Aragon athletes meet CCS playoff challenges

As the fall sports season draws to a close, some of Aragon’s teams finished their season with one last push in the CCS playoffs.

Six of Aragon’s top female golfers went to the CCS tournament on Nov. 2. With their win at PALs, they ended their season with a combined team score of 579 on the Rancho Canada Golf Club in Carmel Valley, leaving them in tenth place.

Aragon’s volleyball team, ranked sixth, played Mountain View on Saturday, Nov. 13 in the Division II CCS quarterfinals. After playing four games in San Jose, their opponents came out on top with scores of 13-25, 25-18, 25-19, and 25-21. Although they lost, the Aragon volleyball team “stayed together and positive” throughout the match according to junior volleyball player Megan Reinertson.

The varsity girls water polo team came back to beat San Lorenzo High School 13-8 during the last quarter of the game after having been down 8-5 in the first round of their CCS Division Two championship. With this win, the Dons advanced to play the top ranked school, Sacred Heart Prep. For the seniors this was their final game as Dons. Senior Kate Kell was ejected early in the game, recalling that “[the] other team made it look like I was drowning them.”

Though the Aragon team played diligently to the end, the Dons lost this final, physical game of their season 13-5. Considering they were without a home pool, they had an amazing season and performed well through the CCS tournament. “Our team put in a good effort and I’m proud of them,” says Kell.

The girls tennis team abruptly received news that they were going to CCS, and during the week of Nov. 8 they played their first match against Sobrato High School. After the first three Aragon singles players lost their match and the doubles won all three of their matches, it was down to sophomore Samantha R. Wong, the last singles player. Wong remembers how the experience “was pretty nerve-racking for every person on [her] team and the opposing team.” She finally emerged victorious with scores of 6-4, 6-7, 6-2, sending the Aragon Tennis team forward to face Archbishop Mitty High School; ranked fourth in CCS. Although Aragon did not win this final match, they had fun playing together during this last match of the season.

On a warm Saturday in Salinas, the cross-country teams began their three-mile CCS race in Toro County Park. After triumphing over the hills and the heat, junior Lauren Croshaw sprinted across the finish line in 2nd place with a time of 18:56. Croshaw earned a spot in the California State Meet, as she did last year, being one of the top 14 athletes to finish in Division Two.

Minutes after the girls’ team’s finished, the boy’s race started. Sophomore Rory Beyer was striving to place in the top 14 to secure a spot at the state meet with Croshaw.

Unfortunately, Beyer came in 15th with a time of 16:48. The boys team came in fifth and the girls team came in sixth in their divisions, an amazing end to their season.

Annette Gennaro, coach of the varsity Volleyball team, sums up CCS the best, saying, “They played well, that’s what matters.”