From basketball to soccer to wrestling, Woodside students competed in a variety of sports during the winter season.
During the 2023-2024 winter season, three sports teams or players qualified for Central Coast Section (CCS) games: girls varsity soccer, boys varsity basketball, and wrestling. With these competitions, these student-athletes showed what it meant to be Wildcats.
Girls Varsity Soccer:
Following a strong 2022-2023 season, the girls varsity soccer team topped their previous record this season, placing third in the Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) Bay Division with five wins, four losses, and one tie. This qualified them for CCS Division II quarterfinals where they beat Aragon High School 1-0. Sadly, the team lost to Mountain View High School in the semifinals, marking the end of a strong season.
“We had a better record this season,” junior and captain Mariam Yusuf said. “I think the team is very young this year. We don’t have that many seniors compared to last year. So [it gave the] younger players [more] opportunities to play.”
The 2023-2024 season marked the end of an era for the team following the death of long-time girls varsity soccer head coach Jose Navrette. In his stead, Navrette’s brother Ignacio “Nacho” Navarette took over as head coach last year and continues his role as head coach this year.
“[The season] was really fun,” Yusuf said. “We were all determined to go as far as we could. We all played really hard and played for each other. We just didn’t get the result that we wanted.”
Boys Varsity Soccer:
The boys varsity soccer team closed out the season placing third in the PAL Ocean Division with six wins, one loss, and three ties.
“The soccer season wasn’t bad,” senior Noel Lombera Mendez said. “I feel like we could have pulled a little bit more into our game, but overall it was an exciting season. It wasn’t my best but definitely better compared to last year.”
Despite coming back from a difficult injury the previous season, Lombera Mendez notes how he enjoyed the 2023-2024 season and playing with the team. In the end, the team missed qualifying for CCS by 0.75 points.
“We were going to [CCS] but we didn’t make it [by] a very small margin,” Lombera Mendez said. “It really didn’t matter. It was still a good season overall.”
Boys Varsity Basketball:
The boys varsity basketball team dominated this season, placing first in the PAL Ocean division. The team ended the season with eight wins and two losses, qualifying them for the CCS quarterfinals against Leland High School. After a hard-fought battle, the team lost 33-34.
“We fought hard against Aragon and Terra Nova,” sophomore and basketball player Josh Fitzsimmons said. “I felt like one thing we could work on is ball movement a little bit more but that’s pretty much it.”
Compared to last season, Fitzsimmons believes that the team performed well against other teams despite difficult competition.
“Last year, I felt like we weren’t as bonded as a team,” Fitzsimmons said. “This year, I felt like we were able to know our spots on the floor and pretty much-fit right in with our competition. Last year, we had some difficult competition.”
Girls Varsity Basketball:
As the basketball season comes to a close, girls varsity basketball ended the PAL Lake Division in third place with four wins and four losses. Despite not getting the outcome they wanted, senior captain and point guard Gabrielle Gerrodette positively reflects on the season.
“I think we’re a lot closer this year or it felt that way at least,” Gerrodette said. “Last year, we didn’t beat Sequoia once. So we definitely did better in the league this year than we did last year.”
With a 24-22 victory over Sequoia during the quad game on February 3, girls varsity basketball finished the season strong amidst a rocky start.
“We got four people nominated for first, second, and honorable mention teams so that’s good too,” Gerrodette said.
Along with Gerrodette, junior Olivia Seto won honorable mention in the PAL All-League South division.
Varsity Wrestling:
With wrestling coming to a close, varsity wrestling finished fifth place in the PAL Ocean Division with three wins and three losses. This season marks a large change in varsity wrestling with new head coach Brynn Adasiewicz, who was a Woodside Alum.
“We had our ups and downs,” senior and captain Anthony Dearing said. “We got a new head coach and she was pretty good.”
During the PAL Championships, along with Dearing, senior Zayna Nasrah, senior Celeste Ayala, and sophomore Carlos Latu, all placed in their weight categories. Freshman Evyn Ellis won the first PAL title for Woodside in the girls’ 132 weight championship against El Camino’s Melina Lieu-Chin.
“Winning our first two games and seeing everyone compete at Novice was pretty cool,” Dearing said. “We all did really well at Novice, [which] was our first tournament.”
These big accomplishments accumulated with Nasrah and Latu placing sixth and seventh respectively at CCS Regionals on February 10 at Gunn High School. With these top places, Nasrah and Latu advance to CCS Masters.
