Tam, Redwood, San Marin claim MCAL titles - Marin Independent Journal

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Tam, Redwood, San Marin claim MCAL titles

Tam goalkeeper Emily McMahon, at the left, is greeted by teammates after blocking a Redwood penalty kick to give Tam the MCAL title in San Rafael on Saturday. Tam defeated Redwood 0-0 (6-5) on PK’s. SHERRY LAVARS — MARIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL

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By Ian Ross

iross@marinij.com

All five winter sports held their league championships this past week as Tam and Redwood won pennants in soccer, San Marin won one in wrestling, and Redwood claimed both in basketball.

Both soccer games came down to the wire as the Tam girls needed eight rounds of penalty kicks to get past Redwood. The Giants got a stoppage-time winner to hold off Archie Williams in the boys title game.

Redwood was dominant in both basketball games, cruising to double-digit victories against Marin Catholic and Branson, respectively.

Lauren Willard, Addie Covey, and Emily McMahon, Tam girls soccer >> Willard and Covey scored goals in the semifinal — a 2-0 win against Marin Catholic — to lift the Red-tailed Hawks into their first MCAL title game since the 2020 season. The two forwards were also the most dangerous for the Red-tailed Hawks as they battled Redwood to a 0-0 tie in Saturday’s final. McMahon, Tam’s goalie, made a crucial save in regulation to help keep the game scoreless then made the decisive stop in the penalty shootout to secure Tam’s first league pennant since 2018.

Jaime Hughes, Ike Gebhard, and Masa Fujita, Redwood boys soccer >> The Giants needed late goals against Terra Linda in the semifinal and Archie Williams in the title game to secure their third MCAL pennant in four years. Gebhard came up with the winning goal against Terra Linda inside the first minute of extra time to lift the Giants to a 2-1 victory. Gebhard was also involved in the title-winning goal in a 3-2 victory against the Peregrine Falcons. Gebhard took a free kick in stoppage time which led to Hughes’ decisive goal. Fujita, who also scored the game’s first goal, provided the assist.

Brooke Denler, Redwood girls basketball >> Denler posted a double double to lead Redwood to its first MCAL postseason title since the 2020 season. Denler had 14 points and 16 rebounds in a commanding performance in the final — a 45-27 victory against two-time defending champion Marin Catholic.

Noah Tanaka and Semetri Carr, Redwood boys basketball >> Tanaka made five 3-pointers and scored a game-high 17 points as Redwood defeated Archie Williams 63-43 in the semifinals. Carr, who was held reasonably in check by the Peregrine Falcons, still had a double double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Carr had a much bigger game against his former teammates from The Branson School in Friday’s title game, pouring in a game-high 29 points to help Redwood win its first MCAL title since 2022. Carr, who won titles in 2023 and 2024 with Branson, stretched his own personal championship streak to three in a row.

Tristan Lloyd, Spencer Sisneros, Sebastian McLean, and Supasin Wongkhum, San Marin wrestling >> The Mustangs, who were denied the dual-meet championship a couple of weeks ago because of a head-to-head loss to Tam, had wrestlers win four different weight classes to claim the team title at the MCAL championships on Saturday. Lloyd was victorious at 165 pounds via a third-period pin against Oliver Valente of Archie Williams. Sisneros (113 pounds), McLean (120), and Wongkhum (215) also won their weight classes.

Braeden Carroll, Novato wrestling >> Carroll was involved in one of the more anticipated showdowns of the MCAL championships against San Marin’s David Coronado at 285 pounds. The two standout heavyweights missed each other during the dual meet season but met in the finals. Carroll won via a first-period pin.

Alexander Berkowitz, Redwood wrestling >> Berkowitz is considered one of Marin’s best bets to bring home a North Coast Section title. He moved his record to 36-5 on the season by winning the 157-pound bracket at MCALS.