Preps of the week: MCAL crowns champions in soccer, basketball
All four MCAL titles in soccer and basketball were handed out in roughly a 24-hour period spanning Friday and Saturday nights. Four different high schools took home pennants — Archie Williams in boys soccer, Branson in girls soccer, Marin Catholic in boys basketball, and Redwood in girls basketball.
In addition, a trio of Marin finishers secured first-place finishes at the North Coast Section Division II championships on Saturday.
Devin Singh, Henry Miller, and Sean Chamberlin, Archie Williams boys soccer
It’s been a number of years since an MCAL soccer team won three games en route to the title but as the No. 4 seed, Archie Williams had no choice. Chamberlin and Miller made penalty kicks – along with Silas Eyler and Isaac Terry – to lift the Peregrine Falcons past Redwood in the first round. Goalie Aidan Dunn also came up with a pair of key saves in that shootout. Miller scored the equalizer then Singh scored the winning goal — assisted by Chamberlin — in a 3-1 semifinal win against top-seeded Tam. Singh set up both goals – Miller in the 62nd minute and Chamberlin in the 72nd minute – as the Peregrine Falcons claimed the postseason title that had eluded them each of the past two seasons.
Sophie Arnal and Luna Diaz, Branson girls soccer
Arnal and Diaz combined to score all five of Branson’s goal en route to the program’s third MCAL title in four years. Arnal scored the first two goals in a 3-0 win against Tam – the assists coming from Diaz and Tait Anderson. Diaz capped the scoring following a pass from Hailey Sellers. Diaz broke the seal in the title game, scoring in the 49th minute against Redwood, following an assist by Anya Sridharan. Arnal netted her third goal of the week to put the game away in the 72nd minute.
Micah Pierce, Joe Hammond, and Jack Herman, Marin Catholic boys basketball
On a team that prides itself on being 17 deep, there were contributions up and down the roster as MC defeated Redwood and Branson en route to the MCAL title. Pierce came off the bench against Redwood to score 10 points to go with four steals, three offensive rebounds and two blocks. Pierce also excelled early against Branson, stepping up during the game’s pivotal run in the second quarter. Pierce scored six points to help MC pull away before the half and finished with a team-high six rebounds. Hammond, the team’s point guard, scored 10 points and had four assists in the title game. Herman, who recently returned from an injury, led the team with 13 points in the final.
Drew Schultz, Kitty White, and Brooke Denler, Redwood girls basketball
The trio accounted for almost all of Redwood’s scoring during a 47-21 victory over No. 3 Marin Catholic in the MCAL title game. Schultz, a sophomore, led all scorers with 16 points. White added 14 and Denler scored 12 as the trio produced 40 of the team’s 47 points in the final. All three players scored in double digits in the semifinal win over Branson, with White scoring a game-high 15, Denler scoring 13, and Schultz adding 11. White, a senior, is 19 points away from 1,500 for her career as Redwood prepares for the NCS Division I playoffs. Two other Giants scored in double figures against the Bulls with Jaden Vangorder netting 12 and Phoebe Saibel scoring 11.
Braeden Carroll, Novato boys wrestling
Carroll continued his winning ways as Novato High hosted the inaugural NCS Division II tournament on Friday and Saturday. Carroll, who secured his fourth consecutive MCAL title in the heavyweight division the week prior, added the NCS D-II title to his resume. Carroll picked up three wins on Saturday, including a 3-1 decision against American Canyon’s Nicholas Aken in the final. Carroll, who has hopes of qualifying for State, will look to win his first title at the NCS championships next weekend after placing second last year and fourth in 2024.
Sofi De Jesus, Archie Williams girls wrestling
De Jesus is Marin’s other best bet to make it to State as a wrestler after racking up three wins en route to the 107-pound title at the NCS D-II tournament on Saturday. De Jesus pushed her record to 21-6 on the season, highlighted by a victory against Del Norte’s Allie Bartley in the final.
Catania DeKeyrel, San Marin girls wrestling
DeKeyrel was also victorious at the NCS D-II tournament despite coming in as the No. 6 seed at 155 pounds. DeKeyrel defeated the top two seeds – No. 1 Nina De Lane of Analy and No. 2 Sanaiya Owens of American Canyon – en route to the title. DeKeyrel pinned Owens with 20 seconds left in the first period to secure the title.
Duke Elkington, Terra Linda boys soccer
The sophomore striker scored both goals to lift TL to a 2-0 win against Branson in the first round of the playoffs. Elkington missed the semifinal battle with San Rafael, limiting TL’s attacking options against the Bulldogs. TL packed it in defensively and won 4-1 on penalties following 100 minutes of scoreless soccer.
Yasmin Lopez, San Rafael girls soccer
The Bulldogs ended an MCAL postseason drought that stretched back at least 20 years by qualifying for the league tournament. Lopez made sure the feel-good story of the season had one more chapter, scoring the lone goal of the game in a 1-0 victory against Archie Williams. Lopez, a freshman defensive midfielder, scored from about 35 yards away to send San Rafael into the semifinals where they ultimately fell 2-0 against Redwood.
NJ Gray, Branson boys basketball
Gray was a walking bucket during the MCAL playoffs, scoring at least 30 points in every game as the third-seeded Bulls made it to the title game. Gray poured in 40 points in a first-round win against Tam then had 37 as Branson upset No. 2 Archie Williams in the semifinals. Gray tried to keep Branson close in the final, scoring another 30 points to bring his total for the week to 107 – an average of 35.7 points per game.
Cecilia Biernat, Marin Catholic girls basketball
Biernat scored a game-high 14 points to lead MC to a 4-37 upset win against San Marin in the MCAL semifinals. Biernat led the way for MC again in the final, scoring 11 to account for more than half of her team’s 21 points.