SPORTSFLASH Year in Review Edition by Nathan Desai and Steven Lim From volleyball CCS appearances to football s debut season on the the Matadors all year long. This is how ten MVHS sports teams performed this year. n.desai@elestoque.org s.lim@elestoque.org hockey Mihir Joshi El Estoque Junior Sarah Im dribbles up the field to deliver a pass during a game against St. Ignatius High School on Oct. 5. After a sluggish preseason, the team failed to improve its performance for much of the first half of the season, with losses to opponents including Cupertino, Lynbrook and Leigh High School. In the second half of the season the Matadors improved significantly, as they racked up key wins against Del Mar, St. Ignatius and Live Oak High School. They won a riveting senior night game 2-1 against Prospect High School, with two back-to-back goals, in a contest that went down to the wire. However, they did not earn enough points through their late season push to qualify for CCS, and finished the season with a 9-10-1 record. swimming & diving Sophomore Lucas Han swims the breaststroke during a meet at MVHS on March 28. With the addition of several freshmen, both the boys and girls teams cruised through the regular season towards their CCS berths. The girls team swept their competition at CCS as they won first place. In addition, the boys won third place overall in the tournament. 34 Neesha Venkatesan El Estoque
Senior Derrick Chiu attempts a kill during the CCS match against Homestead High School on May 9. Led by Chiu and junior Ryan Manley, the Matadors ended the season with a 27-6 record overall and 9-3 in league games, qualifying for the fourth seed in CCS Division I. In the match pictured, MVHS lost to Homestead High School, eliminating the Matadors from the CCS playoffs. Mihir Joshi El Estoque track & Karen Feng El Estoque Sophomore Tamanna Ahluwalia winds up for a pitch in a home game against Los Gatos High School on May 9. The Matadors got off to a slow start for the season, losing their first seven games. Senior Kalani Seaver and freshman Marissa Lee led the team in runs with 14 and 11 respectively. After going on a three game win streak, the Matadors lost their senior night game 1-4 in the game pictured above, and failed to qualify for CCS. They ended the season 5-13 overall. Junior Bridget Gottlieb comes off the turn onto the straightaway at a home meet against Los Gatos High School on April 2. Members of the track and field team were excited to start their season off with a new rubber track and renovated facilities. Despite a loss in the first home meet to Cupertino, the team had strong showings at invitationals such as the Stanford Invitational, and the St. Francis Invitational where junior Kirsten Chuc threw 90 feet in the discus, setting a personal record. The team also performed well at the Stanford Invitational in which freshman Brent Mogensen achieved a personal record of 10:26 in the 3200 meter. The team also placed six competitors in CCS, the highest total in three years. Alexa Thea Suarez El Estoque 35
Basketball Junior Stephanie Jennings dribbles the ball up the court in a loss against Mountain View High School on Jan. 25. The Matadors followed the loss with a five-game winning streak, sending the girls to the CCS Playoffs. However, the Matadors suffered a four point loss in the second round of the tournament to San Benito High School. MVHS finished the season 13-12 overall and 6-6 in league play. boys water polo Senior Adi Iyer launches himself above the water to pass the ball in a match against Homestead High School on Oct. 2. Under new head coach Ben Vierra, the Matadors qualified for CCS, where they lost in the first round to rival Lynbrook High School in overtime with a score of 15-14. Led by seniors Brendan Duffy and Omer Yosef, the Matadors finished the season with a 15-10 record overall. football Junior Justin Cena runs through the hole made by the offensive line in MVHS senior game against Gunn High School on Nov. 2. Despite losing the final home game by a point, the Matadors had a successful first season on the new field, finishing 7-3, including a vital win against rival Lynbrook High School during the Homecoming Game on Oct. 12. Seniors Peter Stern and Nathan Facciola led the team in rushing, finishing third and fourth in the league, with 913 and 827 yards respectively. 36
boys soccer Senior Baris Dermirlioglu races a Fremont High School defender to the ball in a match on Jan. 25. Fellow senior Bobak Ohadi, was the team s leading scorer with 17 goals and his brother, sophomore Brad Ohadi, led the team in assists with 12. The Matadors finished with a 11-7-1 overall record, finishing second in the league, but not qualifying for CCS. volleyball Senior Emily Liu serves the ball in a home match against Wilcox High School on Sept. 5. The win against WHS marked the fourth of five consecutive wins the girls had at the beginning of the month. The girls struggled the rest of the way, finishing 3-11 in league matches, but still qualified for CCS. In the CCS Division I tournament, they defeated Santa Teresa High School 3-1 in the first round but lost to Salinas High School 2-1 in the quarterfinals. Neesha Venkatesan El Estoque MAY 22, 2013 37
boys basketball Co-captain senior Tommer Schwarz dribbles the ball into the front court in the senior game against Fremont High School on Feb. 8. MVHS struggled to establish consistent play throughout much of the season. The regular season ended with a three game winning streak followed by a three game losing streak, including a 53-37 loss in the game pictured. The team finished 11-13 and did not qualify for CCS. Varsha Venkat El Estoque baseball tennis Senior Wendi Kong throws the ball in the air in preparation for a serve at a home game against Los Altos High School on Oct. 5. The Matadors blew through the competition with victories like their convincing 6-1 defeat of LAHS in the senior game pictured above and capped off the regular season undefeated at 17-0. The Matadors entered the California Classics tournament as the No. 1 seed, swept the other teams on the way to a victory over St. Francis High School one of the highest-ranking teams in the NorCal League and earned the title of CCS champions for the second year in a row. Senior Spencer Rodrigues throws a pitch in the team s final game of the season against Los Gatos High School on May 9. The Matadors had an inconsistent season, amassing an 8-7 league record and an 11-13 record overall, enough to qualify for the CCS tournament. Despite their effort, however, MVHS lost 2-0 in the first round against St. Francis High School, in which St. Francis threw a perfect game in only 66 pitches. 38 Visit elestoque.org for a recap of the other eight MVHS sports as well as coverage of all Matador athletics Alexa Thea Suarez El Estoque