Category: Sports

By Jen Luu

The PHHS Varsity Volleyball team had its CCS (Central Coast Selection) game for quarter-finalists on Nov. 6 at home against Los Altos.  PHHS lost with a score of 3-1. The team placed second in League with a score of 11-3 and ended its season with a score of 21-10.  The players faced some difficulty against their opponent in the first and second sets.

“We had trouble with the serve receive, which is what starts off the rally,” conveys Varsity player Taylor Garvey.

However, the momentum changed in the third set.  The Varsity Volleyball team regained their energy and refined their focus.

“We started to score more points, which made us pretty excited,” claims Varsity player Cynthia Tran.  “We ended up winning that set.”

In the face of these challenges, the Varsity players were able to maintain their composure and strength to fight back as much as possible.  Despite the loss, the Varsity team continued to persist until the very end of the game with the durability they had.

“Our team’s greatest strength was probably defense,” recalls Garvey.

Although the season ended with a loss, that is not to say the team’s efforts were fruitless.  Given the obstacles of synchronizing with new teammates at the beginning of the season, solidifying the teamwork was a difficult issue at first; however, the players eventually found cohesiveness in their cooperation.  From a cumulative standpoint, the Varsity team was able to persevere and move forward.

“The season overall was really good.  We just wanted to stay in the A-League and make it to CCS, and that’s what we did,” reveals Tran.

Meanwhile, the JV volleyball team concluded its season on Oct. 27 with its final game against Evergreen Valley.  The JV team lost to Evergreen Valley with a score of 25-21 in the first set and 25-22 in the second set.

“I feel like we could have done better,” recalls JV player Elisha Villanueva.

The JV Volleyball team had a slightly rocky beginning as well.

“We faced trouble (because) it was a new team, and some of us knew each other and others didn’t really know each other,” explains JV player Lauren Lin.  “So we had a hard time with (our) team bonding.”

Despite these problems, the JV Volleyball team was able to overcome its rough start.  As the season progressed, members were able to strengthen their cooperation on the court as they gained more experience.

“We had really good chemistry at the end.  We could work together and we had really good communication,” reveals Lin.  “There was a time (in one of our other games) when we were down by ten points and we really wanted to win, so we decided that we would stop making errors to fight back harder.  We worked on our defense and offense, and we ended up winning the game.”

Regardless of the loss, JV Volleyball members still remain hopeful and optimistic.

“Of course losing is not always fun, but learning from my mistakes during (the) next practice (gave me insight) on what I had to work on,” reflects Lin.

By Daniel Kokoski

 

“We were really prepared. We just didn’t come in there and play our best game that day.” solemnly affirmed Coach Alex Nguyen.

After their first CCS (Central Coast Section) match on Nov. 8 at Independence High School , the Girls’ Tennis team lost 4-3 against Santa Catalina School’s tennis team.

“The CCS match was really close. I think we all played really well, but we didn’t win.” concluded Co-Captain Kelly Chau.

According to the co-captains of the team, there were numerous factors that led to the loss of the game, such as the lack of private coaching and lack of funding.

“If we had funding, we would be able to buy new nets because our nets are sagging, new windbreakers, new balls,” acknowledged Chau.  “The schools that we play against that also get into CCS, most of their players have private coaching outside of school, like Santa Catalina.  They all have special programs while we don’t have that.”

Consequently, Santa Catalina’s team proved to be a formidable adversary for the Girls’ Tennis team.
“The (Santa Catalina) team we were playing against was really good.  They were really successful in their season before (CCS started), so it’s just a matter of who was better (at tennis overall),” explained Co-Captain Tiffany Nguyen.

Despite the team’s loss, the team remained positive and felt proud of their hard work.

“It’s kind of bittersweet, but I’m really proud of everyone because we really improved over the season,” optimistically reassured T. Nguyen.

Prior to the first CCS match, the team had been practicing hard and diligently for the first CCS game.

“We practiced every weekday until 6 pm.  There’s a lot of different kinds of drills; we hit ground strokes, and there’s volley drills, serve drills,” elaborated T. Nguyen.

Along with intense practice, the team became more connected and full of spirit.

“This year everyone is more involved in practices.  A lot more people came to practice and they actually enjoyed it,” positively remarked senior Varsity member Cindy Ke.

Nevertheless, the team planned to organize a banquet in order to celebrate the team’s hard work and achievements.

By Vivian Lin

On Nov. 12, fifteen members of the Cross Country team competed in the CCS (Central Coast Section) race in Belmont, Calif. at Crystal Springs.  Eight runners from the Varsity Girls’ team and seven runners from the Varsity Boys’ ran at the competition.

The competition started at 11am and ended at 2:30pm, with the boys’ race starting at 12:20pm and the girls’ starting at 12:50pm.

The course ran for three miles: the first mile consisted of downhill and uphill terrain, the second mile of flat land and rolling hills and the third mile of rolling hills.

“They all ran the course with no problem so I think it went well.  Everyone felt that they could have done better, but I really love how they went out and ran their best,” exclaimed manager Elaine Luong.

Photography teacher and Cross Country coach Ian Tippetts has been training the team intensely for the big day by adding several weeks more to the cross country season just for their practice sessions.

CCS practices were also handled differently than normal season training, with longer runs and harder sets.  Because the number of runners was cut down to fifteen, training became a lot more personal as well.

“CCS training is a little different because Mr. Tippetts focuses on us more than the whole group itself, so we get more individual coaching,” explained sophomore Samantha Tran.

Running for the Varsity team proved to be a challenge for some, but runners overcame their obstacles through hard work and determination.

“I’m a JV girl that went up to Varsity.  (The Varsity runners) run faster than I do during practice so I’m running faster during practice and it’s pretty hard,” revealed junior Cindy Hoang.

“Last year I didn’t race on Varsity.  I liked racing on varsity (this year) and racing with other people.  They pushed me to be faster, so it was a good experience,” commented sophomore Henry Zheng.

The Varsity team also had many bonding events, like getting dinner after runs and having rap battles with other team members during Team Night which was on the eve of CCS.

“(CCS) was kind of sad because it was the last race of my high school career.  What I’ll miss the most is the environment, the good attitudes,” reminisced Varsity Boys Captain Austin Rubalcava.

By Emily Zhao

On Wed. Oct. 19, the PHHS Girls’ Cross Country team raced against schools in the Mt. Hamilton league for the last Montgomery meet of the season.  Varsity scored 3-4  and Junior Varsity scored 6-1.

“Even if we didn’t all (set a personal record), I feel like everyone tried their hardest,” recalled Varsity runner Gloris Qiu.

The team will also be competing at league finals this Halloween, whose results determine which league the team will be racing in throughout the following season. The top seven Varsity runners will then compete at CCS Finals in Bellarmine College Preparatory School on Nov. 12.

This season, Cross Country coach Ian Tippetts implemented cuts, limiting the team to 21 runners: Varsity, Junior Varsity, and reserves, each with seven runners.  With fewer runners on the team, many believe that practices are more intense and specialized.

“There’s more pressure because there (are) more expectations of you.  Because there’s less people, (Coach Tippetts) can manage each individual better,” explained Junior Varsity member Valerie Nguyen.

After every meet when the runners’ times are posted, Coach Tippetts sets a selective goal for each member to aim for.  The goal typically ranges from 30 seconds to two minutes faster than the runners’ previous time, according to Nguyen.

With the addition of cuts, the team environment is more tight-knit.

“The team environment is honestly just so great.  It doesn’t matter how fast you are (or) how slow you are, everyone’s kind of just dying the same amount.  (There’s) a really good sense of community,” quipped Team Manager Christine Pham.

In preparation for meets, the team also changed up their strategy this year.

“If we’re going against someone that we know is tougher competition, then we’ll look at their past times and see where we want to be as a team,” added Varsity runner Alina Doan.

“Cross country is a hard sport and it is mentally tiring, but I feel like after every run, after every practice, it’s all worth it,” announced Qiu.

By Arthur Hoang

The Boy’s Cross Country runs back into action as they ready up for their next couple of meets. As school started once again the season started and the cross country training started as well.

The Boys’ Cross Country has already run four meets so far. The first four meets are held at Montgomery Hill Park near Evergreen Valley College.

The first meet, the team lost all their races then the second race the team won all their races. After the first four races both the Varsity and the Freshman/ Sophomore cross country runners were 2-2 races.

During the third meet, the team got third place but they felt it wasn’t the best they could put out but the team won’t let it happen again.

“Overall, the team did fairly well, but we had some hiccups here and there (two runners fell),” said Junior Varsity Runner William Chung.

Finally, the last meet the team did great, many people improved their times even people that were sick and ran the course.

The cross country team is constantly improving dropping sometimes more than two to three minutes off their individual times.

When cross county doesn’t have a meet during that week, members would do long runs six to thirteen miles long or short and intense runs ¼ mile long.

“Training consist of running to Alum Rock Park to the track to hills,” says Chung

During training the team adds core work two times a week doing exercises like mason twist, bye kicks and biking along with stretches while injured runners use stationary bikes.

“Our practices have been pretty intense… To prepare us to race against other competitors,” states Varsity Runner Anthony Qiu.

They have logged up to 50 practices and more than 200 miles.

When cross country has a meet during the week, the team take it easier to prevent injury and become unnecessarily tired before the meet.  They would drop two to six miles from their normal runs.

In a week the cross country team will have their league finals at Crystal Springs

By Hannah Tong and Justin Nguyen

The PHHS Girls’ Varsity Volleyball team started the 2016 season in late August.  While their original goal was merely to stay in A-League, they’ve managed to win game after game, surpassing their goal and achieving what last year’s team had been able to accomplish.

The Pirates’ home schedule ended on Tuesday with a victory over Westmont, a game promoted as part of Senior Night.  As of Tuesday’s game, the Girls’ Varsity Volleyball team league record is currently 10-3.

“I thought yesterday’s senior night game was a fantastic part of the end of my high school volleyball career,” comments senior Taylor Garvey.  “The posters were gorgeous, and it all felt very special.  It was also amazing to see so many people come out to support our team.”

While many of the girls have played together in past years, having the most recent addition to the team, Coach Ululani Pomroy, has changed the dynamic of the team.  With a new coach, the girls set up new goals for this year and have been working hard towards achieving them.

With one of the highest game records in the Mount Hamilton Division, the lady pirates have been able to make it to CCS once again this year.

“I am proud of my team for making it to CCS again,” says sophomore Emily Pereira.  “It’s amazing to look at how far we’ve gone through the season.”

The chemistry of the team has also been growing stronger as the season progressed.  Fueled by teamwork, the team played hard to win all four of their matches and achieve first place at the MVLA Tournament held in Mountain View High School on Sat., Oct. 15.

“It was the greatest feeling ever,” states captain and outside hitter Allie Pereira.  “We fought so hard, and I am so proud to say that we beat so many strong teams that doubted us.”

The season concluded on Thursday against Evergreen Valley, a team the Pirates had defeated earlier in the month.

By Leiana Baclig

The Varsity Football team has kicked off the season with a record of 4-2.  The four teams Piedmont Hills had defeated were North Salinas, Mt. Pleasant, Willow Glen and Pioneer.  Piedmont Hills finally beat Pioneer for the first time since the 2010 championship.

“Our record shows the final outcome of the game, but it does not show all the skill we have on the team.  We can go 8-2 if we work as a team,” commented RB (Running Back)  and OLB Outside Linebacker) Alex Mora.

One of the biggest struggles the team is playing as individuals instead of playing as a whole team.  The players are working on their team chemistry so they can work better on the field together.  Their physicality on offense is a bit weak, but they have been lifting weights to develop their strength.  During practice, the players do hitting drills to help them be more physical on offense.  Once the team has developed a stronger physicality on offense, they will be more scary on sight.

The team has had some major improvements from the start of the season.  They became stronger on defense by doing more tackling drills and changing up their defensive scheme.  Their knowledge of knowing plays is stronger than it was last season; the players have the ability to accomplish the plays within a matter of seconds.  The team is faster this season because they have faster players.

“Our team’s strongest skill is our ability to play our speed to our advantage. We might be the smallest team in our league in terms of physical size and stature, but we might be the fastest.  We definitely use that to our advantage,” mentioned TE (Tight End) and DE (Defensive End) Michael Bird.

The team is currently working on passing plays called by their coaches.  They want to be able to complete the plays by making better passes.

“They (coaches) know what they are doing, and we have trust them, so we have to go out there and prove to everyone how pirate football is played,” Mora continues.

The players are working hard during their games practices and games.  Focusing on the present is what they do to not get carried away with their wins and losses.

“Our team’s goal is a CCS (Central Coast Section) Championship.  Anything less is a disappointment,” stated Bird.

BUMP SET SPIKE Freshman Kaitlyn Seawright refuses to let the ball drop.

Photo: Rosa Lin

By Sommer Fowler

Girls Volleyball ended their season with a score of 3-0 against Evergreen Valley in a home game on Nov. 5.  Varsity girls will continue to CCS (Central Coast Section) as league champions.

The team held strong throughout the season and lost only one game at the beginning of the season to Del Mar.  The girls faced Del Mar again and gained victory, never losing a game since.  The team currently has an 11 game winning streak.

“Ever since then we’ve been strolling along through the season,” explains varsity player Kiane Floyd.  “Coming back and beating them was a big confidence boost”.

The players stress the importance of being a single united team in order to keep their winning streak alive. “I think that we had really good team chemistry,” comments varsity player Allison Pereira.  The team is always looking to improve and perfect, so they’re “still working on [their] communication” reveals Floyd.

Coach Beti Nham have pushed the girls through training and led them to success using careful strategy. “The coaches are our biggest cheerleaders and are there to watch us succeed throughout our season,” remarks Varsity player Ivy Johnson.

Many players were returnees of the last season, making it easy to predict the team’s skill early in the season.  “It was a well prepared season,” acknowledges Floyd, “we already knew from the start what our season was going to look like.  We only lost about three seniors,” explains Pereira.

The girls are currently gearing toward CCS, hoping to take the title.  They now face the challenge of getting into the CCS mindset after spending a season focused on league championships.  “We want to win CCS for sure,” says Pereira. The first goal is to win the first round and “see what happens from there”.

The team is not taking training for CCS lightly.  In addition to regular practice, the girls “watch our opponents’ film to see how they play so we know how to play stronger against them” reveals Johnson.

Individual players also have some goals of their own they wish to accomplish. Floyd is hoping to “end (her) season very well. (She) really wants to get her name on that banner in the gym”.

CCS began Wednesday, Nov. 11 in the PHHS gym 7pm.

By Patrick Trieu

Varsity Football

The Varsity Football team continues its season in games against Leland High School, Santa Teresa High School, Oak Grove High School, and Live Oak High School.

The team suffered hard losses against Leland and Santa Teresa.

“It was a tough game, we had em at the end of the game. Second half was so much better half than the first half, but we just didn’t come out on top,” describes Slot and Quarter Back Joquel Walker as he recounts the away game against Santa Teresa.

Despite these tough and difficult losses, the team continues to practice and work hard to overcome these obstacles

“We will play better and get the team to try to make playoffs.” says Coach Matthew Kiesle.

The close bond of the team is instrumental in driving the team to work and play hard at games.

“Before games and all that, we all get together and get hyped for the game,” reminisce Outside Linebacker Marty Aceves.

The Varsity Football team’s main goal is to make it to CCS (Central Coast Section) Championships, where they will face off against other schools in the East Side Union High School District.

The team lost last Friday’s Home game against Oak Grove High School. The football season will come to a close with its last game today against Live Oak High School.

JV Football

The JV Football team follows up their season with games against Leland High School, Santa Teresa High School, Oak Grove High School, and Live Oak High School.

The team continues its successful start with consecutive wins against Leland and Santa Teresa. This streak of victories are the result of the team’s practice, hard work, and teamwork.

“It feels good when I get a point in and help out the team” conveys Wide Receiver Demarri Floyd.

The JV Football team won last Friday’s Home game against Oak Grove, and will have its final game today against Live Oak High School.

CHEERS! The girls celebrate their season of hardwork and dedication.

Photo courtesy of Hannah Lim

By Emilie Chau

The PHHS Varsity Girls Tennis team made it to CCS (Central Coast Section) Championships after winning against Westmont High School on Thurs., Oct. 29.  They won with a score of 5-1, ensuring Piedmont Hills a place in CCS this year.  The first game for CCS was on Mon., Nov. 9 against Archbishop Mitty High School with a score of __ at the Santa Clara Bay Club.

In order to qualify for CCS, a team needs to be placed in first, second, or third place in the division. First and second place get automatically seated while third place is required to win two more matches against other teams in the BVAL (Blossom Valley Athletic League) in order to qualify for CCS.

In order to prepare for CCS, the team has worked extra hard with more drills and practices.  Training included various warm ups such as down the line shots (where the player hits the ball straight down the line of the tennis court to the other side).

In contrast to normal practices, which include both JV and Varsity members, practices for CCS only consisted of the Varsity team.

“We usually prioritize the JV but for practice for CCS we only have Varsity members play,” states Varsity member Hannah Lim on the difference between normal practices and practices for CCS.

Last year’s Varsity team consisted of mostly seniors, making this year’s team almost new.  However, with bonding sessions such as movie nights, the girls have become a very tight-knit team.

“In the beginning of the year–since a lot of seniors left–we weren’t that close, but by the end of the season we got super close,” says Varsity player Katelynn Grajeda.

JV and Varsity Girls Tennis team members both continue to work hard on their skills, striving to improve their abilities with every game they encounter this season. The team’s close-knit and friendly attitude will keep them together through their victories and losses throughout this tournament.