmine High School at Bellarmine at 5:30.
Girls water polo finished third in PAL (5-2) behind Burlingame and Castilleja. They earned a seventh placed seed in CCS and fell to tenth-seeded Woodside in the second round of CCS on Thursday. The girls were led by junior Annabelle Paris and sophomore Julia Sherman, who scored two and one goals respectively for a 6-3 final score. Junior Lauren McGinnis made key blocks in goal and senior Olivia Jackson and junior Kyra Sheeper led the team defensively. Additionally junior Kate Denend was a key player winning sprints and playing well on both sides of the pool. The Bears missed sophomore Maddie Maxwell who was not playing because of a concussion from the PAL championship tournament the previous weekend.
Girls volleyball captured its fourth PAL Bay Division Championship in the past 5 years. The Lady Bears are seeded third in CCS and hosted the sixth-seeded Piedmont Hills in quarter finals on Saturday.
The Bears easily defeated the Pirates, winning all three sets: 25-11, 25-20, 25-14. They will play second seeded San Benito in CCS semifinals on Wednesday at Piedmont Hills at 5:30. Look for key plays from seniors Leanna Collins and Courtney Foliaki, juniors Kirby Knapp and Kiana Sales, and sophomore Eliza Grover as the Bears progress through CCS.
For the second year in a row, girls golf tied for first in the PAL, this time with an 8-2 record. At PAL finals, the Bears earned the lowest combined team score. Naomi Lee, Abigail Pederson, and Christiana Park, who placed second, third, and eight respectively, brought the Bears to victory. Lee placed sixteenth individually, helping the Bears to a thirteen place finish in CCS.
The football team is currently tied for first in PAL with Sacred Heart Prep (SHP) and Burlingame High School on a 5-1 league record, falling only to Burlingame. The team defeated Woodside High School on Friday, November 13, 59-34. CCS seeding will be announced this Sunday.
Girls tennis won the PAL with a perfect record. They were seeded seventh as a team in CCS, but fell to second-seeded Los Gatos earlier this week in the second round of CCS. The Bears’ double teams of third-seeded Julia Marks and Yvette Leung and unseeded Sally Carlson and Julia Chang will compete in the CCS doubles tournament at the Bay Club Courtside on Monday, November 23.
