Preps of the week: Archie Williams runners win MCAL titles

The final MCAL championships of the fall were decided on Wednesday with runners from Archie Williams High winning both races while Redwood and Tam won the girls and boys team titles, respectively.

A trio of local teams navigated their way to titles in the North Coast Section water polo playoffs with the Redwood and Marin Academy boys, plus the Marin Catholic girls, winning championships on Saturday.

The Branson School girls tennis team was also victorious in the NCS Division II championships. The Redwood girls volleyball team advance to the NorCal D-I title game. Both schools also saw their football teams advance in the NCS playoffs.

Ani Steig, Archie Williams girls cross country

Stieg shaved more than a minute off her winning time from 2023, crossing the finish line in 17 minutes, 43 seconds on the 3.1-mile course at the Indian Valley Campus of the College of Marin on Wednesday to win the varsity race. Stieg finished almost 20 seconds clear of the field.

Sydney Middleton and Kate Kozubik, Redwood cross country

Middleton and Kozubik placed second and third at MCALs, respectively, to lead the Giants to their third consecutive team title and fourth in five seasons. Middleton, a junior, crossed the finish line in 18:02.9 then Kozubik, a sophomore, came in with a time of 18:05.6. Marley Nacco (fifth), Rose Mueller (12th), and Beatrice Nass (17th) also scored for Redwood.

Ian Sharp, Archie Williams boys cross country

Sharp turned in a personal record of 15:29.9 to win the boys varsity race at the MCAL championships on Wednesday. Sharp’s victory, combined with top-10 finishes from Milo Hetherington (sixth), Ryan Seeley (seventh), and Reid Cross (ninth) enabled the Peregrine Falcons to take second in the team competition.

Marco Zink and Caeden Gardner, Tam boys cross country

Zink and Gardner placed second and third, respectively, as the Red-tailed Hawks needed all the points they could get, edging Archie Williams 36-37 to claim the MCAL team title. Zink came in with a time of 15:45.5 followed by Gardner at 15:49.1. Tam also got crucial scoring from Lucas Ruark (fifth), Finn Harrington (11th), and Gilbert Fillat (15th).

Anya Jaroszewski, Marin Catholic girls water polo

The senior led the Wildcats in scoring last week as the program ended a 25-year section-title drought with wins against Moreau Catholic and James Logan in the NCS D-II playoffs. Jaroszewski tied for team-high honors in scoring in both games, scoring four goals in 12-4 win against Moreau Catholic and two goals in an 8-6 win against James Logan. Lucia Lind added four goals in the semifinal and Emma Slaught scored twice in the final. Amelia Kiriakis also scored three times in the semifinal. MC’s seniors had experienced heartbreaking losses in the D-II final in their freshman and sophomore season, plus a one-goal loss to Marin Academy in the semifinals last season before breaking though this year.

Storm Jackson, Ossie Joplin, and Maddox McLellan, Redwood boys water polo

Redwood got goals from a variety of standouts en route to winning the NCS D-I title on Saturday. Jackson and Joplin paced the Giants with four goals apiece in a 12-9 win against San Ramon Valley in the semifinals. Maddox McLellan, who scored twice in the semifinal, added three goals in the title game against Tam — including the go-ahead goal to stake Redwood to a 10-9 lead in the fourth quarter.

Matthieu Giauque, Marin Academy boys water polo

Giauque paced the Wildcats in scoring in both games last week as MA was victorious in the NCS D-II tournament. Giauque scored six goals in MA’s 11-6 semifinal win against Foothill before scoring three more times in a 9-8 victory against Cardinal Newman to secure the pennant.

Katie Warrin and Paloma Vano-Rice, Branson girls tennis

The Bulls claimed the NCS D-II title on the strength of their singles ladder against University on Saturday. Branson won all four lines in a 4-3 victory to claim the title. Branson also secured a 4-3 win against Lick-Wilmerding earlier in the day with Warrin and Vano-Rice earning wins at Nos. 2 and 4 singles, respectively. Both players won again in their familiar spots in the lineup against the Red Devils. Branson’s other wins against University came courtesy of Mirabel Arlander at No. 1 singles and Audrey Gilmor at No. 3 singles.

Madeleine Wagner, Redwood volleyball

Wagner paced the Giants in kills in both games as Redwood advanced to Tuesday’s NorCal D-I title game. Wagner had 12 kills as No. 6 Redwood went on the road to claim a three-set victory against No. 3 Clovis in the quarterfinals. The Giants returned home for the semifinals against No. 10 Campolindo, getting 17 more kills from Wagner in another sweep.

Dante Davis and Erik Johnson, Redwood football

The Giants earned their second postseason win in program history in part thanks to a critical defensive play authored by Davis and Johnson. Redwood had built a 21-0 lead at halftime but Antioch had pulled within a single score and had the football in the fourth quarter. Davis forced a fumble and Johnson recovered it and Redwood held on for the victory.

Thomas Lardner and Mo Jacoby, Branson football

Lardner accounted for five touchdowns and Jacoby had four scores as the Bulls routed Roseland University Prep 68-14 on Saturday to advance to the NCS 8-person D-I title game. Two of Lardner’s four touchdown passes went to Jacoby. Lardner ran for another score to bring his total to five. Jacoby had an interception return for a touchdown and also threw a scoring pass to Spencer Weinberg to cap a big scoring day for the Bulls.