Week in Sports

February 17, 2017

Junior Patrick Armstrong rebounds for a basket during an away game against Westmark on 2/15. (©Daniele Huerta for Cate School)

This week the Mesa saw a few things it hasn’t seen for a long time. A huge rainstorm and playoff wins from the girls water polo and boys basketball programs. Before we get started with a recap, I would like to congratulate this weeks Coastal View News Athletes of the Week. Mason Mackall ’17 has been outstanding this year and his contributions against Grace Brethren helped secure a playoff spot for the Rams. Janice Ng ’16 scored a momentum shifting goal in the girls soccer team season finale, a win over Santa Clara. Congrats to both athletes!

Last year, the girls water polo team won a wildcard CIF match before losing in the first round. It was clear they were only setting the stage for this season. In an outstanding match played on Tuesday, the Rams topped a skilled Chadwick squad out of the Prep League. It was a back-and-forth affair filled with twists and turns. The crowd was entertained throughout the match. Following a frustrating match against Villanova, Ella Hendriks ’19 cranked up the effort on both ends of the pool, finishing with five goals. Halie Straathof ’17 was outstanding with five goals of her own. Lila Dressler ’17, the team’s rock all season long, opened the scoring and added a second goal as well. Jazmin Estevez-Rosas ’18 was outstanding in goal, coming up with clutch saves and keeping the match close during the swings. In the end, the Rams’ 12-9 win was the first divisional round playoff win for the program since 1998! It is reflective of the hard work and exemplary performance of a wonderful team. We are so proud to have this group represent Cate.

In the second round, the team proved their mettle contesting a highly regarded and #1 ranked Santa Ynez program. The efforts from our seniors, Dressler, Straathof, Aparna Iyer, and Liana Schmidt were outstanding. Iyer and Schmidt drew the unenviable task of guarding the biggest offensive threats from the Pirates. It was as physical and demanding as water polo can be, and the girls rose to the challenge. Schmidt forced two turnovers late in the match in an effort to get Cate within two goals in the fourth quarter. Iyer’s defensive presence and passing led to several of Cate’s nine goals. Cate gave the Pirates all they could handle, with the match only being decided late into the fourth quarter. It was a tough 12-9 defeat, but it does not diminish all that this squad accomplished this year. I hope you will join me in congratulating this team along with the coaches Max Bergeson and Charlie Plummer for a fantastic season.

The boys basketball team ended their playoff drought by qualifying for postseason play for the first time since 2013. The Rams made up for lost time, jumping out to an 8-0 lead over Westmark and never looked back. The Rams raced to 29-3 at the end of the first quarter and were able to maintain their energy throughout the 74-33 win over the Lions. The Rams were lead defensively by Pierce Lundt ’17 and Chase McCaw ’17 who were tasked with stopping Westmark’s best player. They more than succeeded holding their opponent to only seven points on the night. Thomas Nettesheim ’20 made the most of his extended minutes, netting eight points on the day. The win was the first for the boys program since 2008 and has given the group some great momentum moving forward. They host Mesa Grande Academy this afternoon in a matinee, with tip-off at 3:30 p.m.

Good luck to the squash team as they head to Orange County for the High School Team and Individual Championships to be played on Saturday and Sunday.

GO RAMS!!!!