Viking Volume XII Issue 6

Volume XII, Issue 6 May 2019

magazine

100 Years of Paly Athletics

@ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | MAY 2019

VIKING MAGAZINE

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Lineup Zooms 4 EditorIal 8 Intro Package 10 Viking Seniors 14

16 coach of the year 18 Girls team of The Year 20 Boys team of The YeaR

UpperClassmAn girl of The year 22 upperclassmAn boy of The year 24 underclassmen of The year 26 alok subbarao Award 28

30 top moments 32 bottom moments 34 recruiting map 36 season recaps 40 crazy contracts 42 paly sports centennial 46 final word

@ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | MAY 2019

Swing

Underclassman of the year Zander Darby (‘21) swings at a ball against Burlingame. The boys baseball team, would go on to win this game bringing their season record to 13-7. Photo Courtesy of Jenna Hickey

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@ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | MAY 2019

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Jack Stefanski (‘19) shoots and scores against Los Altos. The boys lacrosse team would go on to win the game 21-1 bringing their season record to 14-6. Photo by David Hickey

Shoot

@ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | MAY 2019

Viking Editors-in-Chief Summer Daniel Dexter Gormley Yael Sarig

Managing Editors Sanaz Ebrahimi Joey Passarello Creative Director Ella Jones Multimedia Managers Griffin Kemp Josh Lai Business Manager Alana Abeyta Beat Editors Ryan Bara Lincoln Bloom

Volume XII, Issue 6 May 2019

Staff Writers Ellie Jeffries Zach Phillips Gerzain Gutierrez Mallory Kuppe Cole Sotnick Danny Rabello Stan de Martel Ryan Stanley Eric Aboytes Zach Baumgarten Ryan Strathearn Lauren Daniel Web Director Will DeAndre

Copy Editors Tina Lagerblad Jack Such Video Directors Sam Cleasby Kevin Cullen Head Columnists Sam Cleasby Kevin Cullen Executive Senior Staff Writers Ryan Stanley

Social Media Manager Sofie Vogel

Adviser Brian Wilson

Photo Director Conner Lusk

Viking Magazine Palo Alto High School 50 Embarcadero Road Palo Alto, CA 94301 650-329-3837 Email contact: vikingeds@gmail.com Advertising and Sponsorship Contact: vikingads@gmail.com Viking, a sports magazine published by the students in Palo Alto High School’s Advanced Magazine Journalism class, is an open forum for student expression and the discussion of issues of concern to its readership. The Viking is distributed to its readers and the student body at no cost. The staff welcomes letters to the editor, but reserves the right to edit all submissions for length, grammar, potential libel, invasion of privacy and obscenity.

Advertising in Viking The staff publishes advertisements with signed contracts providing they are not deemed by the staff inappropriate for the magazine’s audience. For more information about advertising with The Viking, please contact the The Viking by email at vikingeds@gmail.com Printing Services 2,500 copies of The Viking are printed, six times a year by Folger Graphics in Hayward, Calif.

Logo Font Courtesy of Måns Grebäck All photos taken from Creative Commons unless noted

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From the

Editors:

Hi Vikings!

Welcome to the next era of Viking magazine! The past five issues with our outgoing EICs have been fantastic. Stan DeMartel, Maria Fletcher, and Ellie Jeffries have paved a path of success and journalistic excellence that has changed Viking into the magazine it is today.

As the last issue of the year, our staff is utilizing our vast access to Paly athletic news to give you summative coverage of the 2018-2019 school year. This year has been one of Paly’s most successful and exciting years of athletics in a long time.

With many league titles, CCS champions,

Staff

View:

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and school records, the Vikings are filling the shelves on our trophy cabinets.

Viking staff members Lincoln Bloom, Nathan Ellisen, Joshua Kasevich, and Ryan Stanley document Paly’s journey through sports this year with season recaps.

But beyond just appreciating our best moments from this year, we’d like to reflect on our rich past in Paly’s centennial year. We’re celebrating 100 years of Paly athletics and Nick Welch, David Hickey, Sanaz Ebrahimi, and Ella Jones have scoured our archives and records, giving an inside look at the decorated history of our athletic programs. Find out what a Friday night game might have looked like in 1920, or why helmets weren’t worn in baseball until the 1970s. And don’t miss Gerzain Gutierrez, Ryan Strathearn, and Zach Baumgarten’s analysis of the most ludicrous athletic contracts that major sports teams have ever signed.

This issue is more than just a fresh start

for Viking; it’s a bittersweet goodbye to our seniors as well. To see where our accomplished Paly athletes are headed for their first year as the new kids on the block, check out the recruiting map assembled by Stan DeMartel and Ellie Jeffries. Also see our senior send-off, where we commemorate the memories we’ve made with our own graduating Viking staff members.

We are so proud of the quality of our magazine this year. We think (no bias) this has been our best issue of all time, and the only way to go from here is up, and we’ll continue taking your feedback and trying to create the best product possible.

All in all, one door may be closing for Viking, but another door is opening. We can’t wait to see where it leads us.

Summer Daniel Dexter Gormley Yael Sarig

it’s time for a high school g-league

very year, countless players with athletic talent are cut from sports teams. These players are not good enough for a varsity team, and being cut from a team as a junior or senior can mean the end of that person’s high school athletic career. Because of situations like these, Viking is in support of a non-varsity high school supported league for these players who are not good enough for a varsity team but are still willing to commit to a high school team at a lower level of play.

The league would be similar to the current SCVAL league that Paly participates in. This would work because most of these schools within the league are Division One schools containing at least 2000 students, which would make this problem arise in other schools too.

This league would be in comparison to the NBA G-league, which has players who have a potential talent for the NBA but are not quite good enough. The G-league, though rarely watched, still has a high level of play and some of the top basketball players in the nation still participate in it.

Every team in the league would play, and after the season, a champion could

be determined based on overall league record or by an end of year tournament.

These leagues would be well suited for basketball, soccer, and volleyball, where the competition to make a team is the highest and most people are cut from Paly’s varsity teams.

Not only would this league allow for more students to participate in high school sponsored sports, but it also would let players who would otherwise sit on the bench get valuable playing time.

Some difficulties with the organization of this league could include finding gym space, funding, and finding a solution to the logistical challenges of making a league.

Paly is fortunate enough to have two gyms, but many schools in SCVAL are not as fortunate. Although this poses a challenge for some schools, this league would have less of a commitment than varsity teams, so practices would be less frequent, not as long, and scheduled around varsity and JV practices that would receive priority.

The funding of the league could be done fairly easily. First, the league would not have to pay for CCS fees because they

would not be a part of that organization.

Second, there would be fewer practices and games than a normal varsity team, which would decrease the costs for referees and coaches. This would make the cost to play similar to the $200 fee to play varsity Paly sports.

The creation of an entirely new league could pose the challenges of organizations and logistics. To help with the organization, coaches would need to stay informed of the league and Athletic Directors, though busy even with just varsity leagues, would need to play an important role in order to keep the league in an organized and competitive state. Although this would be difficult to execute, it would be for the good of the Paly High athletic community and for the opportunity to play.

The purpose of sports is to be inclusive, and allowing an extra team for more athletes means that more students can enjoy high school sports while still representing Paly High athletics while competing against other students representing their own school. It’s time for our school, and the schools in our community, to take the initiative: we need a high school G-league.

@ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | MAY 2019

MALLORY KUPPE

Senior, Volleyball

NATHAN ELLISEN

Senior, Tennis

JAVID ALASTI Senior, Water Polo

R O I N E S

LINDSEY KIM Senior, Softball

RYAN STRATHEARN

Senior, Lacrosse

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ELLIE JEFFRIES Senior, Basketball

DONALD TAGGART

WES WALTERS

Senior, Track and Field

Senior, Basketball

ORS

KHADIJA ABID Senior, Soccer

RAYMON CHEN Senior, Volleyball

by CONNER LUSK and ZACH PHILLIPS It’s been an eventful year for the Vikings, from being banned from Los Gatos games to our multiple CCS championships.

Our seniors have been an integral part of it all. Here’s their year, captured in photos. @ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | MAY 2019

Which NBA player do you most resonate with?

Start KEY What’s your greatest Answers

Who’s your favorite athlete?

strength?

Questions Result

No Days Off ME Duh!

In what league?

Beach

Where can you be found on an off day?

Nightclub

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

What’s your favorite TV show?

Keeping Up With The Kardashians

What’s your favorite snack?

How to get Away with Murder

What’s your favorite song?

Before He Cheats

You Got...

JAMES HARDEN

You’re here for a good time, not a long time. You know your own worth, and won’t let anyone overlook it.

You Got...

NATHAN ELLISEN

DEXTER GORMLEY

Viking Equivalent:

All I Do Is Win

Tell Me When To Go

TRISTAN THOMPSON Maybe you’re just misunderstood?

Viking Equivalent:

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People Like Me

TRY AGAIN

Summer

What’s your favorite season?

Defense Basketball season of course

Sculpted Body Popcorn

Offense or Defense?

Athleisure

What’s your style?

Takis

Offense

ALL OF THE BELOW

Flamboyant

Under Armour

What’s your favorite brand?

You Got...

RUSSELL WESTBROOK You live life by your own rules – and anyone who’s in your way better abide by them. You won’t hesitate to speak up and be aggressive to get what you want, and you can’t be contained by rules or regulations.

Viking Equivalent:

SUMMER DANIEL

Air Jordan

You Got...

STEPHEN CURRY

You’re the prototypical golden boy. A laidback spirit, you’re fiercely loyal to those who deserve it, but also have a sharp competitive spirit. Beneath the baby face, you’re a force to be reckoned with.

Viking Equivalent:

YAEL SARIG

@ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | MAY 2019

I am most proud of the hard work they’ve put in to build the program, to develop themselves, both individually and collectively as a team.

– Coach Michael Davidson, cross country track & field

I will definitely miss the team bonding and chemistry that we had every single year. I will also miss Kirk’s announcing for our home games. It’s pretty incredible to be able to get an announcer during your high school baseball games and also get your own walk up song.

– Hyunwoo Roh, baseball

“

I’m really going to miss playing with my teammates I’ve had through all the years, and of course, 10-minute lobs... Also getting to see Zach [Baumgarten’s] strong headband game.

– Antony Georgiadis, tennis

I was most proud of the team this year for winning CCS champs.

–Ben Rapperport, water polo

“[My favorite part was] watching and cheering for [Mallory] and her teammates as they learned to be great team members and leaders, and supportive of each other.”

– Kris Kuppe, volleyball parent

SENIO SEN

The Paly Athletics community has to say goodbye to the amazingly talented class of 2019. Equally bittersweet is leaving behind the programs and people they’ve connected with. Now, senior athletes and those that have encouraged them reflect on the past four years…

by MARIA FLETCHER and

ERIC ABOYTES

I t h i n k I h a d s u c h a g re a t t im e b e c a u s e I d i d n ’t t h i n k of m y s e lf a s a se n i o r b ut j u s t a t e a m m a t e a n d a f r i e n d . – Le e la Sr i n i va s a n , s oc c e r 14 | V I K I N G M A G A Z I N E | w w w . v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g . c o m

[Lindsey] has constantly managed to challenge herself academically, while still playing on extremely competitive travel teams as well as her high school team. Second, she has managed to overcome adversity in her high school career.

– Peter Kim, softball parent

”

“What I will miss most about being a Paly athlete has to be the friendships that I made with my teammates and the pride I have within myself of representing my school.”

–Lindsey Kim, softball

OR NDOFF

“

All of the seniors were players that I have coached or known since they were in elementary school... they are even more amazing people off the court.

– Coach Scott Peters, girls basketball

[My favorite memory was] playing Los Gatos in the SCVAL championship last year.

– Ryan Gwyn, lacrosse

My favorite part was having teammates across all four grades because I become close with a lot of new people, so I’m going to miss that community.

– Isa Cossio, tennis

”

The most special thing about senior year in dance is that I felt like I appreciated all of our performances more and just generally had more fun with with them.

– Abby Cummings, dance I’m definitely going to miss the people and the coaches – it really feels like a tight family. Everyone supports each other.

– Acacia Lung, track & field

@ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | MAY 2019

Coach of the Year

by JOEY PASSARELLO and KEVIN CULLEN

Rodney Tention

Photo courtesy of David Hickey

In his first year coaching the Viking Boys Basketball Team, Tention led the team to a CCS division I championship that included an 11 game win streak.

A

fter a CCS Division I the fact that we were able to have such Championship victory, Boys a great season after losing eight or nine basketball head coach seniors is a testament to Coach Tention,” Rodney Tention walks into the guard Marvin Zhao (‘19) said. lockerroom and gets bombarded by Tention and Diepenbrock both water and cheers from his team. A month believed in this completely new team, before, this moment despite the adversity did not seem that they faced possible, but with trying to find their Tention’s leadership, new identity. Tention the team has done “He teaches us how to played a huge the unthinkable. He role in this team’s has earned Viking’s play the game the right transformation. award for Coach of “When we lost in way.” the year after leading the playoffs last year -Marvin Zou (‘19) the team to a CCS against Las Lomas, Championship, Diepenbrock told the despite a shaky start juniors and myself to the season. that we were going The team had a 21-10 record that to surprise some people,” guard Matt included a victory over top-seeded Marzano (‘20) said. “Coach Tention felt Piedmont Hills High School in the CCS the same way and was able to add his Division I playoffs. They also made it style to this team.” deep into the state playoffs, losing a Tention also helped the team close game to Monterey High School. overcome a streak of bad luck. Midway After legendary basketball coach through the season, the boys were 10-9, Peter Diepenbrock stepped down a mediocre record. However, after a loss after the 2017-2018 season, there was to Homestead, they turned it on, winning uncertainty going into the new season. out the rest of the regular season and There were also numerous key players going into that deep playoff run. In total, who graduated, including Max Dorward, they won 11 straight games.

Spencer Rojahn and Bryant Jefferson. “[Tention] did a great job of continuing The previous team went on a long run to push and believe in us even when we in the state playoffs, finishing with a 26-4 were losing,” Zhao said. record, one of the best basketball teams Tention knew that the hard work that that Paly has ever fielded. Naturally, the the boys were doing the first half of the previous year set a high standard that season would pay off.

Coach Tention and his players had to “By Coach trusting us, we were able to meet. do the things we were doing at the start “When a coach of Diepenbrock’s of the year but doing them better and caliber leaves the program, it’s very better as time went on,” Marzano said. difficult to fill such big shoes, but I think As a coach, Tention stressed the

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importance of teamwork, which led to such an impressive year.

“Coach Tention does a really good job of teaching us how to play together as a team,” Zhao said. “He teaches us how to play the game the right way which is why our team played so cohesively and unselfishly this year.”

Tention also focused on developing individual player talent, which was a huge reason why the new Paly stars Marzano and Zhao were able to to do so well.

“Tention has been able to help the players improve our skills by giving us time to work on shooting, ball handling, and other skill work during practice,” Zhao said.

Marzano also saw the benefits of Tention’s skill-work regiments pay off in games.

“Tention has done a fantastic job of developing our shooting the most this season,” Marzano said. “By the end of the season in the playoffs, we had guys who aren’t typically 3 point shooters knock down big outside shots for us.”

Next year, Tention will be an assistant coach for Cal Poly University in San Luis Obispo.

“I’m really happy for coach and his new coaching job at Cal Poly,” Marzano said.

“I know that coaching is his life so I’m just glad he gets to do it at such a high level.

I wish him the best of luck and I know for sure he will keep in touch with the team.”

Marzano still appreciates all that Tention did for Paly athletics, despite his short tenure.

“What he did here at Paly is truly remarkable and he will for sure be remembered here and in the rafters as a CCS champion,” Marzano said.

Tention’s Legacy at Paly Though only being at Paly for one year, Tention was able to keep Paly’s legendary basketball program winning.

May 2018

January 2019 November 2018

Tention Hired

Tention Resigns to coach at Cal Poly

CCS Division I victory

Tention’s first win

March 2019 February 2019

Record at 10-9

HONORABLE MENTION

Nelson Gifford

By implementing a new offense in his first year as Paly’s Varsity Football coach, Gifford led to the team to a turnaround 10-2 season.

S

Season ends against Monterey

April 2019

the Vikings’ star running back believes this greatly contributed to the team’s profound achievements.

“The key to this season’s success was that players knew exactly what they were doing,” Chang said. ‘[Gifford] made it very simple and clear to us what we were going to do and explained to us how we were going to do it until everyone got it.”

Additionally, Gifford established a positive tone from the early stages of the season, providing an environment of refinement and accountability without the condemnation that often turns player against coach.

“He made his expectations clear, and explained things if people made mistakes rather than yelling at them,” Chang said.

“He utilized players maximum potential by putting players in situations they can perform the best, and prepared them for it.”

With a large portion of his players returning for the coming season, and with what he managed to accomplish in his very first year returning back to his alma mater, the football teams future looks very promising with Gifford at the helm.

ince its State Championship previous year (Milpitas and Half Moon victory in 2010, the Vikings football Bay). The Vikings’ only two losses came team had seen a striking decline at the hands of the State Champions of in its football programs success, the year, Wilcox and MA. ammounting to four consecutive losing There was certainly an atmosphere of seasons from 2014 to 2017. However, the uncertainty going into the 2018-2019 Vikings were able to find rejuvenation season, as Paly was now taking on its with the runner up for Viking’s Coach of third head coach in four years. This the Year award: meant a whole new Nelson Gifford. system offensively “He utilized players’ and defensively.

Coach Gifford turned the Gifford maximum potential However, program around was bringing in with a 10-2 offensive schematics by putting players in season, leading in situations they can unprecedented the Vikings to SCVAL. His offense the CCS semispread out the field, perform the best.” finals in what poking holes in the - Aiden Chang turned out to defense be an extremely with a close game barrage against Menlo Atherton, leaving the of pass plays only to open up State championship barely out of reach. running lanes for his ground In his first year as head coach of the game.

Palo Alto Football program, Gifford His fast-paced offense shocked the SCVAL (Santa Clara Valley adapted techniques from Athletic League), dominating the Vikings his experience coaching at demanding schedule that comprised of the college level, and yet three teams that later went on to win a he was able to simplify it State Championship (MA, Wilcox, and enough to allow his team to Mcclymonds) and two teams that had master it in their first season Photo courtesy of Karen Hickey played in a State Championship the with him. Aiden Chang (‘19),

(‘19)

@ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | MAY 2019

Girls team Of the year

BASKETBALL From defeating rival Los Gatos three times to a win in the NorCal playoffs, the girl’s varsity basketball team had a remarkable season.

by ALANA ABEYTA and GRIFFIN KEMP

Photos by David Hickey

Left: The girls varsity basketball team gathers in a huddle before facing off against Los Gatos Above: Coach Scott Peters applauds his team’s hard work.

T

he Viking staff is pleased to award the 2018-19 Girls Team of the Year award to the girls basketball team.

Coming off of an 11-1 record in the league during the 2017-18 season, the Vikings entered this year without graduated senior and league MVP Carly Leong (‘18). After losing this key player, the Vikings came into the year with tempered expectations, since many expected a step back.

“Our attitude was a problem coming into the season,” Esme Stotland (‘19) said. “We were down on ourselves because we lost one of our leading scorers, but as the season went on, it improved

and by the end, we were confident and playing for each other.”

The Vikings won the league by going undefeated (12-0) and became the first Paly girls basketball team to ever win a game in NorCal playoffs.

“Last year we exceeded so many expectations about how our team would do because we lost so many seniors,” Leong said. “This year I am incredibly proud of this team. Besides the fact that I’m the only one who left, they stayed together and I’m super proud of watching everyone grow and how well [they] did this year, [they] exceeded all expectations.”

The pre-season began with a tough

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loss against Los Altos High School, a lower division team. Although frustrating, the game was important because it served as an eye-opening moment for the Vikings. Later, that game served as a reference point of the vast improvement made by the team.

“I thought our improvement from the start of the season till the end was off the charts and I was impressed with the sacrifice the players made in order to come together as a team,” coach Scott Peters said. “Without that sacrifice, we could not have improved so much through the course of the season.”

Every year, the team drives up to Santa Cruz before the season for a sportsman-

ship game against Aptos High School.

Despite losing 69-53 this year, Coach Peters gave the girls a chance to bond by spending the night at Seascape Resort and participating in team-building activities such as an escape room. This trip along with others paid off later in the season.

“Our team was so close and loved one another so much which made for great bonding events but it also translated to how we played with each other,” Stotland said.

After splitting their first four games with the losses versus Los Altos and Aptos, the Vikings won 11 straight games and 20 of their next 21 to capture the league title. The Vikings also won all three games in the annual St. Francis Tournament, which worked in their favor during important seeding meetings for Central Coast Section (CCS) rankings.

“This season we defied all odds and had an amazing year,” Carly Martin (‘21) said.

After clinching the league championship, the Vikings went on to the CCS playoffs. Earning the number one seed in Division 1, the team got a bye to the quarterfinals where they played against their rival Los Gatos High School. The Vikings were able to move on to the next round with a 54-49 win. In the semifinals, they faced Menlo Atherton and advanced to

the CCS finals with a 58-47 win.

Unfortunately, the Vikings fell to the number two seed Sequoia High School by a score of 50-34. Despite the loss, placing second in the CCS playoffs still granted them a spot in the NorCal playoffs.

The team drove seven hours up to Crescent City to play against Del Norte High School. The game was a backand-forth affair, but in the end the Vikings surpassed the Warriors 7570. The win made the Vikings the first Paly girls basketball team to ever win a NorCal playoff game.

“The Nor Cal road trip was one of the best experiences I have been a part of as a high school coach,” Peters said. Driving through a snowstorm, playing in front of huge crowds, [and] staying on the beach was truly magical.”

A loss to Enterprise High School in the second round brought the Vikings’ season to a close. The 2018-19 season was truly a memorable one for the girls basketball team: they won their league for the third straight season and became the first ever girls basketball team to win a NorCal game.

“Our team was so close and loved one another so much which made for great bonding events.”

– Esme Stotland (‘19)

ROSTER 0 - Ilayda Turgut 1 - Alana Abeyta 2 - Carly Martin 10 - Jessica Fiske 12 - Annie Niethammer 21 - Elif Turgut 23 - Annika Shah 25 - Jana Phillips 34 - Thea Enache 44 - Ellie Jeffries 50 - Esme Stotland 55 - Lauren Daniel Coaches: Scott Peters Chris Morris Dan Odishoo

HONORABLE MENTION:

VOLLEYBALL

T

he Viking staff would also like to recognize the girl’s volleyball team for their hard work this season. Coming off of a successful 2017-18 campaign, the Vikings came back strong and won their league with a record of 11-1. After defeating Saint Francis 3-1 in the first round of the open division in the CCS playoffs, the Vikings fell to Sacred Heart, the top seed, in the semifinals, but were still able to qualify for NorCal playoffs. A loss to Buchanan capped off a remarkable season for the girls volleyball team.

@ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | MAY 2019

boys team Of the year BASKETBALL

by WES WALTERS and WILL DeANDRE

After losing their coach and their whole rotation, the boys basketball team was able to win D1 CCS and make a deep run in states.

I

t’s the first day of December and the Varsity Boys Basketball team is preparing to host Carlmont for their first home game of the season. The players get suited up and run through their warm-up sequence, unsure of how the game is going to go. The team is one year removed from graduating nearly their whole rotation and is in their inaugural year with former NCAA coach Rodney Tention.

With these challenges, expectations for this inexperienced group are not high.

The senior-lead Carlmont Scots went on to stun these players, getting a 19-2 lead right off of the tip. Although they fought back, the Vikings went on to lose their home opener by 14, a startling game for

the what the season could have become.

Nearly two months later, the team found themselves with a record of 10-9, a poor record relative to recent years. However, in the final stretch of the season, the Vikings were able to pick up steam and finish the regular season on a five-game winning streak, beating Mountain View and Cupertino, teams they had lost to earlier in the season.

This hot streak extended into the CCS Division 1 playoffs, as they beat Independence High School in the first round.

Their next opponent had a familiar face, they were again matched up with Carlmont.

“It felt really good knowing that we

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were going to get another shot at them,” Matt Marzano (‘20) said. “The first time we played them we didn’t give them the best effort so we made sure to bring it in the playoffs.”

Bringing it is exactly what they did as the Vikings went on to beat the Scots by 15 behind Marvin Zou’s (‘19) double-double.

The next challenge they faced was the CCS Division 1 Championship against the Piedmont Hills Pirates.

This game was not without controversy as it happened to be pre-scheduled in Paly’s Peery Family Center despite Piedmont Hills being the higher seed. Despite this, the Pirates traveled well and were

able to fill up their half of the stands. The game was a defensive bloodbath as the Vikings held the Pirates to their season low in scoring, 33 points. This defensive effort was enough to give Paly the CCS Championship winning by a score of 4233. This win meant that they qualified for the California state playoffs for the third straight year.

For state playoffs, the team had to adopt a new mindset. The team was given a 12seed which meant they would most likely have to go on the road for all of their playoff games. The team became Road Dogs.

“Most people see being the away team as a negative thing, but for us we liked wearing that road jersey,” Marzano (‘20) said. “It meant that someone had doubted us in the seeding process, so we had something to prove.”

Their first game was against 5-seeded Sonora a 4-hour drive from Palo Alto, so the Road Dogs knew they were going to have to embrace their new mindset and play like some Road Dogs. In a hotly contested game that was close from start to finish, with a phenomenal performance by Jamir Shepard (‘20), the Vikings held off the Sonora Wildcats by a score of 68-62.

Their second round game came against another familiar foe, the Stuart Hall Knights, a team the Vikings had lost to earlier in the season. The first time they

had played was a close match-up yet few believed Paly even had a chance to win.

Again with their Road Dog mentality, the Vikings traveled up to Kezar Pavilion, the old stadium of the Warriors, a home location for the San Francisco-based Knights.

In a hard fought game, the Vikings knocked off the Knights 56-52.

With this win, the team saw themselves in a place that was familiar to the past two years, if they could beat their next opponent, the Monterey Toreadores, they would be to the school’s t h i r d straight N o r Ca l Championship Game.

However, on their third straight a w a y game the Road Dogs f o u n d themselves falling up short to the Toreadores. This final game was a disappointment to the Vikings who had their eyes on state, but all knew that the season as a whole was far from a disappointment.

“The season was great for us,” Marvin Zou (‘19) said. “A lot of people counted us out in the beginning because of the seniors we lost and the fact that we were able to bounce back after starting off the season slow was great.”

“We liked wearing the road jersey [...] it put a chip on our shoulders.”

– Matthew Marzano (‘20)

ROSTER 2 - Conner Lusk 3 - Jackson Chryst 4 - Nick Burwell 5 - Josh Wong 7 - Dwayne Trahan 10 - Wes Walters 13 - Matt Marzano 20 - Will DeAndre 21 - Lou Passarello 22 - Ryan Purpur 23 - Anthony Yu 24 - Jamir Shepard 32 - KC Florant 33 - Junacio Henley 35 - Marvin Zou Coaches: Rodney Tention Steven Brown Erik Olah Brandon Worthy

HONORABLE MENTION: FOOTBALL

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aly Football had its best season since 2013 with a record of 10-2.

This came after 4 years of losing seasons and only one playoff win in those years. The team reached the CCS semi finals where they lost to eventual state champion Menlo-Atherton. They had a plethora of All-League selections including junior of the year, Jamir Shepard and offensive MVP of the league Jackson Chryst. They scored 35 points per game and only allowed 14. We look forwards to what they can do in the future.

@ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | MAY 2019

Upperclassman Girl of the Year

ALEXANDRA

LEE

A valued athlete and teammate on four Paly varsity teams.

by TINA LAGERBLAD and SOFIE VOGEL

A

lexandra Lee (‘20), Viking’s Upperclassman girl of the year, is a four-sport Paly Varsity athlete who would not trade her seemingly exhausting athletic regime for the world.

When it comes to athletics, Lee has experienced it all with water polo, wrestling, track and field, and swimming under her belt over her three years at Paly. Lee excells in all four sports, and with several years of softball prior to coming to Paly, Lee is the clear winner of the “Upperclassman Girl of the Year” award, and is practically unmatched in her dedication. Sports have been a huge part of her identity and has impacted her social and academic life.

Playing sports has helped Lee improve in all facets of life.

“[Sports have] actually positively affected my academic life because I learned better time management skills and accountability. Socially, playing

“[Sports have] actually positively affected my academic life.”

-Alexandra Lee (‘20) sports has always provided me an opportunity to make friends,” Lee said.

Sports have always had a place within

All photos courtesy of David Hickey 22 | V I K I N G M A G A Z I N E | w w w . v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g . c o m

“Al is always about encouraging others.”

-Zoe Wong-Van Haren (‘20)

Lee’s heart as she takes on a new adventure each time she joins a team in college, Lee hopes to play water polo, her main competitive sport.

“Water polo is my favorite, and I would love to continue playing it in university,” Lee said.

Although Lee plays multiple sports, the overlap between some can be beneficial.

While swimming and water polo differ greatly, they can complement each other and build a better athlete.

“I’ve only been able to play one Paly sport at a time, but I will sometimes go to practices for my other sports,” Lee said.

Overall, Lee has an enthusiastic attitude and applies herself the best way she can to whatever sport she is playing. Lee has been able to thrive in whatever sport she’s participating in. One of her biggest accomplishments has come from her wrestling career: “Making states has probably been my biggest individual accomplishment so far,” Lee said.

Although she has many options for her future athletic career Lee wants to narrow her focus. “I plan to play water polo over the summer as well as in the fall, where I am hoping we have a competitive season. In the winter I will also most likely run track again.”

Overall, Lee is an incredibly talented athlete with a huge love for sports and her teammates.

Friend and wrestling teammate of Lee’s, Zoe Wong-Van Haren (‘20), corroborates this characterization of Lee as an extremely hardworking athlete, fiercely dedicated to her sports and supportive of all her teammates.

Despite wrestling being a largely individual sport, Lee always makes sure that her teammates still feel the support of the rest of the team. When she’s not on the mat taking down her opponents, Lee will almost certainly be found watching

Ambitious

Lee in three of her four Paly sports and cheering on her teammates on the mat.

“Wrestling isn’t exactly a very teammate oriented sport,” Wong-Van Haren said, “[however] as a teammate, Al is always about encouraging others”.

This devotion and undying support for her fellow teammates in every sport she

participates in, even the ones that aren’t necessarily team sports, sets her apart in the athletic world in not only being a fierce competitor, but also having the ability to rally the rest of the team. Lee sees the tremendous value in her teams as a whole, as opposed to solely her individual accomplishments. Vikings

can rest easy knowing we have Lee on our side, bringing immense enthusiasm, encouragement, and skill to every team she is a part of.

In the words of Wong-Van Haren, “Having [Lee] on the team means always having a good attitude present, always having someone to smile at you”.

HONORABLE MENTION

Amelia Gibbs

A

melia Gibbs (‘20) has displayed excellence in her sport as both starting middle blocker on Paly’s varsity girls volleyball team, as well as being a superb teammate, earning herself the spot of honorable mention in this year’s girl’s varsity athlete of the year.

This past season, Gibbs, along with her team that she considers her “second family,” once again came together reach astonishing goals, finishing off the season with an impressive 11-1 record as the top-ranked team in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL).

Balancing school and athletic training can be a difficult feat, including five practices a week and weight training on top of this during the season and additional training for her club team; as a result of this, volleyball has inevitably become an integral part of her life. She describes this undoubtedly hectic schedule as: “a challenge and it definitely does take away from my academic experience in some way,” but somehow she manages to stay on top of it all.

Next year we have no doubt that we will see Gibbs continue her excellence on the court, and bring her team to reach even higher goals.

Keep up the awesome work and Sko Vikes!!

@ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | MAY 2019

UpperclassmAn Boy of the Year

by RYAN BARA and SAM CLEASBY

WES WALTERS

“I like to set the tone with anger and aggression.”

- Wes Walters (‘19)

A reliable athlete across three Paly varsity sports.

M

any Paly upperclassmen have had outstanding seasons this year, but the most impressive was undoubtedly Vikings own Weston Luke “Skywalker” Walters (‘19). Walters contributed to not one, not two, but three sports teams, football, basketball, and lacrosse, all of which have had successful seasons this year. Walters began his monstrous year by clashing

“I haven’t really progressed a lot, I started at the top and finished at the top. I live on the peak.”

- WES WALTERS (‘19) on the gridiron as the starting middle linebacker helping the Vikings reach the CCS semi finals which happened to be one of his most phenomenal games despite the loss. In the semi final game against Menlo Atherton, Walters racked up 12 tackles, two sacks, and one interception.

Over the course of the football season Walters accumulated 87 solo tackles, 34 assisted tackles, four sacks, two interceptions, five fumble recoveries, six forced fumbles, and one defensive touchdown. Walters ended up finishing the season as the teams leading tackler with a combined 131 tackles, which earned him a first team all league award.

Almost immediately after his impressive football season, he moved over to the basketball court to help the team reach the state quarterfinals.

Walters was a reliable player on the floor

averaging 5.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. He was known to bring his bulldog mentality from the gridiron to the court by being one of the most aggressive players on the team. His monster mentality on the court enabled him to obtain a second team all league award.

Walters’ massive year is not done yet as he is currently playing l a c r o s s e , aiding the team in reaching their current league record of 4-2.

Once again Walters’ love for contact sports is proven on the lacrosse field where he is known to be the teams “enforcer”. He wields a long shaft as a close defender, laying bodies on the field.

Walters is notoriously known to clear the ball up the field, utilizing his iconic spin move and raw power to push through the other

team. As the season is still in progress, we do not yet know what the outcome will be.

However, it would not be surprising to see him finish as one of the top players in the league as he received the award of first team all league last season.

Much of Walters’ success has been due to his off-season preparation. “I prepared myself by doing a whole lot

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of altitude training over the summer, pushing myself to get into beast mode,” Walters said. Walters’ work ethic has contributed greatly to his athletic career.

This work ethic has earned him the title of upperclassmen of the year. However, Walters’ preparation was not confined to the field or court.

“I was a student of the game, I stopped paying attention in class to watch film and execute mental reps,” Walters said.

Walters has always loved to play contact sports as he stands at 6’0”, 235lbs providing him with enough force to bulldoze through almost any victim he chooses.

“Football is my favorite sport because I get to hit people as hard as I can,” Walters said.

A perfect example of his bowling ball play style happens to be one of his favorite

Walters displays his athleticism against an MA athlete

Versatility

A key player on three Paly varsity teams moments in sports. “One of my greatest athletic achievements is knocking a player out cold during my freshman year in lacrosse against Foothill,” Walters said.

Walters is not a man who is used to being anything but the best. “I haven’t really progressed a lot over the years, I started at the top and finished at the

top, I live on the peak,” Walters said. “I consider myself a leader because I like to set the tone with anger and aggression, as a middle linebacker I need to put people on their A** and show them who’s daddy.”

In the end, this season has been one of Walters’ most impressive throughout

three sports. Walters plays for those who stand beside him on the field and agree to compete with heart, pride, and passion similar to that of his.

“I take pride in playing because I like to play for my hometown team,” Walters said. “I don’t want anybody to mess with my brothas.”

HONORABLE MENTION

Marvin Zou

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arsity basketball player Marvin Zou (19’) also displayed superior athletic abilities throughout this season. Zou helped led his team to the CCS semi-finals with his elite scoring and passing abilities. Zou attributes his success to all the work he has put in leading up to this season.

“I think all the experience I’ve had playing basketball from a younger age has been the biggest reason for my success. Whenever you put a lot of time and effort into a sport or hobby, you’re bound to be successful in it and all the time I’ve put into the sport is what I think has yielded the good results,” Zou said.

With Zou’s consistent work ethic, he credits this seasons success to his developed mentality.

“I played with a lot more confidence this year and I was more aggressive and assertive than I was last year. I don’t think that my skills were necessarily a lot better this year than last year,” Zou said. “I think that I just had more opportunities and more confidence this year.”

@ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | MAY 2019

Underclassman of the Year

by JOSH LAI and DANIEL RABELLO

ANNIKA

SHAH

Although she is just a sophomore, her commanding presence has taken fans by storm.

S

2018-19 Season

24.1 PPG 3.3 RPG 3.2 APG 2.6 SPG

tephen Curry boasts two the local YMCA. In 2nd grade, Shah MVP awards, three NBA began playing for her local NJB team.

Photo by David Hickey championships, and five straight There, she discovered her love for appearances in the All-NBA list. the game. The year after, she began Most people would certainly not call him to play for Team Esface, the local in the Bay Area compete at. below average, but in a league where the AAU Program. There, her coaches began Shah doesn’t want to stop playing average height of players is 6-foot-7, the to recognize the potential in her. Shortly basketball at the high school level; her 6-3 point guard is inferior in that sense. after, she started playing with boys goal is to compete in college.

Sophomore Annika Shah (‘21) is 5-foot- teams, where she noticed that her skill “When I came into high school is when 6 and similar to Curry set had skyrocketed.

I really realized that basketball is my life, in that category, but “Playing with the and in order to make it my life, I have to anyone who watched “in order to make it boys is a tougher put in countless hours to become the the girls varsity team and quicker game, best I can be,” Shah said. this year would know my life, i have to put and playing with Last year, Shah was named an Honorable that the offense ran in countless hours them for many years Mention Award for Underclassman of through her. Starting has really helped me the Year. This year, she had the privilege all 28 games this to become the best i improve my game,” to win the actual honors. Her future at season, she averaged Shah said. Shah’s Paly and at higher levels will absolutely can be.”

24.1 points, 3.3 dedication to the more awards and achievements.

- annika shah (‘21) game has benefited present rebounds, 3.2 assists, In the meantime, Paly is extremely and even displayed her tremendously. fortunate to have such a stellar athlete her defensive The physicality that representing the green and white. prowess with an average of 2.6 steals. she experienced in Team Esface has Shah led the team to a perfect record undoubtedly translated well into her of 12-0 in the Santa Clara Valley De Anza performance at Paly.

Division. She was named first-team all Even after the Paly season, Shah works league and was honored League MVP. hard. She plays for the Peninsula Nearly every game, she led the team in Basketball Club, a prestigious organizascoring and accounted for 45% of the tion where only the best studentteam’s total points. athletes Of course, her exceptional play did not blossom out of nowhere. To be HONORABLE MENTION the leading scorer on a high school basketball team averaging over 24 points, many years of experience and practice are required. Unlike many athletes, Shah’s roots pertaining to tanding at 5-foot-8, sophomore setter Kylie Mies (‘21) plays an important basketball started before she attended role on the girls varsity volleyball squad. Playing volleyball for Paly since her grade school. freshman year, she played an essential part in helping the Vikings beat Saint Going back to her kindergarten year, Francis 3-1 in the first round of the Open Division Playoffs and and led the she spent her weekends shooting hoops team to an impressive 24-6 record. Mies may not be the biggest player on the court, with her father and older brother in but she is certainly one of the most exciting players to watch.

S

KYLIE MIES

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Underclassman of the Year

by JOSH LAI and DANIEL RABELLO

ZANDER

DARBY

His athletic talent and versatility has helped him become a dominant multi-sport athlete at Paly.

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ot many athletes have the commitment and skill set needed to participate in three sports in high school, but sophomore Zander Darby (‘21) is an exception. Apart from studying for seven classes, Darby plays water polo, basketball, and baseball. An average athlete may only play 1, maybe 2 sports, at most.

On the baseball field, Darby has been tearing the league up. He is batting .324 through 20 games, leading the team in most major hitting categories. His twoway presence is unmatched, holding down the defense at shortstop.

Darby has played along with fellow sophomore second baseman Ritter Amsbaugh (‘21) for years now, and their chemistry has benefited both of their performances. Amsbaugh’s presence has helped Darby’s strong fielding abilities showing off a nearly perfect 0.958 fielding percentage.

“You can put him [Darby] anywhere in the infield and he’ll perform,” Paly’s assistant baseball coach Peter Colombo says. “He’s just a scrappy ballplayer with lots of talent. He’s going to do big things in the future and our program is lucky to have him.”

Darby’s versatility in baseball is synonymous to his athletic performance in general. “Balancing three sports in high school has been really challenging but also really rewarding.” Darby says.

“I’ve learned to manage my workload while still performing to the best of my ability on the field.”

His ambidextrous-like ability also complements his water polo play on the varsity team. In the fall, Darby finished

2019 Season

0.324 BA 22 HITS 9 RBIs .958 FPCT

the water polo season with 82 goals, averaging 2.8 each game. Darby has risen to water polo stardom, despite Photo by David Hickey him only playing since his freshman year. He has surprised his coaches and that he can play all three sports at a high teammates with his quick progression. intensity, he only intends on playing Just one year after starting the sport, he baseball in college. He’s been playing already played a huge role in the CCS ever since he was young and wants to championship game. continue his passion for as long as the “I scored a skip shot that hit the top game takes him. of the bar and went in with only a few “My goal for my athletic future is minutes to go,” Darby to play Division I said. “For only being baseball at a good “He’s just a a second-year player, academic school,” it feels amazing to go scrappy ballplayer Darby said. “I have from nothing to a CCS with lots of talent. always dreamed of champion in only a being on a team in He’s going to year.” college so all of your On the basketball do big things in the teammates can be court, Darby averaged your best friends.”

7.2 ppg with 6 future.” rebounds a game for - Peter colombo the JV boys team as a forward. Darby’s size and athleticism makes him a perfect body on the court. His game-changing potential could help the varsity squad next year as a solid rotational player.

Although Darby plays has proven

HONORABLE MENTION

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JACKSON BUNDY

laying on varsity football as an underclassman is a rare feat, but it isn’t surprising to see sophomore Jackson Bundy (‘21) holding down the offensive line. During the season, he showed flashes of potential while playing center. Bundy was the only underclassman to start all 12 games on varsity, and with one year under his belt, his potential is soaring. With the departure of several senior linemen, watch out for this rising star on Friday nights next fall.

@ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | MAY 2019

Alok SUBBARAO

by LAUREN DANIEL, MALLORY KUPPE, and JACK SUCH Alok Subbarao was a track and cross-country runner at Palo Alto High School who displayed great attitude and character on the field. Every year, Viking awards an athlete with these qualities the Alok Subbarao award. This year’s recipients are Annie Niethammer (‘19) and Otto Berndt (‘19).

OTTO BERNDT

T

he boys Alok Subbarao award goes to Otto Berndt. Impressively, Berndt has only been playing water polo since freshman year of high school, yet was still able to cement himself as a valuable player in a CCS-winning program.

However, Berndt’s true value can’t be measured in goals or successful stops on defense. What he really brings to the program, and what he’s being honored for, is his exceptional attitude, spirit, and heart. Teammates and coaches alike have revered Berndt for his dedication to the sport and to the team.

On the bench during games, Berndt is always fully focused and attentive towards the game. His study of the game has led him to be one of the most intelligent players on the team. However, even his intelligence is surpassed by his fantastic attitude and spirit.

“Otto has a way of transcending the X’s and Os,” head water polo coach Ethan

Look said. “His acute understanding of the moment enables him to put the right thing in the ears of his teammates and prepare them to achieve our goals. As a coach, I could not be more grateful for

“As a coach, I could not be more grateful for how he poured his soul into the team” -Ethan look how he poured his soul into the team.”

In addition to water polo, Berndt is a member of the varsity swim team. He is an integral part of the team’s morale and leads their cheer before every meet.

Photo by Karen Hickey

“His presence as a leader is tangible and everyone feels a void when he’s not there,” teammate David Gormley (‘22) said.

Berndt’s praise, however, doesn’t stop with his coach or his teammates. He receives praise for his team spirit even from people he has never been on a team with.

“He never has a negative thing to say.

Even if everything’s going completely wrong, he’ll tell you everything is fine and you’re doing a great job,” says Ryan Gwyn (19’), someone who has never even been on a team with Berndt.

That seems to perfectly encapsulate Berndt’s permanent dedication to being a positive influence on the people around him.

Berndt’s supportive nature and excellent attitude around the clock is the defining factor in the decision to bestow him with this award.

HONORABLE MENTION:

BENJAMIN RAPPERPORT

T Berndt rallies his teammates before a meet

he honorable mention for the boys Alok Subbarao award goes to Ben Rapperport (‘19).

Rapperport is a two-sport athlete, making the varsity squad in both water polo and lacrosse. Along with Berndt, Rapperport helped the water polo team to a CCS championship. As starting goalie, Rapperport was the backbone of the defense and was a phenomenal emotional leader. Rapperport was also known on the lacrosse team as a valuable emotional leader on the squad. He was always the first person next to Coach Shelton, echoing his commands eagerly and being a true team player, reflective of his overall nature on and off the field.

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Alok SUBBARAO

by LAUREN DANIEL, MALLORY KUPPE, and JACK SUCH

ANNIE

NIETHAMMER

A

s detailed in the photo below, Annie Niethammer is considered the emotional leader of the girls basketball team. Niethammer started on the junior varsity basketball team her freshman and sophomore years, then moved up to varsity at the end of her sophomore year for CCS. Her teammates describe her as “bubbly” and “inspiring” and say they will miss her on the team next year.

“I am a very supportive, energetic teammate,” Niethammer said. “I would say my role is just being there for them [the team] and hyping everyone up before the games and practices, dancing and making everyone smile.”

Niethammer’s motivational tactics played a major role in contributing to the team’s historic season this year. The girls earned second place in this year’s CCS tournament and first place in league, going 12-0. They also advanced on to the second round of NorCals for the first time in the program’s history.

Before every single game, Niethammer would deliver an inspirational speech to mentally prepare the team for the game.

“I notice that when the team is in the right state of mind, we work much better together,” Niethammer said. “I just make sure everyone is cheering for each other on and off the court.”

Scott Peters, her head coach, recognizes

Niethammer’s role on the team.

“As a player, Annie brought positive energy and effort to every practice and game,” Peters said. “Although Annie’s role on the team didn’t allow her to contribute as much as she would have liked on the court, she was instrumental to our team’s positive chemistry.”

Niethammer is a textbook example of the Alok Subbarao recipient. She radiates

“Annie brought positive energy and effort to every practice and game” -Scott Peters team-spirit and elevates her team in ways that aren’t always recognized.

“Team chemistry is hard to quantify with stats,” Peters said. “But I feel Annie’s effect on our team and its chemistry allowed our team to be more resilient and weather the normal setbacks a team will have during the course of each season.”

Niethammer’s special qualities as a teammate are extremely evident to her teammates. Annika Shah (‘21) notices the impact of Niethammer as the team as a whole.

“Everyone on our team looks up to

Photo by Karen Hickey

Annie. What makes her so special to our team is that she thinks about everyone else before herself,” Shah said. “Annie brings so many special components to our team, but what we see most from her is the energy she brings the moment she walks into the gym.”

Niethammer has had an impact on each individual player as well.

“Annie has really been there for me and helping me during my best and worst performances,” Shah said. “She is the person that energizes me up before every game and makes sure that I am confident whenever I step foot in to any gym.”

In short, Niethammer is an excellent teammate and anyone who has been lucky enough to be on a team with her knows this to be true.

“Annie is the type of teammate that never ever can be replaced,” Shah said.

“There are many kinds of players that can score a lot and win many awards for their sport, but at the end of the day it’s the people around you that make you better, and Annie is the type of person you want to be around and the type of person you want on your team.”

HONORABLE MENTION:

Niethammer gives the team a pep-talk during halftime.

T

HANA ERICKSON

he honorable mention for this award was given to Hana Erickson (‘21), a threesport athlete who plays basketball, water polo and is on the swim team.

“I’ve been playing sports since I was like four,” Erickson said. “I just try to be a teammate that people miss or notice when they’re not there. I always try to contribute to having a positive vibe at practice and creating special bonds between teammates which allows us to become better friends.”

Thankfully for Paly, Erickson plans to continue her athletic carrer as a Viking, so expect more appearances from her in future issues of Viking.

@ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | MAY 2019

top

10

MOMENTS

by JACKSON CHRYST and JASON SHORIN Photos by David Hickey and Karen Ambrose Hickey

1: Dominance over Los Gatos

Most consider Los Gatos our greatest rival, but Paly’s all-around performance this year may bring that rivalry into question. In total Paly had a dominant performance against Los Gatos this year with a total record of 22-5 across all Paly sports.

1

Record Vs Los Gatos This Year

22 - 5 2: Football Resurgence

2

For the last couple of years, the football team has been a mainstay on the top ten bottom moments list and a couple of those time they were at number one. But this year the Paly football team flipped the script as they had their first winning season since 2013 and their first playoff win since 2015. Paly’s tremendous season was capped off with many memorable wins against decorated opponents and was undefeated in front of their home crowd.

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4. CCS Boys Basketball Championship

After losing eight seniors and legendary coach Diepenbrock the Boys basketball team had a level of uncertainty entering the 2018-2019 season. After a rough start, the Boys team went on to win five straight games to make it the CCS championship game. Paly went on to upset top seed Piedmont in front of a raucous home crowd and add another banner in the new gym.

4 3 3. Boys Wopo 1st D1 CCS championship

Lead by their new coach, Ethan Look, the boy’s water polo team had a fantastic season. Although they missed out on a league title, they took home the first ever D1 CCS championship for Boys water polo ever. Juniors Dexter Gormley and Ryan Stanley ran the offense while Sr. Ben Rapperport owned the defense, taking home the League Goalie MVP award.

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5

7

5

7. Girls Volleyball Making Open For The First Time Although the Girls volleyball team has been one of the more decorated athletic programs at Paly, this year’s team still managed to make history. Thanks in large part to the team’s stellar league performance, the team was able to make the CCS Open Division and Norcal Open Division for the first time in program history.

5. Girls Basketball Winning First Norcal Game

The Girls basketball team followed a tremendous season with a bid in Norcal, seven hours away in the most northwest corner of California in the town of Del Norte.

The Girls team went on to upset the six seed Del Norte 75-70 in a thrilling game sending home Del Norte in front of their intimidating home crowd.

6

9.Girls Golf wins CCS Championship

9 8 8. Boys Soccer Makes Open Despite Injuries

For the second season in a row Girls golf has won a CCS championship. Prior to 2016 the Girls golf team was under .500.

The Girls golf team looks to build on the success of the last two season and hopefully will create a dynasty that will last for a couple years.

10 10. Field Hockey Inaugural Season

Led by coach Jenny Crane, the field hockey team experienced tremendous growth in their inaugural season. Despite their less-than-ideal record, the team had major wins against Monta Vista and experienced great individual improvement over the course of the season which should prepare the team for success in the near future.

Buoyed by seniors Juan Aguila (‘19) and Nathan Seto (‘19) the Paly defense gave up less than a goal per game which helped the team overcome many of the 6. Back to Back No-Hitters injuries that the midfielders and forwards picked up. The team would, In all of sports, a no-hitter unfortunately, lose to eventual is one of the most strived after CCS open and Norcal chamaccomplishments that can be obpions, Bellarmine in the tained in a single game. This year Paly first round. baseball not only threw a no-hitter, but they threw back to back no-hitters against Sacred Heart and Cupertino. In a 1-0 win, Dean Casey (‘20) Sacred Heart and finished with Ks. Then against Cupertino, Josh Kasevich (‘19) and Ritter Amsbaugh (‘21) combined to throw a no-hitter, powering the team to an 11-0 win.

@ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | MAY 2019

BOTTO M

10 OMENTS

by NATHAN SETO and COLE SOTNICK Photos by David Hickey and Karen Ambrose Hickey

1. Students no longer allowed to attend Paly vs. Los Gatos games

After numerous intense encounters between the two teams and fans, the administration finally had enough. As of March 2019, Paly and Los Gatos student fans are no longer allowed to attend sporting events between the schools. To make matters worse, Palo Alto boys lacrosse has their senior night against Los Gatos and students cannot attend the matchup. “The decision of the administrations to not allow students at the games is not a productive means of healing the relationship between the two schools,” Otto Berndt (‘19) said.

2. Boys Basketball losing to Monterey

1 2

With seconds left in the CIF State Championship Tournament, Monterey High School hit a step-back three to beat Paly 55-52. The three-pointer marked the end of the Vikes season and capped it with 21 wins and 10 losses. “We had won 10 straight games up to that game and we felt like we were the better team,” Marvin Zou (‘19) said. “The fact that we were playing so well in the first quarter and how we gave it away in the second half really hurt.”

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4. Girls soccer disappointing results

Going into the winter, many players and fans were optimistic that the girls soccer team would have a successful season. Unfortunately, their campaign did not turn out as well as anticipated, despite their best efforts and hard work throughout the season. The girls finished 3-10-6 overall.

4 3 3. Football losing to MA

Coming off a first-round win against Los Gatos, Paly football found themselves playing Menlo-Atherton away. Despite a strong defensive effort, the Vikes struggled offensively and didn’t score until the fourth quarter. After being down 10-0 at the half, Paly’s fourth-quarter touchdown was matched by MA, resulting in a 17-7 victory for the Bears.

6

5

6

5

9. Lacrosse team’s diminishing numbers

6. Boys soccer losing ccs open first round

Despite a rocky start to the season, boys soccer clutched the second half to secure the fifth seed in CCS Open Division.

Unfortunately, their postseason was cut short after a 2-0 loss to fourth seed Bellarmine, the same team who knocked them out of the CCS Division 1 semi-final last year.

5. Boys water polo missing states due to smoke

After earning their spot in the running for State Champion by winning CCS Div. 1, boys water polo found themselves stripped of the opportunity to play, along with every other NorCal contender. Due to unhealthy playing conditions from forest fires, the NorCal Water Polo Tournament was canceled, ending the Vikes’ so-far successful postseason.

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9 8

Two years ago the boys lacrosse teams had an extensive roster with a deep bench. This season the boys were barely able to field a junior varsity team and ended up having a five-person bench on varsity. Additionally, the boys had several individuals who had to part ways wtih the team because of injuries and other circumstances.

10 10. Girls water polo losing to Gunn on senior night

In their last home game of the season, Paly put up a valiant effort against hometown rival Gunn. In their first encounter, Paly lost 11-4, but this time made 8. Girls it a close match of 10-7, with clear Basketball improvement from the Vikes. Despite losing the CCS the unfavorable outcome, lots of support was shown from the Championship fans for the team, Girls basketball looked like they especially the seniors. had the potential to go deep into playoffs after completing their season 12-0 in 7. Girls league. However, despite their success volleyball losing all season, the girls lost the CCS championship to Sequoia by a score of quarterfinal 50-34. They then went into the playoffs CIF tournament and fell to Girls volleyball was on a hot-streak, Enterprise High School in going 11-1 in the league and eliminating the second round.

Saint Francis in Open Division before getting knocked out by Sacred Heart Cathedral.

The girls were matched with Buchanan High School in the NorCal CIF State Championships and made a timely trek out to Clovis where they lost 3-0.

@ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | MAY 2019

2019 Linfield College Oregon State Oregon

Cañada College Foothill College

18

Itai Almogy, Yale, Lightweight Crew Jean-Paul Ditto, Yale, Diving Henry Saul, Yale, Cross Country Jackson Chryst, Oregon State, Football Josh Kasevich, Oregon, Baseball Siena Brewster, Missouri State, Beach Volleyball 34 | V I K I N G M A G A Z I N E | w w w . v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g . c o m

Total Signees It was a lifelong dream of mine to play DI baseball. I can’t wait to get started.

– Josh Kasevich

Oregon ‘23

s

Recruits

by ELLIE JEFFRIES and STAN DE MARTEL

Nineteen of Paly’s finest athletes will sign their letters of intent on April 30 and continue their sporting careers at the collegiate level.

Best of luck to everybody!

Bates College

Macalester College

Wellesley College

Carlton College

Yale NYU Illinois Institute of Technology

Haverford College Johns Hopkins

Missouri State Jack Callaghan, NYU, Diving Paul Thie, Linfield College, Football and Baseball Aiden Chang, Carlton College, Football Alex Evans, NYU, Cross Country and Track Ella Thompson, Macalester College, Soccer Samantha Hwang, Wellesley College, Soccer Hyunwoo Roh, Johns Hopkins, Baseball Aidan Gans, Illinois Institute of Technology, Lacrosse Lindsey Kim, Bates College, Softball Riya Matta, Tufts, Rowing Isa Cossio, Haverford College, Tennis Kevin Giffen, Foothill College, Football Marco Tan, CaĂąada College, Soccer @ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | MAY 2019

SEASON R E C A P S

by LINCOLN BLOOM, NATHAN ELLISEN, JOSH KASEVICH, WILL ROBINS, and RYAN STANLEY

Girls Water Polo

After graduating nearly their whole starting lineup, the girls water polo team had a rebuilding season. Despite this, they still pulled out a solid record finishing 14-13 overall. Next year the Vikes will definitely improve on their record behind big impact players Alexandra Lee (‘20) and Chesnie Chung (‘20).

Girls Lacrosse

Girls lacrosse is experiencing a relatively successful season, enjoying blowout wins against most teams in leagues, and only falling to the teams ranked top two in the league. A championship is still within reach for this season, but a strong sophomore class shows that even if they don’t bring home the title this year, girls lacrosse will be successful for the years to come.

Golf The boys golf team had a rough start to the season, losing the first few matches they played. However, the team rebounded as the top players on the team started scoring well. The girls team kept their tradition going as they finished with another CCS title.

Photo courtesy of Priya Bakshi

Girls Tennis Girls tennis had another phenomenal season. Led by Maddi Page (‘21) the Vikes were able to complete a miracle upset in CCS as they knocked off number one seeded Monta Vista. Page and her partner Wong (‘22) had an amazing finish as they placed second in doubles at CCS.

Boys Soccer After an over-achieving season two years ago, Boys soccer faltered a bit this year, falling short of last season’s success and having an early postseason exit to Bellarmine. However, a strong returning class of players makes next season look brighter than ever.

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Track and Field

The boys and girls track team has had a somewhat successful season thus far.

Although many individual players often performed well, the team seemed to lose close meets often. The team lost every dual meet they participated in except for one sole win. “At the end of the day it’s all about running the best you can,” Ian Matheson (‘20) said. The team looks to perform well and make a run in CCS and state finals.

Girls swimming

Girls Basketball

The girls team is having a successful season thus far. After losing many of their star swimmers from last season, the team is still performing well under the leadership of Mary Fetter (‘19) and Kate Milne (‘20). The girls are a tightly knit team also hoping to win the league and make a run in CCS.

The girls basketball season was incredibly successful. The lady Vikes qualified for states after finishing 12-0 in league and placing second in the CCS tournament.

The team traveled to Cresent City in the state tournament, defeating Del Norte before facing Enterprise in Redding, where the girls’ season came to an end with a 65-42 loss. Overall, however, the team had a high-achieving season with their deep run into CCS and state tournament win.

Boys Basketball

The Paly boys had an exceptional season, winning Division I CCS for the second time in three years. The Vikings went 21-10 (9-3, in the league) under the brand new coach, Rodney Tention. Marvin Zou (‘19), Weston Walters (‘19), and Matthew Marzano received allleague honors as well. Their season came to an unfortunate end on a 3-point buzzer-beater against Monterey High School in the Northern California semi-final.

Baseball

An exciting season for Boys baseball is underway, highlighted by back to back no hitters against Cupertino and D1 recruit Josh Kasevich (‘19) striking out players left and right. A championship isn’t promised, but is certainly within reach for the Vikings as they carry on into the postseason.

Boys Water Polo

Photos by Karen Amrose Hickey and David Hickey

The boys water polo team certainly exceeded expectations this year. This year’s team was the first in Paly history to win the CCS Division 1 championship. This came alongside the hiring of new coach Ethan Look, who lead the Vikings 20-11 overall record. Ryan Stanley (‘20) also set the Paly singleseason goals record with 118 shots hitting the back of the net. Next year, Stanley and Dexter Gormley (‘20) look to lead the Vikings in a CCS championship repeat effort.

@ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | MAY 2019

Wrestling The Paly wrestling team had a very successful season in 2019. After maturing a lot over their years at Paly, senior captains Ashley Wang (‘19) and Andrew Wang (‘19) both qualified for the state championship tournament. Additionally, Al Lee (‘20) also qualified for the state tournament. Looking towards next season, the team will have new captains: Dara Heydarpour (‘20) and Peter Graham (‘20).

Cross Country

The cross country team performed very well this season. Both the girls and the boys won the SCVAL finals and in the CCS tournament the boys placed in third place and the girls finishing in 4th. The 3rd place finishes for the boys qualified them for states whereas the girls missed qualification by one seed. In the state tournament, the boys did well but were unable to come out with a victory. Henry Saul (‘19) placed 9th overall in the state tournament.

Boys Volleyball After a rough loss to begin the season, Boys volleyball has really hit their stride, losing just one game since. With the postseason just on the horizon and team chemistry on a high level, the belief among the team is that a championship is within reach.

Field Hockey As the first season for the Palo Alto field hockey team, the girls started off hot with a win in their first ever game. After that, however, they went for an overall record of 2-14. This was expected because it was their first ever season. Looking towards next season, the girls are looking to vastly improve and be much more competitive. As the team continues to row in popularity and experience, the girls hope to improve and improve in their success in the new Paly sport.

Boys Swimming

The boys swimming team is underclassmen dominated this year.

The boys are on track to win the league and make a good run in the CCS tournament. They are incredibly fast despite the age gap led by Harrison Williams (‘22) among other underclassmen.

“

We exceeded expectations and it has much to do with the new coaching and experienced players at many key positions.

- Wes Walters (‘19)

”

Football The football team outperformed all expectations going 10-2 after a 3-8 season a year ago. The boys went to the CCS semi-finals after winning their first playoff game in 4 years against Los Gatos. The team had two close key wins against Mclymonds and St. Ignatius that put them into the CCS playoffs. Their season came to an unfortunate end with a close 17-7 loss to Menlo-Atherton in the CCS semifinals.

Next year, the Vikings hope to continue to exceed expectations led by wide receiver Jamir Shepard (‘20), among other returning players.

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Badminton The badminton team is off to an unfortunate 2-7 start in their league.

However, as the season has gone on the team has seemingly begun to weld better and improve more and more. They look to make an unprecedented run to finish off the season and pull off upsets in the SCVAL championships to qualify for CCS. “We look to gain momentum off the win against Gunn and hopefully finish the season strong,” Jeffrey Mi (‘20) said.

“

As the season went on we started to win some matches as we got more used to each other.

- Jeffrey Mi (‘20)

Girls Volleyball

”

Girls volleyball was one of Paly’s more successful athletic teams this season. Finishing with an 11-1 record to pair with a league championship, the girls earned themselves a first ever place in CCS open division, and advanced all the way to the semi-finals. Despite a first round exit in NorCal open division playoffs, the season was still an extremely strong showing from one of Paly’s perennially good programs.

Softball

This season was a vast improvement from last year’s season. The team is filled with underclassman, but have still been able to finish 2nd in league play. With strong senior leadership by Sidney Lui (‘19), the girls have managed to put together a 6-7 season. Still, with games left in the season, the girls look to make a strong push to win the league tournament, and a deep CCS run.

Girls Soccer Girls soccer fell short of expectations this season after losing a crucial batch of seniors a year ago. They finished 1-6-4 in league play and didn’t advance to postseason play. However, the season ended on a high note as they won a convincing 2-0 on senior night, providing a beacon of hope for a resurgence next season.

Boys Tennis The boys tennis team was lead this season by Adam Love (‘19) and Antony Georgiadis (‘19). The highlight of the team’s season came with a second place finish in the Division III Fresno state tournament. The team is also on pace to finish second in the El Camino league. The team has qualified for CCS and they have numerous players invited to participate in the SCVAL tournament. The boys look to make a deep upset-ridden run in the CCS tournament.

Boys lacrosse The boys lacrosse team is on pace to have yet another winning season.

They look to make the playoffs and make a championship run. After a competitive season, the highlight for the team was beating the West Catholic League powerhouse, St. Francis. Led by Aidan Gans (‘19), Quintin Dwight (‘20), and Wes Walters (‘19), the team looks to win a third straight league championship.

@ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | MAY 2019

Crazy portS ContractS

by ZACH BAUMGARTEN, GERZAIN GUTIERREZ, and RYAN STRATHEARN

Jame$ Harden

4 years

$228,000,000

Across baseball, July 1st is known as “Bobby Bonilla” day. This is because every July 1st, until 2035, the New York Mets pay Bobby Bonilla about $1.19 million. The Mets wanted to cut ties with Bonilla in 2000, but still owed him about $5.9 million. Instead of trading him or cutting him and paying him the money, the Mets came to an agreement with his agent where payments would be deferred with 8% annual interest. Bonilla was able to turn that $5.9 million into $29.8 million.

11 fights $365,000,000

As professional sports continue to increase in popularity and revenue, player contracts have become increasingly preposterous.

Bobby Bonilla

$aÚl “Canelo” Álvarez

mike trout

12 years $426,000,000

Jamarcu$ Ru$$ell

With the first overall pick of the 2007 NFL draft, the Oakland Raiders selected Jamarcus Russell. Russell and the Raiders failed to reach an agreement on a deal before the season, so he held out through all of training camp and the first week of the season. They were eventually able to agree upon a deal and Russell was guarentted $39 million. Considering that Russell is arguably the biggest bust in NFL history, his deal is also considered the worst in history.

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”

andrew luck

6 years $139,000,000

Neymar Jr.

5 years

$262,000,000

Rollie Finger$

In 1972, former Oakland Athletics owner, Charlie Finley, offered players cash for growing out a mustache before a game they had on Father’s day. This gave birth to Rollie Fingers’ famous mustache. The A’s would go on to win the World Series that year and they decided to extend Fingers for the next season. The contract included a $300 bonus to keep the muststache and an extra $100 to buy the best mustache wax money could buy.

Albert Hayne$worth

Following a Pro Bowl season in 2009, Albert Haynesworth signed a 6 year, $100 million deal with the Washington Redskins, $41 million guaranteed. However, he only suited up for the Redskins for 20 games before being traded. His former teamate, Chris Cooley, once referred to Haynesworth as an “awful human being” and said “his goal was to come here, make a large signing bonus and then get released and not have to do any of the work.” @ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | MAY 2019

YEARS

As Paly celebrates its 100th anniversary as a high school, Viking decided to go back through time and celebrate 100 years of Paly Sports. Looking back at the different sports, equipment, and leagues over the course of the century, we hope to showcase the evolution of sports here at Paly and to show how exactly the sports we know and love today came to be.

BY Sanaz Ebrahimi, Ella Jones, David Hickey, and Nick WelCh

1920s Within the 100 years since the ‘20s, Paly sports have drastically changed. Looking back on the decade, we are confronted with an entirely different beast. For one, Paly teams had nowhere near the caliber of skill they possess today. 1920’s Campaniles are plagued with frequent headlines of “PALO ALTO LOSES”, though it is understandable in that many sports were new in the decade. Girls sports of any kind were especially new to scene, including new tennis, track, basketball, field hockey, baseball, and swimming teams. Boys sports also looked different than today in that there were rugby and hockey teams, as well as the more typical baseball, swimming, basketball and football.

Further differences between the sports of the 1920s and today were the unique components of the past that seem peculiar compared to the current structure.

For example, basketball teams used to be split into lightweight and heavyweight teams. The football teams were called the “red team” or the “green team.” Football also used to host the school dances rather than ASB. In volleyball, girls were split into grade level teams which played each other, and girls played baseball instead of softball. Track has remained as big of a program as it always was, and boys baseball often competed against the Stanford freshman team.

1930s The 1930s saw great changes and success in the athletics program at Palo Alto High. Our beloved “Color Shout” could not have been created without the school replacing its past colors of red and green with the current school colors of white and green. Additionally, in an act that “rocked the boat,” Palo Alto took up the Viking as their mascot.

The 1930s kicked off strong under the leadership of Coach Hod Ray. Senior girls volleyball won the league championship in 1930. Ray led the football team to the top three in Peninsula Athlet-

ic League (PAL) standings for the first half of the 30s and placed first in both 1933 and 1935. He led similarly strong seasons in baseball, also placing among the top three in PAL for most of the decade. Ray also led the split of boys teams into varsity and frosh-soph in 1934, replacing the traditional divide based on weight of the players.

Basketball proved to be arguably the top team of the 1930s. In summation of their 1931 season, Madrono claimed that the basketball team would “go down in the records of the school as the greatest combination [of men] ever to be known on the peninsula.”

In 1931, basketball went undefeated and won both PAL and made it to the Northern California State Championships. In the six years previous to 1931, basketball won every PAL and continued this in 1932.

Water Polo was created in the early 1930s and won PAL in 1932,1933, and 1935; in 1935, they notably beat Saratoga, Paly’s major rival at the time.

Swimming was immensely successful: in 1931, swimmers placed in the Northern California State meets. In 1932, swimming won the North Coast Sectional Titles. In 1933, 1936, and 1937, swimming won PAL.And, in 1934, Paly broke the PAL record in the 75-yard backstroke.

Tennis grew in popularity, winning circle awards in 1932 and PAL in 1933 and 1935.

Track followed a similar trend of success winning the Peninsular Athletic League in 1935 and set PAL records in high jump in the 1937 season.

Women sports also evolved in this period. The breadth of women’s sports and sports participation continued to expand. For example, speedball was added in 1935. More and more games were played against Castilleja School, sowing the seeds of the cross-school competitive play that would come to epitomize sports at Paly and across the country.

1940s Just like Paly sports today, teams during

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the 40s were a force to be reckoned with.

Paly teams broke many PAL records across all sports. Dozens of records were set or broken during the 40s which would place Paly students and teams into the record books.

A prime example of Paly dominance during the 40s was a track meet in 1940.

The team was led by Coach Hod Ray, whose leadership and motivation helped 21 Vikings qualify for the PAL finals. Both teams put up impressive numbers across all events. However, it was the field and jump teams that put up elite numbers. An event Paly especially thrived in was the high jump. Four Vikes qualified by jumping at least five and a half feet and two placed in the top three with Johnny Black taking bronze and Pat Taylor taking silver.

In addition to Paly’s dominance in the high jump, the Vikes put on a display of pure power in the field events. Grant Denmark earned gold in the discus, beating second place by ten feet.

At a 1943 meet at Burlingame, the Paly boys track team was able to break three PAL records and win the competition as a whole. The “Class A” boys team broke the PAL two mile relay record by some margin at nine minutes and one second, while Paly’s “fantastic four”, consisting of Dick Mueller, Dick Cowdery, Juan Rael and anchor Stan Barnes set the new all time record with a time of eight minutes and fifty three seconds. All four of the two mile teams also participated in several other events at the meet. Both Dick Mueller and Dick Cowdery ran the difficult 440 meter dash and the 800 meter. Juan Rael stayed in long distance, running the 1600 meter.

Finally Barnes went from the track to the field, participating in shot put and discus to finish off the meet. Thanks to these elite four, Paly was able to win the meet.

From the track to the pool, another Paly student dominated the competition with grace and skill. Pat Schofield was an elite swimmer and carried the girls into winning the meet. Schofield won the 50-yard freestyle and placed second diving for

the “A” team. With such prestigious numbers, Pat was honored by being named an All Star by the Girls Athletic Association Board (GAAB).

In 1946, Paly swim captian, Jim McPherson, broke the PAL 100 yard backstroke record with an astounding time of one minute and nine seconds at the PAL trials in San Jose. In addition to McPherson’s elite time, the rest of the team fared quite well. Out of the 36 available spots, Paly claimed 28 of them – the most of any of the participating schools. With elite training and skill, Paly was able to dominate the competition.

The 40s sports teams offered plenty of brilliant Paly memories that will always be engraved in Paly’s history.

1950s The 50s were a decade dominated by Paly sports. Teams continued streaks, won championships, went undefeated, and broke records. However, all of this was done by the boys teams. Although sports were offered for girls, they were still called clubs and weren’t officially listed as sports.

No information was given on the girls club teams and accomplishments or team records not recorded during this decade.

Another important note during the 50s was the league Paly competed in. At this point neither SCVAL (Santa Clara Valley Athletic League) or CCS (Central Coast Section) existed. Instead, Paly took part of the PAL before becoming part of the SPAL (South Peninsula Athletic League) a while later. Both of the leagues are still around today, although Paly isn’t in them.

1952 was one of the peak years for boys sports during the 50s. All of the boys teams won a PAL championship except boys track. In addition to their titles, football, basketball, waterpolo, baseball, and swimming all went undefeated.

Football picked up where they left off, eventually winning 18 straight games and their second straight PAL championship. Swimming continued their streak of dominance, winning their 19th straight PAL title. Water polo coach Nort Thornton declared his team the greatest water polo team ever to represent Paly in school history, backing up his claim as the team went 10-0 including a win over the Paly alumni team. Boys Basketball also made a statement with their PAL title, as it was the first title in ten years.

Swimming wasn’t finished in 1952 though. In 1956, they continued their PAL

win streak, beating Menlo Atherton (MA) 40 to 37 to claim their 23rd consecutive title. The streak started in 1933 and continued for two straight decades.

Track and Field’s Ron Larrieu also set records during 1956. A future Olympic runner, Larrieu finished as the best runner in the state and the third best runner in the country.

Larrieu beat the nation’s Photo by Karen Hickey high school twomile time, setting the new record at 9:39 and beating the previous record that stood for thirty one years.

He also set the California state high school mile record with a 4:26.

Later in his life, Larrieu competed in the 10,000m race in the 1964 Summer Olympics. The next two years, he became a two time national cross country champion, winning in ‘65 and ‘66.

Despite not being listed as sports, but instead as activities, there were still numerous girls sports teams on campus.

An interesting fact to point out is that badminton and volleyball were a girls-only activity unlike today. Besides these usual sports, there was also a collection of clubs that should still be around today. Modern dance and bowling are pretty self-explanatory. However, there were unique activities such as tumbling, speed ball, and archery.

1960s

“Paly did not only

The major events in the 60s included the creation of CCS (Central Coast Section) in 1965 as well as the addition of gymnastics and soccer as a boys-only sports. This would change years later, as gymnastics would eventually become a girls-only sport until its removal in 2012. However, unlike in the 50s, girls clubs and activities officially became listed as sports.

Several league changes occurred during the 60s. The first was Paly moved from PAL to SPAL. The exact transition date is hard to pinpoint but it seems to be between 1959 to 1962. In 1965 Paly joined the newly created CCS. Despite this, the majority of our titles came from SPAL as CCS playoffs were rarely mentioned.

In 1960, gymnastics became available as a boys-only sport. 25 boys were part

win games, they dominated them.”

of the first gymnastics team. Unlike other sports, there was only a varsity level due to the fact it was the first year of the sport.

Three years later, soccer was introduced as a Paly sport.

As for individual and team accomplishments during the decade, there were quite a few. In 1963, basketball player Dan Johnson recorded 29 rebounds against San Carlos. These weren’t the total team rebounds, but rebounds by a single player.

In 1964, football not only won a SPAL championship but won nine straight games to clinch the title. Over these nine games Paly shut out six of their opponents. In 1965, football had their first game against Gunn but we were not yet considered rivals.

The Paly-Sequoia Rivalry started in 1920.

Sequoia was founded in 1895 and was the only high school between San Francisco and Santa Clara until Paly was founded in 1898. For the next 55 years, up until 1975, Paly and Sequoia were rivals with the 1967 game the peak of the rivalry between the schools.

Although there were no articles found about how or why the rivalry originated, the rivalry was built around the football programs. Each year on Thanksgiving, the two teams would meet. In 1967, both Paly and Sequoia were undefeated and met for the SPAL championship. 26,000 spectators were present for what would be called the Little-Big Game, named after the Stanford Cal Rivalry called the Big Game. Paly would lose the game 48-27 as Sequoia started a 33 game win streak.

1970s After spending around fifteen years in the SPAL, Paly once again changed leagues. This time Paly moved for good, transfering to the SCVAL alongside Gunn in 1976. However SCVAL wasn’t formed in 1976. Instead it was formed three years prior, in 1973 with 13 teams. In 1974, SCVAL was split into the De-Anza and El Camino leagues. Over the next thirty years, several changes to the schools participating in SCVAL would form the 14 team league we know today. In the 70s, our rivals were Gunn and Cubberly. Los Gatos wouldn’t join the league for another decade while the Sequoia rivalry ended in 1975.

@ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | MAY 2019

In the 70s, although most sports were similar to the sports we have today. There were still several differences regarding location of play and uniform. Girls gymnastics was added as a sport around 1973, while cheerleading was now officially recognized as a sport. As for uniform differences, besides the jerseys and equipment looking different, swimmers competed without swim caps or goggles, while boys basketball went for an interesting look outfit with knee high socks. And although baseball used helmets, softball didn’t.

As for stadium differences, indoor sports competed in the old Paly gym while outdoor sports competed at the main field before Viking Stadium was built in 2013.

Baseball competed at their baseball field with older dugouts and one major difference: there was no outfield wall. Instead, the field stretched from home plate all the way to the PAUSD buildings at the far side of campus.

1976 was an exciting year for Paly. We officially changed from SPAL to SCVAL at the end of the year, pole vaulting was still part of track and field, and for the first time since 1887, heavy snow occured where the snow stayed on the ground for a long period of time. Paly student’s had a great time playing in the snow, building snowmen and organizing snowball fights. However the snow wasn’t fun for all. After boys tennis had a disappointing season, head coach Kortan remarked “if [only] some of the team could play tennis as well as they skied.”

1977 was our first official year in SCVAL. Boys basketball took advantage of their new schedule and won a SCVAL championship in their first year in the league. Also in 1977, girls track became a sport, opening up track and field to everyone. The same also happened to cross country as girls were able to join in 1977. Girls soccer had a good year as well. Although they finished third in league and didn’t win SCVAL’s, they managed to upset Los Altos 2-0 and end their three year win streak.

Paly wrestling also joined girls soccer with an upset, as they beat Gunn for the first time in seven years. Although cheerleading had been considered a sport for some time at this point in, 1977 had information regarding the team unlike previous years. Cheerleading was divided into four categories: the cheerleaders who made cheers and signs, the Pom Pon girls who would become the Paly Dance team, the Letter girls who would create routines, and the Little Vikes who would perform the cheers.

1980s One of biggest changes in recent mem-

ory occurred just before the 80s. Longtime rival Cubberley high school had closed its doors in 1979 and this created a divide between the former students. Roughly half of Cubberley’s students transferred to Paly and the other half transferred to Gunn. For former Cubberley athletes, suddenly switching schools was challenging. Other than the normal social and academic changes, another problem the new students faced was playing against their former teammates.

After the death of Cubberley High School, many sports began to have intense games with our across-town rivals.

An early post-Cubberley game was a girls varsity badminton SCVAL match. The team was top notch and normally crushed whoever they played against, but there was another powerhouse school that stood in Paly’s way of glory: Gunn. Gunn may have been a powerhouse, but Paly was a fortress. Sadly, Gunn was able to defeat Paly’s elite talents despite being considered the underdog. Although the battle was lost, the war had just begun and this war between most Paly and Gunn athletics continues to this day.

Another harsh rivalry created one of the more bizarre Paly sports moments occured in 1982. It was one of the first Paly disputes that turned a bit ugly. This was the first time Paly had to deal with taunting and threats from an opposing team and fan base. It was supposed to be a standard boys basketball at home against Santa Clara. Like the Gatos rivalry after a while, Santa Clara players and fans began targeting a Paly player. Paly center Nick Zaharias was mercilessly harassed throughout the game by the Santa Clara visitors who were so cruel and threatening that Zaharias had to be escorted to his car by his coach and a police officer. As a result from the toxic behavior from Santa Clara, many Paly players and fans were fearful of visiting Santa Clara when Paly played them, and sadly their fear became a harsh reality. Once again, Zaharias was subjected to harsh slurs from the fans, however, things soon escalated when Santa Clara forward Steve Glass punched Zaharias in the temple causing him to be knocked to the ground. After the blow from Glass, the benches cleared, a battle brewed, and stands emptied. After about a minute of fighting, several police officers were able to seperate the teams from each other and several fans were escorted out of the gym. Glass was immediately ejected and faced severe punishment for his vile actions, and Zaharias chose to sit on the bench for the rest of the game to avoid further violence. Several days after the game ended, Paly’s Principal Jim Shroyer

feared for the safety of his students and decided to ban Paly from playing Santa Clara in all sports along with banning any Paly fans to attend games in Santa Clara.

The major concern which prompted the ban was that Nick Zaharias was an amazing duel athlete who also played baseball, which began shortly after the end of the basketball season. Shroyer saw this as an opportunity for Santa Clara to continue to harrass both Zaharias and other Paly players. With no other clear and safe options, Schroyer and other Paly front office members decided that the only way to stop the hate being given to Zaharias and other athletes was to ban the matchup.

But besides the turmoil, Paly had some elite athletes during the 80s, but only a few were deemed epic enough to be considered icons outside of Paly sports.

None are more recognizable than Future Pro Bowler and Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, who was Paly’s quarterback from 1980-1982. Harbaugh would later go to win dozens of awards in football, from the college Big 10 MVP in 1986 to the NFL coach of year in 2011. However, Harbaugh was not the only athlete do be crowned a legend outside of Paly. Another key football player for both Paly and Washington State was Mike Beasley. Beasley was a defensive mauler who would run over lineman like a bulldozer. Beasley was 6’3 and 225 pounds but could bench over 350 pounds, making him one of the strongest players on Paly with his spectacular on field play, and one of the most scouted.

Beasley was also named all-CCS honors.

Another elite Paly talent was Bob Alstott.

Alstott was an All American water polo player who dominated in high school thanks to his insane strength and stamina.

After he graduated, he continued to play water polo at Stanford. Jumping out of the water, we reach three sport athlete Amy Robinson.

Robinson was a great lacrosse and soccer player and an even better basketball player. Despite being a star basketball player, Robinson decided to move east in order to play soccer at Brown. Robinson was praised her sophomore year for being a crucial presence on the pitch for her abilities to motivate teammates to exceed expectations. Many great athletes have attended Palo Alto high school over the years, however, the 80s produced some the best athletes in Paly’s history.

1990s The 90s offered plenty of fantastic memories that will be enshrined in glory for decades to come. Not only are these records recognized by Paly, but some are honored by the state too.

In 1992, Paly achieved one of the best seasons recorded in not only its history, but in California high school sports history. The 1992-1993 Boys varsity basketball recorded an amazing undefeated season with 30 wins. Despite being overlooked and underestimated, the Vikes finished the season being crowned the No.1 Division III in California. However, Paly didn’t only win games, they dominated games.

Paly would average at least 20 points.

Much like recent Paly’s basketball teams, the 1992 team thrived in shooting and defensive abilities. One team, however, made even Paly afraid, and that was the defending champion Morganside Monarchs. The Monarchs, despite having a worse record than Paly, were still favored because they had six future Division I players and their elite athleticism. Since this was the championship game it was held at the a large venue, the Oakland Scrapyard (Coliseum). The hype surrounding this game as huge with tons of fans showing up to cheer for their respected teams. The game itself was intense with tons of action and the score was always close. However, after a gut wrenching game, the Vikes were victorious, winning the game and being crowned champions. The 1992-93 team will be forever remembered in California athletic lore as one of the best boys basketball teams of all time.

In 1998 Paly sports were the kings and queens of CCS. To begin, the girls cross country team swept the competition. The girls team made it to state where they were crowned the best team in Northern California and were fourth in the entire state. Boys water polo decimated the peppy Menlo team to take the title of champions.

With a season of dreams and a year of dozens of championships, The 90’s held some of the best sports memories in Paly history.

2000s As the start of the 2000s began, Paly’s ever so successful sports climate faced some new problems. wAlthough not immune to a couple of bumps in the road, this decade also included some of Paly’s greatest athletes and will go down in history for it.

In 2008 Paly experienced one of their first CCS violations. The boy’s basketball team, coached by Peter Diepenbrock, had their 11-5 record revoked, ranking them as one of the lowest teams in their league.

The issue occurred when Australian transfer student Ed Hall was discovered to be ineligible to play. Diepenbrock ended up leaving his position soon after this incident to coach at Canada College. He later

ended up coming back to Paly.

Another issue erupted in Paly sports during 2008, when sophomore Alexandra Groetsema had no team on which to play girls golf on. She ended up trying out for the boys golf team, and becoming a co-captain. Even though the lack of our girl’s golf team was unfortunate, Groetsema inspired Paly to make one for the upcoming years.

The most interesting part of this decade comes with the development of school rivalries. Gunn water sports started dominating Paly water polo and swim. Also in that same time period, Gunn varsity girls basketball beat Paly which is unheard of these days. However, starting in 2009 after a decline in most Gunn sports, the initial rivalry between Paly and Los Gatos was established. The boys lacrosse team faced off with Gatos, losing by only one goal. This game started the flood of smack talking and competition against the two schools that still remain today. A fun fact is that the rivalry was revisited three years ago (2016), when the Paly girls lacrosse team had a fall out.

Although there were many downs in this decade, a couple of Paly sports teams were able to fight on and make history. In 2007 football player Mike Scott made the throw that let Paly beat Menlo-Atherton in CCS. A year after that our football team was able to beat Gatos with one field goal to advance into CCS. The years from 2000-2010 were also filled with some of our most famous athletic alumni. In 2006 Jeremy Lin graduated Paly and eventually got to the NBA. From 2007-2008 swimmer Liv Jensen had won two SCVAL and two CCS awards, and made history when she finished her 50 free race in only 22.39 seconds. Also in 2008, senior Teresa Noyola won the “Gatorade National Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year Award.” This award made her motivation comparable to legends like Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, and Peyton Manning who won the award in their respective sports. also She ended up playing soccer at Stanford and is now part of the National Women’s Soccer League. Lastly in 2009, Paly’s very own Michela Fossati Bellani was recruited to dive for USC after formerly being on the Italian National Diving team and holding many titles.

2010s Finally, the last decade of our centennial brings us to present day, and captures some repeats in sports history some may have missed.

In 2016 the same rivalry against Los Gatos was stirred up again when the girls lacrosse teams battled on the field. After

the game, tensions against Palo Alto and Los Gatos only heightened. Baseball has won four league championships in the last four years, ending the last one with a bang against Los Gatos. Boys lacrosse also crushed Los Gatos 13-3 for the SCVAL title last year. However most of the issues occurred during basketball games and football games after girls basketball beat Los Gatos for CCS in 2016, and football crushed them this year. Due to increasing tensions administration has taken steps to rebuild both schools’ sportsmanship towards each other.

As far as team records go, girls lacrosse won SCVALS in 2016 versus Gunn making history. Boys basketball won CCS in 2017, and Diepenbrock retired from coaching.

Girls golf won CCS two years in a row in 2018 and 2019. The girls basketball team won their first state game ever this year, and the cheer team won CCS. Along with many wins, there were also some losses. In 2012 Paly stopped having a gymnastics team. However with this loss there were two new teams, including boys volleyball being established in 2018, and girls field hockey being created in 2019.

On another unfortunate note, Paly again experienced issues with player eligibility in CCS. Both the girl’s lacrosse and soccer teams lost their chances at competing in CCS and SCVALS in 2013 because certain players did not have all the paperwork required to be on the team. Paly did not only lose two chances at league titles in 2013, but it was also the last year students played in the old gym.

The last game ever played in the gym was boys basketball against Sequoia, Paly boys secured a 61-47 win to wish the gym goodbye.

Even though this decade was filled with many memorable events, there is one that will remain the top moment in the 2010-2020 decade. In 2010 Palo Alto won the CIF state championship against Menlo Atherton, which the team this year failed to do.

That year’s team included arguably one of Paly’s best quarterbacks Christoph Bono, who was also named SF Mercury’s 2nd Team All Metro player of the Year, SJ Mercury News Player of the Year, and the SCVAL MVP. He ended up getting recruited to play baseball at UCLA, and is now part of the minor leagues.

Not only did the team have an amazing quarterback, they also had Michael Cullen who was named SCVAL’s outstanding linebacker, BJ Boyd who was an all-star athlete at Paly, and Davante Adams who now plays in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers.

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46 | V I K I N G M A G A Z I N E | w w w . v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g . c o m

The First Final Word

The New Regime

by SAM CLEASBY and KEVIN CULLEN Viking magazine has already established itself as the dominant publication at Paly, but with your new captains at the helm of quality opinion writing, Sam Cleasby and Kevin Cullen, the future is ever brighter. We wanted to set a precedent of the top-tier writing you should expect through 2020 with our first issue, and what better way to do that than with an article that can directly enhance your athletic performance? Welcome to the New Regime.

E

very athlete is accustomed to the half-time slump: when all adrenaline is absent and you begin to feel the physical toll from the game. The mental and corporeal battle of walking back out onto the field or court can drain what remaining energy you have stored. Any way you can replenish your energy gives you a major advantage over your opponent. Bring on the salts.

Dating back to the 13th century Roman Empire, Ammonia inhalants, also known as sniffing salts, smelling salts, or whatever tickles your pickle, have been used in medical scenarios to try to awaken someone who is unconscious.

However, smelling salts have recently taken over the contemporary sports world. Collegiate, professional, and even high school athletes have hopped aboard the huffing-train, taking a quick whiff of smelling salts to boost their athletic performance.

If these bad boys are used to revive someone from loss of consciousness, then you can only imagine the surge of energy induced by the salts. A summary of our diligent research on the health risks of ammonia inhalants is that the use of smelling salts in moderation has few

The New Regime brings out the salts with Jerry (the astronaut)

health risks but significant upside. For example, the study by the British Journal of Sports Medicine concluded that smelling salts can be effective and safe.

“While there are numerous case reports of the toxicity of ammoniacal agents when ingested in large doses or inhaled in high concentration for prolonged periods” the Journal wrote, “there are, in fact, no reports of adverse health problems related to the use of smelling salts in sport.”

In addition to in-game use, smelling salts have a profound effect on an athlete’s off-field training. It is common for athletes at all levels to use the salts during strength and conditioning sessions.

Most lifting sets take approximately 30 seconds to one minute. In comparison, the energy boost given by smelling salts lasts a similar amount of time. Therefore, smelling salts are perfect for powering through arduous lifts.

From a personal trial, when using smelling salts before a max set, one of us was able to increase the weight an extra 10 lbs, achieving a new personal record with the aid of the salts. This may be why the USA Powerlifting (USAPL) has banned the use of smelling salts for athletes under 18 years old. But this communist

Manning, Elliot, and Matthews (respectively) using sniffing salts in-game

ideology is fearful of inequality due inability to acquire smelling salts, even though smelling salts can be bought from Amazon and almost all major distributors for a measly $30.

A majority of professional athletes are continuously taking advantage of these adrenaline boosting inhalants to give them an edge throughout their competition. If the pros are doing it why shouldn’t you? If your dream is to one day be as talented as Ezekiel Elliott, Clay Matthews, or Peyton Manning you might as well hop on the huffing-train because they already are. Need more inspiration than two of the top performers in the NFL and a future Hall of Famer? Look no further than the NHL where those hosers have buckets of sniffing salts sitting right beside them on the bench.

The odds of becoming a professional athlete are slim to none, but with the aid of the salts your odds could be boosted considerably. That’s why everyone and their mamma should be on the salts.

Next time you have a spare $30 burning a hole in your pocket, don’t be a hooligan and waste it on some shenanigans, muster up the courage to order up some ammonia inhalants and upgrade your social status to “Alpha”. Bring on the salts.

@ v i k i n g s p o r t s m a g | MAY 2019

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