From the field to the court this winter, Lick-Wilmerding High School Sports teams played hard.
Women’s Soccer
With a large roster of returning players, this year’s soccer team has become “one of the best squads I’ve seen in my four years here,” said Brittney Righetti ‘20. She is a team captain alongside Quincy Peters ‘20 and Maya Rushlow ‘20, who work with the coach Gavin Birmingham.
Righetti attributes the team’s success to their bonds. “Team culture has been amazing; we’re all really close,” Righetti said. The girls can often be seen in-game- day theme out ts—ranging from black and gold to beach day—which Righetti says are a fun way to boost team morale.
The team is ranked second in their league currently with a 6-3- 1 record. They recently beat San Francisco University High Schools (UHS), one of the teams they lost to, when playing them for a second time. Their last league game was on Friday, February 7, against Marin Academy. They are looking forward to the playoffs and hope to win the league championship.
Men’s Soccer
Nearing the end of a good league season, the Men’s Varsity Soccer team has a 5-3-1 league record. They are ranked fourth in their league after losing to UHS this week; however, they made the playoffs and competing for the league championship.
Winning is not the main focus of captains Ruben Rathje ‘20, Marc Eidelhoch ‘20, and Max Beldner ‘20, who agree that one of the most important outcomes of this season was strong team bonds. They have worked to encourage camaraderie on and o the eld through traditions such as team lunches. Seeing this camaraderie translate to game time successes has been rewarding for the captains and coach Benkay Kajihara.
We have each other’s back and are learning from our mistakes on and o the eld,” said Rathje.
Women’s Basketball
The Women’s Varsity Basketball team has been very successful this year—they haven’t lost a league game yet. They graduated very few players from last year’s team and came back stronger with an experienced group.
The team captains are Mira Larrance ’20 and Ava Grey ‘21, coached by Daniel Tesfai. Grey, said that “the team got really close in the fall,” which has helped them play well during the winter. Grey said it is important that the team values “community and team chemistry.”
“The girls love to do Tik Toks together,” Grey said, citing this as an example of how close the team is.
The Women’s Basketball team is currently ranked number one in their league and won the league championships. They were also recently ranked number one in the North Coast Section (NCS) Division 4 and hope to go on to win NCS and States. Both of those wins would be firsts in the women’s basketball program history.
Men’s Basketball
With a 1-9 league record, the Men’s Varsity Basketball team has struggled on the court this season. After losing a series of close games they are now ranked fifth in their league but hope to better their record in the North Coast Section playoffs.
The team, who is coached by Eliot Smith, has continued to emphasize the importance of teamwork. Allen Wilson ‘20 who captains the team, along with Justin Detweiler ‘20 and Thomas Dean ‘20, said that “being able to cherish each other and be thankful for who you have around you on the team” is as important as winning this season.
Going forward “we’re trying to get better and push each other while also supporting each other” said Wilson.
Wrestling
Wrestling was not o offered as an official sport this winter season as it has been in the past. However, a group of students continued to host a wrestling club that meets several times a week. Don Rizzi serves as the club’s advisor, as he used to be the wrestling coach. Students with some wrestling experience, such as Josiah Densby ‘21, help teach new members of the club.
For Densby, the most important part of the wrestling team is having fun with his friends. He thinks that wrestling and other sports o offered as clubs are a great way to be active in a fun way, and encourages everyone to attend a meeting. The club has cultivated a supportive, energetic environment for wrestlers of all skill levels.
“It’s good to pass on that energy and see people enjoy doing it,” said Densby.
