Fall Sports Recaps

Fall Sports Recaps
Football: Harrison Fuller
Varsity Record: 7-3-1
Best Moment of the Season: Win against Acalanes
Recap:

The Campolindo varsity football season started with low expectations, but ended in high drama. The team set the pads down after their 38-31 overtime playoff loss to San Ramon Valley (SRV) on November 10th. The Cougars came a long way this season. SB Live predicted in a preseason ranking the Cougars would finish 17th in the North Coast Section. By November, they were ranked 5th. “I think we shocked a lot of people,” said senior offensive lineman Owen Fitzmaurice.

The Cougars were moved up to Division 1 before the season. This meant competing for a playoff spot with football powerhouses like De La Salle, Pittsburg, and SRV.

Campo ended the regular season with a miraculous win at Acalanes. The Cougars came back from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win the game. That was just one of this season’s incredible comebacks, the last of which ended in heartache. Against SRV, Campo was down 21-0, then battled to a lead in the fourth quarter. Ultimately, the game, and the season, ended with SRV’s overtime touchdown.

Girls Volleyball: Molly Stephens
(Varsity Record) 18-14
Best Moment of the Season: Win against Carondelet
Short Blurb:

The girls volleyball season has come to a close, but in the words of senior captain Rachel Andre, the team found success in “trusting [themselves] and not worrying about those who doubted [them].” Despite losing many skilled seniors from the year before, the 2023 players faced a number of challenging opponents and were able to qualify for state. Other senior captain Hanna Bjornson said, “not many people had high expectations for us…so upsetting Carondelet was definitely exciting.” The team managed to hold on to the league title and placed 3rd in NCS.

Even though the team didn’t make it very far in state, Andre said, “[She’s] very proud of how they came together as a team.” She added, “[The girls] grew super close throughout the season, which translated into wins on the court.” From beating Acalanes in intense rivalry games to excelling in tournament play, team chemistry and an uplifting atmosphere was truly key to the team’s achievements.

Girls Golf: Molly Stephens
(Varsity Record) 4-4
Short Blurb/Recap of the teams season: Stomping the Mats!

Despite being a smaller Campo athletic program, girls golf had a great season of incredible individual performances. Senior captain Daisy Artist said, “the girls did very well…many of them broke the WPP.” This feat requires athletes to score under 50 in a single match. After a few wins, the team also made it to the championship match this season.

Being a smaller program, the team became close over the course of the season. Junior Sierra Hack said, “Even though [she’s] a new player, she felt included by the other players.” For players like Hack, this positive environment best allowed players to reach their fullest potential. Artist added, “beating Miramonte was one of [her] favorite moments.” This particular match put the team’s promising young talent on display, making the future of the program look bright.

Girls Tennis: Ashley Purcell
Varsity Record: 12-10
Best Moment of the Season: Getting 4th at the Golden State Classic

The girls varsity tennis team had a great 2023-2024 season, packed with many wins and a truly bonded team. The team secured their 6-4 league record with wins including San Ramon Valley, College Park, and Las Lomas. Another successful moment that proved the team’s strength was getting 4th place out of 32 teams on the first day of the Golden State Classic tournament. With a varsity record of 12-10, the team had many successful moments including one of the best moments of the season, beating 8-1 Acalanes.

To build a bond within the team, senior captain Jamie Kelly said “For team building, we paired each senior with a junior/underclassman on the team to be ‘sisters.’” These pairs would get each other their favorite food or drink before every game. Kelly further explained that the team had “frequent team dinners and trips to Tangelo after practices.” Although the team faced hard competitors like Miramonte and Northgate, Kelly said that the “season this year was super fun.”

Boys Cross Country: John Weaver
Boys:
2nd in DAL Championship
2nd NCS

Going into this year the expectations for a dominant Campolindo Cross country team remained at an all-time high after finishing 2nd in the state the year prior. After the departure of 3 collegiate level runners from the 2023 class, less experienced runners would have to make big leaps for the team to succeed. Luckily for the Cougars, race in and race out they stepped up. Sophomore Cody De La Cruz provided excellent support behind senior Alex Thomasson, breaking his course record by over 3 minutes in the Rough Riders Invitational in Fresno. Another standout underclassman was freshman Clark Gregory, who finished in 3rd place at NCS and had the fastest freshman time between all 5 divisions.

The boys fell just short in NCS along with DAL, finishing 2nd in both races. Although they might not have won NCS or DAL, it was an overall good season as they competed well in every single race. Thomasson said, “I really think we competed well this year and I’m excited with the freshman class and where they will go.”

Girls Cross Country: John Weaver
1st DAL
1st NCS
2nd State

After winning state and going to Nationals in 2022, expectations couldn’t be higher for Campolindo’s girls XC team going into the 2023 season. These high expectations can hurt team chemistry, but for the Cougars it helped them bond. Senior Shea Volkmer said, “I am really proud of not only how we competed but how everyone grew closer throughout the season.” Despite all the pressure, the Cougars dominated, finishing 1st in every race until state.

Volkmer led the way for the Cougars, finishing 1st in all 3 DAL meets along with receiving 1st team NCS honors. Two other runners received NCS recognition, as senior Kate Kabenina made the 2nd team and senior Daisy Penny was an honorable mention. The Cougars’ win at NCS was their best, having four runners finishing in the top 10, along with it being the 20th NCS title for the school. Overall, another great season for this highly decorated Campolindo cross-country program.

Boys Water Polo: Brooke Maher
Varsity Record: 17-12
Best Moment of the Season: Shutting out San Ramon Valley

As the boys varsity water polo neared the end of their season, they went to the finals ranked 1st in the D2 CIF Norcal Championships. The team dominated State and beat Buchanan in finals 14-12. In NCS, they finished 4th in a very competitive division. The team earned a strong 17-12 record through victories over Acalanes, San Ramon Valley, and Las Lomas. Senior captain Dante Vattoune recalled his favorite accomplishment from this year, “The best moment of my season was shutting out SRV 8-0.”

After losing the 9 seniors who helped the team succeed in 2022, many questioned the success of the team. However, they defied these assumptions and continued to triumph, despite the severe loss of players. This season’s team had an assortment of players, including 7 seniors, 8 juniors, 3 sophomores, and 4 freshmen. Vattoune was appreciative of the team he got to close out his high school career with, “I’m most proud of how our team unified at the end of the season and overcame many challenges.” After working hard in and out of the pool all fall, the work paid off.

Girls Water Polo: Brooke Maher
Varsity Record: 21-8
Best Moment of the Season: Varsity Retreat

Girls varsity water polo created a legacy for themselves in their 2023-2024 season. Dominating the pool with an average of 13.4 goals a game and 273 goals in total, the team successfully took down teams including Acalanes, Carondelet, and Las Lomas. The girls finished 2nd in the NCS Open Division, further exhibiting their strength and success as a team. The team headed to the CIF State finals and finished second in a tough game against Miramonte.

The girls built this powerhouse team through bonding. Senior captain London Menard’s favorite memory from her 2023-2024 season was the “varsity retreat”. This tight-knit team could be seen conducting spirit days, morning practices, and team dinners. The team recently played Sacred Heart Prep, which had beaten Campo in recent years. However, in the CIF semifinals, the girls defeated them 10-9, securing their 21-8 record, the best record girls water polo has had in 5 years. After this season, seniors Menard and Ana Pieper are continuing their water polo careers at Santa Clara University and UCLA.

About the Contributors

Molly Stephens, Editor-in-Chief

(she/her) Senior Molly Stephens has been passionate about the arts from a young age. She’s fascinated by classic movies and her favorite genre of music is conscious hip hop. She especially adores reading, and her favorite subject in school is English. However, Stephens has a special interest in journalistic writing because it gives her the freedom to discuss her interests and explore her creative side. Stephens is an avid backpacker who is proud to have summited numerous peaks throughout California and Nevada. In addition to spending time in nature, some of her other hobbies include lacrosse, running, and trying new foods. She is thrilled to be co-Editor-in-Chief this upcoming school year, mainly because she loves working with and mentoring younger students. Stephens can’t wait to foster The Claw’s many talents and produce issues that appeal and represent the entire Campo community.

Harrison Fuller, Sports Editor

(he/him)

Harrison Fuller is a junior football player who was born in Bangkok, Thailand. He has lived in Lamorinda for 7 years and loves to coach younger football players, seeing something in kids that he saw in himself when he was younger. Another athletic passion of Fuller's is pole vaulting for the Campo track and field team. Track and field coach Chuck Woolridge enticed him to pick up the field event, Fuller picked up pole vaulting and immediately fell in love with it.

Fuller wanted to join Journalism because both of his parents were journalists and he aspires to inherit their legacy. Journalism is easily his favorite class, and he is a hard worker because of that. Fuller loves everything to do with sports, watching, talking, and writing about them; which is why Journalism is the perfect fit for him.

Ashley Purcell, Staff Writer/Photographer

(she/her) Freshman Ashley Purcell is a writer and photographer for The Claw. She sparked an interest in journalism last year when she came across the publication. In her free time, she loves to bake and hang-out with friends. She has been dancing since she was 4 years old and continues to pursue dancing at CAPA because of her passion for it and the results she has seen. Her adoration for it is shown when she shares, “I just like that it takes a long time to get good and you have an end result that is clear.” On top of baking, hanging out with friends, and dancing she loves Taylor Swift. “She's her own genre.” said Purcell.

John Weaver, Sports Editor

(he/him) Senior John Weaver loves to spend his free time enjoying nature along with watching and analyzing sports. Even with Weaver ‘s playing career is over, his passion for sports still remains strong; As he continues to watch and help coach individual players. Another passion of Weaver's is observing nature because it’s 1 of the “purest forms” of our world today. While lots of things are always changing in the world, nature has stayed a constant in his life. Weaver joined Journalism because “it was a big part of [his] dad’s life." Weaver hopes that the class will help him with his writing and interviewing skills. Weaver also believes that the skills that he will learn in Journalism will be able to help him out in the future as an adult.

Brooke Maher, Staff Writer

(she/her) Junior Brooke Maher has always had passion for English and writing. She enjoys cheer and is currently the co-captain of the competitive cheer squad at Campo. In her free time, Maher can be seen volunteering with the National Charity League, working with kids, or listening to country music. Aside from music, Maher’s favorite food is tacos and she enjoys watching comedy or horror movies. If she isn’t staying up late watching films, you can catch her hanging out with friends and her three other siblings. This year, Maher is looking forward to writing for the Claw in hopes of pursuing a career in journalism.

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Fall Sports Recaps

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