Braves Report: Fall Season

BRAVE 2019 FALL SEAS ON S

Football - After finishing last season strong with a playoff win over Piedmont and a close loss to Del Norte, the Braves expectations were high for the 2019 season. Coach LaRocco ’98 and his team did not disappoint. Starting the season with a decisive win over that same Piedmont squad set the tone for a 4-0 start that included a win over Riordan from San Francisco. After a tough setback to Casa Grande at home, the Braves would go on to beat Petaluma decisively on the road, handle Sonoma at home in the Homecoming game, and finish the regular season on a high note with a win over American Canyon on Senior night, putting their overall record at 7-3 (3-3 VV AL) for the season. The Braves were awarded the #4 seed in the NCS playoffs and earned the first home playoff game in 5 years.

Leading players for the Braves this season included junior quarterback Hudson Beers with over 2,500 yards passing and 26 touchdown passes during the regular season. Catching those passes were senior defensive end and tight end Miles Williams (28 receptions, 952 yards, 14 TD ), seniors Blake Hoban (32 receptions, 583 yards, 4 TD ) and Solomone Anitoni (28 receptions, 533 yards, 8 TD). Also leading the Braves on offense was junior running back Noah Young who rushed for 469 yards and 6 touchdowns, while hauling in 21 receptions. The defense of the Braves was stout and opportunistic, led by Anitoni (OLB), Williams (DE ), and Hoban (DB), with strong contributions from linebackers Nolan Dunkle and Marcus Nunes, defensive linemen Grant Koehler and Christian Kappler, and defensive backs Miles Martin and Caden Parlett. Congratulations to the team on a great season!

Volleyball- Defending a championship is never easy, especially after losing one of the best players in school history to graduation in current Santa Clara player Julia Sangiacomo ’19. However, the Braves came out and had a strong season, including wins over both VV AL co-champions, Sonoma and Vintage a year after capturing the title themselves. After a 6-6 VV AL finish that included the aforementioned wins over the co-champions, as well as a sweep of American Canyon and wins over both Napa and Petaluma, the team earned a #14 seed in the playoffs. After the game was postponed for 2 days because of the Kincade Fire, the Braves drove up to Kelseyville and defeated the #3 seeded Knights in straight sets, making it to the NCS quarterfinals. The following round the Braves traveled to Santa Rosa and fell short to Roseland University Prep, ending their season. Leading the Braves this season were outside hitters Eva Cleary and Megan Hanson, setter Mea Todd, and middle hitters Gabi Richardson, Bailee Paxson, and Eleanor Meyers. Overall the Braves had a solid season and we look forward to another strong season next year!

Girls Tennis- There is having a good season, there is having a great season, and then there is being flat out dominant. The latter is the only way you can describe the Girls Tennis team over the past 2 seasons. The girls continued their dominance this season, winning the VV AL Championship for the 2nd year in a row and in the process went undefeated in the VV AL at 12-0. The team was undefeated in the regular season as well. Individually, the Braves continued to shine on the court as #1 player and VV AL MVP Priyanka Shanker won the VV AL Singles title. Not to be outdone, Bella Rampa and Megha Jackson won the VV AL Doubles Championship, making it a clean sweep for the Braves in the VV AL. Overall, the girls won 27 matches in a row over the past 2 seasons. The Braves entered the NCS Playoffs as a #10 seed, looking to continue earning respect and carry on their winning ways. Also leading the way for the team were Ashlyn Mills, Presley Schultz, Lucia Lanzafame, Roses Newell, Julia Best, Ines Keller, and Libby Birkbeck.

Girls Golf- The Justin-Siena Girls Golf continued their tradition of excellence, placing 3rd overall in the VV AL with a strong 9-3 record. The team then qualified for the NCS team championship match, and placed 4th overall. Late in the season, the team posted the lowest score of any team during a match. Leading the team were Samantha Tuite and Abbie Bain. Congratulations to these ladies for a strong season!

Girls Water Polo- Defending co-champions, the Braves set out to position themselves up for the NCS playoffs with a tougher preseason schedule that included several high-level tournaments. Storming through the VV AL once again, the Braves finished the season with an 11-1 mark in league, earning a tie for the VV AL Championship with Napa for the 2nd straight year. Earning the #3 seed in the NCS Playoffs, the Braves had a first round bye before beating Encinal 7-2 to make it to the semifinals of the NCS . The team was led by first team all league selections Meghan Hansen, Sarah Reynolds, Maddie Vanoni, and goalie Twyla Borck. Garnering 2nd team all league honors for the girls were Angelina Phinney and Elle Baskerville. Congratulations to the entire team for continuing their strong play with a championship season!

Cross Country- It is often said that it is not how you start but rather how you finish. Using that metric, the Girls and Boys Cross Country teams have had a very successful season. Both Girls and Boys teams finished strong and showed great improvement. Towards the end of the season, a team that was finishing 5th and 6th overall started to finish 3rd in league meets, and all runners continued to improve their times from meet to meet under the direction of Coach Belinda Halloran. Leading the Braves this season were seniors Lauren Aubert and Sophia Smith, along with Audrey Halloran, Olivia Janerico, Genesis Celaya, and Mia Brown. For the boys, the team was led by Jacob Guiducci, Vishnu Vijayakumar, Casey Potrebic, Evan Smith, Devon de los Santos, and Tony Avina. As the team continues to work hard and improve, we know there are great times ahead for them.

Boys Water Polo- This team worked incredibly hard this season and improved as the season went along. Many of the players on the team were new to Water Polo, and the team is poised for a strong future. Leading the team and earning AllCounty selections were Andrew Baskerville, Casey Kleis and Tommy Crist, who showed great leadership both in and out of the pool for the young squad. We are incredibly proud of the boys for branching outside their comfort zone.