Week in Sports

March 3, 2017

Brie Walker ’18 dodges four Valencia players during a home game on Tuesday. Cate dominated the game with a 17 – 2 win. (©Ashleigh Mower for Cate School)

The winter rains have yielded to spring sun here on the Mesa and the fields, gyms, courts, pools and track have come alive. Teams have been working hard preparing for an action-packed season. Many got their seasons started this week while swimming and track will get started after Spring Break.

Boys tennis kicked off the season with a matchup against perennial Channel League power Santa Barbara. The Rams kept the match close and the drama high, trading wins with the Dons over the course of the afternoon. Kevin Ha ’16 started his season right, sweeping all three matches on the day while younger brother Ethan Ha ’20 did the same. The Rams rode the 6-0 singles momentum to a 9-9 match score. The tiebreaker came down to total games won on the day and the Rams had more than enough. Following a 15-3 win over crosstown rival Carpinteria, the Rams proved they had more in the tank on Thursday against San Marcos. Behind a sweep at #1 doubles, led by Nicholas Hilldebrandt ’18 and Christian Herman ’17 the Rams were able to emerge with a 10-8 victory. The Rams are now 2-0 against the Channel League this season. They will look for the Santa Barbara city sweep later in the season against Dos Pueblos. The Rams begin Tri-Valley League play on March 23. It is looking like an exciting season may be on the horizon for the boys.

Boys volleyball spiked their way to a season-opening win over Malibu on Tuesady. Against the Sharks, freshman Theo Mack ’20 proved the future is bright for the Rams, leading the team with fifteen kills. Cullen Barber ’19 added six of his own while Parker Matthews ’18 and Chase McCaw ’17 did a great job running the offense. The Rams raced out to early leads in each match before cruising to a 3-0 win. On Thursday, the Rams hosted Carpinteria in a wild affair at Sprague Gym. The Rams could not find their rhythm early, dropping the first two sets to the Warriors. In the third set, the boys found their grove winning a thrilling back-and-forth game, 25-23. The Rams rallied to take the fourth set before dropping the fifth and final to the Warriors by a score of 10-15. Mack again led the Rams in kills, while Cooper Mayer ’17 was a passing leader in the game. The team takes the court on Thursday, March 23 against Foothill Tech.

Parker Matthews serves to opponent Carpinteria during a home game on Thursday evening. (©Ashleigh Mower for Cate School)

Boys lacrosse kicked off their season against a tough Valencia squad. In a physical affair the Rams were able to keep pace with the Vikings in the early going. Behind a seven-goal performance from Will Bowlin ’18, the Rams gave the visiting team all they could handle early. Despite a strong effort from Goalie Chris Figeuroa ’17 the boys in blue could not find the win. In the face-off X, the Rams showed great potential, winning 80% of the battles on the day. Newcomers Will Anderson ’20 and Charlie Heyman ’20 showed great promise in their first varsity starts. The Rams will look to regroup after break when they travel to Santa Barbara in their inaugural Channel League match against the Dons.

Girls lacrosse finished 2016 with a 12-2 record and have picked right up where they left off. The team hosted #19 ranked Valencia on Tuesday and stormed out to a 16-2 victory. Brie Walker ’18 led all scorers with six goals while Maddie Erickson ’18 and Daphne McKeefry ’19 added three and four goals respectively. Liza Borghesani ’20 jumped into goal after only four days of practice to give the Rams a tremendous effort. She held the Vikings to only two goals on the afternoon recording her first career win in her first ever game in goal! The Rams topped #16 ranked Simi Valley on Thursday night by a 18-3 margin. The offense was on fire again with Katherine Grossman ’17 adding a spark while the defense was led by Summer Christensen ’17 and Eva Herman ’17. The Rams will resume action on March 23 as well, playing host to Santa Barbara in the new Channel League lacrosse opening game.

The baseball team made the short drive up the 101 to face league foe Bishop Diego in a non-league game to start the season. Both teams have been plagued by wet weather and were happy to get a game in on a sunny afternoon. Joel Revo ’17 was solid in his first start on the mound while Dylan Ell ’17 led the Rams with two hits. Emily Burns ’18 knocked in a run on a textbook perfect squeeze bunt. Edward Lee ’17 and Bryce Huerta ’17 each added hits in the 9-3 loss to the Cardinals. The team gets right back after it following Spring Break, facing Valley Christian on the first day back, March 21.

Come on up to the Mesa and check out all the action after the Break. Make sure to wear your blue and white and cheer for the Rams. See you in a few weeks!