Page 4 December 26, 2019 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
2019 Sports Year in Review
Article and photos by Gregg McMullin
As 2019 comes to a close in another week
or so, this allows us to look back and recall
the ups and the downs, the exciting wins, and
some heartbreaking losses. It was another
year of close calls, heartbreaks, and a time
to reflect and reminisce about sports in our
community. High school and youth sports,
once again, took center stage as we supported
our teams and our kids. So with that in mind,
let’s revisit the first six months of 2019 and
relive the excitement of some very special and
precious memories that had our community
buzzing and outside cities in envy.
2019 Herald Publications Best of the Best Awards
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Mail or bring in your completed entry form
by December 30, 2019 at noon to:
Herald Publications
Attn: Best of the Best
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Herald Publications Best of the Best Awards
gives the community an opportunity to let
their voices be heard.
The rules are very simple. All one has to
do is submit a completed entry form to
Herald Publications’ office by December
30, 2019.
Everyone in the community is invited to
vote one time. The completed form must
be on an original page of the newspaper.
No photocopied entries will be accepted.
To include your entry in our contest, simply
fill the name of your favorite establishment(s)
in the blank below each category. No
partially completed forms will be accepted.
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WINNERS MUST PARTICIPATE IN OUR SPECIAL “BEST
OF THE BEST” SECTION TO RECEIVE RECOGNITION IN
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Winner’s Special Advertising Section will start in the New Year
Basketball
The girl’s basketball team had a historic
season. When the Eagles defeated Santa
Monica 45-29, in the finale of the Ocean
League schedule, it marked the first time
in program history that El Segundo had
won a league title in girl’s basketball. The
Lady Eagles advanced to the second round
of CIF-SS 3A Division playoffs with their
exciting 40-34 win over host Irvine. They
would, however, lose to eventual CIF finalist
Mayfair in the quarter finals. Along with the
program’s first league title, the team set a
program school record for most wins with 21.
The boy’s team finished the year with a
15-13 record but missed out on the playoffs
with their fourth-place finish in the Ocean
League. With four other teams advancing
to the postseason, the Eagles were left out.
The highlight of the season was an amazing
night in which the Eagles were defeated at
home by Santa Monica. Still, the home team
was treated to a standing ovation because of
one very special player.
One of the most emotional games of the
school year and maybe in recent memory
didn’t involve a league title or CIF championship.
Never mind that Santa Monica would
defeat the Eagles by 28 points. It didn’t matter
to the Eagle faithful because the gym was
there to watch Cameron’ Cam’ Carlton. Cam
Carlton played in just one game in his high
school year, but it was played in front of a
standing-room-only crowd there to watch
and support him. Those who were there will
long remember Cam scoring a game high15
points including, four three-pointers; even
the Santa Monica crowd cheered him on.
Girl’s Water Polo
Jenna Olson, Christina Mullane and
Sophia Caravello led their team to the CIFSS
Division 4 playoffs. The fourth-seeded
Eagles finished in a tie for the top spot in
the Ocean League. The Eagles great season
came to a thrilling end in the CIF-SS Division
4 quarter-finals playoffs losing 8-7 to
fifth-ranked Sunny Hills.
Athletes Sign Letters of Intent
They gave their all and stood out in their
respective sport. Their focus beyond their
sport also showed in the classroom and
colleges from the East Coast to the West
Coast beckoned them. So the following
student/athletes signed letters of intent to
attend a higher education institution while
playing a sport.
Sean Lee, Kenyon College (pole-vault);
Jenna Olson, Sonoma State University
(women’s water polo); Nikki Fulcomer, UC
Irvine (cross-country-track); Gabriella Lee,
Chapman College (cross-country-track);
Maximilian Shultz, UC San Diego (lacrosse);
Lukas Roscoe, Bard College, New
York (lacrosse); Nicholas Allison, UC Santa
Barbara (swimming); Dylan Aubert, Cal Lutheran
(basketball); Gaby Benjamin, Loyola
Marymount (softball); Joseph Gorte, Kenyon
College (football); Ben Peterson, Whitman
College (basketball); Kaili Reitano, Layette
College (softball); William Schodorf, UC
Santa Barbara (swimming); and Alexandra
Tecun, Endicott College (volleyball).
Soccer
The Eagles had another historic season by
winning their second consecutive CIF championship.
Their memorable season continued
when they swept their way to winning their
second consecutive Division 3 Southern
California State Regional championship. They
defeated West Torrance 2-1 in overtime in
the CIF Finals and defeated the Warriors 2-1
for the Regional State crown.
With their historic 25th win of the season,
the Eagles cemented their achievement in
school history. The Eagles finished 25-1-1
overall, won the Ocean League for the first
time in three years, ranked fourth in the nation
and second in California. It is the highest
nationally ranked that any El Segundo team
has been since the 1966-67 basketball team
was the number one team in the nation.
The girl’s team finished 9-9 overall had
a decent year. They finished fourth in the
competitive Ocean League but missed out
on the CIF-SS playoffs. They were a young
team led by forwards freshman Chelsea
Charles and junior Chloe Brown and senior
goalkeeper Liliana Romero.
Big 5 El Segundo Run
for Education
On a breathtaking morning, more than 1600
runners took to the streets of our community
for the 28th Annual Big 5 El Segundo Run for
Education. El Segundo residents were among
the fastest runners in the 5K run. Austin Van
Biezen finished second overall, Bill Seidel
third, Garrett Rifkin fourth and Calvin Liang
fifth. On the female side, the El Segundo
high schools cross country team dominated
the top nine runners. Megan McCann, the
high school softball coach, paced the race
and came in first. Lauren Shakstad finished
third while Tami Higa came in sixth. ESHS
cross country standouts Isabella Mai (fourth),
Sophia Zago (seventh), Tyler Matlosz (eighth)
and James Matlosz (ninth) represented their
high school team well.
In the 10K race, 17 locals finished in the
top three in their respective age groups. John
Picklhaver finished first overall in 33:39 while,
Niall Glynn came in third at 37:35. In the
female race, Valerie Voboril was third overall
and the first female El Segundo resident to
cross the finish line in 44:53.
Boys Volleyball
The Eagles had an opportunity to exact
some revenge to Santa Monica and, in the
process, win a share of the Ocean League
title when these two teams met. In their first
Sports
See Sports, page 11