LWHS Spring Sports Hit It Off

As rains subside and cherry blossoms bloom, spring sports at Lick-Wilmerding High School resume. Tryouts commenced the week of February 6, and practices and non-league games are now in full swing. Students can choose from many varsity sports to participate in during the spring season: Boys and Girls Badminton, Baseball, Boys Lacrosse, Girls Lacrosse, Softball, Boys and Girls Swimming, Boys Tennis and Boys and Girls Track & Field.

LWHS competes in the west division of the Bay Counties League (BCL), a part of the greater Bay Area Conference for independent high school sports. League opponents include Convent & Stuart Hall, Marin Academy, San Domenico, The Urban School of San Francisco and archrival San Francisco University High School. However, teams often play out-of-league high schools for pre-season games.

Having started in 1981, the Varsity Boys and Girls Badminton team enters this season upperclassmen-heavy. Two years ago, the team consisted primarily of freshmen and sophomores; now, many of those players have returned. Having graduated only one player last year, alongside the addition of roughly a dozen freshmen, Badminton is drawing a crowd.

“We have a few freshmen who show a lot of promise, a lot of dedication,” Will Yu ’23 said, a returning player and captain since his sophomore year. “We were already strong last year and only lost to University and San Domenico.”

Charles Zhang ’23, a returning badminton player, expressed optimism for the season. “This program can go far in the future; it is going to be exponential growth from now on,” he said.

Varsity Baseball looks to build off a successful season in the league last year. The team finished 7-3 in the league, placing second and winning through playoffs, but fell to University in the BCL-West championship. This year, Baseball has shown strong underclassmen turnout after only drawing one freshman last season. Eight freshmen and two sophomores joined the team in their first year playing. Practices in the first week ran smoothly, with the team already showing potential. Captains have yet to be voted, but Odin Marin ’23 is a returning captain and three additional upperclassmen will also be selected as team captains.

“We got off to a rough start last season,” Jake McDonald ’23 said. “It took some time, but the team improved and played super well when league play started. We’re hoping to build on that this year and hopefully win the championship this time.”

Baseball plays its first league game on March 15, facing off versus Stuart Hall in a home game at Skyline College at 4 pm.

Varsity Boys Lacrosse is entering its fifth year as an official varsity sport at LWHS. The program began in the 1990’s as a club team, and in 2016, along with four other high schools, a division was founded and the team became official. Boys Lacrosse looks to build on highlights from last year, some of which included a win against Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory.

Captain Colin O’Brien ’23 gave insight into the team community. “We put a lot of emphasis on the fact that we’re a team on and off the field. We have team lunches. On game days, our cheer is ‘One-Two-Three-Brotherhood!’” he said.

Entering this season, O’Brien said, “I hope to build intensity because last year we did not have a lot of intensity at practices. This year, I hope we come to the field ready to win.” Boys Lacrosse will play their first league game at the City College of San Francisco Soccer Fields on March 28 versus Stuart Hall.

Varsity Girls Lacrosse also started the same year as the boys’ team in 2016. The team is underclassmen-heavy this year but has welcomed new players from all grades. The captains hope to introduce the new players to the traditions that the team has, including beginning and end-of-year picnics. 

“We’ve had a lot of new freshmen and sophomores — even some juniors and seniors — who’ve joined the team. We pride ourselves on having a close-knit and positive community,” Sophie Spokes ’23, one of the team captains said. “A team goal is becoming closer because this year we have a lot of new players and the majority of the lacrosse team is underclassmen.”

Varsity Softball hopes to continue the success from the 2022 season, after a strong finish in first place for BCL-West. In 2001, they were one of the founding East League teams, and have remained a top seed in their pool over the past few years.

Captain Kate Hoffner ’23 is looking forward to the friendships and connections made in the program. “I’m looking forward to my senior season. I’m on the team with one of my best friends and I can’t wait to really enjoy my time with friends and also people I have never talked to before,” Hoffner said. “I am also looking forward to winning some games!”

Varsity Boys and Girls Swimming is one team on paper but girls and boys compete separately. The team draws many of its players from LWHS’s water polo program in the fall and carries over many aspects from that program.

“Last year, our team spirit was unparalleled. Whenever our swimmers competed, the team was lined up along the deck cheering them on. This season, we plan on holding more team-building activities to further this,” said Tommy Ryan ’23, the boys’ team captain.

Varsity Boys Tennis looks to continue their success from last season after finishing with the best overall record (17-5) and best league record (7-1) among BCL-West competitors. 

“This team builds community by putting in many hours outside of Lick practices and games. We play all the time — Saturday mornings, late Sunday nights, and even some free periods last year. This Saturday, our team is going on an excursion to watch the USF men’s D1 tennis team face off against Stanford,” Andrew Chou-Belden ’23 said, one of the team captains.

“Tennis can be a very isolating sport, so it is really important that we can be close as a team to minimize that isolation,” Joel Collier ’23, another team captain, added. Tennis plays its first league match at San Domenico High School on March 27.

Varsity Boys and Girls Track & Field is one team as well but boys and girls compete in meets separately. Many of the runners are multi-sport athletes who partake in LWHS’s cross country during the fall.

David Mann ’23, who runs the 3,200 meter race, mentioned that he hopes the team will work to build a closer community this season. “On track, because everyone is doing different distances and events, it feels sometimes like it’s a bunch of different sports that just practice at the same time,” Mann said. “I think it would be nice if the team got closer.”

The Tigers of LWHS continue to expand the school’s community and spirit inside and outside the classroom, and there are plenty of highlights and memories to be made this spring.

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Odin Thien-An Marin

Odin is excited to continue writing for the Paper Tiger as a senior. Outside of school, he is a captain of the Varsity Baseball team and a member San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra, and DJs during his free time. He is the photo editor this year.

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