Spring Athletics Roundup
June 9, 2021
Six months ago, it seemed like an incredible long shot for six sports and 11 teams to make it through a full athletic season. Our goal was to give students as close to an afternoon routine as we have had in years past. With the buy-in from all of our students, that goal became a reality. Three months after we began, every team was able to complete a full season with some even making CIF playoffs.
The boys soccer team followed up their incredible league championship season a year ago with another strong showing in a difficult Tri-Valley League. The team earned themselves a spot in the D5 CIF playoffs where they had an impressive 6-2 win in their opening round against Hawthorne. Unfortunately, at the final whistle of an incredibly hard-fought second game against a very good Artesia team, the Rams bowed out on the wrong side of a game decided by penalty kicks, 0-0 (5-4). Coach Mack and the coaching staff would like to thank the seniors for their time and effort given to the program – Will Deardorff, Shion Kato, Layton Harding, and Andrew Mabon.
What a season it was for girls soccer. Playing in a very tough Tri-Valley League (one that would have the eventual D6 CIF champion) the girls showed that they belong just as much as any other school, taking home the league title. The team continued on to the D6 CIF playoffs showing that a small school in Carpinteria can compete with the big schools. In their first two rounds, they hosted Pomona Catholic and Bolsa Grande High School winning 3-0 and 1-0, respectively. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end at some point, and for the Rams, a trip to the eventual runner-up, Linfield Christian Lions, meant a hard-fought 2-0 defeat. It was an amazing run for the girls who played every game with high intensity. Coach Wyatt and the coaching staff would like to thank a tremendous group of seniors who have set the girls soccer program up for success moving forward – Taylor Kane, Ryan Lack, Jolea Moes, Tali Nam, and Maddy Tunnell.
The girls lacrosse team once again proved to be a force on their way to a 7-2 record, only losing to Dos Pueblos by one goal each time. Unfortunately, the team was not able to participate in the CIF playoffs with the timing not lining up with the School’s end-of-year schedule. It was a tremendous year, nonetheless, and the team no doubt would have been an extremely difficult out for any opponent in the playoffs. Coach Mack would like to say thank you to four seniors who have been stalwarts for the girls lacrosse program and will be dearly missed – Riley Borchardt, Josie Erickson, Lilly Riehl, and Lily Zanze.
Boys lacrosse had a good season that was hindered by some late-season injuries to some key members. Competitive in all their games, it usually came down to late game depth and inexperienced miscues. The highlight of the year was of course a blowout win of rival Thacher. The team went to Ojai early in their season and took home a 12-3 victory. After some tough losses to finish the season, the program looks like it will be in good hands moving forward with over a dozen underclassmen returning. Before handing the reins over to those members though, Coach Marinelli and the coaching staff would like to congratulate and thank all their seniors – Albert Barber, Jasper Bennett, Adrian Binns, Peter Coors, Alex Elrington, Jacob Hernandez, James Marin, Ned Sigler, and Emil Strauss.
The track and field team was one that saw their schedule suffer the most from COVID-19 restrictions. With all the guidelines in place holding events to a limited number of attendees, it made it difficult for teams to run races like they normally would. The team was able to compete locally against Carpinteria High School where they showed a valiant effort with some impressive individual results but ultimately fell short in the team result. After that meet, the group was able to compete in the League and County Championships with some impressive results with sophomore Justin Musyimi setting some school records in the long jump. Three students, Justin, sophomore Kennedy Kirkland, and junior Anna Disorbo competed last weekend at Carpinteria HS in the CIF Prelims. Coach Mason and the rest of the coaching staff would like to thank all the seniors – Ari Sterling, Nkemka Chukwumerije, AJ Oke, and Tega Umukoro.
The swim team, like the track and field team, was not able to hold a typical schedule. They were, however, able to get three dual-meets in against St. Bonaventure, Foothill Tech, and Carpinteria, going 2-1 with their only loss to Carpinteria. In the League Finals, the girls and boys teams finished third and first, respectively. Individual highlights included personal records from freshman Caroline Keohane, Kendall Rhee, Karla Camacho, and Kairei Jones; sophomore Frankie Nieman; juniors Alekha Rao and Charlie Schofield. The highlight of the finals was sophomore Cyrus Symington posting a school record in his 200 IM while winning the event. It was a great finish to an unusual season for both teams. Coach Hansen and the coaching staff thank seniors Lucy Van der Reis and Jet Ochoa for a great four years.
The boys tennis team made a run into the D3 CIF Playoffs, defeating Mayfair 18-0 in the opening round before falling in the second round to the No. 1 seeded Servite Friars. Jinming Wang ’22, Jengus Ercil ’23, and Shion Kato ’21 competed in singles while Michael Armstrong ’21/Lucian Prinz ’21; Will Vanica ’23/Ethan Bloom ’24; and Alex Tang ’23/Owen Conde Raggett ’21 filled out the doubles lines. Coach Saltoun-Ebin thanks senior captains Michael Armstrong, Lucian Prinz, and Bryce Kim for their leadership during the year.
Girls tennis put an exclamation point on the spring season as senior Fritze Mayer and junior Emily May captured the Tri-Valley League doubles title with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Foothill Tech. The Mayer/May pairing ended the year 16-0 and continued a streak of four consecutive TVL doubles titles for Cate. Yuki Kobayashi ’21 and junior Ashi Kamra placed third in doubles. Aminah Hill also earned all-league honors after cruising to a 6-0, 6-0 victory to take third place in singles.
“The three victories end Cate’s COVID-shortened season on a high note and bring momentum for the team going into the 2021 fall season in just a few short months,” Cate coach Trevor Thorpe said.
The baseball team had a fantastic season, finishing atop the Frontier League standings to earn their first-ever league championship since moving into the TCAA. The in-season highlight had to be the team’s sweep of Thacher which culminated in a walk-off win. Of the many individual highlights, none was more impressive than senior Daniel Panadero taking home Player of the Year honors for the entire league. Unfortunately for the team, due to the adjusted schedule this year, playoffs were not in the cards for the Rams. Even without the opportunity to compete for a CIF title, this was an incredibly successful season and the coaching staff could not be more proud of what this group accomplished. A big thank you to our seniors Panadero, Will Deardorff, Cooke Tarlton, and Will Morse.