Carlmont High School’s 2023-2024 athletic season is nearing its end. With more than a dozen sports spread across all three seasons, the Scots have obtained excellent results this year. From fall to spring, the Scots have been very successful.
Badminton
The Scots badminton team had one of their most successful seasons to date. The coed team won the Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) Bay Division with an undefeated record through the likes of freshman Grace Liu and sophomore Jackson Mao.
“By penetrating and brutally defeating our opponents, we were able to beat everyone,” Liu said.
Baseball
Carlmont’s baseball team had a slow year. JV finished 10-4 this season, which placed them third in their division. For varsity, some tough losses tallied their record to a meaner 6-8. Varsity hopes to bounce back next season. According to sophomore Benjamin Taylor, the freshmen class this year was very strong, creating lots of excitement around the program for future years.
Basketball
Girls varsity basketball ended their season with a record of 7-3, finishing them second in the league. JV, on the other hand, finished 5-5 in the season. The boys had a good year, with solid performances. JV had a very strong year with a final record of 7-3. Their toughest rival was Menlo-Atherton (M-A), who narrowly beat them in their matchups. Varsity finished with a record of 7-3 as well. Key player Jeremiah Phillips is returning for his senior year, making the Scots a threat once again. The freshman team finished with a record of 2-4 in their league.
Cheer
Cheer had a very successful season, securing themselves a Central Coast Section (CCS) playoff trophy. They retained their CCS title, with two wins in two years. According to Emma Fry, they played very well and had a really strong performance, leading to their win. They are looking to repeat their title next year, by training hard and staying in form.
Cross country
The cross country team has had a very successful season, coming in second place for both the boys and girls teams. With 15 teams in the league, the boys scored a total of 80 points, only five away from first place. The girls ended with the same score but were only four points away from beating M-A.
Dance
Carlmont’s dance team had another successful year. The team hired a new coach and expanded the program, allowing them to attend three competitions, more than they have done in the past. They also started doing sideline performances for basketball in addition to halftime for football and basketball, according to junior Alissa Zirelli.
Flag Football
The inaugural flag football team went undefeated in the fall. The team finished 10-0 on the season with their greatest win being 32-0 against big rivals, the Sequoia Ravens. Coach Oscar Fabic cemented the skills for the athletes to become successful.
“The biggest thing I learned from this season was understanding my limitations and those of my athletes. How to best maximize performance, given the conditions,” Fabic said.
Winning our first game on homecoming was super fun, but missing playoffs was a bummer considering we knew we could do better as a team. Hopefully, we will come back and do better next year.
— Oliver Diamond
Football
The Scots football team had a rough and slow start to their preseason games. With multiple losses building up, they were looking to improve and bounce back. When the season started, both the JV and varsity teams trained and played hard, resulting in a first-place finish for the JV team and a second-place finish for the varsity team.
“Winning our first game on homecoming was super fun, but missing playoffs was a bummer considering we knew we could do better as a team. Hopefully, we will come back and do better next year,” said junior Oliver Diamond.
Golf
Both boys and girls golf had a successful year. The girls won the PAL division and qualified for the CCS playoffs. The boys finished second in the PAL division and came within a couple of strokes to qualify for states. Seniors Kiana Flores and Kyle Lam both finished their season strong, with Flores shooting a 35 in her final regular season match, and Lam shooting 78 in CCS.
Lacrosse
Carlmont’s lacrosse teams had their ups and downs this season, with the varsity boys finishing with a record of 6-4, landing them third in league standings. JV finished with a record of 4-4, placing them fifth in the standings. The girls, on the other hand, had a rough season as well. According to junior Caroline Sanchez, both teams struggled throughout the season with some coaching changes but pushed through. Varsity finished with a league record of 2-8, and JV finished with a record of 3-1.
“We were super close to getting first in the league, which has never happened. We lost some games we should have won. We are definitely capable of being first place next year,” said sophomore Arthur Bernadi.
Soccer
The Scots soccer program had a pretty successful season. The varsity boys soccer team ended second in their league with mixed results, very similar to the JV boys as well. With both teams experiencing multiple injuries throughout the season, they played on and obtained the results they were looking for. The varsity team qualified for CCS through their performance in the league. The freshman team had an overall record of 6-1.
“I think that we grew a lot as a collective, and everyone worked hard to reach that open division spot. Even though we ended up losing first round of the playoffs, I don’t think anyone had any regrets about the season,” said Nolan Wong, a freshman on the varsity team.
The varsity girls team had a very rough season, not able to secure a league win. On the other hand, the JV girls team secured a first-place finish, with three more wins than the second-place team.
Softball
The Scots softball team had another successful season. In the beginning, the Scots looked to dominate once again. Varsity finished with a record of 12-2, listing them first in league standings, and JV finished with a record of 5-5.
Swimming
Carlmont’s swimming continued their dominance with each team finishing first in the standings. The JV boys were the only team to not finish with an undefeated record, 6-1. The remaining teams finished 7-0. Multiple swimmers qualified for states, most notably the relay team consisting of seniors Kelsey Leung, Piper Diehn, Sydney Niles, and freshman Angela Picht.
Tennis
The Scots tennis teams excelled this season, with the girls finishing with an undefeated record of 14-0 and winning the league. The boys also had a great record of 10-4, finishing in third place. With another PAL championship for Carlmont, the Scots are determined to be champions next season once again.
Track
The Scots track and field team was looking to have another solid year. The girls finished with a record of 5-2 behind key runner Katie Peacock, a junior at Carlmont. Boys track finished with a record of 4-3.
“It was a spectacular season despite the record. I loved and enjoyed doing track with my teammates,” said freshman Wyatt Daru.
It was a spectacular season despite the record. I loved and enjoyed doing track with my teammates.
— Wyatt Daru
Volleyball
Like their previous one, the varsity boys volleyball team has had another stellar season, with a league record of 9-1. Senior Sean Murphy, who is committed to playing volleyball in college, was the centerstone for the Scots capturing their PAL championship title in two years. The JV boys, on the other hand, finished with an undefeated record of 10-0 and, with their dominating performances, finished first in the league. Girls varsity volleyball didn’t have as successful a season as the boys, finishing with a record of 6-8. JV finished with a respectable record of 10-4, finishing them third in the standings. The freshman team ended the season strong, winning their last three games of the season, putting them near the top of the table.
Water polo
Carlmont’s water polo teams really struggled this season. The varsity boys finished with a league record of 3-9, and JV finished with a record of 1-11, finishing them last in the standings. The varsity girls finished with a 5-5 record and third in the standings, while JV finished last with a 2-8 record. Despite the poor play this year, they are hoping to make a comeback next season.
“The season was pretty disappointing because we didn’t make it to CCS, but we are looking forward to bounce back and make it next year,” said sophomore Eli Samon.
Wrestling
Wrestling had another successful season with a finishing record of 6-1. The Scots are looking forward to future seasons because of all of their talent. Sophomore Andy Dent is looking to make a run at the PAL championship next year.
“Next year it would be really nice if we could win PAL championship, I felt that we were very strong this season but didn’t run well enough for it to show,” Dent said.
The Scots are pleased with their performances this year but are ready to play even better next year. Each team is looking to win their league and qualify for CCS. The teams are looking forward to a restful summer break so that they can be prepared for the seasons to come.
