Athletics in the News

Congratulations to the softball team which has started their season with four straight wins and a perfect 4-0 league record. The Monarchs won the Wilcox Tournament and in the finals defeated Carlmont, a team that was previously undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the CCS. Sophomore Savanna Smith pitched two no-hitters in the tournament including one in the championship game. Senior Rebecca Ortiz was recently honored by Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area with the Play of the Week for making an impressive diving catch. Keep up the good work, Monarchs.

Congratulations to our men's tennis team, which won consecutive games against Serra and Sacred Heart Preparatory last week. On Wednesday, the team beat Sacred Heart Prep 5-2 with a standout performance by the doubles team of sophomore Julian Sanghvi and senior Rahul Devarapalli, who won their match 6-3, 6-4. The following day the Monarchs continued their winning ways with a 6-1 victory over Serra. Freshman Kyle Nguyen-Ngo gave a notable performance during this match, sending countless drives past his opponent to win his Singles 1 match 6-3, 6-4. Senior Aditya Simha also gave a strong performance in a tight Singles 4 match, defeating his opponents 7-6, 6-3.

Congratulations to the softball team which has started their season with four straight wins and a perfect 4-0 league record. The Monarchs won the Wilcox Tournament and in the finals defeated Carlmont, a team that was previously undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the CCS. Sophomore Savanna Smith pitched two no-hitters in the tournament including one in the championship game. Senior Rebecca Ortiz was recently honored by Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area with the Play of the Week for making an impressive diving catch. Keep up the good work, Monarchs.

The wrestling team finished up the WCAL Wrestling Championship Finals with strong performances, sending all nine of its wrestlers on to compete in the CCS Tournament later this month. Four wrestlers won league championships with spectacular style, pinning their opponents as part of the match, including junior Raymond Rendon (115 lbs.), senior Thomas Kost (162 lbs.), junior Evan Friend (170 lbs.), and senior Michael Juco (285 lbs.).

The successful league performance followed excellent individual performances last week, when wrestlers had a final dual meet against Junipero Serra. During that competition, an impressive six athletes won their matches, including Kost, Juco, Rendon, junior Dominic Torregroza (225 lbs.), junior Charles Baguley (162 lbs.), and freshman Marcos Jimenez (154 lbs.) The dual meet was Senior Night for the team, so it marked a special chance for teammates to celebrate the upperclassmen. Juco and Kost, who are both seniors, didn't disappoint and won their matches with pins.

The women's basketball team won a closely contested game against Saint Francis last week, defeating the Lancers 71-65. Junior Karisma Ortiz had a strong game and contributed 24 points, while her teammate, senior Madeline Holland, notched 10 points. The team is currently unbeaten in the league and boasts an incredible 8-0 record. Cheer them to victory this week as they play their last two games of the season on campus. The Monarchs will take on Saint Ignatius at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Presentation at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Congratulations Monarchs on a great season and good luck on the final two games! 

After two victories last week, the men's basketball team is climbing the WCAL standings and is currently tied for third. On Wednesday, the Monarchs took to the road and defeated Serra 62-43 in San Mateo. Junior Riley Grigsby had an impressive 28 points and 6 rebounds, freshman Devan Sapp added 13 points and 2 steals, and senior Mike Diaz made an excellent contribution of 11 points and 4 rebounds.

The team continued their success as they triumphed 59-38 over Valley Christian on Saturday. The Monarchs jumped on the Warriors early, scoring the game's first 13 points and continued to stretch that lead throughout the game. Senior Matt Hicks had a breakout game leading the team with 15 points and 5 rebounds. Grigsby had a "double-double," notching an impressive 11 points and 13 rebounds along with 3 blocks, and sophomore Joseph Vaughn had a strong performance pouring in 11 points and grabbing 4 rebounds. Congratulations, Monarchs!

Last Wednesday, the varsity women's soccer team started the day in the Monarch Room celebrating seniors Monica Hrncir and Amaya Zabalza, who signed with California State University, Monterey Bay and the University of California, Santa Barbara, respectively, as part of the Winter NCAA Signing Day. By that afternoon, the team was back on the field continuing their quest for a WCAL title. They won their match with a victory that marked the team's fourth consecutive league win. 

The thrilling 1-0 win against Sacred Heart Cathedral came at the end of a close game. Senior striker Kendra Wilkerson scored the defining goal. With less than a minute left on the clock, she won a tackle in her own half, then proceeded to dribble 55 yards through Fighting Irish territory to score the winning goal. It was a dramatic finish to a close match. Wilkerson was named the AMHS Women's Soccer Player of the Game by MaxPreps for her stellar performance. 

Prior to this win, the Monarchs also won a close contest against Saint Francis with a 1-0 victory. With just 12 minutes left in the game, Amaya Zabalza scored, which marked her third matching-winning goal of the season. The victory also lifted the team to within one point of the top spot in the WCAL rankings. Amaya was honored as the AMHS Women's Soccer Player of the Game on MaxPreps for her excellent play. Congratulations Monarchs on the tremendous performances.

Congratulations to the Varsity Women’s Basketball Team, which won the prestigious ‘Iolani Prep Basketball Classic last month. The Monarchs secured a victory against Clovis West (#2 in CA and #9 in the nation) with a 76-75 win in overtime. Sophomore Haley Jones was named tournament MVP. Juniors Krissy Miyahara and Karisma Ortiz were named to the All Tournament Team. Miyahara hit eight 3-pointers to tie the school’s single game record.

With the regular winter season coming to a close for our sports programs, it is time to move into the playoffs. Here is a look at upcoming games for our men’s basketball, men’s soccer, and wrestling teams:

Men's Basketball

A weekend victory against Riordan helped the men's basketball team to secure third place in the WCAL. The team won their game against Riordan 70-56 on Saturday. The Monarchs will enter the CCS playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the Open Division and will play against Serra at 5:30 p.m. on Friday at Santa Clara High School in Santa Clara. 

Men's Soccer

The men's soccer team defeated Sacred Heart Cathedral 1-0 on Friday, making them tied for third place in the WCAL. This week, the Monarchs took on Los Altos High School in the opening round of the Division I CCS playoffs on Wednesday and won 5-0, advancing to the quarterfinals on Saturday. 

Wrestling

The wrestling team finished up the WCAL Championships on February 11th with strong performances, sending all nine of its wrestlers on to compete in the CCS Tournament later this week. Juniors Raymond Rendon and Evan Friend, plus seniors Thomas Kost and Michael Juco all became individual WCAL champions in their respective weight classes. With their victories, those wrestlers, as well as freshmen Jake Barbeau, Marcos Jimenez, and Andrew Foreman; and juniors Charles Baguley and Dominic Torregroza, qualified for the CCS Championship and will be competing this Friday and Saturday at Independence High School in San Jose.

Good luck to the Monarchs as they advance to the CCS Championships!

Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams will continue on to the CCS Open Division Finals on Friday night at Santa Clara University’s Leavey Center. 

The men’s basketball team defeated Saint Ignatius 59-51 at Independence High School. The Monarchs will play against Bellarmine in the CCS finals at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, March 3rd. Read about the CCS semifinals game in The Mercury News.

The women’s basketball team beat Valley Christian with a final score of 79-41. The Monarchs are currently ranked No. 1 in the state, according to MaxPreps, and will play against Pinewood in the finals for the second year in a row. The Monarchs will play in the CCS finals on Friday at 6:00 p.m. Read about the CCS semifinals game in The Mercury News.

Congratulations to our baseball team on a strong start to the season. The Monarchs have a perfect 7-0 record as they begin league play this week. The team's win against Scotts Valley in the championship of the Baseball Battling Cancer Tournament on Saturday shows that persistence is one of the factors helping them do so well this season. This weekend, after falling behind 4-0 in the top of the first, the Monarchs came back to win 8-4. Senior JP Caldwell got the win and junior Luke Tillman was stellar in 4 innings of relief. Seniors Kodi Thurber and Tyler Jochen both went 2 for 2 from the plate. The Monarchs are currently ranked among the top 20 teams in the state by Cal-Hi Sports. Congratulations, Monarchs.

The men's basketball team earned a spot in the NorCal semifinals last week after beating St. Joseph Notre Dame High School 67-61. During the NorCal quarterfinal on Friday, junior Riley Grigsby contributed an impressive 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Sophomore Joseph Vaughn also gave an excellent performance, with five 3-pointers ending the game with 19 points and 3 rebounds. Teammate senior Mike Diaz notched an additional 16 points and 4 rebounds. The Monarchs are currently the CCS Open Division Champions. Read more about their NorCal quarterfinal game in The San Jose Mercury News. 

The Monarchs will play Sheldon High School in the NorCal semifinals at 7:00 p.m. tonight at Sheldon High School in Sacramento. The winner of that game will play for the NorCal Open Division Championship title at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 18th, at Santa Clara University.

The women's basketball team breezed into the NorCal semifinals last week after winning a game against Sacred Heart Cathedral 92-71. Sophomore Haley Jones, who was recently the named the women's basketball CCS Player of the Year by Cal-Hi Sports, led the team with an impressive 21 points. Junior Karisma Ortiz also made a sizeable contribution to the final score, adding 19 points and 10 rebounds, while senior Madeline Holland chipped in 16 points and 10 rebounds. This season, the Monarchs have already claimed the WCAL and CCS Open Division championship titles. The team is also ranked No. 1 in the nation by MaxPreps. Read more about the team's NorCal quarterfinal game in The San Jose Mercury News.

Cheer the Monarchs to victory in the NorCal semifinals as they play against St. Mary's High School at home at 7:00 p.m. tonight. The winner of that game will advance to play in the NorCal Open Division Championship at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 18th, at Santa Clara University.