After back-to-back record-breaking performances in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League and Central Coast Section Northern Regional Finals, respectively, the Los Gatos High School wrestling team delivered an encore in the CCS Masters Finals Feb. 22 at Independence High.
In finishing as the runner-up to national powerhouse Gilroy High, the Wildcats broke program records for points (232.5), CCS finalists (six) and California Interscholastic Federation State Championships qualifiers (nine). The CIF State Championships run Feb. 27-March 1 at Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield.
The fleet of Los Gatos wrestlers who will be making the trip down south include Trajan Pannell, Luke Schoch, Antonio Rodriguez, Michael Terrell, Joseph Pavlov-Ramirez, Wesley Hayden, Lucas Pannell, Stuart Cornelius and Dylan Pile. They will be joined by junior Kaja McCullough, who won the CCS girls 130-pound title by pinfall over Ava Mendoza, avenging a loss to the Terra Nova athlete in the CCS Northern Regional final on Feb. 15.
The Los Gatos boys team has never looked this promising. The Fab Four freshmen sensations of Schoch, Hayden, Pannell and Terrell is a testament to coach Greg Varela’s goal to get athletes in town to wrestle competitively at an early age. Schoch (120 pounds) and Hayden (144) were both dominant in winning their respective weight classes.
In the 132-pound final, Terrell lost to Gilroy’s Moses Mendoza, who is ranked in the top 15 nationally and a favorite to win the CIF State title. Trajan Pannell earned his way in by finishing fourth at 113 pounds (the top four in each weight class advanced to State).
The Wildcats’ two spectacular college commits—junior Rodriguez and senior Dylan Pile—met their match in their respective weight classes. Rodriguez, who recently committed to Arizona State University, lost to Gilroy’s Isaiah Cortez by a 7-2 decision at 126 pounds.
Nonetheless, Rodriguez will be making his third State appearance in as many tries.
Pile, a Stanford University-signee, lost to Gilroy’s Tyler Eise 7-1 in the 175-pound championship contest. Pavlov-Ramirez fell to Gilroy’s Elijah Cortez in the 138-pound final, while fellow junior Lucas Pannell won the third-place match at 157 pounds by a 7-2 decision.
Senior Stuart Cornelius earned a State berth by taking fourth at 165 pounds. Juniors Ojas Shastri and Nicholas Studley finished fifth at 190 and 285 pounds, respectively, helping Los Gatos earn valuable points in the Masters Finals team standings.
The Wildcats’ record-setting run started in the SCVAL Finals on Feb. 8. Incredibly, they won 12 of the 14 weight classes and scored 466 points to break their own league record set in the 2023 league finals. A week later, Los Gatos dominated the CCS Northern Regionals, winning every bracket from 113 pounds through 144.
Girls Basketball
The Wildcats completed a remarkable third consecutive undefeated season in the SCVAL De Anza Division, winning 11 of 12 league games by 10 points or more.
Los Gatos (16-8) earned the top seed in the CCS Division I playoff bracket and played host to No. 8 seed Branham on Feb. 25. The news has been equally positive off the court, as coach Sara Quilici Giles received the 2023-2024 CIF Girls Basketball Coach of the Year and the National Federation of State High School Associations Section 7 Coach of the Year awards.
“After-school sports play a vital role in shaping students’ character, resilience and teamwork, and outstanding coaches like Coach Quilici-Giles make all the difference,” Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District Acting Superintendent Heath Rocha said in a press release. “This multi-state recognition is a testament to her dedication, leadership and ability to inspire student-athletes both on and off the court. We are incredibly proud of Coach Quilici Giles for this well deserved honor and grateful for the positive impact she is making in her school community.”
Girls Soccer
The Wildcats won the SCVAL De Anza Division championship in runaway fashion, finishing with 30 points by virtue of its 9-0-3 league record. They easily outdistanced runner-up Homestead, which tallied 22 points. Even though Los Gatos saw its season come to an end in a 3-2 loss to a tough Leland squad in the CCS Division I playoff quarterfinals on Feb. 22, its future looks just as promising.
Most of the key players are projected to return next season, including standout strikers Alex Munneke and Abby Nelson, who combined for 31 goals this season. Darcy Armstrong, Madison Kohli, Teagan Kaefer, and Sam Gruetter also had strong seasons and will return next year.
Boys Soccer
Keegan Mctighe and Leon Sarashki certainly know how to show up for the big moments. Mctighe scored the Wildcats’ lone goal through regulation and overtime while goalkeeper Sarashki produced two spectacular saves in the penalty kick shootout to lift No. 8 seed Los Gatos to an “upset” win over No. 1 Aptos in a CCS Division III playoff quarterfinal on Feb. 24.
The Wildcats advanced on PKs, 5-4, setting up a third meeting with league rival Santa Clara in a CCS semifinal on Feb. 26. Los Gatos’ latest win conjured up memories from last year’s memorable playoff game with Menlo School—a match that saw Mctighe scored twice and Sarashki make a pair of spectacular saves in PKs to lift the team to victory.
*This article previously stated nine wrestlers were sent to State when the number was actually 10.
