Girls Volleyball
After a historic season winning both PAL and CCS last year, the Aragon girls volleyball team (5-7 overall*) looks to defend their titles this season.
Head coach Annette Gennaro-Trimble believes the team chemistry and experience from their championship run last season will help them achieve success.
“My seniors have done a very good job of explaining to the new players what’s expected from everyone so that there’s respect among each of our players,” Gennaro-Trimble said. “No matter what happens, they’re always there for each other, [and] that’s important [in] volleyball because teamwork is the most important thing.”
Senior team captain and setter Hunter Kwan feels an obligation to help the younger players grow as much as possible.
“When I was an underclassman, I had really great seniors that had a great impact on me and made me love the sport more,” Kwan said. “They helped me feel more comfortable on the team. So I’m hoping that I can step into that role that they had.”
Junior outside hitter Sophie Rubinstein, a returning varsity player, hopes to connect with her teammates and have another successful season.
“Personally, [my goal is] just to have fun,” Rubinstein said. “It’d be great if we could win CCS again.”
“It’s going to be a struggle to do what we did last year”
The players also aim to gradually improve together throughout the course of the season, just as they did last year.
“Every practice, their goal is to learn one thing new,” Gennaro-Trimble said. “They’re going to be exceptional by the end of the season …Our goal is to be the best you could be by the time we get there.”
In 2022, the team advanced to the state championship and placed top eight in Division II. Repeating that success may be difficult with only five returning varsity players and a much younger team.
“It’s going to be a struggle to do what we did last year,” Gennaro-Trimble said. “Burlingame has 12 returning varsity players. They’re stacked, so it’s going to be tough.,”
With many additions to the team, a common challenge at the beginning of the season is getting used to new roles on the team.
“We’re just figuring out how to play with each other because some people are playing new positions,” Kwan said. “So it is an adjustment but I think the girls are adjusting really well.”
“We proved to everyone, ourselves and our coaches, that this year can be great”
Their season began with a 3-2 loss to Menlo on Aug. 24, but it was still a strong start for the team as they hadn’t taken two sets from Menlo in years.
“We really challenged them and we got a lot out of it.” Kwan said. “We proved to everyone, ourselves and our coaches, that this year can be great.”
Aragon will play at Hillsdale next on Sept. 14 at 6:15 p.m.
*Records as of Sept. 12
Reporting by Andrew Dong
Football
Aragon football (2-1 overall) won its third game against Lincoln (1-2 overall) 28-6 on Sept. 8.
“It’s too early to reach any conclusions [about the games,]” said head coach Steve Sell. “I don’t know the quality of either the team we beat or lost to. But my feeling is that when we do what we’re supposed to do, I think we’re a good football team. Our challenge is doing exactly what we’re assigned to do. And so, that comes with repetitions and discipline. So that’s kind of what we’re focused on.”
The team has had to make adjustments to the change in players.
“In terms of skill players like receivers, it did hit us pretty hard because one of our best receivers Lloyd left,” said junior defensive back and wide receiver Josh Jacobs. “We [also] had a lot of good defensive backs that left, and linemen in general. But this year, I feel like we’re making up for it so far. There’s not much of a drop off between, seniors, and upcoming juniors and seniors.”
Although the team is still developing throughout the preseason, they have been practicing since the summer.
“Everybody is coming over, getting the workout in,” said senior full back, defensive end, and defensive tackle Amaziah Tanielu. “We’ve been working our butts off during the summer.”
With that being said, team health is one of the main priorities for the team.
“A lot of our players are injury prone, like me too,” Jacobs said. “So we have been taking it lightly in terms of hitting and stuff. So, we’re doing a lot more walkthroughs…[However,] when we’re all healthy we have a lot of depth pretty much in every position. We’re very big too, a very tall team [as well as] fast and quick.”
To prevent these tragic injuries to have a strong and consistent team, weight lifting plays a major role.
“Coach [Mike] Wu did most of the strength conditioning coach and coach [Ashley] Parham helped too,” Sell said. “They do a great job. Any type of weight training you are trying to prevent injury and improve performance. I don’t think there’s anyone around here that is good as coach Wu in terms of his knowledge and his ability to teach it. So I’m hoping that that carries over in us staying staying healthy.”
“[Building team chemistry] all comes down to making friends with everyone on the team”
In terms of practices, specific walkthroughs are done on specific days of the week.
“So Monday is usually our offensive practice,” Jacobs said. “Receivers usually go with the quarterback and we go through run routes, run games, and all of our plays. At the end of the Monday we usually go through a game-like situation…Tuesdays are our defensive days, where we usually hit the most and we run through all the defensive installs…against the team we’re playing that week. Wednesdays are kind of a split day, defense and offense. And then, Thursdays are our special teams day…we go through PATs, field goals, kickoff, and kickoff return.”
Training is not only focused on physicality, but also on building chemistry.
“I think last year we didn’t have too great of team chemistry,” said senior quarterback Sean Hickey. ”[But] I think this year, I really try to work on that with the team and I think it’s gotten a lot better and I’m happy with that…[Building team chemistry] all comes down to making friends with everyone on the team. Not just keeping with the same friends, [but] getting to know all the people from different positions that you wouldn’t normally know before football. The whole senior class has a really close…bond, and I think the bond with the junior class is a lot better than it was last year.”
Some players develop intriguing ways to keep themselves mentally sharp throughout the season.
“Before a game, I play a bunch of mobile games,” Hickey said. “It gives me focus.”
“I have no control over how good another team is, and I only have control over how our kids perform”
By analyzing preseason games, it allows the team to focus on what needs to be changed.
“Watching from the sideline in real time, I was really discouraged [at the Monterey game],” Sell said. “They were deficient in a bunch of areas. When we dissected the film, it became clear that most and a lot of the plays…one little thing here and there made the difference…so, we just have to eliminate those little things…So, hopefully they take from this that we are right there and that these little details do make a difference.”
The team looks forward in winning the league championship, section championship, and making the CCS playoff. However, Sell also emphasizes importance in the little improvements made every day.
“The goal, and it sounds like a cliche and such a non answer, but, is to just get better every day,” Sell said. “And if you do that, then all of those other things that you want, will take care of themselves. There’s only so much as a team and as a coach, you can control. I have no control over how good another team is, and I only have control over how our kids perform.”
The Dons’ next home game will be against Carlmont (0-3 overall) on 9/15 at 7 p.m.
Reporting by Sora Mitzutani
Girls Tennis
Aragon girls tennis (0-2) is preparing for a new season after placing fourth in the Peninsula Athletic League Bay division last year with a final record of 8-6.
The team is constantly working toward improving all aspects of their games.
“We focus on things everybody needs to work on,” said sophomore singles player Taylor Lee. “If I need to work on serves, maybe [the] coach will give me half a day to work on serves. But overall, we try to perfect every small detail, hoping to improve our game”
In preparation for the upcoming season, the team often practices under the conditions of real games.
“[Our coach] does match play where you simulate your matches,” said junior doubles player Khushi Parikh. “Especially when we play on hot days and we play the whole match, it gets you ready for [playing] a real match because it’s that hot and you have to be prepared to last that long.”
Last year, team chemistry and good communication was helpful in creating a positive, encouraging environment.
“Last year, we got to connect more, help each other out [and] correct each other,” said junior doubles player Trish Clemente. “For example, if you threw the ball on the wrong spot, or [if] your forehand wasn’t good [the teammates] always gave you tips … The team is always supporting each other and trying to [give] advice [to] other people.”
The necessity of good team chemistry means older players are prioritizing integrating new players into the team.
“This year we have a lot of new freshmen,” Parikh said. “So we’re not connected team wise yet. Everyone from last year is still tightlyknit, and we’re trying to introduce our new freshmen into our group. We have events [planned] and that’s really gonna help our team grow.”
Overall, the game is working towards a good season.
“Everybody’s still getting … used to being on the team,” Lee said. “But I think every game, every match, we’re getting to know each other better every day we practice [and] we’re definitely getting closer as a team.”
The team’s next game is on Sept. 19 at 4 p.m. at Half Moon Bay.
Reporting by Leah Hawkins
Boys Water Polo
After a successful 2022-23 campaign the Aragon boys water polo team has their eyes set on another triumphant season.
Last year the Dons won a late season thriller over Menlo Atherton, netting them a CCS playoff berth. Now with the loss of multiple key senior leaders and contributors, including the 2022-23 Bay division Most Valuable Player Xavier McKenzie, the Dons look to capture that same energy, grit and team chemistry showcased in that win over MA, and use those traits as a platform to build a productive season off of.
“For the first few weeks of the season the Dons have been without Aragon’s pool”
The season’s start has not come without obstacles, however, as for the first few weeks of the season the Dons have been without Aragon’s pool due to issues with its drainage and filtration systems. This has caused a multitude of problems in the pre-season, and could potentially even affect the Dons game schedule once the season kicks off.
“It’s just been hard getting pool time at other schools, and the times at which we’ve had practices have been pretty crazy,” said junior utility Harry Gurr. “We usually practice at Mills, Burlingame or San Mateo, and we’ve practiced at Hillsdale a couple of times, too. We’ve had a couple practices go from 7-9 [p.m.], which has been tough.”
Besides the complications with the pool, the start of the season has been great for the Dons. They have been working tirelessly to build upon the momentum that they had at the end of last season. With the loss of multiple key players last year, including the 2022-23 Bay division Most Valuable Player Xavier McKenzie, the team maintains its strong depth, led by key senior contributors Olin Gawel, Noah Dulac and Ryan Vattuone. Even with the large number of seniors on the roster, the Dons still have a few outstanding underclassmen including freshman phenom Odin Le.
“We have some really good chemistry”
Because of the senior-heavy nature of this year’s squad, a main strength of the Dons this year is their team chemistry. The senior leadership helps bring together the blend of upperclassmen and underclassmen on the team.
“A lot of our members have been playing together for quite a while, from freshman to senior year,” said senior goalkeeper Noah Dulac. “So we have some really good chemistry. We’ve also had lots of freshmen coming in who have already played the game before,so we have kind of a mix of new talent and … old veterans on the team.”
The Dons look primed for a promising season with the end goal being a CCS playoff berth. This year will rely on a stout defense anchored by a first team all league keeper in Dulac, and their motion-based offense that relies on the strong chemistry and offensive coordination.
The Dons square off against Pioneer at home on Sept. 14 at 3:30 p.m.
Reporting by Charlie Henderson
Girls water polo
The varsity girls water polo team’s season is off to a promising start as they have secured victories in their first two preseason scrimmages against Burlingame and Hillsdale.
However, behind the scenes, the team has struggled finding ways to practice as Aragon’s pool has been closed since the beginning of summer.
“We’ve barely had any actual practices so we can’t do very much conditioning and we can’t really work on shooting or passing,” said senior Daryn Schell. “The only thing we’ve been able to do here is run through our offense on the football field and weight train.”
Head coach Kielan Crow believes that the pool closure has negatively affected the team by distracting them from the upcoming season.
“We’ve had days where we were just doing dry land on the Aragon track,” Crow said. “We’ve had days where we’re in San Mateo’s pool, which is extremely small and does not lend itself to large conditioning sets. We’ve [also] had days where we’re at Hillsdale for forty five minutes because that was the only time available. I think that there’s been a lot of energy and focus lost in all the moving around.”
Despite the obstacles, the team is hopeful they can make it to the Central Coast Section (CCS) Championship, unlike last year when they fell one place short of qualifying after finishing fourth in the league.
“The atmosphere is extremely excited and hungry to learn”
This year, the team’s upperclassmen have had to step up, as the team mostly consists of freshmen and sophomores.
“Our juniors and seniors have been helping us a lot and telling us what to do,” said sophomore Aanika Das. “It has really helped us adjust to the team.”
Crow displays strong confidence in his underclassmen.
“Despite being young, we have some very capable new players who I think can make a big impact on the team,” Crow said. “The atmosphere is extremely excited and hungry to learn.”
Although the team has faced many roadblocks in the past month, players are still hopeful for a successful season. Even without a pool to practice in, players say that they have already noticed improvements in the team.
“As a team I think our communication has gotten a lot better… I think we have a lot more drive to win this year,” Schell said.
Aragon will play Carmel next on Sept. 16 at 2 p.m.
Reporting by Phoebe Harger
Cross country
The Aragon cross country team prepares for another season with 59 members. Competing in the Peninsula Athletic League, the team adheres to a schedule of three league meets and a championship.
With larger numbers than last year, junior Miles Rokala hopes to utilize his role as one of the three captains to help bring the team together in order to put their best foot forward this season.
“[We need to] be more of a team,” Rokala said. “You want a strong squad for during the races … you need everyone to steal points for the team and you can’t just do it on your own.”
With cross country being a fall sport, training started before the school year. Athletes were expected to run on their own over summer to prepare for the season.
“The whole thing with cross country is endurance,” said head coach Frank Hunt. “Some of the kids that ran this summer ran over 400 miles.”
“You need everyone to steal points for the team and you can’t just do it on your own”
In a sport especially susceptible to overuse injuries, Hunt stresses the importance of recovery days. After many injuries on the team last year, both Rokala and Hunt agreed that injury prevention is a main focus heading into the season.
“Every time you run you’re always putting an impact on your bones and muscles,” Rokala said. “So if you [run] too much, you don’t accumulate yourself to the level that the team runs at … [and] you’re not going to be ready for it, and you’re just going to get hurt.”
In addition, the team also has an extensive warm-up to help prevent overuse injuries.
“They do dynamic drills up and down the track, which usually takes 15 – 20 minutes,” Hunt said. “Then they all get together and they have a big circle, where they answer the question of the day.”
The warm-up is run by the three team captains, Rokala, senior Toby Harris and senior Marlee Cherkas, who play a vital role in their success. In addition to being some of the top performers, the captains help out the younger and more inexperienced runners.
“[They are] all good leaders,” Hunt said. “I think people respect them from what I can see.”
It wasn’t a title just given to them, it had to be earned. All three underwent training over the summer in order to lead the team this season.
“Captains …have to take a course during the summer online from the National High School Association,” Hunt said. “All three agreed and they passed the course, so they have more responsibility.”
With six practices a week, Rokala explained the types of training they do each day to strengthen different parts of their running.
“Long runs are cardiovascular endurance, which is very important,” Rokala said. “Then we got the hill work and track workouts for speed and muscular work.”
As part of their training, runners are expected to log their workouts to a website called xStats each day to ensure accountability.
In addition to physical preparation, Hunt also emphasizes the importance of having a positive mindset.
“I expect all the athletes to have the same goal: [to] be as good as we can be,” Hunt said.
With this mindset and training, the team hopes for a strong showing in the CCS Championship and an overall successful season.
The team’s next meet is at Crystal Springs on Sept. 16.
Reporting by Quinn Shirley
