The winter sports season showed what it means to be a Royal. With our athletes’ hard work, San Marcos had a successful winter season!

Boys Basketball

Boys Basketball had an epic end to the season with a thrilling win over crosstown rival Santa Barbara High. After carrying a 21 point lead into the half, the Dons came out firing in the second half closing the gap. The Royals held off the charge to win the game and earn a playoff spot. Had they lost, they would have had to compete in a play-in game against Rio Mesa, but their victory over SB clinched the spot. They finished the regular season 8-6 in league.

“As a team we started off slow,” said junior Joe Pasternak. “But we did good at the end when we needed to.”

The Royals battled back after not having the hottest start to the season, and managed to secure their position in the playoffs.

“Coach really emphasized getting better as the season went on,” said senior Wyatt Miller.  

The Royals hope to continue this run into the playoffs.

Girls Basketball

The girls basketball team had a strong season this year, and it is far from over. They finished the regular season in 5th in league, which was enough to qualify them for the playoffs. They had a league record of 9-5 (14-10 overall), and will now continue to test themselves into CIF.

“I’m glad we had a pretty successful season in my senior year,” said senior Michelle Arellanas. “We were able to qualify for an at-large spot in the CIF division 2AA tournament, so that’s exciting.”.”

In their final game of the regular season they played Rio Mesa with a playoff spot on the line. They delivered under pressure to secure the victory and keep their season alive. 

Boys Soccer

Boys soccer had a dominant season on the field, and they hope to carry this momentum into the playoffs. They went undefeated in league with a record of 13-0-1, placing them in 1st. Their record was 14-1-3 over all. 

“I think we had a good season overall, said Varisty soccer player Steven Bradley, “we played better than expected and were able to get alot of good results against quality programs.”

After such a strong season, they are planning to go far in CIF. 

Girls Soccer

Girls soccer finished the year with a 5-6-3 record in league (7-8-4 overall) placing them 5th, one spot out of the playoffs. They got off to a slow start to the season before finding their rhythm and stringing together a series of great games. Unfortunately, they were unable to make their way into the playoffs.

“It was fun to see our team grow over the season because we definitely started out losing games and when we played the teams for a second time we would tie or beat them so we did better,” said senior Caitlyn Sparks. “I think they’re going to do great next year because our team just got a lot better over the course of the year.”

While the Royals are losing a few seniors, they are looking for a strong season next year. They have a strong mix of young talent as well as more experienced players, and will be ready to make a CIF run next year.

Girls Water Polo

Girls Water Polo is having a phenomenal season. This is no surprise considering the 5 Division-1 commits that all compete together for the Royals. They are undefeated in league with an 8-0 record in league. They are 25-7 overall. 

“Being a part of the waterpolo team at San Marcos is something very special as we have become a family that will do anything for each other,” said senior Sophia Panossian. “There is no team like SM waterpolo. Love these girls and Chuck dawg!”

The team is full of confidence and excitement heading into the playoffs.

Wrestling

San Marcos wrestling capped off a strong regular season at League finals last week. Jacob Dominguez won the 108 pound weight class, and Angel Estrada won the 114 pound weight class. For Jacob, this is his second title and he was honored as MVP of all the lower weight classes. San Marcos will also be sending 5 athletes to the CIF meet next week.

“This year was a growing year,” said senior Levi Cooper. He placed second in league. “A personal highlight was beating Oxnard on senior night.”

Wrestling hopes to continue their strong performance into CIF.