This Week in Athletics
November 21, 2025
Fall Sports
A busy two weeks for Cate Athletics while several fall sports teams continue to progress through playoffs while winter sports kicked off their seasons.
Girls Volleyball
Cate Girls Volleyball won the Division 7 CIF-SS Finals! In front of a raucous crowd at Carpinteria High School, the Rams defeated West Valley 3 – 2.
The Rams headed to regionals where they fell to a stacked Granada Hills Charter, losing in 3. Congratulations to the team and coaches for this unforgettable season!
See the full gallery here and relive the West Valley match in this highlight video here!
Football
After a challenging season, Cate football has found its stride! After drumming United Christian Academy 64-18, the Rams faced Santa Clarity Christian in the quarterfinal round of CIF-SS. On an rainy night game, the Rams came through with a 15-6 win! The Rams compete on Friday evening against Faith Baptist in the semifinal. Kick off at 7:15pm at San Marcos HS.
Cross Country
Cate cross country journeyed down to Mt. SAC for the CIF-SS prelims. The rain course was used due to the heavy rain. Junior Ati Zwieback led the way for the boys team, finishing 3rd overall in the heat. Senior Jordan Ryan placed 8th overall with a new PR of 16:09.
In the girls’ race, Junior, Sophie Blank continued her strong season with a 5th place overall in our heat. Sophomore Aggie McTigue (10th, 20:15), Senior Carmen Lack (29th, 22:20), Junior Michelle Wu (32nd, 22:26), Senior Sofi Ridgway (43rd, 23:34), Senior Rosita Power (52nd, 24:09), and Sophomore Mimi Power (59th, 24:34) all set PR’s.
Both teams head back down to Mt. SAC to race on Saturday. Girls race at 9:25am followed by the boys at 10:35am. It will be held on the rain course again.
Girls Tennis
Girls tennis’ run came to an end against a powerful Whitney team losing 10-8. Coach Thorpe reflected on the season “It’s hard to do so much winning all season and then find yourself on the other end of things. In each tournament, there’s just one winner and a lot of solid players left without a trophy to hoist, but that’s only part of the equation.
This season I watched my girls grow as young people as well as tennis players. We got to experience the highs of victory and now learn to deal with the disappoint of defeat. Tennis is a beautiful game and opportunity to tackle some of these quintessential elements of being human, and we did it all together.
Did we lose? Yes, maybe in some way that hurts now but will fade in due time. We also gained a lot: 15 wins, a season-high #46 in Southern California ranking, best team in Santa Barbara County, and a 4th consecutive Tri-Valley League title. Most of all, every Cate player knows without doubt that they have teammates (and coaches!) for life.” This brings a close to the Cate tennis careers of Reyna Takahashi, Claire Bianchi, and Elsie Chamberlain. They take with them a 2023 CIF Championship and a 49-4 overall record across the last 3 seasons. Cate will return 9 of 12 varsity players next season and looks poised to continue a tradition of excellence in the coming years.
Winter Sports
Several winter sports teams kicked off their seasons despite the transition period having to deal with our several fall sports team players as playoff runs continue and battling limited field space as the Mesa was hit with several inches of rain over the last week.
Girls Water Polo
Cate girls’ water polo team hosted its first non-league game of the season against Channel Islands High School. Cate came out victorious with a 11-6 win. Alena Ballat tallied a career high of five goals on the day while Amber Lam save 13 shots in net.
On Thursday, the team traveled to Simi Valley to compete against Royal High School. The Rams fell 17-5 to a tough Royal side. The team next takes to the pool on December 4th at Louisville High School.
Boys Basketball
Boys basketball battled hard in their opening two games of the season. Missing several starters from last season who are still competing in football playoffs, the Rams field a young team in these opening contests. After a heavy defeat to Malibu on the road, the Rams battled hard against Fillmore in Sprague Gymnasium on Thursday night. They ultimately lost 57-53, but put in a strong team performance. Freshman Ian Kim hit several key three-pointers, while juniors Braylin Glomah and Jackson Steele lead the team. After the break, the Rams will return to full strength and will look to gain some momentum in the winter holidays.
Girls Basketball
Cate girls basketball held their home opener against Thacher on Tuesday. The Rams fell to a 53-23 defeat. The team put this defeat behind them as headed to Faith Baptist and secured their first victory of the season with a 35 – 21 win. The team faces Dunn on December 9th in their first league match of the season.
Soccer
Both girls and boys soccer have the challenge of limited field time due to the heavy rain over the last week. The boys had a chance to scrimmage Santa Ynez away to test their early season fitness and form. After the break, the teams will have club players return to play, which will give them an added boost.
Stay tuned for more from Cate Athletics and as always follow along on Instagram at @Cate_Athletics. Tune in to see livestream and highlights on Hudl! View the full athletics gallery here.
Go Rams!