Cross Country

The cross country team has had two meets so far, including the Stevenson Invitational in Pebble Beach. The Titans have had victories in both varsity boys’ and girls’ teams giving them a strong start to the season.

According to head coach Ernie Lee, many key runners had personal successes. At the Alumni meet, junior Erin Robinson won the varsity girls’ race and six members placed in the top 10, including senior Lisa Fawcett and junior Emma Dohner. The varsity boys were equally victorious with seniors Paul Summers and Robert Chen finishing in second and third place respectively.

Smashing the previous school record, Summers ran the second fastest time ever recorded on Gunn’s home cross country course and Robinson clocked the tenth fastest time. With strong individual improvement and team domination, Lee believes that the cross country team will continue to grow as the season progresses.

Football

The Titan football team opened up league play with a 41-7 victory over visiting Lynbrook High School. Senior running back Maceo Parks ran for 86 yards on eight carries and contributed two touchdowns. “Just winning for the home crowd was good,” he said.

Senior running back Jon Godoy, junior running back Josh Jackson and sophomore running back Casey Jackson ran for a combined 151 yards on 15 carries. Both Jacksons chipped in one touchdown each.

Parks also noted the strength of the defense, which stifled Lynbrook. Senior defensive end Jasper Dean sacked the quarterback twice in the first quarter and junior linebacker Elias Baker had an interception. Senior linebacker Henry Ayala blocked a Lynbrook punt, which senior wide receiver Jon Zeglin recovered in the end zone for a touchdown.

With the victory, the Titans stand at 1-0 league, 3-1 overall after a 41-6 victory in the home opener against Lincoln (SF) High School, and a 25-20 victory over Hillsdale High School on Sept. 26 and a loss to powerhouse Leigh High School 10-20 on Sept. 11.

According to Parks, the squad is on a roll. “We don’t plan on losing any more games,” he said. “Our goal was to win league, and we’re on the right track.”

The Titans take on visiting Monta Vista in the annual Homecoming game on Oct. 16. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

Girls’ Tennis

With an almost perfect overall record, the girls’ tennis team has entered the new season with a score of 5-1. They began their league games with Paly with a succession of victories until their most recent game against Milpitas, which they lost in a close game of 3-4.

According to junior Roxanne Rahnama, Milpitas has always been Gunn’s biggest rival because they have strong singles players. The Titans lost all four of the single games but won the three doubles. Currently, the girls’ tennis team is second in their league with only Milpitas ahead of them.

Despite their rough competition with Milpitas, Rahnama believes that the Titans have a sure shot in the SCVALs. Their current goal is to place first in their league in order to move up from the El Camino division to their former De Anza division.

Girls’ Water Polo

After starting off the season with a 3-3 league, 6-4 overall record, the girls’ water polo team’s preseason goals are coming along well so far, according to junior Emily Watkins. “We have a new coach, and we wanted to be more unified, make [Central Coast Section postseason playoffs] and win more games,” she said. “We also wanted to have more teamwork and more productive practices.”

This year’s squad is lead by sisters sophomore Elizabeth Anderson and senior Jenny Anderson, but according to Watkins, the entire team shares strong camaraderie. “We’re all really determined and we work well together,” she said. “Water polo is a team sport, and if you don’t play as a team you don’t go too far. Teamwork is definitely one of our strengths.”

Boys’ Water Polo

The water polo team is off and running with a 4-1 league, 9-3 overall start and is coming off a 10-5 victory at rival Palo Alto High School (Paly). According to senior goalie Spencer Jones, a main preseason goal of the team was to beat Paly. Senior Alex Berenfeld led the Titans with six goals. Juniors Ben Hendricks and Kevin Zhang and seniors Kevin Oyama and Richard Yuan chipped in one goal each. “[The victory] shows that we can contend with anyone in our league,” Hendricks said.

According to Jones, their team chemistry sets them apart from other teams. As opposed to the play being built around few standout players, Jones noted that “everyone has a unique role to play in the pool.” Jones also said that “no team we have played yet has been better conditioned than us.”

Despite losing to league powerhouse Los Altos High School 6-13, Jones is still optimistic about the squad clinching the league title. “The only league game we have lost is against Los Altos, and I’m confident we can beat them next time we play them,” he said.

The Titans will compete against Los Altos for the second half of the season in the next home meet on Oct. 22 at 3:30 p.m.

Girls’ Volleyball

Since the beginning of the new season, the volleyball team has played in a total of 17 matches and three tournaments and have a current record of 12-14, including the Central California Classic tournament and the Saint Francis tournament. The team began its league games on Sept. 22 with a 0-5 loss against Paly.

The Titans had a strong start in the Central California Classic and placed 6-1 overall, tying for third place. According to head coach Kevin Hwang, the players learned to maintain composure to play consistently. Senior Teresa Skelly led the team at the tournament with over 15 kills, with multiple assists from junior Audrey Waschura and sophomore Julia Maggioncalda.

Although the volleyball team finished 0-5 at the Saint Francis tournament, the Titans played strongly with Skelly averaging three blocks per match and sophomore Julia Li averaging almost eight digs per match. Hwang believes the team will be facing stiff competition in the SCVAL league and are preparing for their next games.