SportsWrap: Winter

Cheers echoing in the rafters of Voit Gymnasium, up the canyons into the foothills of the Los Padres, or across green soccer fields towards the valley--this is the sound of family, friends, and other fans watching Toadly teams in competition.

Varsity Boys Basketball
Coach: Jason Carney
Assistant Coach: Aaron Snyder
Captains: Max Barbakow, Drew Cole, Bennett Kissel

“When asked to describe the type of season it was,” writes Coach Carney, “several seniors summed it up in one word: magical.” We who watched from the bleachers can understand why: on the first scoreboard, a 6-0 record in the Condor League, securing that championship, a 14-5 season record, and an earned ticket—renewed again and again more often than all but once before in Thacher hoops history—to post-season play against CIF powerhouses several times Thacher’s size. But moreover, this was a team energized by an unusual camaraderie and a dual motto of their own making: Expect to Win and Family. “Win they did,” says Coach Carney, “and they did it as brothers. All 13 players contributed in a big way; our bench has never been so loud and involved during games. The team's collective focus during practice and the intensity they showed in games enabled us to go further than our own lofty expectations.”

Four-year varsity players Drew Cole (team scoring leader, MVP and Most Inspirational), Max Barbakow (free throw percentage leader), and Chris Gordon all logged 70 varsity games during their Thacher careers, and Bennett Kissel (field goal percentage leader and rebound king three years running) started every game once he made the team as a sophomore. Other seniors on the team this year: Bryan Brockman and Alexander Krey.
 
Chris Thomas led in assists, steals and charges taken, and was second to Drew in scoring by only two points. Casey Wyman nailed more 3-pointers than any other player. Sharing Most Improved Player honors were Chris Gordon, Joe Tobin, and Griffin Triplett.

For an account of the team’s methodical, hard run through CIF tourney play, see the headline just above this article.

Varsity Girls Basketball
Coach: Derick Perry CdeP 1983
Captains: Hannah Rich, Della Taylor, Amber Lakin
This team, led by seniors Hannah, Della, and Olivea Callender-Scott, tied for first in the Condor League, with a 5-1 record.  According to Coach Perry,
“The season was full of ups and downs for this young team.  After starting the season at 1-3, we won 6 games in a row. We finished up the season with a disappointing loss in the playoffs to a good Azusa team.  Still, there is much of which to be proud.  We held teams to a 36 points-per-game average against us, and we developed some offensive chemistry that will serve us well in the future.  The senior leaders leave a good team ready to blossom after being under their tutelage.” Amber Lakin and Mariah Gill-Erhart shared MVP garlands, while the whole team was apparently—to each other—Most Inspirational and Most Improved, since, as Coach Perry said, “Most of them voted for each other for both awards!” Other contributors: Audra Horton, Moizee Stewart, Victoria Lowe, Lucy Phillips, Annie Ford, Kaitlin Bond, Sondra Oxley, and Ali Espinosa-Setchko.

JV Boys Basketball
Coach: Bill Omansiek
Captain: Tom Johnson  
An even split between freshmen and non-smuts, this squad faced the challenge and learned a bucketful about the game and about playing together. Wrote their coach, “Somehow the two groups gelled into a cohesive team” and created a respectable 7-6 record for themselves. Other notes: “We were competitive in 11 of our 13 games. Our defensive play was outstanding, a true team effort.  The boys were very coachable and learned the system well.  Near the end of the season we had also developed a strong 1-3-1 press that caused our opponents many problems. In short, everyone on the team is a much better basketball player than when the season began.  Not only did their individual skills improve, but so did their concept of the game itself.”  As the leader in points, rebounds, blocks, free throw attempts and free throw makes, Paul Connolly was, unsurprisingly, the team’s MVP. Most Improved was Alex Kaneko; Most Dedicated, Jeffrey Chen; and Most Encouraging, Aharon Kaslow (steals leader). Noteworthy, too: Josh Jackson led the team in assists, steals, and 3-pointers, while new kids on the block Austin Krause and Stephen Yih emerged as very strong: Austin was in the top three in five statistical categories and Stephen was in the top three in two.

JV Girls Basketball
Coach:  Rich Mazzola
Captains: Charlotte Hunt, Alexis Jackson
Coach Mazz shared the following at Assembly at season’s end. (To more fully catch the allusions, read “The Perfect Season”—last year’s poignant account of junior varsity play.) “The streak continued this year for JV Girls Basketball.  Against all odds, this year's team proved to be as strong and consistent last year's.  In the face of a difficult schedule, senior captains, Charlotte Hunt and Alexis Jackson, led the girls through our daily regimen of skills and drills to help each and every member of the squad improve to one extent or another.  Spirits remained high from Day One, right through to the very last week of the season, which included a barn-burner against Laguna Blanca—a game decided in the final seconds—and a tough game away at Cate.  In those, and every other throughout the season, the girls did Thacher proud by displaying unwavering sportsmanship and by giving their all.  Thanks to the great team spirit, whether we were in the midst of a grueling circuit training session in the Thacher Fitness Center or a nail-biting game, the girls were able to remain loose and have fun.” Natalie Selzer snagged her teammates’ vote for MVP, while Anna North earned Most Improved. Crowned “Most Inspirational” was Meredith Dworkin.

Boys Varsity Soccer                         
Coach: Fred Coleman
Captains:  Redgie Collins, Sam Purcell  
Of his futballers, Coach Derf writes, “When all is said and done, this team takes its place as the most improved soccer team I have ever coached.  These boys went from a 2-7 loss to Dunn in December to a 5-4 victory over the same team in February.  The key to this remarkably rapid development was their collective unselfish attitude.  Each player was willing to give himself up so that we might be a better team.” And “better” they certainly grew throughout the winter months, by February, arriving at second place in the Condor League, with a 7-2-1 record.

More from Derf: “This year the boys [including a lucky seven seniors:  Redgie Collins, Sam Purcell, David Cook, Mark Frykman, Sam Lino, Ryan McMorrow, Jack Pearce] played three league games before Christmas Break, defeating Laguna Blanca and Midland before losing to Dunn, the pre-season heavy favorite to win both the Condor League and the Division VI Championship.  For the first time in modern Thacher soccer history two freshmen joined the varsity—Alex Macmillan and Cole Ryder. In early January a loss to Nordhoff, a good Division V team, shook us out of a month long period of inactivity and reminded us of what it takes to play competitive soccer well.  Five days later a tie with Cate established the fact that we would be contenders for a berth in the post-season tournament.  After a disappointing loss to Laguna Blanca (the boys played excellent soccer), a string of superb performances, including a magnificent upset of Dunn School (ranked #1 in southern California at the time) followed by a convincing win at Cate, completed the regular season. We opened the CIF tournament with a decisive 7-0 victory over Frazier Mountain but then went on to lose 0-1 in a hard-fought, evenly played 1st round game at Malibu, Frontier League champions.”  

Most Inspirational Players were Redgie Collins and Jack Pearce; Best Sportsman was Sam Purcell.

Girls Varsity Soccer
Coach: Toby Elmore
Assistant Coach: Kara Hooper
Captain: Kathryn Padgett
In addition to Captain Padg, four seniors—CC Hayne, Kensey Pease, Olivia Jacobsen, and Virginia Shannon—helped to whip up a successful winter in which the team finished second in the Condor League. Coach Hooper submitted the following report: “After graduating ten seniors, this year’s squad came out ready to defend its Condor League title. We started our season with three strong non-league opponents, including St. Margaret’s (to whom we’d lost in the playoffs last year) and cross-town rival Villanova, whom we tied, 1-1.  After returning from break, we tied a tough Cate team 0-0.  We tied Laguna Blanca in a 3-3 thriller with a hat trick from Lexie Cook—all three goals in the second half.  In our second game against Cate we tied 2-2 with both goals coming again from Lexie Cook.  We then faced Dunn and notched our first win on the season 1-0 with our goal scored by….Lexie Cook! (That’s six goals in four games.)  After tying Laguna Blanca 0-0, we ended up second in the league and played Frasier Mountain in the Wild Card round of CIF playoffs.  We won 1-0 after CC Hayne made a beautiful pass to Sarah Brown-Campello, who scored.  Ultimately, we lost to Fillmore in the next round.  All season our defense was anchored by Virginia Shannon, who brought together a young group that included Tyler Cook at sweeper, Abby Volkmann at stopper and Anne Turner, who made huge strides at the goalie position, which was totally new to her.  Captain Kathryn Padgett and Lucy Anawalt dominated the midfield for us while freshman Kelly Schultz and sophomore Kristen Findley were rock solid on the flanks.  Brown-Campello, Robles, and Hayne complimented Cook at forward.  With 11 returners for next years’ team, the future certainly looks bright!” Named MVP was Captain Padg, while Most Improved was Anne Turner (first year in the goal) and Most Inspirational, Virginia Shannon.

JV Boys Soccer
Coach:  Ben Farrell
Captains: Sam Lino, Danny Waldman
Coach Farrell turned in this praise for his guys: “This was a JV team loaded with talent.  Once they realized just how good they could be, the season really took off, with captains Sam and Danny leading the way for us on and off the field. We had a lot of work to do to come together as a team (with seven freshmen making the squad), but when everyone did, it seemed that the sky was the limit. Sweeper Brannon Cavalier and goalie Arjun Dutta (MVP) led the defense, with Arjun keeping out an untold number of would-be goals, often making diving acrobatic saves to keep the team in the game.  Will Sturgeon anchored our talented group of mid-fielders who controlled the tempo and flow of many of our games.  The passing and spacing of the mid-fielders steadily improved throughout the season; they often surprised even themselves in their ability to create space and get open.  Our strikers had a very strong showing, with Jackson Berler the lead scorer. We also scored more header goals than any team I have ever coached.  As a team we suffered only three losses all season (winning four games and tying 3), proving that the JV and Varsity Toads have a very promising future!” The squad’s Most Improved Player was Max Pillsbury; Kyle Dietrich won the Charlie Hustle Award. In addition to Captain Lino, other seniors were Andrew Jordan, Mark Wolcott, and Stone Yu.

JV Girls Soccer        
Coach: Heather Grant
Assistant Coach: David Babbott
Captains: Allie Barbey, Adriana Meza, Alessandra Waste
This team of juniors, sophomores, and freshmen romped through the winter months with a winning combination of cheerfulness, grit, and can-do, racking up a stunning, “I gotta crow” 8-0 record by season’s end. The most telling stat: the goal differential for season was 25 goals scored by Thacher against opponents and 3 goals scored against the Toads. “These girls had great team work, communication, and positive attitudes that made all the difference,” smiles Coach Grant. When the last long shadows reached across the green field in February, it was Lucy Felton who’d earned MVP honors, Teresa Finley and Casey Collins who’d snagged Most Improved, and Sarra Wynn and Sophie Conant who, together, shouldered the mantle of Most Inspiring.

Boys 3^rd Soccer
Coach:  Peter Sawyer
Captains: Clinton Henderson, Joseph Wyatt
Coach Sawyer sends us this report: “The team—undefeated in the Condor League—had an eclectic mix of players, from those who had never played organized soccer to those who’ve played soccer most of their lives. A number of players provided experience and consistency on a regular basis: as forwards, Lee Farese, Will Strachan, Talal Gedeon-Achi, and Connor Church; as midfielders, Nick Orr and McCoy Becker; on defense, Clinton Henderson, Joseph Wyatt (our sole senior), Chris Allison, and Jay Harmon—with Ryan Winter a force in the goal (he gave up only one goal all season).  

“Our final match against Cate was by far our best performance of the year. After playing to a 0-0 halftime score, we knew that this team was a far better than the one we’d played in January, and after going down by one goal early in the second half, we worried that our undefeated season might be going by the wayside.  As it turned out, the boys, not wanting to lose to Cate in our last game, were able to pull out a 2-1 win on goals by Nick Orr and Will Strachan, who [clinched the victory when he] struck the ball with his head, while at the same time crashing into the goalie. The ball reached the back of the net--and it was just a matter of holding on the last ten minutes for the win.

“It was a very positive season, not just because of our record, but because of what the boys were able to learn about soccer—and about themselves.”

Girls 3^rd Soccer
Coach: Donna Jones
Captains: Sophie LaRocque,Tatyana Rem
“The girls 3rds competed well,” says Coach Jones, “in large part due to a strong defense composed of Kelly Timmes, Katharine Gifford, Sophie LaRocque and Kelly Joy Brown-Lewis. Gaby Karefa-Johnson excelled at her new position as keeper, allowing in only five goals all season, while our offense made 17 goals. One of the highlights of the year was the game against Midland where six different players each scored a goal. Another highlight was when the tenacious Madi Manson pulled off a hat trick. High-scorers for the season were Stephanie Winter, Tatyana Rem and Madi Manson. Despite being a largely inexperienced group, the girls learned the game well and played hard as a team with great passing and good communication on game days. Most importantly, they had fun!” MVPs were Tatyana Rem and Kelly Timmes; Most Improved, Gaby Karefa-Johnson and Madi Manson; and Most Inspirational, Kelly Joy Brown-Lewis and Eliza Childs.”