SANTA BARBARA DONS
COACH: Mark Walsh
SEASON OUTLOOK: The Dons return nearly everyone from last season’s team,
which finished third in the Channel League and was knocked out in the first
round of the playoffs. Santa Barbara is now in Division 1 with the rest of the
league and is ranked sixth in preseason polls with 12 seniors leading the way.
Standout goalie Hunter Ploch is back in the cage while USA Junior Team player
Ian Gamble will surely be one of the team’s leaders. Parker Peterson is recovering
from a broken nose he sustained during the team’s two week trip to Croatia and Hungary,
two water-polo crazy countries, over the summer.
Coach Mark Walsh has won a lot of CIF titles in his tenure at the helm, but the goals
for this year are to get to the playoffs. From there, anything can happen.
SAN MARCOS ROYALS
COACH: Jeff Ashton
SEASON OUTLOOK: Senior Sam Boysel and junior Travis Johnson are the only two
varsity players back for Jeff Ashton’s squad this season. Johnson was a second-team Channel
League selection last season and was a first-team All-American at the Junior Olympics for the
U16 division in the offseason.
Ashton hopes the Royals can finish in the top half of all three of the tournaments they will play
in this year, and also says that his team should be in the hunt for the third spot in league behind
DP and Santa Barbara.
“Our goal this year is to continue to grow as we are a relatively inexperienced team in varsity
competition,” said Ashton
CATE RAMS
COACH: Nathan Alldredge
SEASON OUTLOOK: This year’s Cate team is one in transition. After many years leading
the program, the esteemed Charles Plummer has returned to coaching football, leaving the
team with a new coach for the first time in recent memory.
The Rams return a wealth of experienced players, with seven seniors leading the way.
Critical for success will be the play of center Flynn McGuire, drivers Dana Edwards,
Conrad Kurth, Will Weaver and Brian Warren, utility player Brett Diemer, and goalie
Andrew Lin. The offense will heavily rely on the 6’5″ McGuire. His size has the potential
to wreak havoc on the opposition’s center defenders with his drive and strength. Edwards,
Kurth and Warren are all quick on the counter, Weaver is a force in the middle, and Diemer
will provide much of the team’s spark and grit. The benchmark of the defense will be Andrew
Lin in the cage. Having been together for several years, the team chemistry is there to build on
last year’s 3-7 Pacific View league record and 5-9 record overall.
With a tough league vying against large Oxnard schools, Cate looks to shake up the competitio
by surprising some teams. The first test at Villanova September 23.
