Cate School’s boys soccer team currently sits at 13-0, having outscored opponents 70-4. They are the top-ranked team in Division VII, and recently found out that they are ranked 41st in the nation.
“In truly the season of Santa Barbara being ‘Soccer Heaven,’ we’re trying to do our little part,” said Athletic Director Wade Ransom at Monday’s Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Press luncheon.
Cate freshman Teddy Mauze
One of the team’s young stars, Teddy Mauze, was at Harry’s to be honored at Male Athlete of the Week. The freshman scored both goals in the Rams’ rivalry win over No. 4 Thacher last week, and has 14 scores on the year.
“There is no question that scoring records at Cate are in jeopardy over the next four years,” said Ransom, reading a statement from coach Dave Mochel.
Older brother Jackson Mauze was also in attendance. The senior is on the way to six seasons of being an athletic captain in his high school career.
BISHOP LEGACIES: The Bishop Diego girls basketball team split a pair of games last week against teams that can really shoot the ball. Oak Park and Nordhoff combined to shoot 73 treys against the Cardinals, but luncheon attendees Josie McCoy and Greer Shull, both sophomores, led the way to pick up a win over the Rangers.
Both players are the daughters of former Bishop basketball greats, Jim McCoy and the late Rodney Shull, whom coach Jeff Burich said he admired greatly as a youngster.
“I got to see and read about them in the paper all the time, and it’s just really a privilege to have the opportunity to coach such great kids,” said Burich.
MARCH MADNESS: It may not top having John Wooden, but this year’s speaker at the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table March Madness event is pretty impressive. SBART board member Rick Wilson announced that Santa Barbara High graduate Jamaal Wilkes will be the keynote speaker at the event on March 24th at the Cabrillo Arts Pavilion.
Sportsperson of the Month Rich Ridgway
Wilkes went on to be one of UCLA’s all-time greats before a fabulous NBA career in which he won the 1975 Rookie of the Year award. He played for the Warriors, the Lakers and the Clippers, winning four titles and making the All-Star Game three times.
For more information on the event, click here.
SPORTSPERSON OF THE MONTH: San Marcos parent Rich Ridgway has been heading up the Royals’ Field of Champions project, which seeks to raise $850,000 for a turf field at Valley Stadium. Ridgway’s pitch to the luncheon audience (see video above) was a testament to his genuine passion for the project.
“If you bring up the name Ridgway in this community it’s instant credibility,” said San Marcos Athletic Director Abe Jahadhmy.
“If we get this field built our kids are going to benefit big-time, and so are the rest of the kids on sports teams in this community,” said Ridgway.
SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Elliot Serbin will be taking his talents from the campus of Laguna Blanca to Stanford next year, and his academic success makes it no surprise that he’s wanted up in Palo Alto. Serbin, a basketball player, carries a 4.5 GPA with four AP classes, and is the school photographer for its award-winning newspaper, The Fourth Estate. He is a member of the Cum Laude Society and is a National Merit Commended Scholar. Last year, he won the PIEA International Photography Contest in the portfolio category.
He’s been a standout on the basketball team, but has had a tough time with injuries over the past two seasons. Last year he broke his nose, and earlier this season he dislocated his shoulder but was back on the court after just a couple of weeks.
San Marcos' Hannah Koper
FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: The San Marcos girls water polo team was playing with a depleted lineup for the Bonita Tournament last week but still managed to take second place. They were seeded fourth heading into the event but exceeded their seeding before falling in the finals. Female Athlete of the Week Hannah Koper was named to the All-Tournament Team, and she also scored five goals in a win over Ventura earlier in the week.
The Athletes of the Week are actually nominated and voted on by a panel of 10 local sportswriters. Cate has nothing to do with it. He certainly had a big week.