Football
Devoted. Determined. Dedicated.
These three words describe Gabrielino’s football team. The Eagle’s overall record was 4-5 and their league record was 1-4, in which the team found their improvements and mastered their own accomplishments.
Senior Brandon Chai, captain of the Football team, stated that “[the team] did really good. I’m proud of the way we finished. The beginning of the season was rough, but we made it through by working hard.”
Boys track and field
The boys varsity track and field team had an exciting season this year. With only one loss, they placed second overall in the league with a score of 5-1.
“Me and the other coaches are really proud and happy of the kids,” stated distance coach Ryan Kammerman. “We did very well in our league meets, and the team grew in size a ton this year so it was great to see more students join the sport.”
Girls track and field
Girls track and field had a remarkable season this year, with student athletes qualifying for CIF-SS Division 3 Preliminaries, including seniors Melanie Hsiang for the long jump, Tam Le for the high jump, and Kassandra Enriquez for the 400 meter dash.
Hsiang stated, “This season was the best one yet. We’re such an eclectic bunch, but we mesh with one another surprisingly well. We have so much fun inside and out of track.”
Boys golf
Boys golf had a rough season, earning an overall record of 0-12, and a league record of 0-12.
“The season was not a success as far as wins and losses, far from it,” stated Head Coach Steve Swanson.
“The highlight would be the last match we had. We played well as a team and beat our best score by 15 strokes.”
Swanson added, “Another highlight was sophomore Benjamin Ta qualifying for league prelims.”
Girls golf
Girls golf played a tough season, ending with an overall record of 3-8 and a league record of 0-12.
“The most memorable win would be our first match against La Cañada,” stated co-caption Rachel Yu. “It was near the beginning of the season so we were all rusty and nervous. Nonetheless, we all ended up playing our personal best and won the match! I won’t forget the proud look on Coach Swanson’s face and how genuinely happy our team was.”
Girls cross country
The varsity girls cross country team made it to the CIF Preliminaries this year, competing against different leagues across southern California.
Although the girls did not make it to CIF finals, the season was still fulfilling for the team, as many students broke their personal records.
“I feel like the team accomplished a lot,” shared senior co-captain Emma Shelton.
She added, “[Personally], I achieved my goal as a freshman to get under 20 minutes.”
Girls soccer
The girls soccer team won several matches throughout the season, earning a multi-week winning streak.
Senior Kassandra Enriquez, center back, stated, “The highlight of the season was our CIF game, and I felt like it was the one game where the whole entire team came together and put in their best efforts.”
Although they lost the CIF game against Westminster High School, the team stayed passionate about the sport, ending the season with a league record of 10-2.
Boys swim
The boys varsity swim team auto-qualified for CIF within Division 2 during League championships, making it to CIF finals. Seniors Michael Tang, Jerison Wong, Darren Banh, Jason Kong, and Joseph Lee, junior Joseph Peng, and sophomore Ethan Yun placed in one or more categories.
“At the beginning of the season, we didn’t think [making it to CIF] was possible,” said Tang, one of the captains. “Throughout the season we worked towards it and eventually we ended up in the finals.”
Girls swim
The girls swim team ended the season by placing third in the Almont League with a score of eight. It was a hardworking season where the athletes focused on their collaboration and teamwork. Improvement in camaraderie was noticeable and the girls came a long way to earn their CIF achievements.
Susan Lai, one of the coaches of the girls swim team, is proud of their, “[teamwork and] support [for] each other…they are united as a team.”
Boys basketball
The boys varsity basketball team had a phenomenal season, finishing with an overall record of 18-10 and an astounding league record of 12-0. The season was cut short in a first round CIF loss.
“A memorable highlight of our season was our senior night against El Monte,” stated captain Darren Banh, senior. “The game was close, going back and forth throughout the night. Eventually, we went into overtime and Mike [Otoguro] hit a crazy [three-pointer] to seal the game.”
Girls basketball
The girls basketball team had an outstanding season, finishing 20-5 overall, and 12-0 in league. The Eagles fell in the second round of CIF, avenging a first round loss the previous year.
The highlight of the season was repeating as undefeated league champions, boasting a remarkable league record of 24-0 over the last two years.
“Winning that final league on senior night was really amazing,” stated senior Amanda Tom. “Going out on top like that was really special for the entire team.”
Boys cross country
The boys varsity cross country had eight meets this season, including the Mission Valley League Finals and the CIF-SS Division Prelims.
“The highlight of the season for me was at CIF Prelims as it was the last cross country race for me and my fellow seniors,” stated Bryan Chow, senior. “Although my performance at prelims was pretty terrible, I still felt satisfied with it being my final sendoff as did the other seniors.”
Boys soccer
The boys soccer team performed well considering that it was their first year playing together after the disruptions caused by the pandemic.
“Our biggest highlight was definitely the last game which was also senior night,” revealed junior Nicholas Ludington.
He continued, “We played really well and got to say goodbye to all the seniors.”
The team ended its season with an overall score of 3-10-4 for the season and a league score of 1-9-2.
Boys volleyball
Boys volleyball ended the season in fifth place overall in the Rio Hondo league . Their league record was 2-8, however, the team’s overall record for the season was 6-11.
Senior Thong Tran stated, “It was a fun season, we played our best and really enjoyed our time together before we go on forward to the next chapter.”
Tran added, “I’m excited to come back and watch the underclassmen play next year.”
Girls volleyball
Girls volleyball finished their season with an overall record of 19-9 and a league record of 12-0. The perfect league record crowned them as undefeated league champs, but the Eagles fell short in the first round of CIF.
“It was sad knowing it was [the senior’s] last game, but it was really nice to celebrate them as a team,” stated sophomore Kate Hamamoto.
“It was fun to watch the seniors play, plus we won 3-0 against El Monte,” she added.
Baseball
The baseball team triumphed over various difficulties such as tough competitors and had a successful season. With an overall score of 11-9 and league score of 5-7, the team also qualified for CIF finals.
“Our highlight was the second game against Marshall [Fundamental Secondary School],” junior Julian Ramirez stated. “They’re two divisions ahead of us, haven’t lost in a really long time and we broke their undefeated streak.”
Softball
The varsity softball team ended the season with an overall record of 3-18-1 and a league record of 3-9. It was a tough season but senior Gianna Galvez still enjoyed her time on the team.
“[The highlight of this season] was being with each other again on the field,” Galvez said. “[Between] when I played during COVID to now, [things] drastically changed because we see each other during school but also on the field so we have a closer bond.”
Wrestling
For one of the most physically taxing co-ed sports, wrestling had a strong season. They only had two losses, which were against Arroyo and El Monte High School. All wrestlers exceeded expectations and won countless matches.
Freshman wrestler Karina Vargas stated, “100 percent honesty, I think that my team had a phenomenal season and we can only look forward to our next season for improvement on technique and giving it our all on the mat.”
