As the second semester approaches, Oxford’s winter sports teams are back in full force. Varsity basketball and soccer have been practicing all year and are ready to show the payoff of long hard hours on the field and in the gym.
Boys Basketball
With top-notch experience on this year’s varsity squad, boys’ basketball dedicates its season to going far in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) playoff rounds. Captains, senior Gabriel Chaparro and junior Colin Das have worked tirelessly to build synergy over the past few seasons and are now prepared to lay it all out on the court.
“We’ve been the same team for the last three years, [and] we don’t have many young players so we have a lot of chemistry built,” said Chaparro. “This year we’re more experienced and ready to make playoffs,” Das said.
The tenured squad stays focused on the season ahead, targeting wins in future rounds.
Girls Basketball
This year’s varsity girls basketball is dialed in on strengthening their team bond, striving toward CIF playoffs. Despite missing some of their top players due to injuries, senior captains Leah Lee and Ashley Ventura have joined forces to develop the team as student-athletes and foster a cohesive group.
“Because half the team is going to be graduating, I want us all to have a nice goodbye,” Ventura said. “But I also want us to grow as a family. It’s supposed to be more [inclusive], especially [for] the newcomers.”
As the squad embarks on their journey through the 2024 season, they concentrate on helping the younger athletes acclimate to the varsity level and eagerly await upcoming matches like Magnolia and Pioneer to show off their hard work.
Girls Soccer
On the green, OA girls soccer proudly defends their home turf with captains sophomore Shay Tiettmeyer in the goal and senior Kaitlyn Barajas leading them to victory. This year, Tiettmeyer and Barajas focus on gaining momentum early in the preseason games and propel themselves further in the CIF bracket. After going to the playoffs quarter-finals, the team longs for the electricity found on the field and strives to feel the spark once more.
“We definitely improved last year towards CIF, and I felt that our chemistry was enhanced because of the bond that we had through playing the whole season,” said Tiettmeyer. “My goal is trying to create that bond earlier in the season to hopefully play better and play like we did in [the playoffs] so that when we get to CIF, it’ll be even better.”
Aside from goals on the varsity squad, girls soccer introduced their JV program — an opportunity to build the longevity of the varsity team as well as acclimate new girls to on-field play.
Our girls soccer program is equipped to put their best efforts forward to improve as athletes, teammates, and competitors.
Boys Soccer
Boys soccer focuses on mixing upper and lower-classmen talent to create a cohesive squad rather than rely on the individual this season. Creating a strong team bond through scrimmages and free play during practice allows them to acclimate themselves as a unit. Translating these skills into games is vital for the success of the team and captains Cameron Oates, Mac Tiettmeyer, Carlos Miranda, and Hayden Le have worked endlessly to ensure a tight-knit brotherhood on the field.
“Our last season relied on a lot of individual performance and it made us realize it’s unsustainable to play that system.” Oates said. “Building chemistry is a big thing, so these first couple games are a building stage to see how every one of the 11 players on the field will play together at any given time.”
As their season progresses, boys soccer maintains a “one game at a time” mentality to foster a match-winning squad for the postseason and on.
As we approach the holiday break, make sure to come out and support these hard-working athletes who dedicate their time and energy to bringing pride to the OA community.
