The Best of Redwood City Sports in 2011

Although 2011 may have been devoid of signature team championships for Redwood City high schools, individual athletes at Woodside and Sequoia enjoyed remarkable success. And that the bulk of the most notable performances came from juniors suggests the upcoming year will hold even more spectacular feats.

With 2011 nearing its end, here is a look at some of the year’s top accomplishments in Redwood City high school sports:

1. Chris Waschura – Woodside Boys Track and Field: Waschura’s dominant junior season peaked at the perfect time, as he finished fifth in the 1,600-meter run at the California Interscholastic Federation State Championships with a personal-best time of 4 minutes, 8.29 seconds. He was also a double winner at the Central Coast Section finals – in the 800 and 1,600. Then Waschura began his senior year by qualifying for the state championships in cross country, and now he will take aim at winning a state title in the upcoming track season.

2. Alicia Grima – Woodside Girls Swimming: The decorated swimmer defended her 2010 CCS championship in the 500-yard freestyle in runaway fashion and extended her dominance in the Peninsula Athletic League during a fantastic junior season. At the section finals, Grima won the 500 by nearly three seconds with a time of 4:52.00 and finished two-hundredths of a second away from adding the 200 individual medley championship. She enters her final season holding PAL Bay Division records in three of eight individual events.

3. Josh Lauese – Sequoia Football: The senior’s impact as a two-way starter may be best captured by his earning the PAL Ocean Division’s Utility Player of the Year honors despite playing for a Cherokee team that finished tied for last in the league at 1-4. The 6-foot, 210-pound Lauese was a punishing running back that totaled 14 touchdowns while averaging 7.86 yards per carry and a fearsome defender as a fleet and hard-hitting linebacker.

4. Taylor Duffner – Woodside Girls Soccer and Track: Duffner, who recently completed her freshman season at UC Davis, was named the PAL Bay Division’s Forward of the Year in her final season with the Wildcats. She scored 19 goals, kept a young Woodside team in the thick of the title race in the loaded PAL Bay until the final week and then sparked her team to the CCS Division I semifinals. Then in the track season, Duffner won the PAL championship in the triple jump (34 feet, ½ inch) and finished second in the 100 hurdles (16.28).

5. Gabriel Ortiz – Sequoia Boys Track and Field: Ortiz capped a breakout junior year by placing fourth in the CCS finals in the 200 at 22.23 seconds. Two weeks earlier, he won the PAL championship in the 200 (22.77) and took second in the 100 (11.50), two-hundredths of a second out of first place.

6. Christina Dobbins – Woodside Girls Track and Field: As a senior, Dobbins was a double winner at the PAL championships, claiming titles in the high jump (5-2.25) and 100 hurdles (15.78). Dobbins, who anchored a Wildcat team that went 7-0 in PAL Ocean Division dual meets, also finished second in the league finals in the 300 hurdles (48.88).

7. Shep Newcomb: Woodside Boys Tennis: Newcomb became the PAL singles champion as a junior, never losing a set in four tournament matches.

8. Mikayla Wilkes – Sequoia Girls Volleyball: The junior outside hitter earned PAL Ocean Division co-MVP honors, leading the Cherokees to a 10-4 league record.

9. Ashley Miller – Woodside Softball: Miller capped her Wildcats career by being named a PAL Ocean co-Pitcher of the Year. The senior left-hander guided Woodside to an 18-5 record that left the team just shy of a CCS playoff berth.