Harvey springs to home in the Viking’s 12-4 victory over the Wildcatz.

It’s a warm Tuesday evening on the baseball field at Palo Alto High School, and Sean Harvey is trying to organize a team dinner. The baseball team has just lost its first playoff game, a 4-3 loss to Saratoga, and Harvey is hoping a team event will get his squad back on track.

“It’s a way for the team, outside of baseball, to connect and form some chemistry and really get a sense of who the guys are off the field, on a personal level rather than just like a baseball level,” Harvey said. “It’s good to get one in before an important game just to make sure everyone is on point with each other.”

Harvey brings up the possibility of a trip to Armadillo Willy’s after Wednesday’s practice, which is met with a seemingly positive reaction. Someone grumbles that the dinner can be organized tomorrow, but Harvey quickly asserts that attendance will be higher if everyone can plan in advance. He asks for a show of hands as to who will be available on Wednesday, and then warns that everyone with a hand in the air needs to be at team dinner the following night.

Harvey, one of four captains of the baseball team, has been selected as this year’s recipient of The Viking’s Alok Subbarao award. Each year, members of The Viking staff choose one Paly athlete for the award; nominees must demonstrate the same attitude, character, spirit and commitment shown by Subbarao, a former Paly track and cross-country runner who, among other accomplishments, ran four events for a total of nearly four miles and set three personal records in the final track meet of his career.

Athletes chosen for this award do not necessarily have to be superstars on their respective teams, though more often than not they are solid contributors on the field. What distinguishes these athletes from their peers is that their contributions are not entirely quantifiable, and the impacts they have on their teams run far beyond their play.

Take Harvey, the starting left fielder for the Vikings this year. He is no slouch with the bat, hitting .327 with 10 RBIs and eight runs scored. Yet despite his important offensive contributions, perhaps his greatest impact comes as a result of his exemplary leadership. Every day, before both practices and games, Harvey leads the team’s stretching period. He also works to keep the dugout energized during games, and often leads the cheer after practices and games as well.

“He’s a team guy,” teammate and fellow captain Michael Strong (‘13) said. “He’s always looking out for the team, doing what’s best for the team, whether it’s selling out or giving the team a pump-up speech before the game.”

Harvey attacks each practice with an intensity many players reserve for games, and expects others to do the same.

“I’m just pretty competitive,” Harvey said. “It’s important for me to try my best and play well every day. I guess I play the game pretty hard, even though I’m definitely not the best player, like I definitely have some flaws, especially on defense. I just feel like going 100 percent in practice is kind of just how I think and I just expect that everyone else does the same.”

Harvey strives to better both himself and his teammates by working hard all the time, which has proven to be a contagious attitude. He will never be seen running the bases at any pace less than a full sprint to give Paly’s infielders a realistic look at practice, and he sometimes arrives before practice to catch fly balls and work on his own defense, which he, perhaps unfairly, currently perceives as a weakness.

In the offseason, in addition to playing on a local American Legion baseball team, Harvey was a fixture in the weight room, batting cage and outfield to work on every aspect of his game, often with Strong in tow.

“Me and Michael used to hit over the summer, probably multiple times a week, like three or four times a week just working on our swings,” Harvey said. “Also going through the motions of defensive stuff, like we’d do ground ball work and all that kind of stuff.”

This offseason work helped Harvey earn the starting spot in left field at the start of the season and become a steady contributor with some much-needed pop for the Vikings. Four of Harvey’s hits this year have gone for extra bases, including an opposite-field home run against Saratoga, which prompted teammates to compare him to another well-known left fielder, all-time home run leader Barry Bonds. Of course, it helps that Harvey wears number 25; chants of “Let’s go Barry” can be heard from the dugout during most of his at bats. Nothing gets the rest of the team going like a big hit from “Barry” Harvey.

Yet even when Harvey gets a day off and does not start, he finds a way to impact the game by firing up the other players in the dugout and making sure everybody stays engaged in the game.

“I feel like a vocal leader is important to show younger kids how, in Palo Alto baseball, you want your players to act as they get older and get to the varsity level,” Harvey said.

Assistant coach Dave Goldman agrees that Harvey’s dugout presence is crucial for the team’s performance. A relatively quiet group of seniors makes up the bulk of the returning players this year, so Harvey has stepped up to help provide some of the vocal leadership that’s been missing.

“He keeps the dugout going during the game and he really does have some very strong leadership qualities to him,” Goldman said. “He’s the most vocal of the senior class.”

Beyond his motivation and leadership in the dugout, Harvey’s presence on the field also has positive effects on other players. James Foug, the starting center fielder for the Vikings, gets to interact with Harvey each day in the outfield in practice and in games and enjoys Harvey’s wisecracks and other humorous comments.

“He keeps it loose out there, and when we play loose we play better, so he’s great to have in the outfield,” Foug said.

Harvey will attend Santa Barbara City College in the fall, where he hopes to continue his baseball career.

“Hopefully I don’t have to redshirt,” Harvey said. “Hopefully I can just go out and make the team straight up and be able to play right off the bat, and I’d like to be able to get some playing time if I’m not starting.”

Regardless of whether he ends up starting or not, one thing is for sure. With his passion and vocal leadership, Harvey will find a way to make the Vaqueros bette

Goldman summarizes Harvey’s crucial role on his team concisely.

“He’s the personality of the team,” Goldman said.

Next year, Harvey will be the personality of the Vaqueros, too. For now, however, “Barry” is focused on the upcoming CCS playoffs as a member of the Vikings.

My goal for the season from the start was getting to play at [San Jose Municipal Stadium], so at least CCS semifinals,” Harvey said. “Icing on the cake would be winning it all.”

“Talented with her feet” is one way to put it. Tall has played varsity soccer and run track since sophomore year– two big feats for what was an underclassman swimming in a pond of upperclassman big fish. In 2012, she set the league record for the JV 200 meter dash. Now a rising senior, Tall has made a name for herself both on the soccer field and track. For these accomplishments Tall is a worthy recipient of the Upperclassman Athlete of the Year award.

This past soccer season, Tall recorded 24 points in goals and assists to her teammates, including the game-winning goal over Gunn when she dribbled around Gunn goalie and fellow Stanford Soccer Club teammate Adriana Noronha (`14) for a 1-0 Paly triumph. Averaging .9 goals per game, Tall proved herself a valuable asset to the team as a midfielder and part time forward.

Through most of the season, Tall played right outside forward or midfielder in front of teammate and peer Julia Kwasnick (`14). Kwasnick further emphasized Tall’s value to the team.

“She was always a really consistent and positive player to work with.  She improved a lot over the season and actually became one of our top goal scorers,” Kwasnick said.

Looking back, Tall finds herself thinking more of the experiences with her teammates than of the number of goals she was able to rack up.

“Soccer season this year was by far my favorite for high school season because our team was really close,” Tall said. “We were a really good group of girls…We really committed to soccer this year, went really far and kind of proved people wrong because people weren’t expecting us to be very good…we kind of gained a little respect back for soccer as a sport at Paly.”

Ending their 2011-2012 season with a 2-8-2 league record, the girls’ soccer team was forced to drop down to the SVAL El Camino league. Then, suffering a hard and abrupt end to their season this past January, the girls’ had to forfeit multiple games and a CCS tournament game due to player ineligibility.

“We were a really close soccer team so it just helped that we were behind each other for everything so we tried to improve as a team and we were always supportive of each other so it helped a lot, and made it better,” Tall said.

Looking even farther back, Tall attributes her active upbringing to her family and friends.

“My family is really athletic, they’ve always encouraged me to do sports and they tell me that I can do whatever sport I want. They’ve been really supportive that way. Also most of my friends are athletic so I’m just around it a lot,” Tall said, “I think its always good to play a sport at least sometime in your life because…you’ll get in shape and you make friends for the rest of  your life so thats always a good thing.”

Growing as a player, Tall began to focus her attention on soccer, playing on club teams and traveling to tournaments. Coming into high school, another sport caught her eye.

“I didn’t start track until high school but it was through soccer that I found out I was speedy and then it led me to track,” Tall said. “[It] has been really fun. I just have to try and improve myself each time, and it’s just a fun team sport as well even though it doesn’t really seem like [a team sport].”

Tall runs the 100 meter and 200 meter dashes and the 400 and the 1600 meter relays.

Track coach Jason Fung agrees with Megan’s talent and contributions to the team.

“She’s a very important piece of our team,” Fung said. ”She’s taken track a little more seriously this year and has kind of reaped the benefits from all the success she’s been having.” Fung said. “She does a lot outside of school but she’s always at practice, she always does her part to keep everything going.”

As Tall transitions into her final season, she looks forward to playing soccer and

running.

“Individually I just want to get more personal records and go to CCS next year [for track],” she said, “And I really want to show the league that we can beat the other [soccer] teams and go far next year.”

And throughout all of this, Tall keeps a simple phrase in her head: “If you’re not giving it 100 percent you probably shouldn’t be doing it.” <<<

Jacey has been playing soccer since first grade. From day one she found an extreme passion for the game.

“My favorite thing about soccer is how you can step on the field and forget about everything,” Pederson said. “You can just express yourself completely.” Being a high school student is not easy and Pederson is definitely grateful that she has soccer to help her “get away” from the many stresses Paly and most high schools have.

Although soccer is Jacey’s outlet for fun, her schedule is far from relaxed. Besides playing for the Paly girls varsity soccer squad, Jacey also plays for a year-round travel soccer club called PSV Union FC. “I practice Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and usually have a game on Saturday and/or Sunday,” Pederson (’16) said. Despite the endless practice and play, Jacey is so grateful to play on such a competitive soccer team. “By playing with a travel team, and with some of the best girls in the Bay Area, it really improves my game,” Pederson (’16) said. “We all have standards for each other which helps us to develop as players.”

Practicing nearly ever day of the week simply isn’t enough for Jacey. On top of her excessive practicing, Jacey works on her own time to get even better. “I usually train by myself 2-3 times per week working on more individual skills,” Pederson said. “I do core strengthening such as sit-ups and push-ups pretty much every night.” Teammate Sunny Lyu (‘14) plays on Paly and for PSV Union FC with Jacey and is extremely impressed with Jacey’s work ethic. “In my opinion, despite her incredible athleticism, her differentiating qualities are her work-ethic and determination,” Lyu said. “She motivates me and other teammates to work hard and put the time in.”

All of Jacey’s extra work and intense practicing doesn’t go unnoticed. She was named a member of the Under-14 and Under-15 United States Women’s National Soccer Team. She is also currently in a pool of players that compete for the Under-17 women’s national team. “I just went to Costa Rica with the Under-17’s to play Mexico, Japan, and Costa Rica,” Pederson said.

Jacey loves the game immensely. She does not want to stop playing after high school. In fact, for quite some time, Jacey has had her hopes set on playing college soccer. “I do want to play college soccer,” Pederson said. “I have known I wanted to play soccer in college probably since 6th grade.” Although Jacey is still just a freshman, she has already gotten some interest from impressive schools such as the University of North Carolina, Duke University, UCLA, and USC. Lyu (‘14) definitely thinks that Jacey is athletic enough to play at the next level and says the two work all the time to push one another and get as good as they possibly can be.  “Jacey and I train together all the time,” Lyu (‘14) said. “We usually do fun technical things like juggling, dribbling, and shooting. Sometimes we work out or go on runs and push each other too.”

Paly is more than excited to have such a gifted young athlete be a part of its soccer program. Jacey is equally happy with being a member of the team. “Paly soccer was fun, frustrating at times but fun,” Pederson (’15) said. “The training environment was a lot less intense/demanding then at club, but it was good getting to represent my school and play with people from my school. My favorite moment was our first CCS game at home when we won 5-0 and there were a ton of people there and it was just awesome.”

Jacey loved playing for the team this year and hopes for even more promising seasons in the near future. “I hope that over the next three years, our program gains more participation from players who opt to play just club,” Pederson said. “I also want to try and get more people out to our home games, and get a better environment for the games. It’d be awesome to win CCS within the next three years as well.”

Foug (‘15), just like Jacey, is excited about upcoming seasons with this young, talented soccer team. “We were quite a young team this year and without the disqualification I think we could have made it far,” Foug (‘15) said. “With the similar team next year I feel we will be able to do even better because we are all already familiar with each other.”

Jacey is not the only member of her family to be excelling at a high level in their respective sport. Her oldest brother Tyger Pederson is currently a senior at the University of Pacific and plays second base for the team. Joc, the second of Jacey’s three older brothers, is currently playing professional baseball for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Joc was drafted in the eleventh round of the 2010 MLB draft and was awarded Dodgers minor league player of the year last season.

Needless to say, Jacey comes from a long line of gifted Pederson athletes. Despite being apart of an extremely competitive family, Jacey does not feel any pressure to be any greater than her best effort. “I’d say that my family definitely isn’t the pushy type,” Pederson (’15) said. “They’re going to support me but not force it upon me. Ultimately, they let me make decisions regarding soccer and sports.” Jacey is grateful to have such talented brothers though and is inspired to work as hard as they do to be great athletes. “My brothers are always going to the field to play catch, or are going to the gym so it motivates me to want to go too,” Pederson (’15) said.

Jacey Pederson is this year’s Viking Sports Magazine Girls Underclassmen Athlete of the year. The award is voted off of pure athletic ability as well as a good work ethic. Foug (‘15) and Lyu (‘14) both agree that Jacey possesses both of these important traits and is going to be a very exciting athlete to watch over the years to come.

The victory sends Paly to the quarterfinals of Central Coast Section Division I play on Saturday when it will meet Bellarmine Prep at Bellarmine at 2 pm.

Despite the outcome, Palo Alto started sluggishly. Back-to-back errors proved consequential as Watsonville jumped to an early 2-0 lead. Right fielder Austin Poore ended the inning when he drifted back to catch a ball drilled deep to him.

But as the second inning commences, Palo Alto’s defense stepped to the fore to shut down the Wildcatz.

“We didn’t really panic,” Palo Alto head coach Erick Raich said “We said ‘let’s make the most of these outs and minimize damage. And we got better as the game went along”.

Indeed Paly got better as the Vikings lineup jumped on Watsonville’s pitching. A combination of solid Viking hitting brewed with several Wildcatz errors and walked batters, allowed Paly to seize a 4-2 lead.

Watsonville rallied with two more runs of its own to tie the game 4-4, but it was the Wildcatz’s last hurrah.

Palo Alto not only matched Watsonville’s two runs, to make it a 6-4 game at the end of the third, but began to run away with it as the Watsonville offense simply couldn’t keep pace.

The Vikings went on to take 8-4 and 9-4 leads by the end of the fourth and fifth innings respectively en route to a final score of 12-4.

Said Watsonville coach James Gomez, the former Wildcatz star: “Defensively, there were a couple plays that we gave up that gave them opportunities, that gave them the lead. A couple fly balls misjudged. A couple defensive miscues.

“Palo Alto just hit the ball really well. They put the ball in play, and our defense faltered a little bit and their pitchers did a good job, hit their spots really well and kept us off balance. You gotta give credit to Palo Alto, they played well.”

Poore, a senior, was 3-for-3 at the plate.

Poore knew that if his team kept composure, despite a sluggish start, it would prevail.

“Our coach always tells us you don’t win the game in the first, second, third inning.” Poore said. “It’s the fifth, sixth and seventh where you win the game.”

The lady Viking’s prepare for a cheer, after halftime in the SCVAL championship vs. Saint Francis. The Lancers went onto defeat the Vikings, 16-15, in sudden death triple over time.

Just two years after the first varsity girls’ lacrosse team was fielded at Paly, the Lady Vikes triumphed over St. Francis to win the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) Championship, under the guidance of Jamie Nesbitt. Following that impressive season, Nesbitt was promoted from assistant coach to head coach.

Nesbitt attended Stanford University, where she played Division I lacrosse, before attending graduate school. Lacrosse has always been a dominant part of her life and after graduating Stanford in 2009, she was able to see the coaching side of the sport.

“It’s evident that she loves the sport and that she’s [a coach] because she loves it so much,” varsity goalie Emma Beckstrom (‘13) said.

Her love and passion for the sport is evident in her motivational coaching style.

“She maintains intensity but at the same time she wants to have fun and she wants us to, so she drives us to play not for the win but to have fun and through the fun we win,” Beckstrom said.
Under the guidance of Nesbitt, the girls’ lacrosse team has earned a winning record for the past three years, one of which ended in a SCVAL championship win.

The Viking is awarding Nesbitt the Coach of the Year award for her dedication to the lacrosse program, her unrelenting support for her players and her ability to inspire.

“She’s inspired our team to push themselves beyond their limits,” defender Olivia Cornfield (‘13) said.

Nesbitt’s unwavering faith in her team and goal-oriented leadership has driven the girls to strive for success.

“She doesn’t settle for okay or alright, she wants us to continue working and learning and achieving greatness,” Cornfield said.

In addition to her guidance on the field, Nesbitt provides support and friendship to the girls outside of lacrosse.

“She maintains a perfect balance between coaching and being a friend,” midfielder Allie Peery (‘15) said.

Nesbitt chaperoned Paly Prom this year and attends other events outside of practice such as team pasta feeds. An integral part of Nebsitt’s coaching method is her emphasis on team building and chemistry, both on and off the field.

During practice Nesbitt runs exercises such as the ‘buddy run,’ which involves running sprints while holding a teammate’s hand. The bonds between the girls that have been fostered through lacrosse translate to success on the field.

This year, under Nesbitt’s leadership, the Lady Vikes have earned an impressive 13-0 league record, highlighted by a 13-12 win over rival St. Francis. However, the season ended with a heartbreaking loss when St. Francis took the SCVAL championship with an overtime win.

“Although the ending was not what [Jamie] wanted it to be, she was proud of how everyone left their heart on the field and played it out until the end,” attacker Lauren Maltz (‘13) said.

It is Nesbitt’s positive outlook that keeps the girls going and moving forward.

“When she guides you, you can do anything,” Cornfield said.

Although the girls’ lacrosse team will be losing 13 seniors, there is hope for the future, because with Nesbitt’s guidance, anything is possible.

    Last winter, Palo Alto High School’s male Varsity basketball team was forced to create a new starting lineup hoping to go far in the 2012-2013 season.

    Starting on a blank slate with no returning starters, the team had to pull it together while mapping out their new lineup and new plays, preparing for certain games and tournaments and, most importantly, figuring out how to create the strongest team with the potential found in all new players.

    This year’s team put the loss of a star lineup and forward behind it and collaborated its  talent as a whole rather than being successful through one key player. Combining skill sets found in each player to create an ultimate team, the Vikings were able to finish their season with a 23-4 overall and a 12-0 league record.

    In 2011, Scotty Peery (‘13) and Eilon Tzur (‘13) decided to play on their National Junior Basketball team rather than getting minimal playing time with the Vikings. The two came back for their senior season in 2012 and were crucial to the team’s success.

“Scotty has been probably our best 3 point shooter percentage wise,” head coach Adam Sax said. “He’s also [did] other things like getting loose balls and [was] a very good shooter and we want him to continue to shoot the 3 point shot.”

Along with the two seniors, Varsity quarterback Keller Chryst (‘14) decided play again this season, after his injury enabled him to play his sophomore year. Although this brought attention to others regarding the effect on his football career, worrying about the future was the least of his concern.

“I’m not really too worried about looking too far ahead in my future and career,” Chryst said. “I just wanna have fun and enjoy what I have right now and you can’t live life just thinking your gonna get hurt doing everything you do.”

Despite the loss of a strong starting lineup and key forward E.J., the boys’ Varsity basketball team has been given the 2013 Male Team of the Year award for their perfect league season and 21 game winning streak led by their new rooster and starters.

Returning point guard Aldis Petriceks (‘13) played Paly basketball all four years and has experienced being on the team with and without E.J. The newer team quickly found their strength which led them to success.

“The chemistry of this team is a lot better this year,” Petriceks said during the season. “I think guys are much more relaxed and I think the offense flows much better. We’re playing better basketball thats for sure.”

With the dozen of points E.J. put on the board per game and the seven rebounds or so he fought for, the 2011-2012 basketball team had confidence in the 6’4” forward, and when in doubt, gave him the ball for a better chance at putting points on the board.

“Last year with EJ, we were more inside game, trying to get [the ball] to him,” Sax said.
“This year we’re more of a perimeter team. If our 3 point shooting is not going, we can drive it. We’re definitely more guard oriented, as opposed to having a big guy scoring”

The seniors on the team fused a bond through already built friendships, leading to a stronger team with a different dynamic than found in previous years.

“On this year’s team we’re all friends,” Petriceks said. “We all enjoy being with each other and the locker room vibe is especially relaxed. No one is tense, we’re laughing, and we’re having a good time.”

The boys’ basketball team finished this year’s season with a different game plan and motives than last year’s graduated lineup and E.J did. Unexpectedly, the team’s chemistry and sense of family led them further than expected in their season. Granting the team the Male Team of the Year Award is nothing short of the recognition that they deserve.

Scotty Peery and his team didn’t play only to win, but to work as a family and see what happens on the court.

“We aren’t playing for our coach, we aren’t playing for us,” Peery said. “We are just playing out there to have fun and I think that’s doing wonders for our team chemistry and our game.”

“When we ended half time we were up by a lot and we were all really excited about it,” team member Kristen DeStefano (‘14) said. “We kind of thought, ‘If we keep up the intensity, we got this. There’s no way we aren’t going to win.’”

Unfortunately for the Vikings, St. Francis, whom Paly had defeated twice in the regular season, completed their comeback with the overtime win to become league champions.

The Vikings struck first in the game with a goal from Julia Farino (‘13) in the first minute of play. St. Francis responded to tie the game at 1-1, but Paly dominated the field for the remainder of the period. Five Vikings contributed to Paly’s lopsided 9-3 lead over the Lancers going into the half.

St. Francis came out with a vengeance after halftime, scoring first 2:32 into the period. Nina Kelty (‘13) struck less than 30 seconds later for the Vikings to maintain Paly’s 6-goal lead, and more back-and-forth scoring put Paly up 13-7 with 8:39 to play.

Momentum then swung to St. Francis as they went on to net 6 unanswered goals, typing up the game in the final seconds of regulation. With the score at 13-13, the Vikings and Lancers headed into overtime.

Neither team was able to secure the win in the first 3:00 overtime period, as both St. Francis and Paly scored to keep the game tied and force a second overtime period. In double overtime the Lancers again struck first to go up 15-14, but a penalty drawn by Anna Dairaghi (‘13) forced the St. Francis goalie out of the net, leading to a Paly goal and tying the game as time expired.

The Vikings and the Lancers entered sudden-death triple overtime period with the score at 15-15. St. Francis was able to score before the Vikings, securing the league champion title.

Though the loss was heartbreaking, the Paly team was able to hold their heads high and celebrate the positives.

“The thing that was brought up a lot [after the game] was that all of us knew we should have won,” DeStefano said. “But we actually did kind of win. Our team is like family and we have the strongest bond and throughout the season we’ve become a family and that is the whole thing. It’s better than winning.”

Despite multiple shots on goal in the first half, the Vikings could not get the ball past SHP’s goalie and into the net. In the last minute of the second quarter, Walker Mees (’13) scored the team’s first goal of the game. They went into halftime 1-8.

During the second half, the boys proved more successful in scoring. Jordan Gans (’14) secured two goals of his own, Jonny Glazier (’13) snagged one goal and two assists, and Mees (’13) scored once more.Yet, regardless of netting 5 additional goals, the team could not keep off the persistent SHP offense.

The boys finished third in the SCVAL league and completed their regular season with a record of 8-4.

“We kept fighting,“ head coach Jamie Nesbitt said. “Even when we were off and were dropping passes, we kept fighting back.”

The Lady Vikes started out strongly in the first half as Kelty, Biffar and attack Simone Buteau (’13) each scored, giving Paly a 3-0 lead. Biffar would then come back minutes later to record her second goal of the night.

The Falcons scored immediately after the ensuing faceoff as they managed to get their team on the scoreboard, 4-1.

As they maintained possession of the ball, the Lady Vikes’ attack Ami Drez (’14) and Genevieve Lucas-Conwell (’13) each scored, widening their lead to 6-1.

Saratoga, however, bounced back to tally two consecutive goals, once again closing the game to a three goal margin of 6-3.

As time wound down in the first half, Anna Dairaghi (’13), assisted by Kelty, and Allie Peery (’15) cut the Falcon’s offensive campaign by each scoring, allowing the Vikes to walk off the field with a score of 8-3, at halftime.

Coming into the second half, Paly struggled with passing and turnovers, giving up 2 quick goals. Kelty settled the score by finding the back of the net twice more.

The rest of the second half would exhibit a scoring stalemate between the two teams as they both continued to breakdown each other’s defenses. The Lady Vikes managed to hold off the Falcons however, and will advance to the SCVAL Championship game.

Although her team captured the win, midfielder Kristen DeStefano (’14) felt her team struggled throughout the game but is optimistic for their championship game against St. Francis.

“I’m a little bit disappointed because we didn’t connect as a team,” DeStefano said. “We dropped a lot of passes and had unsuccessful plays. Overall, we got our business done and we’re going to the championship so we’ll have our chance to play better.”

Like DeStefano, Nesbitt thinks her team is up to the challenge of taking on the talented Lancers, a team that they have managed to stay undefeated against this season.

“It’s really hard to beat a team three times but I think we have the skill,” Nesbitt said. “We just have to work hard, be smart, and be ready to take care of business.”

The Lady Vikes will take on the St. Francis Lancers on Saturday, May 11^th at Burlingame High School.