Pirates boys basketball posts win over Dunn, stays undefeated in Sunset League play
Santa Ynez High School got to celebrate some more CIF championship athletes on Jan. 23 as members of the Pirates girls golf team received their championship rings during a lunchtime ceremony in the high school’s meeting room.
The ceremony was anything new to the team, as they had the same ceremony last year after winning the title in 2023.
Administrators and family members, joined the golfers as they were introduced one-by-one by head coach Sara Ovadia and assistant coach John Nicholas and given their rings. The team members were Caralyn Barber, Katherine Becerra, Kacy Caplan, Sierra Freedman, Savannah Hudley, Mackenzie Phelan, and Addison West.
The squad successfully defended its CIF Central Section Division 2 title Oct. 29 in Visalia. The Pirates beat runner-up Atascadero by five shots, shooting a team score of 483. Cabrillo (522) and Lompoc (523) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
Ovadia also coaches the boys golf team, who has also won the last two CIF Central Section championships. The boys will soon start their season in hopes continuing the Pirates golf program’s amazing run.
The coach said her program is fortunate to have players coming in with prior golf experience.
“We had a few kids who played before high school, and that experience has built a solid nucleus for our team,” Ovadia said. “Then as they progressed, freshman would come in and our established players have been good at pushing them along. We’ve also had a couple who came from other sports who realized, if they put the effort in, could find success in this sport rather quickly.”
Ovadia will soon get started with the boys golf season, which starts March 4 with a match against Santa Barbara atSanta Barbara Golf Club. The Pirates play their first home match on March 6 against Cabrillo at the Alisal River Course in Solvang.
Boys basketball beats Nipomo for seventh straight win
The Santa Ynez boys basketball team is on a roll, as the Pirates defeated Nipomo 76-25 at home. Lucas Ollenburger led SYHS with 18 points in that game, along with 7 rebounds, while Jude Pritchard and Wesley Satterthwaite added 11 points each.
Before the Nipomo game, the Pirates posted a couple of non-league victories. On Jan. 28, they beat Orcutt Academy 78-42, with Ollenburger scoring 18 points in that game, while Pritchard (16 points) and Ikenna Ofiaeli (15) also had high scoring ouputs.
SYHS (15-8, 5-0 in the Sunset League) will return to action tonight (Feb. 4) at Righetti, who is just one game behind the Pirates at 4-1 in league. The Pirates close out the regular season with home games against Morro Bay (Feb. 7) and Cabrillo (Feb. 11). After that, Santa Ynez will find out its postseason seeding.
Pirates boys wrestling finishes dual-match schedule undefeated
The Santa Ynez boys wrestling team defeated host Nipomo 46-35 in its final dual match, finishing 5-0 in duals. The Pirates’ Carter Franson (pin), Curren Lane (pin) and Neal Cunningham (tech fall) posted wins, while the other SYHS winners were by forfeit.
On the girls side, Santa Ynez held an exhibition dual match against Nipomo. Team captains Malia Ortiz and Ariela Contreras, as well as junior Mary Carpenter, picked up wins for the Lady Pirates.
It was an emotional night for the Lady Pirates as they wrestled their final team event with Ortiz, the sole senior to take the mat against Nipomo, picking up a first-round fall, finishing her career undefeated in league duals.
“Malia has been a captain, role model and dominant force on the team throughout her high school career and has set the bar high for future Lady Pirates,” girls wrestling head coach Chantalle Castellanos said.
Girls basketball battling in Sunset League
The SYHS girls basketball team played the two best teams in the Sunset League and unfortunately, lost them both.
The Lady Pirates fell to first-place San Luis Obispo 58-48 on Jan 31. However, SYHS got a good effort from Helina Pecile, who had 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Kylie LaPointe added in 9 points and 6 rebounds.
Three days before that, the Lady Pirates fell to second-place Cabrillo 47-27, with LaPointe leading SYHS with 10 points.
Santa Ynez (12-9, 3-4 in the Sunset League), will play their final home game tonight, against Lompoc, and will close out the regular season with road games at Paso Robles (Feb. 7) and Templeton (Feb. 11).
Soccer programs get mixed results last week
The Pirates boys soccer team defeated St. Joseph 2-0 on Jan. 31, with goals scored by Cristian Sandoval and Abraham Corrales. SYHS (5-11-3, 3-2-2 in Sunset League). The team is in second place in the league, pending its regular season finale Feb. 7 at Lompoc.
On the girls soccer side, SYHS lost a close one to Cabrillo 3-2 on Jan. 28, with Hannah Ricci and Grace Vazquez scoring the Pirate goals. SYHS (6-8-1, 2-4 in the Sunset League) closes out its regular season with home games against Pioneer Valley (Feb. 4) and Santa Maria (Feb. 7).
