Winter Sports Standouts: North Bay’s Elite Athletes Shine This Season

Athletes in winter sports had an impressive week. Soccer and basketball talents reached significant career milestones, wrestlers secured additional individual titles at weekend contests, and boys basketball players continued to lead their squads to victories.

Below are the outstanding high school athletes of the week for Jan. 13-18.

Kate Bruntlett, Sonoma Academy girls soccer: The Coyotes’ senior standout delivered two remarkable performances last week and achieved a significant milestone in her prep career. After netting three goals and providing one assist in a 6-0 victory over St. Helena, she played a pivotal role in the Coyotes’ triumph against reigning North Coast Section Division 2 champion Tamalpais with a goal in a narrow 1-0 win over the Red-tailed Hawks. This goal marked the 100th of her career at Sonoma Academy.

Jordan Washington, Justin-Siena girls basketball: Washington was instrumental in steering the Braves to three additional significant victories last week while achieving yet another career milestone. She scored 18 points and secured 11 rebounds on Saturday in a 67-42 win over University-San Francisco, surpassing 1,000 career rebounds in the process. The senior forward now boasts over 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds throughout her tenure at Justin-Siena.

Joey Guanella and Chase Claassen, Windsor wrestling: Guanella and Claassen each earned individual titles to aid Windsor in securing second place out of 38 teams at the King of the Mat tournament on Saturday. Guanella, recognized as the Lightweight Outstanding Wrestler, finished 4-0 to win at 115 pounds, triumphing through two tech falls, a fall, and a major decision. Along his title path, he overcame state No. 9 Alex Mallot. Meanwhile, Claassen excelled at 140 with a perfect 4-0 record, which included two falls, a decision, and a tech fall, achieving a notable victory over NCS No. 4 Ezekiel Fellman of Casa Grande.

Adam Pengel and Izayah Rush, Rancho Cotate boys basketball: The Cougars have maintained an exceptional winning rate, extending their current winning streak to six with two additional victories last week. Pengel recorded two more 20-point games, scoring 20 in a 79-43 win over Healdsburg and 25 with eight rebounds in a 74-57 win over Ukiah. Rush, a freshman, also displayed a commendable performance, achieving 19 points with five rebounds and five steals against Healdsburg and concluding with 21 points and six rebounds against Ukiah. The Cougars are 15-2 as they approach this week.

Griffin Brophy, Sonoma Valley boys soccer: After failing to secure a win in their initial 12 games of the season, the Dragons finally broke through with two victories last week, remaining competitive for the Vine Valley Athletic League title. Brophy, the reigning Press Democrat player of the year, scored three goals in a 3-0 win against Justin-Siena and followed with two additional goals in a 3-0 victory over Casa Grande. Presently, Brophy ranks second in the NCS for reported goals scored with 15 this season.

Lila Plewes, Allison Vazquez-Zimerman, Vintage girls soccer: The Crushers’ offense had an extraordinary week, achieving not one but two 17-0 victories in VVAL competition. Numerous players stood out for Vintage, but two particularly shone. Plewes, a junior forward, achieved back-to-back hat tricks in the two victories, while Vazquez-Zimerman contributed five goals and an assist. Vintage currently holds a remarkable 48-5 scoring differential this year, having won five consecutive games and remaining undefeated this season with a record of 7-0-4.

Anais Hernandez and Anakarla Hernandez, St. Helena girls wrestling: Both wrestlers captured individual titles at the San Ramon Valley Girls Invitational on Saturday, helping the Saints secure a seventh-place finish among 47 teams. Both girls won all their matches by fall; Anais, competing at 137, went 4-0 with four falls, while Anakarla achieved a 3-0 record with three falls at 147.

Brendan Walker, Piner boys basketball: With leading scorer Apollo Pereira out due to injury, the Prospectors’ senior big man stepped up with outstanding performances in two victories last week. Walker posted an 18-point, 12-rebound double-double in a 59-28 win over Elsie Allen, and followed with another double-double of 25 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks in a 55-38 triumph over St. Vincent. Piner trails league-leading Rancho Cotate by one game and will face the Cougars on Friday night.

Saundra Jordan, Cardinal Newman girls basketball: The Cardinals secured a couple of hard-fought victories last week, extending their winning streak to nine games. Jordan, a promising freshman forward, played a pivotal role in all three of their wins last week against Maria Carrillo (54-37), Montgomery (79-37), and Lincoln-San Diego (67-55). She concluded with nine points and 14 rebounds in the comeback win against the Pumas, amassed 24 points, eight rebounds, two blocks, and two steals in the victory over the Vikings, and finished with 13 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks in another comeback triumph against the Hornets in a feature game on Saturday.