Prep spotlight: How Valley Christian defied history to become one of WCAL’s top basketball teams
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VALLEY CHRISTIAN: HOW ARE WARRIORS DOING THIS?
Valley Christian is not a name that has typically been associated with boys basketball greatness in the Bay Area.
“Valley has been kind of the doormat of the WCAL for the last 20 years, right?” Valley coach Colin Pfaff said.
He’s not wrong. The Warriors have not had a winning season since 2017-18. They finished winless in West Catholic Athletic League play in 2014-15, 2012-13, 2010-11 and 2008-09.
But all of that is changing this season. Valley Christian is 17-5 overall and stands third in the WCAL with a league record of 8-4.
It’s the culmination of a three-year build under Pfaff.
In Year One, VC was 8-18.
In Year Two, the Warriors went 14-15.
This season, Valley swept Serra in the regular season for the first time in the MaxPreps era (since 2004). The Warriors beat Mitty for the first time since 2006, snapping a streak of 45 consecutive losses.
“A lot of these kids now, they weren’t here for that,” Pfaff said. “My first year, those kids have seen it. They were Valley Christian lifers, and that’s all they know. They just know that Valley Christian basketball loses. These kids, that’s not all they know. That winning mindset – that we can win games – that mindset has really shifted.
“So that’s been huge from a confidence standpoint, going in knowing you have a real shot to win any game.”
The talent on the floor has also improved. Senior Bellarmine transfer Brayden Harris has provided a scoring punch as the leading bucket-getter, and 6-foot-9 sophomore Teniola Bamisebi is an “an elite rim protector and defender,” Pfaff said. “That’s been great. That’s something we just haven’t had in the past.”
Junior Bryant Clark has filled a role as a supplementary scorer, most recently going off for 28 points on 12 of 12 shooting from the field in a 71-47 win over Sacred Heart Cathedral. And senior point guard Justin Hampton has been a steadying force while orchestrating Valley’s potent offense.
“It’s just been a really nice balance offensively and defensively,” Pfaff said.
So what’s next for the Warriors? A senior night date at home on Friday with No. 1 Archbishop Riordan, the top team in the Bay Area and perhaps the favorite to emerge from the CIF NorCal Open Division bracket this season.
Valley lost 73-46 to Riordan on Jan. 24 in San Francisco. Can the Warriors stay in the fight this time around?
“Oh man,” Pfaff said. “They’re just – obviously, they’re elite. They’ve got elite talent. They play really hard, and they play together. It’s a pretty special team. I think it’s Joey (Curtin)’s best team. It’s a tough matchup. They beat us by 27 at their place. They’re beating everybody by 30.
“We look forward to playing them. They’re one of the best teams in the state. That’s kind of why you do this, right? To see if you can surprise them or get them on an off night, and just see where it goes. But we certainly know we’re up against an elite high school team.”
Perhaps VC can take a page out of its girls soccer team’s playbook. The soccer Warriors, holding their senior night against No. 1 St. Francis on Wednesday, toppled the Lancers 1-0 in San Jose.
– Christian Babcock
OAK GROVE: GIRLS SOCCER PUNCHES PLAYOFF TICKET
Oak Grove has been the class of the Blossom Valley Athletic League’s West Valley Division and is poised to make the Central Coast Section girls soccer playoffs for the first time since 2016.
The school in southeast San Jose is 11-1-3 overall and 10-0-2 in its league.
It has been a complete shift from last season’s 4-6-2 record, one in which the school struggled to field a team because of poor grades, according to longtime coach Richard Robledo.
This year’s group has hit the books and stacked up victories.
It starts with sophomore striker Kalei Moala, who has a team-high 18 goals as a do-everything forward.
“She’s very physical and so, so quick,” Robledo said. “She will put away anything that’s in front of the net.”
Karen Bueno, Aimi Eda, Hannah Serrato and Brianna Karant form a tough-to-break-back four, while playmaker Vanessa Karant and defensively-minded Amari Gonzalez balance out the midfield.
“My expectation is to get to that next level and really challenge them,” Robledo said. “It has been a while since we’ve been there.”
– Joseph Dycus
ST. IGNATIUS: McCUSKEY-HAY READY FOR UPCOMING SEASON
One of the Bay Area’s top track and field athletes appears ready for the upcoming high school season. St. Ignatius junior Ellie McCuskey-Hay dominated at the California high school winter Track and Field championships in Arcadia last week.
Running for club team Marin Waves, she placed first in the 60 meters, crossing the finish line in 7.49 seconds. She also set personal bests in the 150- and 300-meter races while placing second in the long jump (18-8.25).
McCuskey-Hay captured the CCS 100-meter and long-jump championships in 2024 and was the WCAL champion in the 200-meter race.
– Joseph Dycus
JAMES LICK: COMETS GOAL-SCORING MACHINE
On the east side of San Jose, James Lick is led by an unstoppable scorer.
Leilani Cortez, a senior attacking midfielder, has scored 29 goals in just 16 matches for the Comets, finding the back of the net at least once in every match of Lick’s 9-6-1 season.
“Leilani does it all for us, and she leaves every game exhausted because she leaves it all on the field,” coach Jae Zaragoza told the Bay Area News Group on Thursday.
Cortez’s most prolific night came in the season opener as she scored five against KIPP-Navigate College Prep. She put four past the keeper in matches against Yerba Buena and league-leading Oak Grove.
She could have skipped playing for Lick for her senior year to focus on higher-level competition in club.
But the opportunity to take the field with her sister, Valerie, a freshman who is already starting at defensive midfielder, was too good to pass up.
“She is definitely family-oriented,” her coach said.
With Valarie behind her and flanked by attackers Jazmine Flores and Sherlyn Contreras, Cortez has led a Lick attack that has put up 40 total goals this season.
Zaragoza believes Cortez is the program’s all-time leading goal scorer.
Up next for Cortez is the University of Arizona, where she will play for the Division I program.
– Joseph Dycus
COACHING CAROUSEL: EAST BAY PROGRAMS HIRE FORMER PROS
Two East Bay football programs will have new faces on the sidelines in 2025.
Former NFL running back C.J. Anderson has been hired to be the head coach at Benicia, the school announced last week. Anderson, a Bethel alum, played six years in the NFL and helped the Denver Broncos win a Super Bowl at Levi’s Stadium in 2016. He was briefly the head coach at Monte Vista in 2021, leading the Mustangs to a 7-3 record and a North Coast Section playoff berth.
“Extremely excited for the opportunity to lead young men,” Anderson said in an Instagram post. “I want to thank everyone during this process.”
St. Mary’s-Berkeley has hired Trestin George Sr. to become its next head coach, the school announced on Thursday. George, a St. Mary’s alum, played defensive back at San Jose State and was briefly signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars roster in 2006. He had stints in the Canadian Football League as well as in arena football, where he played for the San Jose SaberCats for three seasons.
The move comes just two months after St. Mary’s parted ways with former coach Casey Moreno, who led the Panthers to a 6-4 record in 2024.
– Nathan Canilao