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MENLO SCHOOL: TENNIS PROGRAM KEEPS ON WINNING
There are winners, and then there are dynasties.
Menlo School is the latter. The powerhouse Peninsula boys tennis program has won 17 Central Coast Section and 15 CIF NorCal titles all time. In 2018, the Knights went undefeated at 29-0 and won the National Invitational Tournament.
This season, Menlo marked a new milestone by sweeping West Bay Athletic League play for the 31st consecutive season, going 10-0 to run its streak of consecutive WBAL dual meet match wins to 325.
“The win streak speaks to the longevity of amazing tennis players that have come through the tennis program at Menlo School,” said coach Francis Sargeant, who took over from legendary coach Bill Shine last summer.
Shine retired after a 29-year run.
“Coach Bill Shine has done an incredible job of really harnessing what it means to be part of a team, which isn’t always easy in an individualized sport like tennis,” Sargeant added. “It has been exciting for me to work with the current group, and I really look forward to continuing the development of our young student athletes in the future.”
Shine’s retirement capped a prolific run that began in 1995. Since Shine took over, Menlo has not lost a WBAL match.
Sargeant is in charge now, and the results have been similar. Menlo still doesn’t lose much, if ever. The Knights are 22-1 overall this season, with their only loss coming to University-Irvine at a tournament in March.
– Christian Babcock
TKA: FRESHMAN PHENOM MAKES ESPN’S TOP 25 LIST
Basketball star Boss Mhoon has had himself quite the freshman year.
The King’s Academy forward led the Knights to the Division III state title game and was an all-league and all-Bay Area News Group selection after averaging 13 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.
On Thursday, ESPN ranked Mhoon as the 17th-best player in the Class of 2028. The South Bay native was given a four-star rating and is the only player from the Bay Area to make the list.
“I feel like I’m a little bit more confident,” Mhoon told the Bay Area News Group last month. “I feel like it’s gonna be a big summer, and a lot of good things are gonna happen.”
– Nathan Canilao
BRANHAM: YOUNG COACH GRATEFUL FOR OPPORTUNITY
It’s not every day you see a 27-year-old head baseball coach at the high school level.
Gregory Olimpia was even surprised that he got the gig as Branham’s head man. Not that he’s ungrateful or unprepared.
He simply wasn’t expecting such an opportunity to present itself this early in his career.
“I’m very blessed to be here,” Olimpia said. “Had a few referrals, people in my corner that stood up for me. I love baseball. I’ve been playing since I was a little kid, and to be able to get back in the game like this has been a huge opportunity for me. I take it very seriously. I couldn’t be happier.”
Olimpia played at Prospect and Santa Barbara City College. When previous Branham coach Adam Smith left to join the coaching staff at Leland, where his son Marco is a senior, the door was open for Olimpia.
Since taking the reins, he’s led Branham to a strong season thus far in the Blossom Valley Athletic League’s Mt. Hamilton Division. The Bruins are 10-7 overall and 5-3 in the Mt. Hamilton, good enough for second place in the always competitive top division in the BVAL.
“This league is stacked,” Olimpia said. “It’s difficult, man. It’s nice to see some early success. I see a lot of coaches get into coaching and have a rough couple seasons before they really break off and have a good one. So to have a team that has a lot of talent like this, and a program that competes for CCS, it was the right time, right place.”
– Christian Babcock
WILLOW GLEN: EX-USC NATIONAL BASEBALL CHAMP REMINISCES ABOUT PAC-12
The Pac-12 as it used to be is no more.
That much was assured when 10 of 12 legacy schools left ahead of the 2024-25 academic year, leaving just Oregon State and Washington State as keepers of the Pac-12 flame.
This has left a hollowed-out conference, which many alums regret. Among them is Willow Glen baseball coach Brian Vieira, who won a national championship with USC in 1998.
“We were big rivals with Arizona State,” Vieira said. “We beat them in the College World Series final, actually, in 1998.”
When Vieira was competing, it was then the Pac-10, divided into two divisions for baseball. The Southern division included the four California schools and two in Arizona.
“When I first started school, it was the six-pack,” Vieira said. “We had SC, UCLA, the two Arizonas, Cal and Stanford. It was a six-team league, and then we had the teams in the north. It was the best baseball ever. Those six schools were ridiculous. It’s sad what they’ve done to it. It was amazing.”
– Christian Babcock
SAN MATEO: SOFTBALL FIELD TO BE DEDICATED IN HONOR OF LOCAL PIONEER
San Mateo High School will dedicate its softball field to Simi Lee this month. She graduated from the school in the 1960s and has contributed to Peninsula athletics for many decades.
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She also still participates in softball tournaments – as a player. A dedication ceremony christening San Mateo’s stadium as Simi Lee Softball Field will be held at the Hillsdale game.
“All students, alumni, staff, and community members are invited to celebrate this historic moment,” San Mateo athletic director Jeff Scheller said in a release.
– Christian Babcock
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