Fall Sports Wrap-Up

12/9/2015

Awards and highlights from the fall sports season.

Greetings from Casa de Piedra! We’ve turned the page with yet another sports season but not without more exciting moments, team successes, and unwavering sportsmanship from the student athletes of Thacher.

Highlighting the fall season was another successful run by the girls' varsity tennis team. Led by a core group of seniors, the team avenged their loss last year in the finals to take the division V CIF title. The lady netters amassed an overall record of 21-1 and were undefeated in the Frontier League for the second consecutive season. On top of that, coach Pete Fagan was named Frontier League Coach of the Year.

On the gridiron, the boys football team had another successful season. After losing many seniors from last year's team, Coach Hooper had a young and inexperienced team. Throughout the season, however, these boys played like seasoned veterans. The Toads won their opening match-up in the playoffs, but were defeated in the second round after a close game with Faith Baptist.

Once again, the boys' and girls' cross-country teams showed their perennial power by qualifying for the state championships for the 8th time in 9 years on the boys' side, and the 6th consecutive year for the girls'. The boys' team finished the season 7th in the state and 6th in the southern section, while the girls finished 14th in the state and an impressive 4th in the southern section.

In the gym this season, the lady volleyballers never wavered in their commitment towards excellence. Even in the face of discouraging results, these ladies played tough against every opponent. Overall, the team didn’t gain success on the first scoreboard, but won the second scoreboard with their never give up attitude.

It’s been a great opening to our school year on the fields and courts. The student athletes are to be commended for their unwavering commitment to excellence, competitive spirit and impressive sportsmanship in all phases. I’m always proud of the efforts of our athletes and look forward to the winter season. Go Toads!

Boys' Cross Country
Coaches: Fred Coleman, Sarah DelVecchio

Captain: Peter Callan '16

TCAA Record: 2nd Place

Season Record: Southern Section: 6th Place; State: 7th Place

Seniors: Peter Callan, Spencer McCune, Jack Pierrepont, Miguel Sierra

Most Valuable Runner: Peter Callan '15 (All TCAA 1st Team)

Most Improved Novice: Ford Shaper '19

Most Improved Veteran: Rico Lopez '18 (All TCAA 2nd Team)

Most Inspirational: Peter Callan '15

Season highlights: Six boys qualified for early camp and returned for rigorous preseason

workouts. Our first significant test came at the 1st TriCounty Athletic Association (TCAA) Meet where the boys placed 2nd in a strong field of twelve (12) teams. At this point in the season the boys were ranked 4th in the Southern Section and 7th in State.

Three weeks later at the 2nd TCAA in Fillmore, the boys repeated their earlier performance, and solidified their position as one the favorites to contend for the TCAA Championship along with Foothill Tech, a much larger school (enrollment: more than 1000).

Then the Top 7 runners placed 4th in the Division V Sweepstakes Race (the elite teams) at the famous Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) Invitational (the largest in the world), where they gained valuable experience on the course that was the site of the Southern Section Finals. (Note: the prelims were held in Riverside this year).

On 5 November on the Lake Casitas Course the boys secured 2nd place in the TCAA, running true to form.

On to the postseason: At the Southern Section Prelims the boys placed 2nd in their heat of thirty (30) teams (two heats), qualifying easily for the sectional finals at Mt. SAC where they ran as ranked with a 6th place finish that qualified them for the State Championships in Fresno for the eighth time in the last nine years. On 28 November the boys finished 7th in the State of California to take their place as another excellent Thacher cross country team.

The order of finish was (5k or 3.11 miles):

1) Senior Peter Callan (15:44)

2) Junior Ryan Jackson (16:47)

3) Sophomore Rico Lopez (16:57)

4) Sophomore Edison Chadwick (17:30)

5) Freshman Ford Shaper (17:39)

6) Sophomore Nick Amano (18:03)

Note: Subtract 00:40 from theses times to approximate a flat three-mile time.

Girls' Cross Country

Coaches : Fred Coleman, Sarah DelVecchio

Captains: Reade Rossman '16, Sarah Voss '16

TCAA Record: 4th place

Season Record: Southern Section: 7th Place; State: 14th Place

Seniors: Reade Rossman, Sarah Voss

Most Valuable Runner: Sarah Voss '16

Most Improved Novice: Gaby Sierra '18

Most Improved Veteran: Sarah Voss '16

Most Inspirational: Reade Rossman '16

Season highlights: Six girls qualified for early camp and returned for five rigorous days of pre-season workouts. Our first important race was the 1st TriCounty Athletic Association (TCAA) Meet where the girls placed 5th in an excellent field of twelve (12) teams, an outstanding result in a very competitive field.

Two weeks later the girls again ran well (although without #2 girl and captain Reade Rossman '16, who was on a college visit) at the 2nd TCAA meet in Fillmore, and solidified their position as a good D5 team with a 6th place finish and a chance at good results in postseason competition.

Then our top seven varsity runners placed 2nd in their race at the famous Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) Invitational (the largest cross country meet in the world), where they gained valuable experience on the course that was the site of the Southern Section Finals. The Prelims this year were in Riverside, CA.

On 5 November at Lake Casitas the girls ran 4th in the TCAA Championship Meet, vastly exceeding expectations. They had already qualified for post-season competition by being ranked in the Top 13 (out of about 140 teams) of the section for all four of the final four weeks of the season, but this excellent performance placed them in the mix for an invitation to Fresno.

On to the postseason: At the Southern Section Prelims in Riverside the girls won their heat of 22 teams, qualifying for the finals, where they ran much better than expected, placing 7th in the Southern Section, and qualifying for a trip to Fresno for the 6th consecutive year.

At the State Championships, the girls ran a truly great race – everyone had a very good day, finishing 14th.

The order of finish was (5K or 3.11miles):

1) Senior Sarah Voss (19:50)

2) Senior Reade Rossman (21:07)

3) Freshman Caroline DelVecchio (21:34)

4) Sophomore Gaby Sierra (22:00)

5) Freshman Isabel Hosafros (23:07)

6) Freshman Lily Harding (23:27)

7) Junior Sara Jacobsen (23:35)

For an approximation of a flat three-mile time, subtract about 45 seconds.

Football

Coaches: Jeff Hooper, Aaron Snyder, Conner Schryver CdeP 2005, Chris Thomas CdeP 2008

Captains: Tucker Bennett '16, Sam Butler '16, Chase Van Kalsbeek '16

League Record: 3-1

Season Record: 6-4

Seniors: Tucker Bennett, Sam Butler, Griffin Sohn, Chase VanKalsbeek

Most Valuable Player: Laurence Jackson '17

Most Improved Player: Chase Van Kalsbeek '16

Season highlights:

In league play, Thacher beat opponents Villanova, Laguna Blanca, and Orcutt Academy. Opened with exciting close loss (34-30) to Pahranagat Valley, owners of nation’s longest active high school winning streak. Played toughest schedule in 8-man football, with all opponents making the playoffs. The only loss came from league champion Cate in a hard fought contest at Cate.

In the playoffs, the Toads opened up with 52-14 win against Calvary Chapel of Downey. Leading the day for the team was Laurence Jackson ‘17 who set a Thacher record with 5 receiving touchdowns totaling 194 yards. The first round win set up a rematch with Faith Baptist of Canoga Park. They were familiar foes as we beat them earlier in the year with a 36-30 home victory. In a back and forth, hard fought battle, the toads came up short in the contest, losng 28-20. In the loss, the boys battled to the end and even with numerous injuries, never gave up.

Was a year of learning on the job as only two players were returning to a position where they had seen significant varsity minutes. Junior Reese Proctor stepped in to QB role with no experience and did a great job. Rushing attack featured primarily juniors Zion Alcindor and Jackson Carroll. Junior Laurence Jackson had a historic year as a receiver, hauling in 15 TD’s over the course of the season, including 5 in one game, both school records. The future looks bright for these gridiron stars, as the team returns a strong group of juniors, led by Laurence Jackson ‘17, Jacques Robles ‘17, Reese Proctor ‘17 and Zion Alcindor ‘17.

Girls' Varsity Tennis

Coaches: Peter Fagan, Scott Burton

Captains: Grace Callander, Tyler James

League Record: 12-0

Season Record: 20-1

Seniors: Grace Callander, Charlotte Driscoll, Tyler James, Jean Li, Katie Rauner, Margaret Troast

Most Valuable Player: Libby Kern '17

Most Improved Player: Jean Li '16

Frontier League Recognitions: Singles MVP—Libby Kern '17, Doubles MVP—Tyler James '16/Sydney de Polo '17, 1st team all league: Grace Callander '16/Jasmin Arculli '17

Season highlights:

At the Frontier League championships, Thacher swept the awards. Winning the singles championship for the second time in as many years was Libby Kern ‘17. Libby did not drop a set in the tournament and was named the singles MVP of the league. On the doubles side, the finals were a match-up of Thacher teammates. The #1 team of Grace Callander ‘16 and Jasmin Arculli ‘17 were pitted against Tyler James ‘16 and Sydney DePolo ‘17 for the title. In the end, the team of Tyler and Sydney prevailed in an exciting final. Because of their success, both teams were named 1st team all league, with Tyler and Sydney taking MVP honors in doubles. Also winning awards in the Frontier League was Cara Dienst with all league second team honors and Olivia DePolo, Bea Pierrepont and Katie Rauner deserving of honorable mention. Moreover, coach Pete Fagan was named Frontier League Coach of the Year. In the playoff run, the Toads played flawless tennis on their way to the finals. In the finals, they were matched up against Magnolia High School of Anaheim. In a tough first round, the toads held firm, going up 4-2 in matches. In the second round, the highlight match was with the #3 doubles team of Bea Pierrepont ‘18 and Olivia De Polo ‘18 coming back from a 2-5 deficit to defeat the #1 team of Magnolia. With that victory, the team went into the third round with a 8-4 advantage and only needed one match for the win. In the end, the team won 13-5 to make history with the first CIF championship in girls tennis in the history of the School.

Girls' JV Tennis

Coach: Gabriela Ceseña

Captains: Avery Bearden '16, Lydia Paxton '16

League Record: 5-3

Seniors: Avery Bearden, Krista Cabrera, Kathryn Lynch, Lydia Paxton

Most Valuable Player: Lydia Paxton '16

Most Improved Player: Emma Freedman '17, Apple Farrelly '18

Season highlights: Malibu match: Roaring comeback against a tough opponent from Malibu. Early on, we were down 1:4. The girls never gave up, and stayed positive. Through enormous effort and determination the Toads ended up winning the remaining 8 out of 9 sets and with that pulled out a 9:5 overall win.

Cate: Improving our number of wins from 2 wins in the first match up to 6 wins in the rematch against a Cate team stacked with seniors. Maddy Waltemath '18 pulled out a

seemingly impossible win in one of her first single matches ever. Mary Ya '18, a highly

effective competitor, played 3 tough singles matches and gave each opponent a run for their money. She was the first player on the court and the last one off the court after 2.5 hours of non-stop running and resolved play.

Carpinteria: 5 out of 6 tie-break wins against formidable competitors. Intensity, focus, “happy feet” and wanting to win the match more than the opponents got the job done! Bridget Levy '17 had the pull-out win of the season: early in the match, after a moment of “Should I give up?” Bridget switched to a “NEVER give up” mode and got a rewarding win in a close tie-break. You always can count on seniors Kathryn and Krista on playing high-percentage doubles! Unfaltering, powerful, steady ground stokes, getting to the net as a team and consequently winning the point, created great frustration among the

opponents. Commanding 6:4 nail-biter win.

Santa Barbara Dos Pueblos: In one of their last matches as seniors Avery and Lydia played, undoubtedly, the “Match of the Season”. After a long back and forth battle and three match points, the “Queens of the Court” finally prevailed and closed out the match with a great poach winner at the net. Steady and earnest, sophomores Maddy and Apple played 3 courageous singles totaling 2 hours and 45 minutes of battle.

Newbies to Tennis – first matches ever played: Apple, Maddy, Joelle, Po, Emma, Stefanie! Determination, tenacity and gifted with fighting spirits, dramatically improved their skill level, overcame frustrations and prevailed in many of their matches. Each one of them wildly exceeded expectations.

Freshman Piper Stacey won an impressive 90% of her singles matches. Junior Emma finishing off a match point for the win with her least favorite shot, the backhand. Wishing, I could have captured Emma’s radiant smile.

Inspiring, impeccable and consistent performances by captains and seniors Avery and Lydia winning 95% of their matches. Leading by example, displaying a positive can-do-attitude! They inspired their teammates and myself, to always be the best one can be.

Proudly presenting the Queens of the Thacher JV Tennis team:

Avery: Queen of the Net

Lydia: Queen of the Serves

Krista: Queen of Consistency

Kathryn: Queen of Steadiness

Joelle: Queen of Top Spins

Mary: Queen of Singles

Jasmin: Queen of Long Rallies

Apple: Queen of Confidence

Jane: Queen of Groundstrokes

Bridget: Queen of Hitting The Ball Hard

Emma: Queen of Persistence & Big Smiles

Po: Queen of Forehands

Maddy: Queen of Inspiration

Olivia: Queen of Competitors and Happy Feet

Piper: Queen of Meaning Business

Abby: Queen of Quiet Force

Stephanie: Queen of Returns

Maya: Queen of Fearlessness

We improved a lot and had a Blast!

Additional note:

Our Tennis JV Girls team displayed inspiring “Sportsgirlship” throughout the entire season – I’m proud of them! Sportsmanship is traditional value in sports and competition. It means playing clean and handling both victory and defeat with grace, style, and dignity. Sportsmanship is generally understood to include

 playing fair

 following the rules of the game

 respecting the judgment of referees and officials

 treating opponents with respect

The ideal of sportsmanship argues that "it doesn't matter whether you win or lose, but how you play the game".

You play an impressive game, Girls!!

Girls' Varsity Volleyball

Coaches: Bryan Ornelas, Bill Omansiek

Captains: Elsabet Jones '16, Brooke Porter '16, Emma Robertson '16

League Record: 2-10

Season Record: 3-12

Seniors: Elsabet Jones, Brooke Porter , Emma Robertson

Most Valuable Player: Faith Earley '17

MIP:

Other Awards:

First Team All-League - Faith Earley '17 - Middle Blocker

Second Team All-League - Fiona Bean '17 - Setter

Honorable Mention All-League - Penelope Brittingham '17 - Outside Hitter, Elsabet Jones '16 - Outside Hitter, Jordan Perry '17 - Middle Blocker

Season highlights: The win/loss record doesn’t do a very good job of telling the story of the season for this year’s varsity team. While we had the same record the previous year (3-12), this year’s team was light years ahead. Alongside of our three wins, we also played three other closely contested matches against Santa Paula (twice) and Faith Baptist (all three of which we lost 2 games to three), and we took games against Fillmore, Carpinteria, and Foothill in three of our other losses. When this team was playing their best, we pushed the two best teams in the league to very close games. Inconsistency of play is what held this team back from being a playoff contender. Throughout the season the girls played hard, were extremely supportive of one another, and had fun daily. They even pushed hard and kept their spirits up after our starting setter, Fiona Bean (Second Team All-League), went down with 4 games left in the season. Faith Earley (First Team All-League) DOMINATED the middle of the net on both offense and defense all season. Jordan Perry (Honorable Mention All-League was a defensive powerhouse at middle blocker, and virtually nullified the play of the other teams’ best middle blockers. Poppy Brittingham and Elsabet Jones were also among the strongest outside hitters in the league (both Honorable Mention All-League). When this team played it’s best (passing well and playing scrappy defense) the other teams in the league took note. With six (of nine) girls returning to the team next fall, the Thacher girls varsity volleyball team could very well be in the hunt as contenders in the league and for a possible playoff push. While this season had a huge number of shining moments, next season might be a very memorable one.

Dance Ensemble

Coach: Gallia Vickery

Captains: Carrie Eastburn '16, Morgana Van Peebles '16

Seniors: Carrie Eastburn, Morgana Van Peebles, Elizabeth Zhang

Season highlights: In addition to our regular classes in ballet, and modern dance, dancers had a weekly contemporary class taught by Tracy Kofford, director of dance at Santa Barbara City College, and we had a special master class with dancers from Nannette Brodie Dance company. We also went to Fit Buddha to experience a Lagree conditioning class on a pilates Megaformer. Another highlight: dancers learned a short line dance to We Go Together from Grease and performed it in Ojai at the Libby Bowl showing and singalong of Grease sponsored by the Ojai Film Society.

Rock Climbing

Coaches: Brian Pidduck, Bo Manson, Logan Brown

Awards:

The Brotherhood/Sisterhood of the Rope Award: Luke Leasure '17

Of all of the climbers, who best embodies the brotherhood/sisterhood of the rope? In other words, who best embodies the spirit of adventure, camaraderie, embracing physical and mental challenge, safety above all else and a love for the simple act of climbing in the outdoors?

The Most Improved Climber: Edel Galgon '17

The Mentor Climber Award: Ronan Byrne '17, Luke Leasure '17

Who was the most supportive, encouraging, instructive and helpful to the new climbers

in the program?

Season highlights: