Mills Boys and Girls Varsity Soccer Mid-Season Overview

In the midst of the winter sports season, one of the most popu- lar sports to both play and watch is soccer. Here is an overview and look at how our Mills soc- cer teams are fairing this season.

Our boys varsity soccer team is currently 4-1-1, with a decent chance of qualifying for the CCS (Central Coast Section) tournament. On February 3, the team had a

Hanson Han SportS editor chance to solidify our standings for CCS with a win over the Jefferson Grizzlies. With the Vikings already having won a game against them earlier in the season, it seemed as if our spot in CCS was guaranteed. Unfortunately, the Grizzlies learned from their mistakes, and beat our team 2-1. This marked the very frst loss for our boys varsity Viking’s season. The remaining games of the season will ultimately determine whether or not we will be able to go to CCS. Our team is currently being led by team captain Jason Johnson (12), as well as key player Kazuki season include a 4-0 win over the Jefferson Grizzlies, a 7-0 win over the West- moor Rams, as well as a second “walk in the park” 10-3 win over the Jefferson Grizzlies, and a second beatdown 8-0 win over the West- moor Rams. To place the cherry on top, our team was, once again, also able to crush the Westmoor Rams once again, 8-0 on February 7, which also happened to be the team’s senior night. Despite this overwhelming success, our Vikings are still counted out of CCS due to the league’s undoubtedly cutthroat competition. Our team is currently being led by team captains Anjali Marwah (12), Reece Roach (10), Kennedy Bauer (12), and Alexandra Dedes (12). Last season, Marwah had been the lone team captain, attempting to guide the team all by herself. This year, with the help of the three other captains, our Vikings are in the midst of building a sustained team that will be competitive for many seasons to come. Both of our boys and girls varsity soccer teams have quite the season ahead of them, as well as many more promising seasons to play. We’re looking forward to witnessing their future progress.

Hensley (11). These players, along with our other talented Vikings have helped guide our boys varsity soccer team to its current success. Teammate Eiden Lim (12) commented on both of these players’ skills. He stated that Hensley has great feld vision, and is an excellent kicker who is able to dribble the ball ef fciently and pass the ball well. He also said that Johnson (12) was an all around great player, who has developed his skills profciently in every category that the game requires.

As for our other Vikings soccer team, our girls varsity team current- ly hosts a solid record of 5-2. Some highlights that occured this

Star Female Wrestler at Mills High School, Arianna McPike

Alysha Louis Staff Writer

Arianna McPike (12) is one of the most talented and accomplished wrestlers at Mills High School. She started wrestling in her freshman year at Capuchino High School. She originally had no interest in the sport, but eventually fell in love with the sport.

A few of her accomplishments include winning frst place in this year’s PAL (Peninsula Athletic League) championship. During this championship, she was voted the most outstanding wrestler of the night, resulting in a plaque made in her honor. She also excelled last season, making it all the way to the CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) state championship.

However, all of this success doesn’t come out of the bushes. Besides the hours spent on the mat learning different techniques, as well as conditioning her body to be in prime shape, there were also many people in her life who helped get her to the success she is receiving today. These people include her original wrestling coach from Capuchino, the one who introduced her to the sport, her father, as well as her former teammates at Capuchino and her current teammates at Mills.

When asked about her future plans in wrestling, she stated that she wanted to continue her career at an HBCU. This has been a growing trend in many black athletes in the past years. There have been many headlines of star athletes choosing to commit to an HBCU over a big name school, usually for reasons such as community, culture, and affordability.

This is the story of how a teen went from being completely uninterested in the sport, to planning her future around the sport, setting an inspiration for others to follow.