With an eye on the calendar, several Patrick Henry High School winter sports teams are looking to CIF and the potential to win some titles.
As regular-season play winds down over the next few weeks, teams are positioning themselves for a postseason push.
In boys’ basketball action, the Patriots, under head coach Kenny Caesar, sported a 17-8 record (5-2 in City League action) as the first week of February was winding down.
Caesar says that the team has been led by seniors Issac Weatherred, Alex Newlands, and Owen Andersen.
Weatherred recently scored his 1,000th career point in a big win over Hoover High.
Girls’ basketball rolls to 21 wins to date
In girls’ basketball play, the Lady Patriots, under head coach Derrick Carter, have put together a great season to date, sitting at 21-3 as of the first week of the month.
Carter noted that sophomore Ayvahlee Ruiz is the team’s top scorer to date.
“She has been a big part of our success this season,” Carter said. “She can score from anywhere, driving to the rim, knocking down mid-range shots and hitting from deep. She’s hard to guard and always seems to step up in big moments.
“What really stands out is that she plays for the team. Ayvahlee creates opportunities for others, brings great energy and leads by example. When we need a bucket, we know who to turn to.”
Sophomore Ellie Cloward is the team’s rebounding, steals and assists leader.
“She brings toughness inside, fighting for every board and giving us extra chances,” Carter remarked. “She sets the tone on defense, creating turnovers and turning them into fast breaks. She keeps the offense moving, finding open teammates and making everyone better. Ellie brings great energy and emotion to the team, is a great communicator and a fierce competitor.”
Another player on Carter’s watchlist is Honey Smith, a junior who he said brings intensity with “quick feet, sharp instincts and non-stop effort.”
Finally, sophomore Caylie Ferreira has been injured, but never absent, bringing “energy, insight and constant encouragement” from the sidelines. He calls her “an extra assistant coach in uniform.”
As Carter sees it, “The season has been going really well. We’re 21-3 right now, but the job isn’t finished. Our main goal is winning a championship, but we focus on taking it one game at a time.”
Girls’ soccer looks for another historic run
In girls’ soccer action, the Lady Patriots have a tough act to follow after last year’s historic Regional State Championship accomplishment.
The team headed into early February with a mark of 10-2-1 for head coach Jason Renfro.
Renfro noted some key players to date include Emma Cunningham, Zoe Wehrman, Annabel Grentz, Abby Weiss, Elizabeth Barefoot and Riley Roesch.
“The pressure to stay at the top is a tremendous hurdle,” Renfro said. “With that, we have an amazing senior class and captains who, when the chips are down, know how to win, and it’s contagious.”
Boys soccer coming together
In boys’ soccer play, head coach Seth Tunick had the team sitting at 8-3-5 (3-1-2 in league play) to begin the first week of February.
According to Tunick, key players to date have included Landon Wong (senior), the leading scorer, along with Julian Lee (senior), Jacob Solis (senior) and Trenton Mikulanis (senior). After a couple of tough losses early in January, the team has rallied back with a six-game unbeaten streak.
“The team has shown a lot of grit and maturity over the last few weeks and has come together to play our best soccer of the year,” he said.
Raising the level for wrestling
On the wrestling mats, head coach Sam Litvin noted the boys’ squad came into this month with a record of 9-5, and 2-3 in league meets.
According to Litvin, key members this year are Ethan Vinoray, who is a state qualifier and two-time CIF placer. He currently has a record of 94-22. He finished first at the City Championships, Londos and San Pasqual tournaments and took second at the El Cajon Invitational.
There is also freshman Ayden Ventura, who is currently ranked in the Top 10 in San Diego at 152 lbs. He took fourth at El Cajon and second at the City Conference Tournament.
On the girls’ side, there is junior Aubrey Lund, who took third at San Marcos Queen of the Realm and third at City Championships. Freshman Kinsley Bannister was third at City Championships.
Bannister and Ventura both wrestled in the San Diego Middle School athletic program.
“The team has really raised the level this year,” Litvin said. “The girls went from having one girl at City Championships to having seven girls, which resulted in the team being sixth in the conference with many of the girls placing at various tournaments.
“The boys’ team is also picking up steam. They wrestled a lot of tough schools, including Bonita Vista and Brawley, and improved on last year’s record with a 9-5 overall in spite of having given up two to three forfeits due to lack of wrestlers at some weights.”
According to Litvin, captains Ethan Vinoray, Justin Willard and Abdullah Alshami lead the team in a record-number of placings with the team taking third at Londos and San Pasqual and fourth at City Championships.
“The team improved a lot thanks to the incoming freshmen who wrestled in the middle school program, with several of the freshmen becoming varsity starters and placers at tournaments,” Litvin added. “Our goal is to continue to have wrestlers place at D1 CIF and put Patrick Henry on the Masters podium.”
