The extraordinary and tangible tension was held tight in the air on an important Thursday night at Santa Barbara High School. San Marcos’ girls basketball had not beat the Santa Barbara girls team in fourteen years. The drought was brought to an end on a cool February night that erupted into cheer and excitement when the girls took down their rivals 56 to 52. This season, the Royals showcased their superior skill, strength, and finess on the field, pool, court and in the ring during this extremely successful sports season. During the winter, our athletes competed in boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, girls water polo, and wrestling. In each and every one of these sports, the Royals came away with either 1st or 2nd in the Channel League, a testament to their hard work and dedication to the game. Now let’s break it down.
Starting off with boys basketball, the basketball team had a near flawless season this year, boasting an excellent league record of 10-1. This landed them comfortably in first place. The boys finished off their league with an ecstatic win against cross-town rivals Santa Barbara Dons on the 5th of February. The Royals will move on to play for the CIF title in the coming weeks.
Looking towards the pool, girl’s water polo went undefeated this winter season, a very impressive pattern we’ve seen over the past few years. The extremely gifted team has an unmatched chemistry and aptitude for the sport, showing total domination over their opponents in the Channel League.
Girl’s basketball also had an incredibly successful season. San Marcos fans really showed up to support this year, making the win against Santa Barbara one of the most hype sports games this year. The girl’s talent is evident, which can be seen on the court and in their record. Ten wins and two losses put them in a highly respectable second place this year.
Now focusing on the pitch, boy’s soccer had a season to remember. Near the end of a well-fought and triumphant season, the Royals were given a formidable opponent for the last matchup of the season. If the team tied or lost against SB, they would be put into third place of the league. They needed to secure a victory in order to be thrust into first place, which had proven difficult in the earlier matchup against SB that resulted in a tie. Into the second half, Luke Sheffey put himself into the right position to score a scrappy header goal, eventuating into the win. The boys tireless efforts and skill with the ball ushered them into 1st place in the league.
Girl’s soccer had a similarly successful season, with the athletic and spirited team landing in 2nd place after a season record of 6-2-2. Senior Courtney Kelley reports on the season, “We worked really really hard this season, we had morning practices and double days for months on end, the goal was really just to get as far as we can and win as many games as possible.” Their hard work paid off.
Finally, San Marcos’ wrestling team landed on top at the end of this season, yet another 1st place in the Channel League. ““It’s good to be two time league champions… you know it’s great to have my co-captains Juan and Jacob by my side, because we’re unstoppable at this point,” says Ambrose Partee, junior and co-captain of the team.
San Marcos’s undeniably talented and successful athletes worked their way to the top this year, with four first places and two second places in the Channel League. Be sure to continue to support boys basketball, boys soccer, girls water polo, and wrestling as they battle it out in CIF in the upcoming weeks.
