Falcon athletes experience the ups and downs of Season 2 sports May 17, 2021 — by Christina Chang Football players tackle an athlete on the opposing team in a game against Gunn. The Falcons ended up losing 58-21. Many walk away with gratitude for having a season and satisfaction with individual performance. In a year where the possibility of sports was uncertain, Season 2 sports have faced disappointments ranging from low participation to COVID-19 quarantines to a shortened season. Still, the athletes have prevailed and are satisfied with their performance. Badminton combats challenges of small roster Despite COVID-related challenges, the badminton team finished fourth in league with a record of 5-7. Since many senior athletes who already fulfilled their P.E. credits didn’t participate, the team started off each game with an eight-point deficit; however, according to junior team captain Enoch Jung, they overcame this hurdle with a positive mindset and key additions from the freshman class. Field hockey welcomes new coach The team, led by new coach Jatin Sharma, ended third in league with a record of 6-3. Though it is Sharma’s first season coaching the team, players said they loved his excitement at their progress and his supportive nature coupled with his knowledge in the sport. Football ends strong, despite a shortened season The Falcons concluded their season with a 25-22 win against Fremont on April 9. Due to a positive test for COVID-19, the team was put into a 10-day quarantine, forcing them to forfeit their last game vs. Westmont. Including the forfeit, they finished third in the league with a 2-3 record. Despite their shortened season, some seniors had notable achievements: Quarterback Grant Petters maintained a completion rate of over 50 percent each game and finished with a quarterback position over 100 and wide receiver Ryan Gilligan finished in the top 10 for CCS and third in the league for receiving yards. Boys’ soccer sees improved performance with new coach Led by new head coach Max Dorling, the soccer team saw great improvement from previous years and finished a 5-6 record. Due to the team’s poor record in recent years, Dorling’s main challenge was building up players’ confidence. Throughout the season, they focused on implementing new drills with the goal of improving game performance. With a positive attitude, they seized learning opportunities given by the season and gained experiences to build upon next spring. Girls’ soccer places first in the league Earning first place in league, the Falcons ended their season with a 10-1 record. Head coach Ben Maxwell attributes their success to a combination of their drop to the lower league, hard work and experienced athletes. One of their star players was senior center back Michelle Lim, who is committed to play DIII soccer at Wellesley College. Other key players included freshman center back Lauren Sun and midfielders freshman Kate Oberhouser and sophomore Gabi Golko. Girls’ tennis creates new friendships The girls’ tennis team concluded their season with a 5-7 record, and athletes walked away with strong friendships with their teammates. Senior Juhi Patel plays No. 1 singles, and junior Catherine Kan and sophomore Melody Lin play No. 1 doubles. Throughout the season, head coach Florin Marica noticed vast improvements in players’ confidence, ability to perform under pressure and overall team chemistry. Girls’ volleyball overcomes COVID-related challenges The girls’ volleyball team finished fourth in league with a record of 6-4. Head coach Brendan Wang, who traditionally had been the boys’ volleyball coach, led the team with new plays and helped them come together to play cohesively in his first season coaching the girls. The team faced challenges in terms of having little time to work on athletes’ skills due to the condensed sports seasons. They also struggled with lower participation with the loss of valuable players to graduation and COVID-related reasons, along with some athletes juggling between conflicting club and school seasons; thus, some players were on both the varsity and JV rosters. Despite the challenges faced, players said they relished the chance to return to competition. — with additional reporting from Avani Kongetira, Harshini Velchamy, Martin Xu, Minsui Tang, Selina Chen, Stephanie Sun, Tiffany Wang and Vicky Bai 2 views this weekAbout the contributorsChristina ChangChristina Chang, Class of 2023, is an Editor-In-Chief of the '22-'23 Falcon staff. Previously, she served as a Sports Editor and local events beat writer for the '21-'22 staff and a Reporter and Layout Artist for the '20-'21 staff. During her time with The Falcon, she covered community news like the breakdown of city budget allocations and the first Blossom Festival post-COVID; wrote a series addressing mental health; profiled teacher friendships amid the pandemic; reported on the return of in-person learning and sports after shelter-in-place; and authored a narrative reflecting on her own basketball journey of eight years. Christina was named one of four finalists for Youth Journalism International's 2023 Student Journalist of the Year and one of seven finalists for the National Scholastic Press Association's 2022 Writer of the Year. She has received 23 journalism awards at the international, national and regional levels; her works have been recognized by Youth Journalism International, National Scholastic Press Association, Journalism Education Association of Northern California, Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and Santa Clara University. To further her journalism experience, she attended workshops during summer 2022 hosted by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, California Scholastic Press Association and Stanford Daily. She will fondly remember The Falcon as a highlight of her high school years, and will forever cherish the memories created during monthly deadline nights, enjoying catered food and chatting with fellow staff members while rushing to finish each print edition. Outside of the J-room, she enjoys getting involved in the community through volunteering with local nonprofits and school clubs as well as exploring her interests and creativity through art.