This Week in Athletics
October 25, 2024
This week sees the start of the postseason for varsity volleyball while other programs have made their reservations for the playoffs!
In the pool, boys water polo sealed their third straight playoff appearance with a resounding victory over Foothill Tech on Tuesday. Fletcher Prince ’28 led all scorers with a ridiculous seven-goal tally. The Rams received great defensive contributions from Sebastian Brine ’26 and Christian Busse ’25 to close out the Dragons and punch their ticket. Following 2023’s quarterfinal CIF run, this year’s squad is looking forward to continuing the growth and upward trajectory of the program behind Head Coach Jesse Morrison and Assistant Coach Renee Mack. The team will learn their path to a championship when playoff brackets are released in the afternoon today!
Girls Tennis participated in the Tri-Valley League singles and doubles championships this past week. After an undefeated league season, the top individuals took the courts of Bonning Tennis Center by storm. Ivy Huang ’28 and Claire Bianchi ’26 represented Cate in the singles draw, while the doubles tandems of Lisa Hasebe ’27/Jade Wang ’28, and Collette Chang ’25/Reyna Takahashi ’27. Huang and the team of Hasebe/Wang advanced to the championship matches held Thursday, while Bianchi bowed out in the quarterfinals, followed by the team of Chang/Takahashi losing in the semifinals. In the championship matches, the Rams ascended to the mountaintop once again In the singles draw, Ivy Huang became the second straight Cate 9th grader to win the TVL crown. The doubles tandem of Hasebe/Wang matched the feat just a few minutes later. Once again, Cate holds both the singles and doubles championships. The other doubles qualifiers, Chang/Takahashi won their third place match. Overall it was a great tournament for the Rams, with Huang, Hasebe, and Wang all qualifying for the CIF- Southern Section Individual Championship Tournament, which will be held in November.
Cross Country has been on a training break over the last two weeks culminating with the girls and boys varsity teams traveling to the the legendary course at Mt. SAC to compete in the 76th Annual Mt. San Antonio College Cross Country Invitational. Considered the fastest race west of the Mississippi River, the group is looking to follow-up on last year’s outstanding showing. Results will be posted on Athletic.Net later today following the Friday races. The Rams are looking forward to next week’s Santa Barbara County Championships on Wednesday 10/30 followed by the Tri-Valley League Championships on 11/7. Top runners Francesca Sutch ’25 and Jordan Ryan ’26 will look to add to this season’s medal count, working hard towards strong performances in the upcoming races.
The football team kept their winning streak intact with a 55-0 takedown of Orcutt Academy over Family Weekend. On the day, the Rams saw 6 different players score points against the Spartans highlighted by newcome Nolan Montoya ’27 scoring his first career touchdown following a fumble recovery in the end zone. Mack Nieman ’25 made his season debut and started with a bang. Leading all tacklers with 8 takedowns on the day, including 3 tackles for loss, Nieman helped the Rams run their shutout streak to 13 straight quarters and counting. The defense has not allowed a score since the 3rd quarter of the Fresno Christian game back in September! The team closes out league play with contests against Villanova Prep and Thacher before CIF playoffs begin in November.
Girls Volleyball spiked the end of the regular season with back-to-back wins over St. Bonaventure and Villanova Prep to close out Tri-Valley League competition and qualify for the post-season! The Rams, led by outside hitter Oyin Opawumi ’26, libero Evangeline Little ’26 and multi-position specialist Fallon Erickson ’26 faced off against Flintridge Prep in the first round of the Division 5 playoffs on Thursday night. Unfortunately, the Rams suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat at the hands of the Wolves in a tightly contested battle. With their season coming to an end, the team says goodbye to our departing seniors, Lilly Whelan ’25, Kylie Greene ’25 and Sienna Charvel ’25. We thank them for their contributions to the program and wish all three girls well as they close out their final year at Cate.