Issue 1 Extended Sports Beats Volume 86
Blueprint Phot by Emmet Fretwell
Cross Country
By Elliot Van Ornum, Staff Writer
The preparations begin as the Acalanes cross country team charges into their 2025 fall season.
The Dons kicked off their season with the Saint Marys Invitational on Sept. 6. Their upcoming meets include the Viking Opener Invitational on Sept. 13, the De La Salle Nike Invitational and the Farmer Invitational on Sept. 20, and the Diablo Athletic League meet on Sept. 24.
The team is training for endurance as they ramp up for more upcoming meets in mid-September.This year, the team is ditching the team captain role altogether, favoring a unified approach to team leadership. A few of the new runners have already greatly impacted the team, Freshmen Dane Darby and Jason Rossetter placed well in their first meet, Darby coming in second in the JV race with a fast time of 10:57 for the five mile race.
“We have some great underclassmen joining this year. A lot of the kids incoming from Stanley [Middle School] are great runners. We’ve got Dane and Jason, who are both sub 5:10 in the mile, which is super impressive for freshmen, and we’re hoping that they’re going to be on our varsity team and carry us through to state [championships],” senior Harry Zimmerman said.
Preseason training was crucial in keeping the team fit in the summer and through their first meets of the season. Many on the team agree that it prepares the runners well for what they have to endure throughout the long fall season.
“We run six days a week. We run about five to eight miles, spending on where you're at, and then we add in workouts and weight rooms. [We are] just making sure everybody's healthy and prepared for the season,” junior Anju Sekhon said.
The players and coaches note how important building a connection throughout the squad is to keeping the team strong. As Co-Coach Jeff Hutson describes, off the course team bonding aims to help the team to build and maintain cohesion before and during the fall season.
“It's a pretty nice diversified group of kids. They do like pumpkin carving ... [and] some other team bonding events like [they] tie die their socks … We like to let them do it [themselves] just to encourage them to pull up some leadership skills,” Jeff Hutson said.
Blueprint Photo by Gavin Lee
Flag Football
By Morgan Lynch, Staff Writer
After finishing in second place at the Diablo Athletic League (DAL) Championship on, Acalanes women's flag football is off to a fiery start with a record of (3-0).
The team had a great first game against Pittsburgh 21-0 on Aug. 26 where junior Avery Dement had 10 tackles. The Dons had another dominating win against Carondelet 34-0 on Sept. 4. On Sept. 8. the team beat Benicia 6-0, and on Sept 10. the players won against College Park 13 -6. They face off at Alhambra on Sept 22. Then they have a home game against Mount Diablo on Sept. 24.
Although it's been difficult after graduating 13 seniors, the team is stronger than ever and ready to dominate the competition this year.
“I’m really proud of how hard they’ve worked individually and for each other, and that is why our season has started off so well,” head coach Mike Ivankovich said.
Blueprint Photo by JP Birdwell
Football
By Lily Foster, Staff Writer
The Acalanes Football Team (2-0) starts the season with force as they begin their climb for a State Title.
The Dons have made clear their hopes for the 2025 season.
“Our goals are to do the best we can and win a state championship,” senior Ilias Kaplanes-Jones said.
The Dons got off to a strong start with their first win of the season on Aug. 29th vs. Archbishop Mitty 33-12. Head coach, Joel Isaac, notes on how their early success was made possible.
“Tahoe camp is always a good and important time to concentrate on football with no distractions,”Isaac said.
On Sept. 5, the team dominated in a home game against Menlo-Atherton 42-3. On Sept. 12 they will compete against St. Ignatius College Preparatory. The Dons will square up against College Park on Sept. 19. Jones makes note of how the players stay prepared and focused for the future of the 2025 season.
“Our goals are to just do the best we can, win a state championship and everyday play for Amin,” Jones said. “Go Dons.”
Blueprint Photo by Isaiah Castillo
Women’s Golf
By Eliza Khan, Staff Writer
The Women’s Golf Team (1-2 overall, 0-2 league) swung into the 2025 season with an unofficial win and two official losses, featuring promising performances from first-time and returning varsity players.
Starting off strong, the Dons beat Clayton Valley Charter High School at the Contra Costa Country Club on Aug. 25 and achieved a team score of 193-252.
“I think [this win is] a very good sign of what's to come for the upcoming season,” Co-Captain and senior Jordan Huskins said.
The golfers played in matches against Northgate High School on Sept. 2 where they lost 300-215, and Campolindo High School on Sept. 3 with an end score of 288-252.
Despite the losses, these matches served as an opportunity for first-time varsity golfers to adjust to the level of play and demonstrate their potential.
“There's a lot of new players this year, but they're also really good, so I think we have a pretty good chance of placing pretty high,” Huskins said.
Heading into their matches against Miramonte High School on Sept. 8 and 10, the team is practicing hard and focusing on improvement rather than individual setbacks.
“Some of our more experienced golfers are definitely looking at their scores and wanting to improve and have new goals. But ultimately, as a team, we just want to play, we want to have fun, and just improve,” Head Coach Erin Field said.
Blueprint Photo by Jackie Zirkel
Women’s Tennis
By Saaj Shah, Online Content Manager
Off to a strong start, the women’s tennis (2-0, 0-0) team is kicking off the new year ready to play. On Aug. 25, the team hosted Bishop O’Dowd and emerged victorious with a 5-4 record to secure the first win of the season.
On Oct. 27, the team traveled to Dublin to play against Emerald High School, where they won with a score of 7-2.
This year, the team is focusing on building chemistry and spending time off the court to get to know one another.
“I am excited for team bonding. We already did one at Yogurt Shack that was a lot of fun,” senior Lauren Foster said.
The team emphasizes spirit and morale to carry into the matches to help the players play their best.
“I am looking forward to tons of spirit-filled matches, fun warm-ups, and dressing up for matches,” captain and senior Ridhi Patel said.
With a new coach, practices and strategies will change, and the team is excited to see how the season unfolds.
“This year we got a new coach named Kathy, she's the best, so sweet, positive, and energetic,” junior Hetty Lofting said.
Practices often follow a routine to help people get into the rhythm and maximize every player’s time on the court.
“We start practice with a team meeting (maybe a match debrief or overview of practice) then we do a group stretch circle led by the captains. We will then either do challenge matches (to move up in the lineup) or we will do team drills and footwork stuff,” Lofting said.
During the season, changes have been made to the program.
“However, within the team, we have created sub-groups or "families" where players gift their fellow family groups,” Ridhi said.
The team also consists of new strengths this year, including new and returning players.
“We have strong new singles players, including Audrey Tseng and Elisabetta Sokolova. In doubles, we have several returning players, and we should be strong there,” coach Sharon Langtry said.
The team also likes to celebrate certain matches that exhibit a certain match by naming a player of the match.
“Once all players finish their matches, we announce a 'Player(s) of the Match', which goes to whoever worked very hard and persevered through their game,” Patel said.
The women’s tennis team is working hard to improve its skills and qualify for NCS.
“We hope to improve everyone’s games and qualify for post season NCS,” Langtry said.
Courtesy Photo by Peter Hulst
Men’s Waterpolo
By Elliot Van Ornum, Staff Writer
The Acalanes men’s water polo team (6-1 overall, 0-0 in league) dives into another exciting season as they begin to face off in a highly competitive league this fall.
Starting the 2025 fall season, the team has seen favorable results. Their first game resulted in a close 9-8 loss to Clayton Valley. The Dons quickly bounced back from their loss and beat El Cerrito 21-3 on Sept. 2. They kept pace and beat Encinal 12-5 on Sept. 3.
The Dons showed up strong in Sacramento for the Sierra Shootout tournament, beating San Rafael 14-2, Oak Ridge 18-9, Inderkum 16-5, and Roseville 15-7.
The team hopes to build off of the early season success, continuing to integrate some of the new varsity players and lay a strong foundation for the rest of the season.
“We're still getting all the systems down in the first couple weeks. It's making sure we're executing the small things at a high level,” senior Thomas Parrott said.
Even after their winning spree, the Dons are looking to address their team’s connection in the water.
“So far, the biggest challenge for the team is just chemistry. Knowing when to take your shot, you know, just making sure that you're making a good pass, just keeping the ball safe,” senior Mason Schlehr said.
After such success over the weekend the team believes they have what it takes to be successful this year. As desire builds to make this a memorable season for the team’s players, the team reflects on how they can learn from their past seasons. “I feel like we've never been as good as we should have been, so this year I want to take a bigger role [to] truly exceed our potential,” Parrott said.
Blueprint Photo by Gavin Lee
Women’s Waterpolo
By Avila Payne, Staff Writer
The Acalanes women’s water polo team (3-2 overall, 1-0 league) is looking to start off with a bang as they set their goals for the season.
The team started the season with their annual alumni scrimmage on Aug. 16. Their official season began on Sept. 3 with a home game against Archie Williams, where the Dons dominated and won 12-6. Captain and senior, Sarah Williams scored the team's first goal of the season.
On Sept. 5 the team hosted Menlo School and Clovis North for their annual open invitation tournament. The team dominated and beat both schools, Menlo School 13-4 and Clovis North 12-5. The tournament continued into the weekend, where the team fell short to Carondelet on Sept. 6, finishing the game 3-5, and losing again on Sept. 7 to San Ramon Valley, with a final score of 5-6. The team took on Tamplais for their second league game of the season on Sept. 10. The Dons dominated and took the 16-8 lead.
As the start of their season progresses, the team continues to grow their dynamic in the water.
“We are doing hard swim sets, passing, [and] getting mentally prepared with a little dance before the game. A lot of swimming, a lot of passing, a lot of drills, [and a lot of] team bonding,” Williams said.
Although the team only lost one starting senior, they have added four new freshmen to the team.
“[They have] really deepened our team as far as the depth of talent that we have, so we're really optimistic that as a result our practices are going to be at a higher level,” Head Coach Micheal Buchel said.
The Lady Dons will host an upcoming two-day tournament where they will play Monte Vista and Arroyo Grande on Sept. 19. They will also compete against Davis Sr. and Granite Bay on Sept. 20.
In efforts for a successful season, Buchel mentions what he would like to see from the players this fall.
“My hope is that this year, with the returners that we have and the incoming talent that we have, we will be a few steps up on the ladder, so to speak,” Buchel said.
Blueprint Photo by Isaiah Castillo
Women’s Volleyball
By Savannah Martinez, Staff Writer
As the season progresses, the returning players and new additions work on building their team dynamic.
“The mix of experience will shape the team because the new people get to learn from the seniors, and the seniors get to bond with new people,” Captain senior Ellie Blanchard said.
Leadership from this year's captains has helped the team stay cohesive despite having a roster of 18 players, larger than typical for a varsity volleyball team. Captains Ellie Blanchard, Sophia Terry, and Piper Coy made a change to regular dress-up traditions to lead the program.
Generally, varsity, junior varsity, and frosh teams do different dress-ups on the day of their matches, but have now switched it to be more united.
“They're now doing dress-up days with the whole program, so it looks way more cohesive, and then the younger players are more inclined to dress up because they know that the older players are also doing the same thing,” Walsh said.
