Water polo is making waves this season, with all teams competing in Division 1, the highest division, of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League. Despite losing three graduated seniors in both boys and girls varsity, each showcased new talents this year with a record of 6-15 for boys and 9-12 for girls. Boys varsity co-captain senior Parker Ballew, a starter sprinter, describes this season as hopeful.

“We just need to beat a couple of teams under us, and to do  that, we’ve been doing pretty well,” he said.

Football scored touchdown after touchdown in Division 2 of SCVAL with a varsity record of 2-5. Through new player assignments, refining strengths and gaining wins, the team is fueled with ambition and energy. Free safety and wide receiver junior Keith Lopez described how excited the team is.

“(Team spirit) is very high,” he said. “We want to do good when we’re all confident. I want to go undefeated next year.”

Driven by their coaches’ high expectations and routine pasta feeds before meets, cross country runners competed in Division 2 of SCVAL. In his first exposure to long-distance running, freshman Jeremiah Magallon Obeso is proud of the team’s energy.

“The team spirit’s really high, because no matter
what level you are at running, everyone’s gonna be
there to cheer you on,” he said.

Whether players are participating in themed dress-up days or singing their hearts out at karaoke-ice-cream-social nights, team chemistry runs high in flag football. Competing in Division 1 of SCVAL with a varsity record of 9-13, varsity captain senior Aliya Sidhu is proud of the team’s flexibility.

“Adjusting to (a new coach) was a little bit difficult,” she said.  “Figuring out jerseys and making sure everybody has the right size and learning the new rules was (also) a challenge.”

Girls tennis served up the victories, competing in Division 2 of SCVAL with a varsity record of 11-5. Increased communication and organization has led to more bonding activities such as dress up themes and social media publicity. Varsity doubles player junior Mira Rohatgi has future goals to increase team  chemistry.
“For next season, (a goal is to) maintain how close the team is, and one goal I have for the off season is making sure we’re still bonding and interacting (with each other),” she said.

Girls golf drove success right off the tee in Division 1 of SCVAL, reaching a varsity record of 4-5. After months of dedicated practice in the Baylands and matches across the Bay Area, freshman Ellie Hu notes the team’s progress.

“We’ve all improved our scores, so we’re shooting better,” she said. “We’re being more accurate (and) hitting straighter and farther.”

Girls volleyball smashed the competition in Division 2 of SCVAL with a varsity record of 18-15. With new coaches and high spirits, the team improved on offense and coordination. Defense specialist freshman Anika Kasinadhuni emphasized the importance of energy.

“(We have) pretty high spirit for the games,” she said. “If we’re not feeling the spirit, we lose. Leadership and mentorship from the sophomores (also bring everyone together).”