Prep roundup: Leigh wins thrilling five-setter over Branham; Sacred Heart Prep, Mitty capture boys, girls lacrosse titles ...Middle East

SAN JOSE — The Leigh boys volleyball team wasn’t sure it could do it again. 

The Longhorns won the Central Coast Section Division I championship in 2024. But that was a senior-laden group, with double-digit fourth-year player to lead the way. 

This Leigh team is much younger. But the result was the same when the Longhorns took on Branham in this year’s D-I title game on Saturday at Harker. 

Leigh absorbed an early body blow, losing the first set 25-17, before winning the next two 26-24 and 25-20. Branham saved a match point in the fourth to win 26-24. 

But the fifth set was all Leigh. The Longhorns took control early and won 15-6, ensuring that this Leigh group would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the stellar squad that came before it. 

“I’ve coached a lot of these kids – I’ve been their teacher in middle school,” Leigh coach Jeff Argabright said. “I work out there at the feeder school, and I coached the middle school team there when a lot of these guys were there, so I’ve been with them since they were like 11. 

“We had one starter returning and started four underclassmen, and these guys, there was never a moment too big. It was amazing. I’m so proud of them. I’ve only cried like four times, and two of them were CCS finals, just out of happiness. I cannot be more proud.”

Along with several of his current players, Argabright once coached Aaron Gordon at Union Middle School. As Gordon will have to do in Game 7 on Sunday with the Denver Nuggets, Leigh faced down a do-or-die final game in the fifth set to determine the overall winner.

But after dropping the fourth set in extra points, Leigh wasn’t fazed. Instead, the Longhorns grabbed the bull by the horns, starting the set as the aggressor and building a quick 3-0 lead. 

They stretched their early advantage to 5-1, then 8-3. After dropping a few points in a row to allow Branham to cut the deficit to 9-6, the Bruins never scored again as Leigh finished the set on a 6-0 run. 

“Branham gave us everything we can handle, and they put it on us game one,” Argabright said. “We could easily have folded.”

Believe it or not, Branham actually swept Leigh in the teams’ previous meeting, the second of two matchups in Blossom Valley Athletic League Mt. Hamilton Division play. So coupled with their previous defeat at home on April 22, Leigh dropped four consecutive sets to Branham entering Saturday’s second frame. 

It didn’t matter. Instead, it was Branham that was searching for some answers as the teams await their bracket placements in the NorCal regional tournament commencing later this week. 

“I’m beyond proud of these boys,” Branham coach Heather Cooper said. “If we looked at the beginning of the season, how many injuries we had, illnesses, we were dropping like flies. And at that point, the guys knew that we needed to have some big shoes to fill, and they stepped up and filled those shoes.”

Both teams will have plenty of momentum, mistakes and positive coaching points to take into NorCal play. But only one took home a second straight CCS trophy. 

Senior Cooper Smith, the Longhorns’ lone returning starter, led Leigh with 22 kills. Junior Henry Chen, who recovered from a compound leg fracture in the offseason, added 12 kills in a supplementary role. 

Etc.

Top seed Harbor of Santa Cruz won the CCS Division II boys volleyball final over No. 4 Monta Vista, taking the championship match 25-20, 25-11, 25-15. Harbor enters the NorCal playoffs with a record of 30-5; Monta Vista is 24-13.

Lacrosse

CCS girls

Division I

No. 2 Sacred Heart Prep 10, No. 1 St. Ignatius 8

For the first time since 2021, the Gators are the CCS champions in girls lacrosse after knocking off top seed SI on Saturday.

Mollie Pepper was the offensive star for SHP, scoring five goals. She got some help from teammates Kat Dykes (two), Olivia Abbott, Lily Selcher and Noa Katz. 

Abbott posted a team-leading four assists. Skyler Schramm had a pair, and Lily Selcher dished one. 

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Goalie Ella Caplice notched five saves in the Gators’ victory. 

As CIF lacrosse does not currently have a regional or state championship, both teams’ seasons have come to an end. SHP finishes with a record of 19-2; SI stands at 17-5. 

Division II 

No. 1 Archbishop Mitty 14, No. 2 Los Altos 9

A banner Saturday for Mitty athletics got started on the Carlmont High School football field. 

Hours before the Monarchs won the CCS’s Open Division boys volleyball title, Mitty’s girls lacrosse team claimed its first section title in the brief history of CCS lacrosse. 

Ashton Allard led the way for Mitty with four goals, followed by Gabriella Vaccaro with two. Kylie O’Brien, Ardyn Mittleman, Ciena Neditch and Renée Velasco also got on the score sheet for the Monarchs. 

Mitty finishes the year with a record of 7-10. Los Altos is 13-7.

CCS boys

Division I 

No. 2 Sacred Heart Prep 8, No. 1 St. Ignatius 7 

Stop if you’re heard this before – SHP beat St. Ignatius in a lacrosse title game.

It was much the same for the Gator boys on Friday night, as they stayed hot through a dominant tournament run (13-4 and 16-4 wins) and paid it off with a nail-biting win over the Wildcats.  

It is also the SHP boys’ first CCS lacrosse title since 2021. The Gators finish the regular season with a record of 17-7, SI finishes at 21-4. 

Division II

No. 6 Archbishop Mitty 14, No. 1 Palo Alto 6

Mitty sure didn’t look like the lower seed on Friday night when these teams did battle at Carlmont.

The Monarchs led 8-4 at halftime and were even better in the second half, leaving no doubt who the D-II champ would be. 

Ryan Yun scored three goals, Elliott Hopkins, Austin Yeaman and Tanner Fast each had two, while Grant Siripoke and Harrison Zmijewski each got on the score sheet as well. 

Mitty finishes the year 8-12. Paly is 12-8.

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