San Marcos boys volleyball coach Roger Kuntz pointed out that his team is at the same stage it was last season when the COVID-19 pandemic forced all sports activity to shut down.
“This year we’ve started out at 2-0,” he said at Monday’s Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon at The Creekside Restaurant. “Last year we started out 2-0, and that’s how we ended because that’s all we got.”
The future is a lot brighter now as high school spring sports teams will play a full season and have shots at CIF-SS Championships.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to play this year,” Kuntz said.
The Royals face a week of crosstown games, starting with a Channel League showdown at Santa Barbara High on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
On Thursday, they’ll host a ranked Laguna Blanca squad for a non-league game before playing Dos Pueblos in a league match at the Thunderhut on Saturday.
Kuntz introduced impact seniors Cade McLean and Jake Ewart.
McLean was an all-league first-team middle attacker as a sophomore, and Kuntz is expecting big things from him this season. McLean is headed to the University of San Diego.
Ewart, a two-year starter and a consistent outside hitter, is being moved to the opposite position. “We’re excited to move him to opposite,” said Kuntz. “He’s also a good setter.”
Ewart is going to Point Loma University.
Santa Barbara High Boys Volleyball
Assistant coach and UCSB volleyball legend Jon Roberts brought senior captains Sam Meister and Peter Tebbe. They are headed to UCSB and SMU, respectively.
Tebbe is the Dons’ setter. He dished out 50 assists in a season-opening win over Newbury Park.
“I always enjoy coaching Peter because he’s way smarter than I am,” cracked Roberts.
On Meister, who was named the Athlete of the Week after pounding 25 kills in the win over Newbury Park, Roberts said: “Sam is very talented. I don’t think he’s 60 percent of what he could be, but he’s a tremendous player.”
Roberts is excited about the match against San Marcos.
“Enthusiasm will be high,” he said.
Santa Barbara Boys Soccer
The Dons play at San Marcos on Thursday in a match that should determine the league championship. Both teams are 5-0-1 in league play going into Tuesday’s matches.
“Looks like it’s rivalry week all week long,” said Santa Barbara coach Ricardo Alcaraz.
Alcaraz brought twin brothers Cason and Luke Goodman, who lead at the attacking and defending ends of the field.
“Luke is our captain and center back. He is the anchor, making sure everybody is on their task,” Alcaraz said.
Cason Goodman has scored 12 goals “and his been pretty technical around the box,” said the coach.
He also pointed out that the brothers “do great things off the field” as well. They participated in a clothing drive in Santa Barbara’s Eastside neighborhood, and Cason volunteers his time coaching kids on Wednesdays before coming to practice.
“I’m pretty lucky to coach them,” said Alcaraz.
San Marcos Boys Soccer
Goalkeeper Ulises Velez and center back JC Orgaz anchor the back line for the 7-0-1 Royals.
“These guys have been through some challenging things in their own personal lives — injury and all sorts of things — and it’s hard to be a leader when you’re struggling personally. And these guys have done it,” said coach Paul McLean. “They’ve done a fantastic job being leaders on the field and getting the most from the guys they play with.”
San Marcos, 5-0-1 in league, plays Lompoc on Tuesday and hosts Santa Barbara in a big showdown on Thursday.
San Marcos Baseball
Coach Wes Ghan-Gibson is thankful for all the things senior center fielder Aiden Johnson does for the 9-2 Royals
“He will do anything we ask of him, which I really appreciate and our coaches do, too,” said Ghan-Gibson. “He comes to the yard every day with a smile on his face, willing to to sacrifice anything for the team.”
Johnson is batting .325 and has a .420 on-base percentage. He plans to attend SBCC and play for baseball coach Jeff Walker.
Catcher Joaquin Sandoval has received interest from several college programs, including UCSB, Pepperdine, Oklahoma, Loyola Marymount and CSUN.
“If a coach calls me, what should I tell them,” Ghan-Gibson said he asked Sandoval one day. “He said, ‘You can tell them I’m the best leader that ever stepped on the San Marcos campus.’
“He doesn’t lack in confidence or belief in himself. Where he goes, our team goes. He might be the most respected person on that field during a practice, even more than me,” said the coach.
Sandoval is batting .320 with an OBP of .500.
San Marcos Girls Lacrosse
Goalkeeper Shana Friedenberg has the leading save percentage in the Channel League, “which is fantastic for us,” reported coach Paul Ramsey.
He remembered Friedenberg first coming out for the team and telling him, “‘I think I like to try goalie,’” the coach said. “Nobody ever says that.”
Ramsey said defender/midfielder Lily Stevens has turned her weakness of picking up ground balls “into a great strength for us.
“She has turned that into one of her strengths as she has developed as a lacrosse player.”
San Marcos Boys Lacrosse
Coach Evan Smith has been impressed with defender Owen Williams and the all-around game of Evan Lehman.
Williams is a senior captain. “He’s one of our locked-down defenders,” said Smith. “We’ll put him on anybody and we know it’s going to be a tough day for them.”
Lehman, also a captain, is a midfielder and attacker. “He really leads the offense. There are days he blows my mind with his lacrosse IQ,” said Smith.
Santa Barbara Girls Lacrosse
Coach Elayne Blessing said senior captain and goalkeeper Trinity McCullough “literally takes all we can throw at her.”
She called Alannah Cetti one of the fastest middies in the league. “Her speed, determination, passion for lacrosse and competitiveness allows us to compete in our league.”
The Dons play at San Marcos on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Santa Barbara Boys Lacrosse
After last season was cut short after four games, coach John Keogh is in his first full season at Santa Barbara.
He cited the play and commitment of Kaj Nielsen and Luke Gordnier.
“You learn a lot about a player when things aren’t going so good,” he said. “We were down on Friday (against Cate) and these two guys competed to the last minute. They battled.
“That’s where we’re at with this program, we’re building. Things are going in the right direction and these guys are taking us there.”
Santa Barbara Track & Field
Assistant coach Moki Nacario cited the work and success of Drew DeLozier and Davis Flanigan of the boys team and Anne Knecht and Clara Aviani of the girls squad.
DeLozier is the Dons’ top middle distance runner (400 and 800) and runs on the 4×400 relay. Flanigan is one of top sprinters and does the jumping events.
Knecht’s top event is the 400. Aviani excels in the 800 and the mile, and runs on the 4×400 relay.
San Marcos Track & Field
After competing in just one track meet last spring, coach Marilyn Hantgin has been working her team members outdoors since January.
She reported that there will be a county meet at Santa Ynez and Channel League Finals at Santa Barbara High this season.
“We have some things to look forward to in the next few weeks,” she said.
Hantgin introduced four-year team members Jordan Briner and Sofia Higgins from the girls team.
“They’re our best jumpers, have done the 4×100 relay for four years, and I’ll throw them in the hurdles,” she said. “I ask, ‘What else can you do? I need to use you to score some points where we need them.’”
With track and soccer going on at the same time, the girls decided to concentrate on track in their senior year. In the past, the girls came out of soccer nursing injuries.
“Now that we’re not playing soccer, we’re all better,” Hantgin said with a laugh. “They’ve been so valuable. They’re two of my greatest seniors I’ve ever had.
Briner and Higgins are both headed to Baylor.
Ethan Dwelley and Nicky Zadeh represented the boys team:
Dwelley is one of the leading distance runners on the team. He won the mile, 800 and anchored 4×400 relay in a league meet last weekend.
“He pretty much can do whatever he wants,” said Hantgin. “We’re looking forward to the next two weeks for him.”
She called Zadeh “probably the most transformed human I’ve ever seen” in her 24 years of coaching.
“He’s thrower but also has come into his own as runner,” she said. “He won the 100 meters last weekend.
“He just made the commitment last year, getting in shape and working out a lot. It is amazing. That’s what happens when you coach high school kids. They change, they grow, they mature. And now he’s a big contributor for us.”
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
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