With the fall season at an official and complete end, a lot of athletes have had the chance to show their individual improvements and accomplishments throughout the 2023/2024 season. This fall, seven sports participated in their conferences, with three advancing to CIF football, flag football, girls’ volleyball, girls’ golf, cross country, girls’ tennis, and boys’ water polo all finished the season strong, and their players worked hard to earn their All-League and Most Valued Player (MVP) titles. On top of the awards, Michael Camou represented North as the only cross-country runner to move on to CIF.
This year, North’s football team had a 2-3 record in the Ivy League and an overall 3-7 record. The Huskies had four players make the First Team All-League team, including their quarterback Cameron Shannon, receiver Carson Branch, D-line Andrew Mosquito, and linebacker Mekhi Hill.
For their first official season ever, the girls’ flag football team ended the season with an 8-6 league record and a 10-7 record overall. In place of CIF, the league put on a League Finals Tournament held at Canyon Springs, where the girls finished the season going 2-1 that day. The team had three girls named to the First Team All-League team, including Sophia Gonzales, Amellian Hamilton, and Malaiah Mayo.
Malaiah Mayo (#4) played a variety of positions this season, including wide receiver, rover, and occasionally quarterback, all of which she was successful in. Her experience as a softball player has contributed to her speed and agility on the flag football field and allowed her coaches to use her in different roles in the game. According to Malaiah, “I started the year as a wide receiver and rover, but then Coach Harris had [the] idea to put me in as quarterback for the run plays, so as a starter, I played [three] positions a lot of games.” Her speed has aided her in scoring touchdowns as both quarterback and wide receiver. Malaiah is looking into the prospect of playing flag football at the collegiate level now that the sport is gaining recognition and scouts are beginning to recruit girls from high school teams.
The boys’ water polo team went 3-4 in the Sunbelt League and 12-16 overall this 23/24 season. The team faced and overcame different forms of adversity, but three boys stood out and in turn, received individual league-recognized awards. Matthew Tarascio and Gurshaan Bajwa were both named to the Second Team All-League team.
Phoenix Joven was the only one on the squad to be awarded First Team All-League, with a total of 104 goals this season. Phoenix (#9) plays point and center defender, and despite only playing since freshman year, he is aiming to take his water polo career to the collegiate level. When asked what the biggest factor of his game he feels contributed most to his award, Phoenix answers, “My drive and determination to be the best that I could be, and my love for the sport.” He aims to break the school record for most goals in one season his senior year.
In girls’ golf, Mandy Zhong was the only one awarded the First Team All-League and League MVP awards, both rightfully deserved. As a junior in high school, this is Mandy’s third year in a row winning the Sunbelt League, and also her third year in a row being named League MVP. She has gone three for three years in advancing to CIF, and this year she will compete in the CIF Individual Championship and SCGA Qualifying Tournament after finishing 8th at the CIF Central Individual Regional Tournament.
North’s girl’s tennis team went 4-4 In the Ivy League this season and 10-6-6 overall, earning them a spot in Division 2 CIF. North’s 2023 doubles league champions, Caroline Cocker and Ellen Myung, both were awarded First Team All-League after advancing to CIF Individuals.
Overall, girls’ volleyball went 4-24 this season, and 2-6 in the Inland Valley League. Sarai Gross was the only player to make First Team All-League, and her teammates Rosemarie Pinon and Amillion Hamilton both were awarded Second Team All-League. Additionally, Abby Guisa and Jenni Lopez Valezquez were named as honorable mentions in the league.
Congratulations to all our Husky athletes this fall season who have been named League MVPs and First or Second-Team All-League stars. Now that we’re entering the winter sports season, best of luck to all our teams and athletes going into 2024, and we look forward to more awards in the New Year!
