The Best of Redwood City Prep Sports in 2010-11

With the 2010-11 school year recently in the books, here is a look at some of the top accomplishments of the teams and athletes at Sequoia and Woodside High Schools:

1. Sequoia Football: The resurgent Cherokees enjoyed . Sequoia went 9-0-1 in the regular season, including 5-0 to win the Peninsula Athletic League Lake Division title. Then the Cherokees beat Los Altos and Leland in the playoffs to advance to the Central Coast Section Division II championship game. But there, Sequoia’s dream run came to an end with to Willow Glen. The 11-1-1 Cherokees dominated the PAL Lake awards, with 11 players receiving mention in the all-league team. James Beekley was named the Offensive Back of the Year and Rob Poulos received the Coach of the Year honors.

2. Chris Waschura -- Woodside Boys Track and Field: Waschura capped a superb junior season with at the California Interscholastic Federation State Championships in Clovis, taking fifth in the 1,600-meter run with a personal-best time of 4 minutes, 8.29 seconds. His time, which would’ve crowned him the state champion in five of the previous 10 years, left him as the second fastest non-senior in the state. Waschura’s dynamite year also included – in the 800 and 1,600.

3. Alicia Grima -- Woodside Girls Swimming: Grima became the CCS 500-yard freestyle queen for the second straight year, winning by nearly three seconds with a time of 4 minutes, 52.00 seconds at . The junior was also close second to Sacred Heart Prep’s Ally Howe in a thrilling race of the 200 individual medley, losing by only two-hundredths of a second. A week earlier, Grima set in the 200 IM in 2:02.56, beating the previous mark by nearly four seconds. She now holds records in three of eight individual events.

4. Woodside Girls Water Polo: The Wildcats went 12-0 to capture the PAL Ocean Division championship. Senior Hayley Parker earned league MVP honors, and senior Yia Kalaitzidis and sophomore Lauren Arshakuni were named to the All-PAL Ocean first team.

5. Woodside Girls Track and Field: The Wildcats won the dual meet PAL Ocean Division title, going 7-0. At the PAL championships, senior Christina Dobbins won league titles in the 100 hurdles and high jump and took second in the 300 hurdles.

6. -- Woodside Girls Soccer: Duffner, a UC Davis-bound senior, helped keep a young Wildcats squad in contention for a second straight title in the rugged PAL Bay until the final week. Duffner, who earned PAL Bay Forward of the Year honors, then led Woodside to a spirited postseason run to the CCS Division I semifinals.

7. – Sequoia Boys Track and Field: A year after breaking his left leg, Ortiz, a  junior, won in the 200 and was the runner-up in the 100.

8. Shep Newcomb – Woodside Boys Tennis: Newcomb captured by defeating Carlmont’s Corey Pang 6-3, 6-2 in the final at Burlingame. Newcomb didn’t lose a set in four tournament matches.

9. Woodside Girls Tennis: Woodside went 16-0 during league play to earn the PAL Ocean title, three matches ahead of runner-up Hillsdale. Seniors Blanca Martinez-Cabian and Stephanie Veridiano were named to All-PAL Ocean first team, and Shani Taylor-Keeling received second-team recognition.

10. Sequoia Boys Tennis: The Cherokees shared the PAL Ocean title with Westmoor and Hillsdale at 10-2. Senior Palani Akana and freshman David Burtt earned second-team honors.

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Interested in the top athletic feats in other parts of San Mateo County? Here are the highlights from , , , , , , , and .