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UPCOMING GAMES Paly @ Presentation 12/12, 4:00 p.m. Paly vs. St. Francis 12/16, 5:00 p.m.. Paly @ Notre Dame 12/28, 11 a.m.

RECENT SCORES UPCOMING GAMES Paly @ Bellarmine 12/13, 6 p.m. Paly @ Carlmont 12/2, L, 48-38 Paly @ Carlmont 12/2, W, 52-37 Paly vs. Sequoia 12/19, 8 p.m.

UPCOMING GAMES

Paly @ Aragon 12/10 7:30 p.m. Paly @ Presentation 12/12, 7 p.m. Paly vs. Aptos 12/21, TBD. Paly vs. Cupertino 12/21, 6:15 p.m.

UPCOMING GAMES Paly @ Cupertino 1/9, 6:30 p.m. Paly vs. Lynbrook 1/14, 6:30 p.m. Paly @ Gunn 1/16, 6:30 p.m. Paly vs. Wilcox 1/30, 6:30 p.m. Paly @ Fremont 2/4, 6:30 p.m. Paly vs. Los Gatos 2/6, 6:30 p.m.

By Adora Zheng Lifestyle Editor W ith the boys team currently ranked fourth in Central Coast Section tournament and girls ranked 14th, Coach Jonathan Kessler said the wrestling team is heading into the season strong, with hopes to finish at the top of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League and place at CCS.

“We have a lot of wrestlers that have a goal in mind of winning and medaling at the state tournament (or) making it to CCS, (and) our brand new wrestlers have a goal to win their first ever match,” Kessler said. “It’s our job as coaches to put them in a position to reach their goals.”

This year, the team has 45 wrestlers, with 32 freshmen joining the team, which, according to Kessler, is the largest program has been in several years.

Six members of the returning team were 2018-19 CCS place winners: junior and captain Adar Schwarzbach and seniors Alexandra Lee, Amelia Clough, Cade Creighton and captains Peter Graham and Dara Heydarpour.

“I would like to win some tournaments early in the season, and ultimately I would like to place in (the) state (tournament),” Lee said. “I think that there is a lot I can work on, so I’m just (going to) keep working on technique I already know and learn some new stuff.” Kessler said most of the wrestlers on the team set unique individual goals for themselves every season, while the team shares broader overall goals.

Heydarpour said he wants to focus on creating a unique style and refining the details of his technique, while also improving his speed and explosiveness this season.

“My individual long term goal is to place at the state tournament, and my short term goal is to win our first tournament of the year,” Heydarpour said. “Another long term goal is to win CCS.”

At the Half Moon Bay Peninsula Tournament on Dec. 1, the team placed second among the schools.

The team’s next competition will be on Dec. 6 at Madera High School for the Chukchansi Invitational. The girls team will compete a day later at Overfelt High School in the Lady Royal Invitational.

League competitions will kick off after the new year, with the first league match away on Jan. 3 against rival school Los Gatos at 6:30 p.m.

“(I’m) looking most forward to the state tournament in Bakersfield,” Heydarpour said. “I hope the team can win the league tournament, go undefeated in duals and take top three in the section tournament.” Wrestling team hopes to improve “We have a lot of wrestlers that have a goal in mind of winning ... (or) making it to CCS, (and) our brand new wrestlers have a goal to win their first ever match.” Jonathan Kessler “I would like to win some tournaments early in the season and ultimately I would like to place in (the) state (tournament). I think that there is a lot I can work on so I’m just (going to) keep working on technique I already know and learn some new stuff.” Alexandra Lee

FRIDA RIVERA/THE CAMPANILE Catch! Paly teammates pass to each other during practice before their next game. “I would say I’m looking forward to games where we have good crowds and an exciting environment,” Coach Scott Peters said.

By Frida Rivera Editor-in-Chief A fter a 12-0 league record last year, junior point and shooting guard Carly Martin said she has high hopes for the girls varsity basketball team this season, despite the inevitable challenge of filling the void of graduated seniors.

“We are kind of a young team — we have a lot of freshmen,” Martin said. “I think our main goal is trying to bond together and figure out how to work as a team.”

Freshman point guard Kaella Peters agrees, but said the challenge of not having any seniors on the team is a blessing in disguise, as it allows every player to grow and take responsibilities.

“We don’t have any seniors this year, so next year the team is going to be mostly the same,” Kaella said. “It is a little different than the past few seasons … there’s not one obvious person to look to, so we all need to step up together and all be leaders together.”

Martin said the team has hit the ground running, with daily practices focusing on team chemistry by learning to adapt to each other’s playing styles so they can work more effectively together.

“I love all the girls. I think we have great chemistry so far,” Martin said. “And it can only get better from there.”

Fellow freshman and point guard, Delaney Ball said she is looking forward to getting closer with her teammates and finding her place on the team.

“(High school basketball) is kind of fun because you get to see how you have grown since your freshman year to your junior year, and how each player got better,” Ball said. “Also you are gonna have different roles as a freshman — you are just learning, you are just figuring out what’s happening. You are looking up to the older kids on the team like juniors and seniors, and then when you get older, you’re going to be able to take that their position and help the younger kids on your team.” Martin said she is optimistic for the coming season, and said the new additions to the team will be beneficial, despite the fact that they are primarily underclassmen players.

“We have Kaella (Peters), who is a freshman and our starting point guard — she is awesome,” Martin said. “She is great with the ball. Delaney (Ball) is a great defender, so she is great to have. I think overall, the freshman class is really strong.”

In addition to working on team chemistry, Coach Scott Peters said the team has been trying out new tactics in hopes that it will help them achieve their league goals.

“We are working hard, and we’re doing a new offensive system,” Scott said. “It is a little bit slow right now, but we think it’s going to pay off through hard work … Our number one goal is to develop a close knit team that supports each other — that is our goal every year.”

By Jace Purcell Staff Writer F ollowing a 21-8 season last year, where they won a Central Coast Section championship, the boys basketball team hopes to win CCS again, giving them a run in the state championship according to junior player Jack Elarde.

To ensure this title, Elarde says the team is refining their skills off the ball. Which, this was a weak point for the team last year.

“The team is really working on our defense and rebounding to prepare for this season,” Elarde said.

Due to the new players, junior Andrew Li said matching of playstyles has been something the team needs to work on.

“One of our many challenges is building chemistry within the team,” Li said. “We have many new players that have not played with the varsity players, and it is important for everybody to play well with each other.”

Li said the team hopes to strengthen teamwork in the preseason in order to be successful during competition season.

“We are preparing for the upcoming season by focusing on team drills so we can build our chemistry,” Li said

JENNA HICKEY/USED WITH PERMISSION Three-pointer! Senior Conner Lusk takes a shot during a recent game. Junior Andrew Li said he hopes the team will win the Central Coast Section tournament again. “I am most excited for the playoffs so we have the opportunities to end the other teams season,” Li said.

de said the team is ready to face the tough competition.

“I’m most excited to play against good competition and grow as a player,” Elarde said.

Senior Will DeAndre said he is also hopeful for this season. With the pool of talented players and hard work, he said he thinks the team will be successful.

“I’m really excited for this season because I know that our team has the potential to be really good,” DeAndre said. “We hope to go undefeated in league and make a deep run in the state tournament.”

According to Li, a big part of the success of the team is the coaching staff, which he said pushes the players to be their best and work as a team. This year there is a new head coach, Jeff LaMere. “I think the Paly team is special because of the experience of the coaching staff, as they have won state championships before,” Li said.

Elarde agrees and says LaMere inspires the team to give it their all.

“I like my coach because he really pushes us to work hard as a team but also as individuals and helps us become the best players we can be,” Elarde said.

The coaching staff also gets the team excited for games which contributes to their success Li said.

“I like how our coach is willing to yell and energize the whole team,” Li said. “We are often quiet, and it’s very uplifting for someone to be able to bring more energy to practice or the game”

DeAndre said he shares this excitement about the new staff and said they bring experience to the team.

“I’m really excited to play under Coach LaMere because of his passion and knowledge for the game of basketball,” DeAndre said. “Coach (LaMere) is always willing to put in the extra effort to make us better and gives us limitless learning opportunities.”

And Elarde said he predicts the team will succeed this season. “I think our team will do pretty well this season because we play very team orientated basketball and work well together,” Elarde said.

This year, Li wants to win it all. Li said, “We have a long way to go but our end goal is to bring back a state championship.” “I think the Paly team is special because of the experience of the coaching staff, as they have won championships before.” Andrew Li