The wrestling team had difficulty getting wins this season due to a shortage of players, but the men they had, made up for the handicap with a lot of talent.
Sophomore Alecxis Lara was a big competitor on the team this season. He’s being looked at from a couple different four-year universities and looked at as a role-model and leader by his teammates. Lara wrestles in the 197 lb. weight class. Lara is hungry for a State title and will get his chance at the State Championships if he qualifies at Regionals on Dec. 3.
Jeff Lema and Nahie Akoi also stand out as top wrestlers on the team. According to Coach Jim Haddon, Both should qualify for the State Championships, as well as Lara and a few other players on the team.
The team had a losing record for dual matches, but individually they had very few problems getting wins. The team had to forfeit matches for weight classes that were not filled, mostly in light-weight classes.
This season, the team also had a coach change. Coach Braumon Creighton left to be the head coach at San Mateo High School and Coach Haddon came back to Skyline. Coach Haddon coached the wrestling team for a couple of years before leaving last season to take a break. Haddon said his year off was fulfilling but it is nice to be back.
Haddon’s assistant Coach Mariano Sanchez was a great addition to the team, according to Haddon and the players. Sanchez was a good leader for the team with his wrestling experience, enthusiasm and fire.
Overall, the team may not have won all their dual matches but they have players in great chances of winning state titles. Lara will be facing his rival from Fresno State. His teammates agree it will be a tough battle to the end.
Men’s Soccer:End record not reflective of skill…
Overall: 8-10-3 Division: 4-2-0
The men’s soccer team had its shares of ups and downs this season. Led by 6th year coach, Daniel Link, the Trojans began the 2005 campaign with a slow start, going 2-5-1 in their first 8 games. In seven of their 12 losses, the men were defeated by only one goal and they also finished in three ties, which shows how close the Trojans kept each contest. So don’t let the record fool you, the Trojans practically out shot every opponent they faced and had one of the best players in the Coast North Conference in Jose Ruiz. Ruiz finished the season with 13th in goals scored with 13, tied for 6th in assists with 14, and tied for 5th in overall points with 40.
“Jose has been consistent, he’s scored throughout the whole season and he sets our guys up,” said Link.
Led by Ruiz and Goalkeeper Brian McCarthy who allowed less than 1.5 goals a game, the Trojans finished the season, 6-3-1. The Trojans reached a season high 4-game wining streak and were in the playoff hunt with just a few weeks left in the season. However, they dropped their last three games to Evergreen Valley, West Valley, and Chabot College. The men finished 3rd in the Coast North Conference and 15th overall in the North Region.
Volleyball: Injuries and height hurt team’s chance of winning…
“All things we considered we did real well,” Volleyball coach Jan Fosberg said.
The volleyball team’s record was 3-11 overall and 3-7 for their conference, putting them tied for fourth place.
The team consisted of all freshmen, so next year if all the players return, the team will be an experienced team.
“It was a good building year,” Fosberg said. “Next year will be better with the returning players.”
The team had some key injuries that kept good players out of play towards the end of the season. Kristine Roach and EJ Breiz, both were key players, had to sit out due to injuries. The team benefited from a late edition to the team. Peony Cheung joined the team during the second half of the season to become a setter.
The team had a game against Monterey recently that they had to forfeit because of the injuries and one player had a family emergency, the team was one player short.
The team had mostly short players, the tallest player was 5’6, and height can definitely affect a team’s success.
The team had some standout players, Peggy Chong was one of them. Chong contributed with solid passing and hitting to each game she played.
Women’s Soccor:Winning season and great players but no playoffs…
The women’s soccer team ended with no post-season play but a good season overall despite some tough
“I think we had a very difficult season,” Coach Kevin Corsiglia said. “A lot of things off the field caused play on the field to not be as good as it could have been.”
Although the team did not make the playoffs, this was their third year in a row with a winning record. The team ended with a record of 9-7-6 overall and 5-3-4 in the coast conference south division.
“We’re the kind of team where one game can make a big difference,” Corsiglia said. “We’re seeing what we’re doing wrong and hopefully we’ll start to win those games.”
The team had to deal with the death of their teammate Jihan Abdel-Gawad. Abdel-Gawad was a great athlete and helped lead the team, so she was missed on and off the soccer field. The women wore black ribbons in their hair in honor of her for the remainder of the games after her death.
“I’m happy with the girl’s play overall,” Corsiglia said. “It’s a better position to be in, to be a team that gets close to the playoffs than to be the team that doesn’t have a chance at the playoffs.”
This is the second year in a row that the team missed the playoffs by a very small margin.
Basketball:Season still fresh, more to come…
Coach: Justin Piergrossi Current Record: 5-3
As of Nov. 30, the Trojans are on a season high 5-game winning steak after dropping their first two games to Merrit College and Cerritos College. Led by 2nd year coach, Justin Piergrossi, the men’s basketball team is seeking a better season than last year’s 9-16 mark and 5th in conference standing.
Already with 5 wins this season, the Trojans’ roster is very deep with 12 skilled and capable players. Leading the team is captain, Marques Benjamin, sophomore point guard, who led the Coast North Conference in assists last season as a freshman. In addition to Benjamin, the Trojans have four other returning players: Filip Popovic, Paul Phangureh, Chris Strong, and Brannon Burnett.
Along with five returning sophomores, the Trojans have added the likes of last year’s San Francisco Player of the Year, Jeremy Francis and Jabari Davis to name a few. Francis has been averaging over 10 points per game (ppg) in the first seven contests, while Davis, an Oakland High School standout last year, is leading the Trojans with just over 12 ppg and 6 rebounds this season.
“We’re very deep,” said Piergrossi. “We play 11 to 12 guys pretty much every game which is a huge strength and we just don’t have 12 guys, we have 12 pretty good players.”
With a solid core of players and Coach Piergrossi guiding the way, the Trojans have a bright season ahead of them. Skyline’s home games are being played this year at the College of San Mateo and they will be hosting their own tournament, the Skyline College Classic from Dec. 9-11.
