Two Las Positas Soccer Success Stories - One Head Coach

One head coach. Two playoff berths. Three cheers!
The Las Positas men’s and women’s soccer teams, each guided by head coach Andy Cumbo, both achieved important objectives by advancing to the NorCal Regional playoffs.
Players on both teams have bonded and are hitting the playoffs with a bit of a hop in their step. Cumbo is thrilled, times two.
“Both Hawks teams have worked very hard to put themselves in this position to be able to play in the postseason, so I’m really excited for them and feel good about how committed they’ve been throughout the regular season,” Cumbo said on Monday, Nov. 14. “Both teams have generated a good amount of momentum at the end of the season. A lot of players are on top of their game right now, so we’re excited to be playing again on Wednesday.”
In another cool development, both Hawks teams will be playing at the same site in the playoffs -- both traveling to face Santa Rosa Junior College on Wednesday.
"Out of the 48 teams that are in on both genders, it's quite a coincidence that our colleges pair up with each other," Cumbo said. "There are only about four coaching staffs who coach both genders in Northern California, and there's only two of us who have both teams advancing. The odds of me being able to be at both games this Wednesday were very slim."
Specifically, Cumbo pointed out strong goalkeepers in Ava Buckles (San Ramon Valley High) and Sean Miller (California HS).

Cumbo has enjoyed a successful career, including earning 273 wins at the collegiate level (2001-22) and 96 at Las Positas (2016-22)
Here’s a look at the Hawks’ recent action:
WOMEN’S SOCCER
The Hawks wrapped up the regular season with a resounding 6-1 win over West Valley on Friday, Nov. 11, improving to 3-3-3 in the Coast-South and 9-6-4 overall.
After spotting visiting West Valley an early goal, the Hawks scored six in a row, paced by Isabel Mello, who had a game-high two goals. Also scoring for the winners were Danielle Gettler, Alyssa Fitting, Irie O’Donnell, and Tiffani Cheng
MEN’S SOCCER
The Hawks (7-9-3, 2-7-2 Coast-South) dropped a heartbreaker to visiting Canada, 1-0, in their regular-season finale on Friday, Nov. 11.
The Hawks rode some LaFleur family magic in a 2-2 draw against host Cabrillo on Nov. 8.
Brothers Griffin and Grant LaFleur scored in a wild second half that featured all of the scoring.
Grant LaFleur assisted Griffin LaFleur to give Las Positas a 1-0 lead in the 50th minute. After Cabrillo tied it, Grant LaFleur scored off an Edwin Zabala assist in the 76th minute.
Cabrillo tied it 2-2 in the 89th minute on a Gavin Keith goal.
MEN’S WATER POLO
The Hawks (19-16), the runner-up in the Coast Conference, capped their landmark season by taking fourth place as the No. 4 seed in the CCCAA Water Polo NorCal Regional Championships at San Joaquin Delta College.Las Positas, guided by head coach Jason Craighead, who helped start the water polo program as a Hawks’ assistant coach in 2015, led the men’s team to some impressive landmarks: Best finish in the Coast Conference Championships; highest State ranking, No. 12; most wins in a season; and first trip to the NorCal Championships.

The Hawks opened the NorCal Championships beating No. 5 Merced for the fourth time this season, 16-11. Next, Las Positas fell to State No. 1-ranked West Valley 20-1 in the semifinals and Diablo Valley, 17-11, in the third-place contest.

Patrick Aiello was the Hawks' top scorer in the tournament with 12 goals: six against Merced, one against West Valley and five against DVC.

In the conference tournament, the Hawks opened with a thrilling 8-7 win over Merced in overtime on Nov. 5, and then battled gallantly in a loss to West Valley, 16-7. Kyle Young, a sophomore Liberty High graduate, and Aiello, a freshman out of Heritage, both scored twice for the Hawks.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
The Hawks (3-17, 2-7 Coast-North) continue to show steady progress under new head coach Jamie Hadenfeldt, with two wins in their past four games.
Las Positas notched an impressive win over Skyline, 25-13, 25-18, 25-11. Rachel Dayton led the way with 16 kills and 14 digs, along with four service aces.
In a loss to Hartnell on Nov. 11, Sophia Kim had nine digs and Rachel Tuazon had 14 assists and seven digs for the Hawks.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
The Hawks (0-2) will continue preparations for Coast-North play with two road games this week under new coach Caleb Theodore. The Hawks are at Cosumnes River on Friday this week.
Due to COVID protocol, the Los Medanos-Las Positas “Coaches vs. Cancer” game scheduled for Veterans Day, Nov. 11, was rescheduled for Monday, Dec. 19.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
The Hawks (4-1) rebounded from their first loss of the season with authority, upending visiting Lassen 76-62 in nonconference play on Saturday, Nov. 12. No. 10 Las Positas broke open a tie game at halftime outscoring Lassen 42-28 in the second half.
Jordahn Johnson had a stout double-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. Jalen Patterson had a team-high 22 points to go with seven boards. Jajuan Cox-Mitchell and Jaden Phillips gave stout efforts off the bench, combining for 17 points and 14 rebounds.
In a tough road loss to Modesto Junior College, 68-67 on Thursday, Johnson had a yeoman-like haul of 15 points, 16 rebounds and seven blocks. Brandon Fisher was Mr. Lucky 13, with 13 rebounds and and 13 points, both off the bench. Patterson added 15 points, six assists and a block.