Winter has been kind to Marin prep sports teams in recent years with at least one basketball and/or soccer team playing for the ultimate prize on the last day of the season.

This year was no different as Marin Catholic won a state title in girls basketball, Archie Williams won a NorCal title in boys soccer, and Marin Academy played for a NorCal title in girls soccer.

The MC girls and Branson boys both won section titles in basketball this year while both Archie Williams and Tam won section titles in boys soccer.

In a campaign filled with many standout performers, the IJ largely stuck with the MCAL’s picks for the players of the year — Redwood’s Semetri Carr in boys basketball, Archie Williams’ Sean Chamberlin in boys soccer, Redwood’s Sarah Farese in girls soccer, Novato’s Braeden Carroll in boys wrestling, and Archie Williams’ Sofia DeJesus in girls wrestling.

The IJ opted to go with co-players in girls basketball as San Domenico standout and Stanford-bound Carly Amborn had a prolific senior season. MC’s Izzy McFadden, the MCAL player of the year, became impossible to leave out of the conversation after an impressive postseason run that resulted in section, NorCal, and state titles for the Wildcats.

Boys basketball

IJ/MCAL Player of the Year, Redwood’s Semetri (TT) Carr >> Cal-bound Carr went through an adventurous period when he decided to leave the Branson School after three high-profile seasons for Archbishop Riordan. CIF transfer rules would have forced Carr to sit out his senior season, so he returned to Marin County, this time with Redwood High.

The Giants went 3-4 without Carr to start the season, but finished with a 22-8 overall record, 9-1 in league. His debut with Redwood was nothing short of amazing during the Damien Classic. Carr scored 21 points and added nine rebounds as Redwood defeated Northeast (Fla.) 59-52 on Dec. 27, then went off for 37 points and eight rebounds in a 61-47 victory against Etiwanda the following day.

Carr and the Giants (22-8) beat Branson for the MCAL tournament crown, then advanced to the North Coast Section Division I championship before reaching the CIF NorCal D-I Regionals.

Other standouts >> Gio Brovelli, who averaged 23.5 points per game, stepped up to help San Rafael to the MCAL tournament for the first time since 2018. But the Bulldogs (19-11) weren’t done yet. San Rafael earned its first postseason win in seven years with a NCS D-III first-round victory over Piner, 56-41, as Brovelli scored 23 points. San Rafael advanced to the semifinals before falling to top-seeded Branson, 61-52.

Marin Catholic’s Joe Hammond helped direct the Wildcats (16-16) to a third-place finish in the MCAL. The Wildcats advanced to the NCS D-II title game, a 60-35 loss to Cardinal Newman.

Branson’s NJ Gray and Chase Robertson helped fill the void left by Carr and powered the Bulls (21-11) to the NCS D-III championship. Branson beat San Domenico in a 61-41 victory to claim the pennant.

San Domenico senior Gavin Early earned an All-Bay Counties League West first team selection as he helped lead the Panthers (23-9) to the NorCal Regionals for the third season in a row. The Panthers, with all-league second-team pick Ika Jokhadze and honorable mention Kris Jakstas, stepped up to the D-III bracket this trip, eager for a greater challenge. Early, dominated the scoreboards as he had all season with a team-best 26 points and 12 rebounds for No. 8 San Domenico in a 67-54 first-round loss to Aptos.

Driven by Grady Stewart and James “Meezy” Butler, Archie Williams (18-9) mixed it up with a competitive field to finish fourth in the MCAL, and made an appearance in the NCS D-I playoffs.

San Marin preached a team-first concept, but Grant Means, an All-MCAL first team pick, still managed to stand out for the Mustangs (14-13).

Girls basketball

IJ Co-Players of the Year, Marin Catholic’s Izzy McFadden and San Domenico’s Carly Amborn >> McFadden, a Denison University commit, was forced into a new role with Marin Catholic, and flourished under the pressure. McFadden helped lead the Wildcats (26-11) to the CIF State Division III championship, the second state title in the program’s history. McFadden scored a game-high 21 points to power the Wildcats past Mater Dei Catholic, 48-38.

“When Izzy came in as a freshman, there were high hopes,” said Marin Catholic assistant coach Rick DeMartini, who coached MC’s 2002 state championship team. “She was always a scorer, and the team has always looked to her to do that, which she did. This year was tougher for her. Our teams in the past had more help for her so she didn’t have to carry the load. This year, there were some tough games for her because teams were focused on her. So she had to be the point guard once in a while, and she became more aggressive and intense on defense.”

Amborn once again showed why former Stanford University women’s coach Tara VanDerveer regarded her highly enough to recruit her to the Cardinal. Amborn scored a career-high 42 points during a 56-54 road win against Lick-Wilmerding in January for San Domenico. Amborn and the Panthers (14-15) advanced to the NCS D-III quarterfinals before falling to top-seeded St. Bernard’s 58-40.

Other standouts >> Marin Catholic seniors Sienna Frazier and Jocelyn Gigounas, sophomore Brooke Spagnuolo and junior Cece Biernat each deserve a lot of credit for the Wildcats’ success this season. They each stepped up on offense when other teams focused on McFadden, and flexed their muscle on defense.

Redwood junior Kitty White and senior Maya Saibel proved nearly unstoppable as the Giants (24-10) ran through opponents en route to the MCAL crown. The Giants won all three games against Marin Catholic. The Giants faced a tough road in the playoffs as they reached the NCS D-I semifinals with wins over Freedom and Montgomery before falling to top-seeded Bishop O’Dowd. Redwood recovered to reach the NorCal D-II quarterfinals.

Branson senior Avery Myerberg never let people forget just how good she can be as she helped lead the Bulls (16-13) to the NCS D-III playoffs.

San Marin senior Quincy Dean averaged 11 points and 9.8 rebounds per game to lead the Mustangs (21-8) during a solid campaign that ended in the NCS D-I playoffs.

All-BCL West honorees Tosia Konczak, Amahji Cook and Sanne Kostecki might have been overshadowed by teammate Amborn, but they did their job quietly to help the Panthers.

Marin Academy senior Amelia Thomas was a steady presence for the Wildcats (15-12). Marin Academy surprised Las Lomas in their NCS D-IV first-round matchup, taking the Knights to overtime before falling 37-32.

Boys soccer

IJ/MCAL Player of the Year, Archie Williams’ Sean Chamberlin >> Chamberlin was named as the MCAL Player of the Year after helping Archie Williams finish first in the regular-season standings. As impressive as he had been to that point, Chamberlain was only just getting warmed up.

The Peregrine Falcons (16-4-5) played in nine postseason games, winning eight of them en route to North Coast Section and NorCal titles. Chamberlin elevated his game as the competition got tougher, scoring at least one goal in every single playoff game.

More than just a scorer, Chamberlin also excelled as a target player, consistently winning contested headers inside the 18-yard box to set up goals for himself or others. Chamberlin also shined as a passer and was a crucial cog in the Peregrine Falcons’ devastating counterattack.

Archie Williams had a banner year after finishing second in league and losing in three finals a season ago. Archie Williams finished first this time around and its only postseason blemish was a 3-2 loss to Redwood in the MCAL championship game.

BCL West co-Players of the Year, Marin Academy’s Jones and San Domenico’s Guioto >> Jones had another strong season for the Wildcats, scoring nine goals and assisting on seven more to rank among the team leaders in both categories as MA (10-9-4) won the regular-season title and made it to the BCL West title game.

Guioto, a sophomore from Brazil, made a huge impact for the Panthers (4-8-3) this season and became the first player in program history to earn league MVP honors.

Other standouts >> In addition to Chamberlin, Archie Williams boasted a front four entirely made up of all-MCAL first teamers with Willy Finley, Jackson Richardson, and Jake Morrison. Finley and Chamberlin did the bulk of the scoring for the Peregrine Falcons, with Finley having a game for the ages in the NorCal final with four goals against Hillsdale. Richardson, a former MLS Next player, had his biggest moment in the section final, scoring the winning goal against Granada on a spectacular free kick in the final 10 minutes.

Redwood (8-3-5) won the MCAL postseason title for the third time in four seasons. Sam Gersch and Kamran Madani were first-team all-leaguers this season. Masa Fujita, Ben Sherry, and Jaime Hughes scored goals in the MCAL final win against Archie Williams.

Tam (13-7-5) broke through for its first section title since 2013 after defeating Terra Linda on penalties in the final. Tam got big seasons from first-teamers Noah Pedersen, Mateo Hale, and goalie Sam Clark. Pedersen assisted Tam’s goal in regulation and made the team’s first penalty kick against TL. Clark, who is committed to Navy, made a critical save in the dying seconds of regulation then made another big stop in the penalty shootout.

TL (10-9-2) also enjoyed a bounce-back year, appearing in a section final after bowing out in the first round in 2024. The Trojans got big seasons from Cole Greene and Johan Cifuentes, among others.

Girls soccer

IJ/MCAL Player of the Year, Redwood’s Sarah Farese >> Farese scored a league-high 10 goals in MCAL play to tie the single round-robin record and help Redwood (12-3-6) finish second in the standings. All told, Farese scored a goal a game — 20 in 20 — and accounted for more than half of Redwood’s 37 goals this season.

No other Giant had more than three goals during the campaign. Even though defenses could focus on taking Farese away, more often than not she found the back of the net anyway.

Farese scored twice within a two-minute span to lift Redwood to a 2-1 road win at Tam in MCAL play and also scored on an impressive volley to beat Branson 1-0 in the MCAL semifinals.

Other standouts >> Tam (14-5-6) did the double this season, claiming the MCAL regular-season and postseason titles. The Red-tailed Hawks were led by first-team forwards Lauren Willard (16 goals, 13 assists) and Addie Covey (13 goals and 10 assists). Goalie Emily McMahon and midfielder Marissa Scanlan also made the all-league first team.

Marin Academy (22-4-1) won the BCL West regular-season title and played in three finals — league, section, and NorCal — this season. Midfielder Raya Leikin — committed to Cornell — provided plenty of goals and assists, memorably capping a hat trick in the section playoffs by scoring the tying goal in the 79th minute and the winner in the first minute of extra time as MA rallied for a 5-4 victory. Kacy Walker — committed to Middlebury College — was a rock defensively while playing as either a holding midfielder or a center back and scored plenty of goals. Midfielder Sadie Goodenough also had a standout season, including hitting a penalty kick in the section playoffs to keep MA’s season alive and making another penalty to win a NorCal playoff game.

Ally Hsieh capped a stellar career for Branson (17-6-2), scoring 13 goals with eight assists this season. Hsieh scored 34 goals in MCAL play during her tenure and ranks 12th since 2010 despite being limited to the single round-robin format in her junior and senior seasons. Riley Pearson (11 goals in all competitions) and Whitney Collett (16 assists in all competitions) were named to the all-MCAL first team.

MC (12-7-2) leaned on a trio of first-team players — one at each level — in forward Sloane Carey, midfielder Nora Snearly, and defender Siena White. Carey, who had six goals and six assists in league, is heading to Columbia and White is committed to Georgetown.

Terra Linda (10-7-3) enjoyed its best season in many years, led by forward Josie Quinby (five goals in MCAL), Rashell Diaz (four goals, six assists in league), and defender Remi David (all-MCAL first team). TL claimed the fifth spot in the MCAL then upset Marin Catholic in the section playoffs.

San Rafael (15-10-0) enjoyed an historic season, advancing to a section semifinal for the first time in program history. The Bulldogs won that game in PKs to make their first section final and secured their first NorCal playoff appearance. The Bulldogs were led by forward Jaela Brown, who tormented back lines with her blistering pace.

Boys wrestling

IJ/MCAL Wrestler of the Year, Novato’s Braeden Carroll >> Carroll, the MCAL’s Ralph Cutler Award winner, continues to be one of the most physically imposing and technically proficient wrestlers in Northern California. The 260-pounder went 35-5, with 26 wins by pinfall and five by technical fall.

Carroll, the three-time MCAL heavyweight champion, fought his way to the North Coast Section championship match. He lost the title match to Livermore senior Asher Nischke, then lost the true second-place match to Cardinal Newman junior Devon Bertoli.

Carroll has been keeping busy since then. Representing Esteem Wrestling Academy, he took first place at the Healdsburg Wrestling Club Spring Tournament in both the 18-under Junior Boys heavyweight division and the Greco heavyweight division on March 30.

Other standouts >> San Marin celebrated an historic MCAL championship campaign highlighted by efforts from league tournament champions Spencer Sisneros (113), Sebastian McLean (120), Tristan Lloyd (165), and Supasin Wongkhum (215).

Redwood came a close second in the championship race at the MCAL individual tournament, with wins from Ayaan Naseer (106), Dylan Morton (132), Hayden Schepps (144), Jackson Heravi (150) and Alexander Berkowitz (157). The Giants had some success at NCS, where Berkowitz took fourth place in his class, with Morton sixth and Heravi seventh.

Other MCAL champions were Novato’s Jonathan Bartnicki (175), Tam’s Tyrell Smith (132), Dylan Van Doren (138) and Dylan Hayes. Terra Linda also had some standouts with Arthur Sepan (138), Laszlo Chaffee (175) and Tristan Collins (190).

Girls wrestling

IJ/MCAL Wrestler of the Year, Archie Williams’ Sofia DeJesus >> The Madison Award winner as the MCAL’s female wrestler of the year capped a strong senior campaign as she placed third in the 110-pound class at the North Coast Section championships in February. DeJesus, who went 24-5 with 21 pins this season, won the Corning Girls Invitational in January, and medaled at San Ramon Valley Invitational and the Brittany David Invitational.

Other standouts >> San Marin sophomore Catania Dekeyrel (140) took fourth place at NCS. She won the Lady Grizzly Classic in January and placed second in the Contest of Champions and Albany Tournament during a 17-10 season.

San Marin senior Yuritzi Sanchez Zapata (170) took fifth place at NCS and Novato senior Mercedes Garcia (130) placed seventh at NCS.

Terra Linda senior Olivia Zabierek (110) placed eighth at the NCS championships. Zabierek racked up a 22-12 record with 15 pins and started the season by winning the Cougar Kickoff at Rancho Cotate.