SR boys teams surge back into MCAL playoffs

PREPS OF THE WEEK

San Rafael’s Giovanny Hernandez (6) controls a ball while defended by Ivan Gomez (8) of San Marin during a MCAL game at San Marin High in Novato last Tuesday. DOUGLAS ZIMMERMAN — SPECIAL TO THE MARIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL

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By Ian Ross

iross@marinij.com

The boys basketball and soccer teams from San Rafael High both entered the week on the outside looking in in their respective playoff pictures.

The Bulldogs scored a crucial victory against San Marin to clinch a playoff spot in basketball then pulled out another clutch win against Terra Linda to move up to fifth place in the standings — making the MCAL playoffs for the first time since 2018.

The soccer team was coming off a shorter playoff drought — having last made the league tournament in 2022 — but needed to secure three consecutive victories to punch their return ticket.

The Bulldogs rolled to a 4-1 victory at San Marin then needed another win — 2-1 over Terra Linda on Thursday — just to force a play-in game against Marin Catholic. San Rafael finished the week with a 1-0 victory over MC and took the final playoff spot.

In other action, the Archie Williams boys soccer team netted a pair of ties to win its first regular-season title since 2019. The Redwood boys basketball team won on the final day of the season to wrap up its league title.

The Tam girls won a pair of one-goal games to move up in the standings and claim the league title on the final day of the season. The Marin Academy boys soccer team also rallied in the final week to secure a league title. The Tam wrestling team went 2-0 in the last tri-meet of the season to finish undefeated in MCAL competition.

Teo Cristea, Giovanny Hernandez, and Daniel Rodas, San Rafael boys soccer >> The Bulldogs entered the final week of the season in eighth place, likely needing to run the table to make it into the MCAL playoffs. San Rafael delivered, getting two goals an an assist from Cristea in a must-win game against San Marin on Tuesday. Hernandez, who also scored a goal against San Marin, provided the game winner in a 2-1 victory against Terra Linda. Those two wins did just enough to get San Rafael into a play-in game against Marin Catholic. Rodas scored the only goal of that game as the Bulldogs punched their tickets on Saturday night.

Luke Shapiro and Gio Brovelli, San Rafael boys basketball >> Shapiro and Brovelli took turns shouldering the scoring load as the Bulldogs went 2-0 to move up from seventh place up to fifth place. Shapiro scored 25 points on Tuesday as San Rafael held on for a 65-63 victory in a must-win game against San Marin. The Bulldogs qualified for the playoffs with that result but added another two-point win — 53-51 against Terra Linda — to leapfrog the Trojans into fifth place on the final day. Brovelli scored a game-high 24 points against TL.

Lauren Willard and Marissa Scanlan, Tam girls soccer >> Willard scored a pair of game-winning goals as Tam went 2-0 to inch past Redwood on the final day of the season to win the MCAL regular-season title. Willard scored inside the final 5 minutes in a 2-1 victory against Archie Williams on Monday then produced the only goal in a 1-0 victory against MC in the season finale on Wednesday. Scanlan, a team captain and holding midfielder, was also a crucial part of the win against MC and helped the Red-tailed Hawks control the middle of the park in the victory. Tam hosts an MCAL semifinal on Thursday.

Semetri Carr, Redwood boys basketball >> Despite heading into the final game of the regular season in first place, the Giants needed to secure a road win at Archie Williams to avoid dropping all the way down to fourth place in the standings. Carr poured in a game-high 32 points — 19 of them coming in the second half — as the Giants held on for a 71-66 victory on Friday night. The Giants head into this week’s MCAL playoffs as the top seed and host a semifinal on Wednesday night.

Willy Finley, Archie Williams boys soccer >> Finley came up big, scoring both goals for the Peregrine Falcons in a 2-2 at Redwood that clinched the regular-season title with a game to spare. Finley took advantage of a loose pass across Redwood’s back line to score the first goal then outmuscled a defender to put the Peregrine Falcons up 2-0 following an assist by Sean Chamberlin. Archie Williams hosts an MCAL semifinal on Wednesday.

Dominic Yu, Marin Academy boys soccer >> Yu netted back-to-back braces, scoring twice in a pair of wins this past week as Marin Academy made a late surge to claim the BCL West title. Yu scored twice in a 2-0 win against Lick-Wilmerding, who entered the week in first place. MA still needed to beat Stuart Hall in its final game to wrap up the title and did so, 3-2, behind two more goals by Yu.

Dylan Hayes, Tam boys wrestling >> Hayes secured the crucial pinfall as Tam rallied for a 36-35 victory against San Marin in a battle between the final two unbeaten teams in the MCAL. The victory ensured the Red-tailed Hawks would claim the regular-season title. Hayes secured his win at 215 pounds in the first period, pulling Tam to within 35-30. The Red-tailed Hawks picked up a forfeit win at heavyweight to eke out the victory.

Luna Diaz, Branson girls soccer >> Diaz, a freshman, stepped up with a goal and an assist in second-half stoppage time as the Bulls pulled out a 2-0 victory against Terra Linda on Monday that proved vital in the playoff seedings. Branson claimed all three points and finished the season in third place thanks to that result. Diaz scored in the 81st minute on an assist by Sophia Duran, then set up an insurance goal by Catrin Howell in the 83rd minute.

Noah Pedersen, Tam boys soccer >> Pedersen scored the opening goal then provided assists on the next two as the Red-tailed Hawks picked up a 4-1 win against Marin Catholic that allowed them to clinch a playoff spot. Pedersen set up Marco Caruso for the second goal then assisted Kenneth Frost on the third.

Penelope Lee, Alexia Schwaegler, and Amelia Thomas, Marin Academy girls basketball >> This trio of Wildcats were part of an impressive effort that saw Marin Academy secure its best result of the season in a 49-46 upset win against San Domenico on Friday. Lee had 14 points, five steals, and five assists, and helped Schwaegler slow down San Domenico standout Carly Amborn. Schwaegler, who also had five steals, was glued to Amborn for three quarters while Lee drew that assignment for about one quarter of action. Thomas added eight points and seven rebounds — notably surpassing the 1,000-point mark for her career.

Avery Myerberg, Branson girls basketball >> Myerberg had another big scoring week, starting with a 24-point night against Terra Linda on Tuesday. Myerberg surpassed 1,400 career points in the game, adding 11 rebounds, six steals, and three assists. Myerberg seemed to be in a hurry to go for 1,500 points after pouring in a career-high 40 against Sonoma Academy on Saturday night. Myerberg had 10 three-pointers in the game and pulled down six rebounds.

Tristan Lloyd and AJ Conkey, San Marin boys wrestling >> Lloyd (167 pounds) and Conkey (175) both went 2-0 during the Mustangs’ highly anticipated tri-meet against Tam and Novato this past Wednesday. The MCAL Tournament is set to take place this Saturday at Novato High.