Senior Whitley Smith

Girls’ soccer captain senior Whitley Smith described how the team has grown together despite struggles earlier on in the season. “The girls on the team are really great,” Smith said. “We’ve done a good job at getting rid of the cliques from the beginning of the season.”

Smith also reflected on some potential places for improvement. “It’s definitely been a struggle because we’re in a pretty high league for a young team,” she said. “We want to get better at moving the ball around in the back. So far, it’s definitely been pretty chaotic since we don’t have a lot of communication going on, so communication is my biggest thing we need to improve. Intensity is also a big thing for me, because we’re good at getting ahead and then dropping our intensity, which is not something you want to be good at.”

Senior Jack Fallows

Boys’ soccer captain senior Jack Fallows hopes the team will make the Central Coast Section (CCS) tournament and improve their overall play, record and interpersonal relationships. “We want to continue to create that environment and community within the team,” Fallows said.

Throughout the season, Fallows saw the impact player mindsets have on team performance. “In games that we play our best in, we win,” he said. “In the games that we don’t play as well, it gets tough when we start losing games and dropping points.”

Fallows also hopes that the team will continue to work hard and hold high standards. “The team is pretty good at showing up when they’re supposed to” he said. “I just remind them about the little things and try to get them a little fired up before a game.”

Senior Carmel Tong

With many new players on the girls’ basketball team this year, co-captain senior Carmel Tong explained the importance of building chemistry among the old and new members. “We have a lot of underclassmen on the team, so a lot of players haven’t played together,” she said. “It’s really important for us to learn how to work together as a team, get better and be able to help each other on the court.”

During the season, Tong has seen improvement in the team. “We just had a really strong game against a team where we were making our shots and running our plays and working well as a team,” she said.

After dealing with many early-season injuries, Tong was eager to see key players return. “It’s exciting to be able to play with the whole team again,” she said.

Senior Collin Lee

Boys’ basketball captain senior Colin Lee reflected on the strides the team has made since the beginning of the season as well as some areas needing improvement. “We’ve improved our defense a lot, so opposing teams have to really work to get their points, and it really wears out the other team so that when they play defense, they’re tired and that makes it easier for us to score,” he said. “There’s still a lot of little things that we could work on that really will elevate our game and allow us to beat really good teams like rebounding and shooting free throws.”

Lee also explained the importance of being close as a team. “I love being able to build a better connection with my teammates during practice and after practice,” Lee said. “It’s a great group of guys, and we really enjoy each other’s presence, which benefits our team chemistry.”

Senior Beanie Jose

Wrestling captain senior Beanie Jose explained her two goals for the team this season. “Because we’re such a young and new team, the goals I set for this year were for everyone to work hard,” she said. “It’s important that everyone puts in work because when you don’t and you go to wrestle for real, the lack of practice shows. Another goal is to be league champs and we’re already on our way as we’ve been undefeated in league matches.”

Throughout the season, Jose has seen development in players’ skills and techniques. “The team has improved so much,” she said. “The people who are working out and working hard have gotten way better. The room is full of tough people and people who have a high work ethic, and it’s because we have a great coaching staff that pushes us to do our best.”