Athletics News October 8, 2021

Last Monday night was a battle of the unbeatens in the NCL 2, when the Upper Lake Cougars came to Sonoma Academy for a pivotal league matchup. The Coyotes were ready to go from the start and grabbed an early lead in the first set, but the visitors from Upper Lake were not going to go away easily and battled back numerous times to cut into the SA lead. The Coyotes stayed resilient and were able to make numerous plays to hold off the Cougars, winning the first set 25-18. The second and third sets were won in similar fashion by the Coyotes, who grabbed a huge 3-0 victory and sole possession of first place in the NCL 2. 

With the win, SA is now 11-1 overall and 6-0 in league play. They will now face every team one more time in league play, with the next home game coming on Monday, October 11 when they will host Calistoga. 

The JV Volleyball team has come on strong in the past few weeks using their skills and knowledge gained from practices and challenging their opponents in every match they have played. This resulted in their first win of the season less than two weeks ago and has shown in their last few matches, with the Coyotes going to the third and final set against every opponent they have faced. While the JV girls have come up just short of victory in these games, their playmaking and ability to overcome adversity has been impressive. With just four matches left in their season the Coyotes are looking to finish the season strong. Next up they will host Calistoga on Monday, October 11 at 5pm with the varsity match to follow. We hope you can join us in the gym to cheer the volleyball teams on!

On Friday, the Coyote community came out in full force at our fall Back the Pack game. The SA fans were treated to an exciting boys soccer game, which ended up in a 3-3 tie against Roseland Collegiate Prep. In addition to the exciting soccer, the fans were treated to music, raffles, and halftime competitions. SA spirit was on full display, with students dressing up in Coyote colors as well taking full advantage of the fun spirit items. After the game, many of the students stayed for Movie Night, capping off a fun day of school spirit.

The Coyotes Varsity Boys Soccer team picked up good results in a crucial stretch of league play to remain in first place. They knocked off Calistoga 4-1, Technology 2-0 and tied Roseland Collegiate Prep 3-3 to remain undefeated on the season. Their 5-0-2 overall record and 3-0-1 NCL II league record has them in contention for the league title and a North Coast Section playoff berth. 

Up next for the Coyotes is a non-league matchup at St Helena, before hosting another key league matchup against Anderson Valley. Anderson Valley recently knocked off Calistoga and is one of the teams expected to battle the Coyotes for the league title.

The Coyotes Cross Country team dominated the NCL II league meet at Pacific Union Prep trails on Wednesday. The Coyotes’ Athena Ryan ‘24 was in second place with a quarter of a mile left, but used a strong finish to win the overall race. Lucy Gott ‘22 won the Girls division. Both Gott and Ryan recorded course records at the meet. 

The meet included over 60 runners from eight different schools in the league. The 5k course circled through the beautiful trails of the Pacific Union College trail system in Angwin. Many of the Sonoma Academy runners established new PR's as they continue to prepare for the CMC Championships on November 10, which will be hosted at Spring Lake. In addition, the Varsity athletes will compete at the North Coast Section meet at Hayward High School, with the top individuals and teams advancing to the State Meet over Thanksgiving weekend. With continued hard work, the Coyotes expect to be in contention to advance individuals and teams.