San Marcos High School athletes are making waves this season across multiple sports as the race for CIF titles intensifies. With the Royals taking the field, court, and pool, there’s no shortage of excitement and standout performances. Here’s an update on the latest CIF standings and key moments shaping San Marcos’ journey through the fall season.
San Marcos Football fell short to a tough game against Agoura Hills on the road Friday, 26-21. San Marcos currently stands at 5-3-1 overall and are tied for second in the Tri-County league (3-1), after big victories over Fillmore, Santa Paula, and Hueneme, The Royals punched their ticket into the CIF-SS Playoffs, a milestone that hasn’t been reached in 20 years. The Royals cross town record stands at an awkward 0-0-1, in which they tied with the Santa Barbara Dons in week five of the season that made history as the only time the two teams had ever tied in the Big Game. The Royals look to extend their historic season as they finish their regular season with an anticipated cross town rivalry game in Goleta against The Dos Pueblos Chargers on November 1st.
“We’re excited to beat DP and move into the playoffs to compete for a championship.” Said senior Charlie Angeles.
Congratulations to San Marcos Girls Flag football on an impressive season. They were crowned Channel League champions last week and took 2nd place in the Channel league tournament. The Royals fell short to the Oxnard Yellow Jackets, 19-18 in the championship game at Ventura college but San Marcos faced Oxnard earlier in the season and came out victorious, 26-19. The Royals finished the year at 14-3 overall and 5-2 in league (3rd). This Royals team advanced to the league championship tournament game after a thrilling victory against cross town rivals Dos Pueblos, 34-33, in which the Royals put together a game winning drive and score to close it out in the final seconds of the game. The Royals went 1-1 in cross town regular season games including beating Santa Barbara 24-8. Flag football lost in the first round of CIF playoffs to Santa Margarita, on October 26, after a strong season.
“Overall, the season was very successful. With a lot of athletes from different sports all coming together, combining their different strengths and individual talents to build one strong team.” Said senior, Molly McCarter.
San Marcos Girls Volleyball torched their opponents all season long. The Royals finished the season 27-5 overall and had an outstanding 13-1 record in league (1st). Being named League champions their only loss came from Santa Barbara, to whom they swept earlier in the season 3-0. San Marcos finished their regular season just down the street against a competitive Bishop Diego team, in a non-league matchup, where they beat the Cardinals in the final set, 3-2. The Royals competed in CIF-SS Division 2 playoffs last week where they had their season cut short in the first round, losing to JSerra Catholic.
“Our team is really close and we are all friends which helped us win the league, only losing three seniors for next year so next year the team will still be strong.” Said senior Elena Thomas.
The Royals finished their cross town record as 3-1. only losing one set in their three wins combined.
San Marcos Boys Water Polo’s season came to a close this past week as they look to put together another historical one. They currently stand at 23-8 overall and earned the title as co channel league champions after their win against Buena. The Royals dominated local teams including a foot stomping win against Santa Barbara 11-4, making their cross town record at a perfect 2-0 for the season. The Royals are coming off a historic past season, beating Dos Pueblos last year to be crowned Division ll 2023 CIF SoCal Boys Water polo champions. This year though the Royals will compete in the CIF-SS open Division playoffs as the 12th seed out of 12 total teams in the bracket.
“We’re feeling very positive, it is the highest we’ve been ranked in a long time and it’s exciting to see where we’ll end up when we’re playing these better teams.” Said senior Sam Rich.
San Marcos looks to mirror what they did last year and make an impressive run in the playoffs.
After an undefeated season in league play, the girls golf team will compete in Chino Hills, for CIF playoffs. Seniors, Campbell Thayer, Talia Cummings, and Sadi Adams, all stepped up and acted as team leaders, for the many sophomores who followed in their footsteps, showing drastic improvement throughout the season. The royals took the league title after a thrilling match versus Ventura.
“We are all really excited, this is our third year in a row at CIF, We are excited to represent SM.”
San Marcos Girls Tennis standouts Kate Shelby and Sydney Posch earned Doubles MVP in the channel league and are excited to compete in the CIF playoffs.
“We’re looking forward to playing in the playoffs on November 6th, our team is hoping to go far in this new division.” Said senior Sydney Posch.
The royals placed third in the channel league after tough loses to Santa Barbara and Dos Pueblos. But having a lot of new players this season will make room for improvement next season. San Marcos looks to make a deep playoff run in their newly selected division.
San Marcos Cross country has looked impressive this year as they have won two meets this fall, that being the Cool Breeze Invitational and Mt. Sac Invitational. The royals senior runners Gage Minne, Ben Callanan, Ashton Johnson and Miles Dentinger compete in the channel league Finals at Dos Pueblos, where depending on how they run, the royals could qualify for CIF, a mark that hasn’t been met yet since 2021.
“I’m fit and ready, our work this summer has been paying off, I’m excited to see how we race in the postseason.” Said senior Benjamin Callanan.
The Girls team looks to compete in the league finals as well, after falling just short in both the Cool Breeze and Mt. Sac Invitational.
Congratulations to these Royal teams for an incredible season, with each earning a well-deserved spot in the CIF-SS playoffs. Whether it’s on the football field under the Friday night lights, spiking for match point on the volleyball court, making clutch plays in the water, or leading the charge in girls flag football, every athlete and coach has shown the true spirit of what it means to be a Royal. Good luck to each of our Royals sports teams as they compete for a shot at a CIF-SS title in their respective divisions. Let’s go, Royals!
