2010 Varsity Girls Soccer Team – After finishing in fifth place in 2009, the 2010 varsity girls soccer team made an improbable and inspirational run through the CCS playoffs to capture Aragon’s first CCS Championship in the sport of soccer. The Dons went 10-1-3 to finish in second place in the league and earned a no. 4 seed in the CCS playoffs. After a 1-0 victory over St. Ignatius, Aragon upset no. 1 seed Los Gatos on a 40-yard goal from Kat McAuliffe to earn a berth in the finals. In the double overtime final, Aragon battled Presentation to a grueling 2-2 tie that saw the Dons lose two of its starters to injuries.
It wasn’t exactly a “Cinderella story” in all its glory and luster, for the team finished second in the Bay division with a 10-1-3 league record, but few would’ve expected Aragon to come away with the 2010 Central Coast Sections (CCS) Division II title in a grueling 2-2 tie with Presentation in double overtime. Not only did the Lady Dons exceed expectations, compiling a 14-3-6 overall record and earning a no. 4 seed in the CCS playoffs, but the team also secured Aragon’s first CCS Championship in the sport of soccer despite losing two of their starters to injuries.
“We ended up our CCS finals with two girls off the bench instead of our full starting line-up. I think it just showed the camaraderie that we had. The fact that we could go into a CCS final and still play really well,” said class of 2011 alumna Nicole Killigrew.
On their way to obtaining a berth in the finals, Aragon defeated St. Ignatius, 1-0, and upset no. 1 seed Los Gatos in the semi-finals on a 40-yard goal from Kat McAuliffe. During the regular season, the Lady Dons were also the first team to hand defending two-time champions, Burlingame, their first league loss in three years. Many of the girls went on have collegiate careers, but in reflection, many still recall the memorable experiences they had at Aragon.
“There’s just a different type of camaraderie,” said class of 2011 alumna Kat McAuliffe on her prep career compared to her collegiate stint at Santa Clara. “Everybody goes to school together. We see each other everyday. We practice with each other everyday. It was a very good social bonding experience.”
Nicole Killigrew and Kat McAuliffe, class of 2011
Miriam Chirko – Miriam began contributing to the Aragon community when her oldest son entered Aragon in 1996 and she hasn’t stopped. Miriam served as co-President from 1998 through 2001. In 2001, Miriam became Athletic Booster President and served in that capacity for two years. During her tenure as President, Miriam represented Aragon with dignity, intelligence, and grace. Parent participation reached an all-time high during her term. The funds raised in her years as President were the seed money that led to the all-weather field and track. Miriam also served as team parent for every one of her sons’ teams from 1996 through 2003. Miriam, along with Coldwell Banker, provided scoreboards in the gymnasium and the softball field. She was also instrumental in securing the baseball scoreboard. Miriam’s contributions go beyond athletics. She has been a sponsor for drama and music for over 15 years.
Without a doubt, the Aragon athletic department has a lot to thank Aragon parent and community contributor Miriam Chirko for. Students attending the Aragon home contests can thank Chirko for relaunching the “snack shack” after several years of inactivity. During her two years as president of the Athletic Booster, Chirko also originated with the idea of asking for individual student-athlete contributions during the pre-season sportsmanship nights. The money raised then proved instrumental for the construction of all-weather field and track. Chirko also worked alongside Coldwell Bank to secure the scoreboards in the gymnasium and the softball field. Chirko was also worked towards obtaining the baseball scoreboard as well.
Perhaps what’s most remarkable about Chirko is that she never attend Aragon. Her two sons played baseball and basketball from 1996 through 2003 with Chirko serving as team parent for all her sons’ teams.
“I’m the kind of person that wants to be involved,” said Chirko. “I don’t want to have to sit in the background and say, ‘I wish they did this. I wish they did that.’ I just feel like that if I’m involved, I can make it happen. I felt very blessed for my kids to go to Aragon. It is a phenomenal academic and athletic school. And I just wanted to contribute to that. I just really felt like Aragon makes our community better.”
While Chirko has not visited Aragon since her sons’ graduations, she has continued to support the Aragon community by supporting the drama and theater program and helping teachers buy houses by giving some financial contribution from her commission as a real estate agent.
“Whenever I asked for something, I felt like we had an ally in Miriam,” said athletic director Steve Sell in her introductory speech. “She was an ally who the school trusted. The community trusted. And she had credibility and we just felt fortunate for her.”
Karina Chin –
The absence of a girls wrestling team at the time was never a problem for Karina Chin, who Sell described as a “transformational athlete” in his introductory speech. “Karina wasn’t going to wait for Title IX to catch up,” said Sell. “She said, ‘If we’re not going to have a girls team, then send the boys and I’ll take them on.’”
Unbeknownst to many, Chin’s dominant wrestling career was nearly a pair of shoes away from becoming a basketball career. “My older brother came up to me and showed me a nice black and white pair of basketball shoes. Being the fifth child, I didn’t get many new things. And so when I saw them, I was like, ‘I’m going to tryout for basketball.’ Same day, my sister, who was wrestling as a senior, said, ‘Karina, why don’t you tryout for the wrestling team?’ I thought to myself, ‘Tough, tough.’ And so I walked up to my brother and said, ‘Sorry, I can’t take the basketball shoes.’ And there I go, my first day of wrestling.”
During her Aragon career, Chin finished second, third, and fourth in the PAL championships against boys, also being the first female to win a match at the CCS boys wrestling championships. On the national level, Chin was also named the United States National Champion in her weight class in 1998.
In addition to wrestling, Chin, the 1998 Athlete of the Year, was also a four-year varsity letter player in volleyball and gymnastics, earning multiple MVP recognitions and All-League honors. Even today, Chin, who is now an English teacher at Sequoia, still displays her gymnastics skills by performing handstands in front of her students.
“The little, pint-sized girl that she is, she really is a small stick of dynamite.” said her wrestling coach Carl Pastore. “There was a coach once from Pioneer and he was talking to his kid. He pointed to Karina and said, ‘You see that girl over there? She’s an Aragon wrestler. Take her seriously.’ I used to say that if there was a boy who liked her, and went up to give her a kiss, but she didn’t like him, he didn’t know it, but he was going to get his butt kicked.”
Marlin Brown –
“Coach, I’m going to get a scholarship,” said freshman Marlin Brown to his football coach, Britt Williams.
“Marlin, no one’s ever gotten a scholarship from here,” replied Williams.
“Well, I’m going to be the first.”
“And I’m going to help you,” stated Williams.
Those six words were what changed his life, according to Brown. From that point on, Brown looked at Williams, who also received a full-ride to USC, as a mentor, calling him the most influential person in his 22 season playing career and even naming him the godfather of one of his sons.
“I love Aragon. If I had to do it all over again, I’d go straight back,” said Brown.
Not only was Brown the first Aragon student-athlete to receive a full, five-year scholarship, but his legacy with the Aragon football is forever etched in history. Brown and Williams are the only people who can lay claim to Aragon’s five football championships. Brown holds one as a player and four as a coach, whereas Williams has coached all five teams.
In his junior year, Brown earned First Team All-League and First Team All-County, leading Aragon to its first CCS playoff appearance. The following year, Brown repeated his first team honors in addition to All-Bay Area and won Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) Defensive Player of the Year.
“Aragon and coach Williams are a big reason for what I do now – working with kids in juvenile hall. My mannerism, the way I act to kids, dealing with youth, the way I work with them, is ultimately a product of what Aragon has imparted to me,” said Brown.
At Washington State, Williams secured All-Pac 10 honors and lead the conference with 11.5 sacks. Later, he played with the Calgary Stampeders in the College Football League before starting his
seven-year Arena Football career with the Charlotte Rage and San Jose Sabercats, bringing the Sabercats to the 1995 conference championship title.
Returning to Aragon to coach in 1992, Brown was a major factor in Aragon’s first CCS championship and and served as a catalyst for the team’s state title in 1994.
