Around the league: fall sports in full swing
Senior Sam Mortimer rushes in for a touchdown to increase the lead to 25 points (Photo courtesy of Myiah Lucio, The Puma Prensa)
By Luke Shimer, sports editor
Football: The MCHS football team is off to a solid 3-4 start with three close losses as well as a big upset victory, the first win coming against Santa Rosa High School with a score of 32-12. Senior captains Gio Lucchesi and Sam Mortimer both had great games with Mortimer rushing for 185 yards and one touchdown and Lucchesi rushing for 185 yards and three touchdowns. Closing out this first win left the team with plenty of confidence going into their first league game against Analy High School where the Tigers were 27 point favorites. MCHS didn’t dwell on the prediction, however, beating Analy 31-27 in another close finish where junior Nathan Dipman intercepted the Tiger’s quarterback late, to finish off the victory.
Cross Country: The MCHS cross country team started out the season strong at the Rancho Cotate Invitational, Ed Sias Invitational, and the De la Salle Nike Invitational. On the guys’ end, the depth of the Pumas has been their key to success, with Sean Gubera, Grant Sanderson, and Jonathan Donohue have led the Puma pack on the guys' end. Jack Wilson and Gabe Sitton will be key players to help the Pumas in the postseason this November. Gracie Trenam, Kira Moe, Brooke Szczekocki, and Rebekah Taylor have assisted the women to a solid first half of the season. At the Clovis invitational, the women placed fifth out of 31 teams, and the men placed sixth out of 41 teams, putting them in the mix for a top 10 finish at the CIF state cross country championships this November.
Volleyball: Our MCHS volleyball team is off to a great start this season with a record of 21-5. In their first league game of the season they came out on top with a 3-0 victory over Montgomery High School and are in second place in the NBL Oak League. The team is led by senior Luka Amand as well as junior Sophia Heller. With great chemistry and communication the Pumas have been able to show great success on the court. In the second league game of the season the team came against Cardinal Newman High School and swept them as well with a score of 3-0, a super strong performance maintaining their first place spot and asserting them as a competitor to win the NBL Oak League title and make a run at the NCS Championships.
Women’s Tennis: The MCHS women’s tennis team is off to a great 13-0 start. The top three players on the team are seniors Kayla Nguyen, Colleen Morris, and junior Kailyn Shin who dominate the competition. They continue to prevail on the court and hope to defend their five year winning streak in the North Bay League.