Helix, Grossmont High fall sports teams take strides towards CIFs

With the scholastic fall sports season eyeing the finish line within the next month teams at Helix Charter High School and Grossmont High School are respectively positioning themselves for positive finishes At Grossmont the boys water polo organization headed into action in the last week with a record of - - in league play According to head water polo coach Clint McLaughlin particular key members to date include senior goalie Carson Hall senior attacker Gabe Acuna senior attacker Peter Nelson and senior center Garrett Bowles Chosen of our goals for the season are to win the league and be able to advance as far in CIFs as we can to try and get an opportunity to advance to the state championships McLaughlin announced On the links the Grossmont girls golf unit continues to build on a strong season highlighted by their first-ever domination over West Hills at Carlton Oaks Golf Discipline earlier this year The Foothillers under head coach Jim Earley went into the week with a record of a mark that reflects a tough league schedule and a scarce close breaks that didn t go their way but also showcases their resilience and progress as a band According to Earley the squad is led by standout seniors Anabella Van Cotthem Emma Arevelo and Aiko Phoomongkolpipat whose leadership and consistent play have anchored the lineup all season long Junior Audrey Stecher has also emerged as one of the top players in the conference showing steady improvement and clutch performances in key matches Our seniors have set the tone with their leadership and effort Earley remarked They ve laid the foundation for what Grossmont golf is becoming competitive confident and tough According to Earley the crew s goals are simple Finish strong and have our ladies perform well in postseason tournaments With the mix of experience and rising talent the Foothillers are ready to make specific noise down the stretch In girls volleyball action head coach Jacob Haar s band came into the week with an overall record of - - in the Grossmont Valley League Haar revealed key players to date have included senior Alexis Holman right side hitter freshman Sofia Reid middle hitter and sophomore Imani Hayes outside hitter We are coming to the end of the season and the gang has been playing great Haar reported We have faced tough opponents and the unit is getting stronger with every club we play against We are at the moment pushing ourselves to win the league with four games remaining We are also working on finishing off the regular season off strong to have great momentum into CIF where we are trying to make a deep run This group is hungry to make a message to finish off the season Grossmont High s Marissa Farace prepares to throw a pass during a flag football contest against Our Lady of Peace Photo by Izabella Allen In football action Grossmont was in recent days sporting a - record under head coach Anthony Lawrence Freshman Gavin Mackay looks for an open receiver during a Grossmont encounter earlier this season against Patrick Henry High Photo by Kevin Shephard According to Lawrence key players to date have included junior Tyler Holmes quarterback senior Colton Burke defensive back wide receiver senior Randy Ballard wide receiver senior Max Tufugafale lineman senior JP Portlock lineman junior AJ Hooker running back sophomore Corbin Dow running back senior Ryder Robinson defensive end senior Gage Weichelt defensive back senior Kai Jones defensive back and senior Drew Sasena linebacker Our goals are to win the league and make a push in the playoffs Lawrence explained Highlanders making push for strong finishes On the links the Helix girls golf group under head coach Cole Holland came into play in the past few days with an overall - record - in league action Holland noted key players to date have been senior Mariana Dumlao senior Vanessa Griego freshman Olivia Benham and sophomore Lily Duich Our first goal is to win the league to qualify for CIF Holland remarked Then play in the league tournament as well as the conference tournament In girls volleyball play Helix was sitting at - first in the Grossmont Hills League under head coach Zoe Varela-Beltz According to Varela-Beltz a few key players up to this point have included sophomore Aliyah Bowser outside hitter junior Emma Becker middle blocker senior Tatum Yturralde senior setter and senior Ava Cavazos libero Our goal is to win the league and continue that progress into the post-season Varela-Beltz explained In field hockey action Helix was - in the past few days for head coach Rhona St Clair-Moore St Clair-Moore noted selected key players to date are senior captains Alex Arapostathsis defensive mid and Ava Rodriguez keeper Also getting recognition were junior Lyla Johnson defense and sophomore Ella Aguayo defense On the offensive side of the ball St Clair-Moore noted the play of juniors Lily Ryan forward and Zuri St Clair mid Our goals are to place as high as we can in league play and then go on to CIF s which we missed last year St Clair-Moore declared We have a strong young association and they have the talent to do really well this year In boys water polo play Helix was in recent weeks looking at a - record for head coach Spencer Bailey Key players to date according to Bailey have included sophomore side winger with assists and steals and junior Jackson Morgans side winger with goals Helix sophomore Ethan Balma is focused in on where he s about to throw the ball Photo by John Silva The goals for the remainder of the season are to continue to establish cohesion and chemistry and compete for either a Division I title or making the Open Division Bailey mentioned In girls tennis action Helix was in recent weeks - for head coach Dan Potter The gang was playing for at least a share of the Grossmont Hills League title in a latest match at Valhalla Potter noted that key players have association captain and number one singles athlete Ella Short senior and number two singles contestant Bella Lawson sophomore Our goals for the remainder of the season are to capture at least a share of the league championships and make a few waves in the CIF crew playoffs Potter mentioned Editor s note All fall sports varsity head coaches were required to provide information for this story