Publication Date: Friday, June 17, 2005
HIGH SCHOOLS
That was the year that was
That was the year that was
(June 17, 2005) Another standout prep sports season is in the books
by Keith Peters
It all went by so fast. The 2004-05 high school sports season, lasting nearly 9 1/2 months, was gone in a blink. Football and basketball. Volleyball and swimming. Track and tennis.
Seniors are now graduates, headed off to college. Juniors are now seniors, getting ready for their turn in the athletic spotlight before taking that next big step. Sophomores and freshmen are moving up, most to the varsity level, while incoming freshmen are ready to begin the four-year cycle just completed by others.
Every sports season is special, and this past year was no exception. Championships were won. Individual accomplishments were achieved. Barriers were broken and records were set. Familiar faces were recognized a final time and new ones introduced.
Palo Alto High got new lights for its football field, began construction of a new swimming facility and put artificial turf on its baseball infield. Menlo-Atherton opened a new gymnasium, Menlo School unveiled its new Field Turf lacrosse/softball field and Pinewood did the same with its new soccer surface.
New coaches were hired while others retired. Or quit.
As similar as the 2004-05 season was to those previous, this past campaign held its own in a special way. The high school athletes and their accomplishments made it so.
The pinnacle of achievement is winning a state championship. The Pinewood girls' basketball team climbed that mountain in 2005 with a 61-39 romp over Pacific Hills in the CIF Division V state finals in Sacramento. It was the school's second state championship and it raised the bar for every other team and athlete.
The Palo Alto boys' basketball team came close, reaching the Division II NorCal finals before finally seeing its 31-2 season ended by Oak Ridge (Sacramento), which went on to win the state crown. Tying the school record for the most victories in a single season, however, provided little consolation for the Viking seniors.
Long before those two teams began putting together their memorable seasons, the boys and girls of fall took their best shots. As is the case in most years, local teams were right on target.
The Menlo School girls' water polo team ended St. Francis' four-year reign as Central Coast Section water polo champions with a thrilling 6-5 victory to end what was expected to be a rebuilding year for the Knights.
The Gunn and Menlo boys also played for CCS titles, but both ended in defeat. The Titans fell to Bellarmine in the Division I finals, 16-7, while the Knights were upended by St. Francis in Division II, 8-5.
In girls' volleyball, Woodside Priory and Castilleja both advanced to their respective NorCal semifinals before having their excellent seasons end. Castilleja put a remarkable 34-6 record into the books while Priory was a surprising winner in the CCS Division V finale. Palo Alto, meanwhile, won its first-ever outright league title by going 12-0 in the SCVAL El Camino Division.
In cross country, Gunn senior Tori Tyler put the finishing touches on a successful career by winning her second straight CCS title in Division II and winding up third in the CIF State Meet after going in ranked No. 1 in California. Tyler went on to qualify for the Foot Locker National Championships. Castilleja's Ashley Schoettle also ran away with an individual CCS title, in Division V.
The Sacred Heart Prep boys' soccer team returned to the top after a one-year absence, putting together the best record (21-0-1) in school history while capturing its sixth CCS Division III title with a 2-1 win over Valley Christian-Dublin. The Gators produced 14 shutouts during their record-breaking season.
In girls' tennis, Menlo lost only two matches in the final month of the season but both were to Monta Vista in the CCS and NorCal championship matches.
Winter brought us basketball, soccer and wrestling and there were no shortages of outstanding team and individual efforts.
The Gunn and Palo Alto boys dominated the local soccer scene, renewing their intense rivalry that ranks among the best anywhere. The Titans shook off a tie and loss to the Vikings to win the SCVAL De Anza Division title, then avenged those non-wins by edging Paly on penalty kicks in the CCS semifinals.
All the good things Gunn accomplished during the season, however, appeared lost in a 2-1 setback to Mitty in the Division II finals that left the Titans 20-3-1 for the year.
In boys' basketball, Sacred Heart Prep stretched its winning streak in the Private Schools Athletic League to 62 straight by completing a third consecutive 16-0 season. Eastside Prep made it 95-0 in CPSAL regular-season games since 1997 with yet another league title.
The Paly boys and Pinewood girls, however, made the most of their respective streaks. The Vikings won 17 in a row to reach the NorCal finals while the Panthers captured 19 straight on the way to winning the state crown.
In wrestling, Gunn senior Adam Juratovac dominated the heavyweight division during the league season while helping the Titans defend their title. He also realized a goal by qualifying for the CIF State Meet.
Spring brought us a more interest in lacrosse, a new boys' tennis power, a sensational swim season, the end of two recordbreaking baseball careers, a softball strikeout queen and some efforts in track and field that filled the record books and left lasting memories.
The Gunn girls won their first Peninsula Athletic League lacrosse crown with an unbeaten regular season, but then saw their perfect season end at 16-1 with a loss to defending champ Menlo in the tournament finals. The Menlo boys, meanwhile, continued their dominance in the league and toppled rival Menlo-Atherton in the league playoff finals to finish 21-1.
Sacred Heart Prep established itself as the new power in boys' tennis after beating neighboring Menlo in the CCS Division II finals, 5-2. It was the Gators' first-ever win over the Knights and propelled them into their first NorCal appearance and 22-2 record. SHP's Adam Davison and Jamie Hutter put the capper on the year by winning the CCS doubles championship.
The Palo Alto girls' swim team had a season for the books. Despite having to train at night at Stanford while the Vikings' new pool was under construction, first-year coach Danny Dye's young and talented squad still swam away with the school's first CCS title since 1995. Freshman Liv Jensen emerged as one of the stars of the future with school records and All-American times.
The Menlo-Atherton girls rebounded from losing the PAL finals on a disqualification (following an undefeated dual-meet season) with two CCS victories and All-American times while the Sacred Heart Prep boys had their best finish ever (third) while showcasing the talents of sophomore Kameron Maxfield-Flores and Alex Navarro.
In baseball, Menlo-Atherton senior Domenic Di Ricco had a dreamy season with some eye-opening statistics. He batted .605 (46 for 76), had a .882 slugging percentage, 27 runs scored, 29 RBI and tied or broke seven school records. Di Ricco surpassed two of M-A's oldest season batting average marks - Bob Melvin's .500 in 1978 and Dave Tokheim's .537 in 1987. Di Ricco's career batting average was .468 with 74 runs and 96 RBI.
Menlo senior Andy Suiter led the Knights back to the CCS Division III playoffs and finished the year with back-to-back no-hitters and as the school's all-time career strikeout leader with 433.
Castilleja junior pitcher Alex Chang-Graham led the Gators to a 10-0 softball record, West Bay Athletic League title and second CCS appearance in school history. No-hitters and double-digit strikeout efforts were the norm for Chang-Graham.
As the school year wound down, it also sped up with some sizzling efforts in track and field.
The Palo Alto girls won their first league crown in 12 years and had one of the most versatile athletes in the CCS in senior Katrina Zawojski. Freshman Mia Lattanzi, however, stole the spotlight at the section finals by winning the 400 meters in a school-record 56.18.
Menlo-Atherton senior Laurie Roberts led the area's high jumpers again while teammate Evan Anderson proved his durability from the 800 to the 3,200. Both reached the state meet, along with Castilleja pole vaulter Tori Anthony, Menlo's Libby Jenke, the Paly girls' 400 relay team and Gunn's Tyler.
Anderson (third in the 1,600) and Anthony (fourth in the pole vault) came away with medals, but it was Tyler (the state's No. 1 qualifier in the 3,200) and Jenke (the state leader in the 800) who were golden in Sacramento with thrilling championship victories.
With that, the sun set on yet another outstanding high school sports season. Sunrise on the 2005-06 campaign is less than three months away.
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