This Week in Athletics: Winter Break
December 19, 2024
As we head into Winter Break, we want to give thanks to all of the coaches and instructors who put so much time, effort, and energy into the afterschool program. Seeing the joy on our students’ faces when they are doing something they love, practicing, playing, and competing makes it all worth it! This winter has been off to a fabulous start for our varsity teams and here is a recap of the season so far.
Soccer
On the pitch, the girls varsity soccer team has had a season of close games and hard battles. The Rams notched their first win of the year, picking up a victory over Tri-Valley League rival Foothill Technology. In the win over the Dragons, Precious Adjei ‘27 found the net twice, while Gigi Bracher ‘28 added the late-game insurance goal to post a 3-1 victory. Goalkeeper Jeeyou Jung ’25 was solid in the net with four saves on the day. Following their win over Foothill, the Rams suffered tough defeats against Thacher and St. Bonaventure. Nika Iverson ‘26 got a shoutout from Head Coach Taylor Wyatt for her inspired play. Against St. Bonaventure, Jung added nine saves to her resume in the nail-biting 0-1 loss. The team looks forward to resuming play on January 14th against Bishop Diego.
On the boys’ side, the Rams are off to a scorching hot start, posting eight straight wins to start the season. The talk of the Mesa has been George Marin ‘26 and his three straight hat tricks to start the year. Not to be outshined, Max Devore ‘25 notched his own hat trick with three goals against Foothill Tech to start Tri-Valley League play. This week, the team rounded out their non-conference schedule with wins over Cabrillo and Ventura. Lucas Huiner ‘25 and Marin continued their goals-scoring streaks notching tallies in both contests. The boys will start 2025 with a match against rival Thacher on January 14th.
Water Polo
In the pool, the girls varsity water polo team started the year with a win over Del Sol High School before taking on powerhouses Louisville and Santa Paula in non-league contests. Though the girls suffered two tough losses, the experience clearly paid off. The team won back-to-back games against Royal and Oxnard to head into the break on a two-game win streak. Against Royal, Kate McCoy ‘25 and Lucy Guilbert-Neal ‘25 went off scoring five goals and three goals respectively. Goalie Daisy Gemberling ‘25 was a wall, posting 12 saves on the day in the definitive 9-6 win. Against Oxnard, the Rams dropped behind 5-2 to start the game before the offense and defense kicked into gear. Guilbert-Neal tallied four goals and two assists to help lead the comeback. Tallulah Bates ‘25 posted a goal and 3 shot blocks to help stifle the Yellowjackets offense. McCoy and Carmen Lack ‘26 rounded out the scoring in the 7-6 victory. The team resumes on January 10th against Malibu High School.
Basketball
On the hardwood, the girls basketball team suffered some early season setbacks before claiming their own two-game win streak before the Winter Break. The Rams found the win column with a non-league victory over visiting Santa Clara. The 12th grade/9th grade recipe was the secret ingredient as both Sam Jimenez ‘25 and Josie Song ‘28 scored 14 points each in the win over the Saints. Maia Holmes ‘26 notched a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. The Rams followed up their first win with a second, topping Royal High School 49-36 on Monday night. Once again, Jimenez led the way with 18 points. Emerson Evans ‘26 continues her rise with a 12-point eight-rebound effort. Lilli Whelan ’25 posted eight points in her return to the team. The team heads into the break with some solid momentum going into the new year. The Rams return to action against St. Bonaventure on January 10th.
Boys varsity basketball have had a busy start to their season participating in the Nordhoff and Ojai Valley Classic tournaments in December. Last week, the Rams captured the Ojai Valley Classic Championship with wins over Carpinteria, Foothill Tech, and Orcutt Academy. Braylin Gomah ‘27 was named Tournament MVP, averaging a double-double for his three games. The Rams also saw massive contributions from standout Marcus Scudder ‘25 who averaged 26.5 points in the two games he played during the tournament. Senior Jacob Gabbay ’25 kept the offense moving, averaging five assists per game for the tournament. After a tough non-league loss to Thacher on Monday, the Rams battled Bishop Diego in an instant classic Tri-Valley League matchup on Wednesday. The Rams erased a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit behind the tandem of Scudder (22 points) and Josh Butler ‘26 (18 points). On the penultimate play, Gabbay found Butler alone in the corner, burying a clutch three-pointer to put the Rams up 62-60 with four seconds to play. The euphoria was short-lived as Bishop Diego sank a highly contested three-pointer as time expired to win 63-62. The Rams get right back into it after the break against St. Bonaventure on January 10th.