SpartanSports 2021-22 Fall-Winter Recaps
The 2021-22 De La Salle High School fall and winter sports seasons are officially behind us, and there was a tremendous amount of success for the teams that competed over the past six months. We would like to congratulate the sports of cross country, football, and water polo teams on successful seasons this fall, and basketball, soccer, and wrestling, which compete in the winter season, on their most recent successes.
Fall Sports
Cross Country—The cross country team finished the year placing third overall in the East Bay Athletic League (EBAL) Championship, as Oscar Gomez ’22 was the league’s individual champion. Gomez was a First Team All-EBAL honoree and Trey Caldwell ’25 was a Third Team All-EBAL honoree after finishing 20th overall. After the EBAL Championships, the Spartan runners competed in the North Coast Section (NCS) Championships, finishing fifth in Division II, as Gomez paced De La Salle with a third-place individual finish. With the top-5 team finish at NCS, De La Salle qualified for the state meet for the 30th time in school history. The Spartans finished 15th in the CIF Division II State Championships, while Gomez finished fifth in the individual competition. Football—After posting an 8-2 regular-season record, the De La Salle football team captured its 29th consecutive NCS Championship with wins over James Logan (49-13) and Pittsburg (42-14) in the Open Division Playoffs. The Spartans advanced to the CIF Division 1-AA playoffs, losing to Folsom, 28-27, in the NorCal championship game. De La Salle had 14 players earn All-EBAL Mountain Division honors; Zeke Berry ’22 (Player of the Year), Derrick Thompson ’23 (1st Team), Matthew Abbes ’22 (1st Team), JJ Tofaeono ’22 (1st Team), Charles Tofaeono ’23 (1st Team), Marley Alapati ’24 (1st Team), Bryant Meredith ’22 (1st Team), Jordan Kennedy ’22 (1st Team), Charles Greer ’23 (2nd Team), Cooper Flannigan ’23 (2nd Team), Carson Jones ’22 (2nd Team), Cooper Powers ’23 (2nd Team), Journey McKoy ’23 (2nd Team), Nick Fuenzalida ’22 (Honorable Mention). Berry was also named an Under Armour All-American and was selected as the All-American Bowl National Defensive Player of the Year. Additionally, he was named the Defensive Player of the Year by the Bay Area Newsgroup, SF Gate, and SportsStars. Water Polo—The 2021 campaign marked a historical year for the De La Salle water polo team, as the Spartans posted a 23-6 overall record. After defeating California HS to capture the EBAL Championship with an 8-0 league record, the Spartans captured the school’s first NCS title since 2004 with a 15-12 win over Miramonte High School in the Open Division Championships. De La Salle defeated Menlo, 17-16, in the first round of the CIF NorCal regionals, before falling to Miramonte, 14-13, in the semifinals. Congratulations to the following student-athletes on their All-EBAL selections; Carsten Peters ’23 (1st Team), Charlie Saunders ’22 (1st Team), Jack Richards ’23 (2nd Team), Tyler Laymon ’23 (2nd Team), and Dominic Brown ’23 (Honorable Mention).
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| Union Magazine
