With winter season in full swing, the CHS sports teams continue to excell. Check out how your favorite CHS teams are doing this season!

Basketball

GIRLS

With their new coach, Sarah Court, and her system, the CHS girls’ basketball team hopes to improve its record and regain dominance in the Maramonte League this year. Lead by Court, the Coyotes are poised and prepared to take the league by storm.

This is Court’s first year as a coach at the high school level but she has a lot of experience as a player and as a mentor. She played for the Weber State University women’s team in 2001 and 2002 and has run the very successful Courtside Hoops youth basketball club for eight years. Court taught many kids from around the valley including several boys and girls varsity players at CHS how to play. The girls program reached its peak two seasons ago when the team earned a spot in the California Interscholastic Federation finals.

After the 2013 season, multiple seniors graduated from the team, leaving them without a few of their key contributors. Although the girls did not make the playoffs in 2014, they focused on returning this year.

“I am looking to having a successful year both on and off the court,” said Court. When asked about the team’s road to the playoffs, she said, “it’s all a matter of how bad we want it. I always believe in the best.”

Lead by seniors Rana Masrourrod and Anna Winter, the girls’ basketball team has a lot of potential. They are expected to hold their teammates accountable for their mistakes and help them improve. The team chemistry continues to build as the players begin to buy into the new system.

“We have enough experience and possess all the tools to win,” says captain Anna Winter. “We need to utilize our knowledge and bring CHS the title we deserve.”

A new sense of identity is growing for the girls’ basketball squad. The combination of excited new prospects and returning leaders should prepare the girls for success. One of the most passionate sports programs on campus is ready to make some noise. The girls’ basketball team is prepared to work towards their common goal of winning the Maramonte League with a fresh and new system.

Written by Noah Fortson – Staff Writer

BOYS

By Jordan Van Vranken

Staff Writer

As the winter season came to a close, the CHS boys basketball team amped up its efforts in capturing the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Division II-A Title. Last year, the championship was Calabasas’ to take, routing South Torrance High School 69-39. Many of the players on the varsity roster have since graduated, leaving behind a legacy for their younger teammates to uphold. Those twinkling championship rings will serve not only as a reminder of what these teammates accomplished together, but also of what they can still achieve with hard work and dedication. The team trained hard during the offseason, as well as during the summer, never losing sight of this goal.

“The team worked very hard to prepare for this season,” said senior guard Conner Longmire. “Coach Palarz has stressed that the little things are big things, and that the team will be hard to beat when we do all of the little things correctly.”

The season tipped off on Nov. 24 and got off to a hot start. The team pulled off an upset in the Redondo Pacific Shores tournament, defeating Mayfair High School 84-77 in a triple overtime thriller. Longmire and senior forward Justin Bessard each scored 21 points.

The team looks at every game with importance; each win acts as a step towards the team’s ultimate playoff and championship goals. Each game will be its own contest, but the team perserveres and accepts these challenges in stride.

Written by Jordan Van Vranken – Staff Writer

Soccer

GIRLS

The CHS girls’ soccer team’s new coach, Brian Collins, is determined to prepare the girls for a competitive season. Their season started on Dec. 9 with a successful home game against Simi Valley High School. Collins has faith in the girls on his team.

“Our goals are to be competitive and to be one of the top teams in our league,” says Collins.

He is emphasizing fitness more than the past coaches have to help players maintain speed throughout an entire game. Along with improving stamina, the players started practices with basic skills so that they have concrete foundation to improve upon.

“We are taught that success and improvement comes from stressing the little details and applying corrections in every aspect of play,” sophomore defender Cassidy Gibson said.

CHS girls’ soccer is thrilled to have a mixture of returning players and new players, all ready for a great season. Two new players, senior Abby Comstock and junior Julia Pedati, are already helping improve the team. Comstock transferred from Texas and Pedati plays club soccer but finally decided to join the CHS team this year. The captains for this season are Sarah Chamberlin, Siena Ereshena and Carlie James. “Overall the program is much more intense this year and we are training to be a more competitive team than in the past,” said Gibson. Girls soccer hopes for a successful season.

Written by Danielle Klinenberg – Staff Writer

BOYS

The CHS boys soccer hopes to continue to improve this year. According to Coach Leon Abravanel, who has been coaching at CHS for three years, they began training for this season two weeks after the end of last season. Along with advancing in the competition they hope to be the strongest, most cohesive team in general by focusing on individual responsibility performance in order to progress within the team, which they have been training to do so.

“All teams are our rivals and competition,” said Abravanel. “Each game is equally as important and we will approach each game the same: to play the best we can possibly play. We would like to see all of our hard work pay off. We have worked very hard in the off-season and showing it on the field is our goal. Off the field, I want all of our players to earn a 3.0 or higher. We have already completed two big community service projects this fall and will also be raising awareness for COPD by wearing GOLD Bands in each game.”

Abravanel greatly emphasizes that all of the players are equally important and perform well in their specific positions on the field. Likewise, he believes that they all con tribute to the team a great deal and each person brings something different to not only the team, but the sport as well.

“We trust and believe in each of our teammates,” said Abravanel. “Our confidence as a team should be strong because of the work we have put in the off-season.”

Along with Coach Abravanel, the players also have high expectations and goals for this season.

“I hope this season to be the best one yet,” said teammate, junior Cameron Reyhani. “I also would like to improve as an individual and take JV to first place in our division.”

For more information about the game schedule, go online to the Calabasas Athletics page and see how the boys succeed this season.

“We believe in: focus, intelligence and teamwork,” said Abravanel. “We are a very focused and mentally strong group of athletes. ‘One Team, One Family.’”