After placing seventh out of eight teams in the Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division last season, the baseball team is looking for redemption.

“[Our goal is] to win the CCS (Central Coast Section) championship,” head coach Shawn Scott said.

With returning players who excelled in batting average, on-base percentage, and earned run average, Scott is optimistic about the current varsity lineup.

“It’s hard to compare the two, because we have a lot of the same bodies,” Scott said. “But I think this team thus far has shown the willingness to work, and I think that that’s going to pay off.”

Given the large number of returning players, Scott said he doubts incoming players will pose a problem.

“It shouldn’t affect our performance at all,” Scott said. “We got guys that were down with JV last year, they won a championship down there. The transition to varsity can be a tough jump, but I think they’re good enough athletes to adjust once they get out there and we’re playing three days a week.”

For Scott, confidence is a trait he particularly values in athletes.

“Being confident in who you are and what you are and what you bring to the team,” Scott said.

After going 3-11 in the Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division and finishing eighth in 2025, girls’ softball is ready for a fresh start in the Ocean Division.

Head coach Al Delrosso said junior centerfielder Maddy Koo and pitcher Kiley Lyons are expected to make a large impact, along with senior catcher Kendall Gorshen, who has committed to play softball at Concordia University Chicago. Delrosso added that sophomore pitcher Brooke Arce, who transferred from Riordan High School, is a player coaches are excited to watch this season.

Since some players were coming off the basketball team and only started practicing with the team on Monday, Feb. 23, Delrosso said a key focus before the upcoming games is getting the team working together.

“Coming in from basketball late with games, getting ready to get going here in the next two weeks, trying to get the team to gel and work together and be ready to get game-ready is going to be a challenge,” Delrosso said.

In anticipation of pre-season matchups against Aragon High School on Tuesday, Feb. 24, and Hillsdale High School on Tuesday, March 3, the team is also working on mastering basic skills and techniques.

“We’re trying to work on more technique, more fundamentals, and getting them comfortable with those fundamentals in moments of stress, revert to form,” Delrosso said.

Delrosso said one of the team’s main goals is to focus on offense and score more runs than last year. He also said the upcoming season looks promising for both varsity and JV.

“We’re very excited about having this group of players,” Delrosso said. “And our JV is looking strong. We’ve got a really strong group of girls that are coming in, and the next couple years look really good.”

With a new head coach and mostly new players, the boys’ volleyball team is focused on getting everyone on the same page.

Captain Fabian Falconette, one of two seniors on the team, described this season as a very new experience.

“It’s definitely gonna be an interesting dynamic, because last year, five of the six starting players were seniors,” Falconette said. “So this year, it’s almost an entirely new team. So just trying to keep the team dynamic good as well, finding ways to bring this team together and just kind of keep up the teamwork.”

With a mix of new players and those who play club volleyball, varsity coach Lawrence Ngai said he is eager to see players develop their skills.

“What I’m always impressed by, especially in this program, [is that] the guys really excel very fast,” Ngai said. “They learn very fast when they’re dedicated. They come in and play and work out. By the end of the season, we see a huge improvement.”

Though Ngai plans to retire soon, he continues to oversee practices to keep the team on the right track and looks forward to handing the coaching position off to someone new.

“He played in college at Princeton as a starting setter, so he’s very knowledgeable of the game. He has his experience in terms of playing. And he still plays. I’m very impressed by his background,” Ngai said. “I wouldn’t hand it over to anyone else.”

*Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly spelled the name of varsity coach Lawrence Ngai, and has since then been edited. We apologize for the error.

Girls’ lacrosse has qualified for the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs the last two years, and aims to continue the streak. With key returning players such as seniors Haleh Ansari and Lila Edmonson and junior Mia Hoffman, the team is anticipating a highly successful season.

“I expect this team is going to make CCS again this year,” head coach Phil Wang said. “This is going to be a good team. It’s going to be a fun year.”

With seniors like former team captain Miranda Sibley departing, the team is filling in holes in their roster by utilizing their strong underclassmen players.

“This will be the fifth year in a row that freshmen are likely to make the varsity team. Every year, this team is getting better and younger, so it’s a lot of fun,” Wang said. “The JV team is going to be excellent this year. There are a bunch of players that are ready to come up to play varsity, plus these freshmen, too. So those spots are going to be filled pretty easily.”

Due to conflicts over field space and poor weather, the team has been struggling to find practice times — already having played its first game against Notre Dame High School on Feb. 20. Nonetheless, Wang expects to start the year off confident and maintain focus in practice.

“The process is more important than the results,” Wang said. “… Wins are going to be a byproduct of playing, putting out the best lacrosse product that we can on the field every day, and they’re gonna do just fine.”

Coming off of a historic 2025 season — one that ended a four-year losing streak and brought the team to the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs for the first time in almost a decade — boys’ lacrosse is aiming to continue that success in the coming season, with the goal of making it back to the playoffs.

The team’s leadership reorganized before last season, with Duncan Grenier and John Emig returning as head coaches. Noticing the difficulties the team was facing, Grenier said they focused on strengthening the players’ skills and commitment.

“The first couple of seasons were a little bit loose, but last year, we were able to take over the program, tighten things up quite a bit, install a complete new system, and
implement a high-energy, fast-paced practice plan that kept the kids more engaged and helped them develop faster,” Grenier said.

Senior midfielder Ravi Krishnan, who has been on the team since freshman year, agreed that the program saw positive improvements last season, partially due to its connected student community.

“I feel like our new coaches are much, much stronger, really good at developing players,” Krishnan said. “Everyone on the team is pretty good friends with each other. We got the chemistry communication down.”

The team has maintained its rigid defensive playerbase, with returning players such as seniors Oscar Bill and Lucas Kim, and sophomore Marshall Dunn, a First Team All-League defender in the Peninsula Athletic League his freshman year. 

The team graduated a few seniors last season, including strong offensive players such as attacker Henry Bradley, who now plays lacrosse at Emerson College. Grenier said these losses swung the team’s balance more toward defense and prompted an emphasis on building offensive strength.

“What we need to do is get the seniors and the new juniors to step up on offense. And we’ve already seen some great growth between last season and this season,” Grenier said. “These guys played over the summer, so we’re pretty optimistic that they’re going to be able to step up and create some offense for us.”

As the team aims toward CCS, Grenier said his goal is to solidify the team for a playoff run and develop the skills of individual players.

“I like to say we’re a player development program first. So anyone that comes out to play lacrosse, if you have the desire, we’re going to make you into a lacrosse player,” Grenier said. “We start with kids that have zero lacrosse experience as a freshman or sophomore, and by the time they make it to their senior year, they’re getting league honors.”

Following a dominant season in the Peninsula Athletic League’s Ocean Division, the badminton team will face stronger competition in the Bay Division. According to head coach Salvador Banquiles, the team already knew they would be champions of the Ocean Division after being demoted from the Bay Division the previous year.

This season, Banquiles has tempered expectations, but said the team can still succeed.

“Everybody wants to go to CCS, and then maybe second place is really hard, but I’m going to try. Second or third in the team is standing, that’s my goal,” Banquiles said.

The team will be reinforced by a strong group of freshmen who trained privately with Banquiles at Bintang Badminton.

“I have at least three or four freshmen boys. Marcos Huang, he’s really good because he’s also training in Bintang, and then three or four like Judy. Judy is also training from Bintang, but that’s why she’s really ahead from the freshmen, because she trained before,” Banquiles said.

To prepare for the upcoming season, the team has consistently held morning practices from Tuesday through Saturday at 6 a.m. Junior Saahil Padwal said the team is constantly improving and becoming increasingly connected.

“We have great connections with each other as a team,” Padwal said. “I feel like we all like each other, and we were continuously improving, so everyone’s better than where they started, and we haven’t got through too much of the season, so it’s hard to decide what the weaknesses are yet.”

In preparation for stronger competition, Banquiles said he is working the team hard to keep the players focused.

“Sometimes kids [are] playful, just play around, not serious,” Banquiles said. “That’s why I’m really strict on that. Because, like I said, I’m a professional coach. I don’t like seeing the kids playing around. I want them to practice properly, more attitude, and then more focus.”

Hoping to replicate last year’s success, track and field assistant coach Sharon Reichow has a clear goal: to win the Central Coast Section (CCS) finals. Although the Panthers did not come out with a win last season, Reichow said they have the strength to do so this year.

With many experienced athletes, including senior Stella Newman and juniors Tad Folger and Elizabeth Caroll, Reichow expects they can influence underclassmen to take on bigger roles while maintaining the team’s competitive standard.

“The ultimate goal is to make it to the PAL championship, to be able to perform there, and then, leaving from there, the next round is the CCS trials,” Reichow said.

So far, the season is off to a positive start, and Reichow said she hopes last year’s strong chemistry will be carried over into this season.

“Right now, we’re just really trying to condition everybody to get a nice base so that we are ready to start implementing more volume to get people ready to compete,” Reichow said.

Although it is early in the season, the team’s main focus is to stay positive and have a clear goal. Currently, the Panthers are preparing for their first meet on Mar. 10, aiming to open strong and build momentum for a potential CCS run.

“A lot of times, success doesn’t always happen right in the beginning,” Reichow said. “It’s usually laid out over the span of the season. So our ultimate goal is to have everyone prepped and ready for the CCS meet.”

*Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly spelled the name of junior Elizabeth Caroll, and has since then been edited. We apologize for the error.

This year’s swim team has big shoes to fill.

Last year was an exceptional season for both boys’ and girls’ swimming, with the team finishing fifth overall at the Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) championships and junior Alexa Chang advancing to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) championships.

The girls’ team will remain strong, with consistent contributors like Chang, sophomore Abby Zarahn, and senior Catherine Kwong returning.

However, the boys’ team lost key players Andrew Lee and Bobby Kendall, but will rely on standout members like seniors Matthew Derossett and Kieran Clarke, and junior Samuel Foo. With a full season ahead, head coaches Stephanie Lee and Traci Kreppel are confident new freshmen will impress in early meets.

“We’re not all together all the time, but I think of what I’ve seen so far, like the senior girls that are showing up every day, have been really amazing,” Kreppel said.

To prepare for the season, Lee and Kreppel have already implemented new training strategies during tryouts.

“We’re really trying to make sure all of our athletes can compete in all the different races,” Lee said. “So we’re really working on well-rounded swimmers as our strategy this year.”

In addition to Kwong, senior Marina Chan is expected to be an important asset to the team. Chan said she is ready for the season and excited for the team camaraderie it will hopefully bring.

“I expect lots of team effort, fast swims, and overall, just a lot of fun,” Chan said.

The last day of tryouts was Friday, Feb. 13, with practice starting the following week. The team’s first official meet will happen on Friday, March 6, hosted at Burlingame for the first time since gym construction began.

Following a disappointing 2025 campaign, the newly expanded boys’ golf team will look to showcase its depth this season, focusing on senior leadership to help achieve its playoff goals.

“It’s the potential that a lot of the new players on this team show,” senior Ethan Cyb said. We took such a large team this year in order to give a lot of players this opportunity, and I think a lot of the players who are the same skill level can and will get really good with a consistent practice schedule.”

According to senior Cole Weyer, who has been on the team for four years, team chemistry will be critical as the season progresses.

“Especially for us upperclassmen, it’s really important that we show a leadership role for the new freshmen and sophomores coming in for the team,” Weyer said. “So I think that means showing up at practice, being good role models, setting examples.”

In addition to Cyb and Weyer, sophomores Leo Jun and Matt Molinelli are among the emerging standout players.

“This team, we could win a championship, and we could also not do so well,” Cyb said. “So I’m not trying to focus on that, but the thing I do want to focus on is creating a good chemistry environment within the team, and making sure that everyone who has the potential to get better on this team, that they do.”

Despite a rough start due to rain, senior captain Jake Druskin has high expectations for boys’ tennis this season.

“The season has been going well. We’ve been rained out a lot, which is kind of unfortunate, but I do think the team is looking very good,” Druskin said. “We’ve had to make some unfortunate cuts, but otherwise it’s really good. We’re all playing pretty well, and we have a really strong team.”

Last season, several players advanced to the Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) and Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs, including the former No. 2 doubles team of Nick Moshkovoy and Spencer Phonsombat. This year, the goal is not just to repeat their success but to outperform it.

“Our goal is to go as far as we can in CCS, and hopefully take home a win,” senior captain Kieran Kilgo said.

Kilgo and Druskin, who played No. 1 doubles last year, both made the all-league team last year as doubles partners and hope to continue their synergy in their final season.

Despite high hopes, the team is currently concerned with the condition of the tennis courts.

“The court’s condition with and without rain is terrible,” Druskin said. “We were trying to get better courts, and we got administrative pushback on it. There’s a bigger incoming class, so they have to put portables on our courts, but our courts are literally disintegrating under us.”

Declining court conditions have plagued the tennis program since the start of gym construction. Despite efforts from both the girls’ and boys’ teams to raise awareness, the courts have not been resurfaced for years.

Even with the challenges, Kilgo and Druskin said they are looking forward to their final season.

“My goal is to play as well as we can and have some fun in our senior year.” Kilgo said, “Having fun, especially playing doubles, is one of the most important aspects. I’m trying to enjoy my senior year.”