The Lady Centaurs lacrosse team started the season losing four out of their first five games but at press time (last Tuesday), they were riding a five-game winning streak, out scoring their Ocean league opponents 94-29 during those five games. Their overall record is 9-6 and they are 5-0 in the Bay league which puts them at the top of the league standings. All the hard work has paid off according to head coach Catie Shin.
“The players are seeing that when you put in the hard work good things can happen,” said Shin last week. “As a team collectively, they have improved so much and having that confidence helps us improve so much. The captains have stayed positive and that really helps the younger players.”
According to Shin the younger players have pumped new blood into the program that already had several very good sophomores, juniors and seniors. “We have a great class of freshmen that really work hard,” said Shin who is also a former Centaur player. “We have a couple of freshmen that have been starting most of our games.”
Shin continued to say. “The freshmen did not come in as the most skilled players and they did not have the experience, but they came in with things that are hard to teach. Things like being very coachable. That makes a world of difference. I can teach the skills, but they have worked hard to become great athletes. That is what has made this team a lot different than last year.”
One freshman that has really made a difference is goalie Lucine Linneayr. “We all work well together, and our defense has been really incredible and our communication has been excellent” said Linneayr. “We also have the best coaching staff, and they really support us.”
In high school sports good coaches bring an element of joy and excitement to their programs but at the same time they know when to get serious. “We are having fun, and we are communicating a lot,” said junior co-captain and mid fielder Katelynn Naylor. “We keep encouraging each other and we are bonding together, and we really help each other in different ways.”
The Lady Centaurs played their last league game last Wednesday, April 24, and now they must continue to keep the intensity at a high level because they start the CIF playoffs next week. “We need to keep working hard and fine-tune our game,” said Shin “We need to continue to work on our fundamentals and clean up a few things. In the playoffs we will really need to play our best games.”
This is Shin’s third year coaching the Culver City High School girls’ lacrosse team and her second year as the head coach. This year the Centaurs have some very good players, an outstanding coaching staff, great facilities and the only thing missing is a CIF championship trophy.
____________________
CC High School baseball team is a first place team
By Steve Finley
Just like the girl’s lacrosse team the baseball team is riding an eight game winning streak all the way to the top of the Bay league.The Centaurs next and final regular season game is Thursday, April 25, at home at 3:30 p.m. against Santa Monica.
The Centaurs beat Santa Monica on the road last Tuesday 2-0.
Three teams, CCHS, Palos Verdes and Santa Monica in the Bay league have identical 6-3 league records, but the Centaurs are in first place because they have beaten both of those teams. Culver City’s overall record is 21-4.
They will be in the CIF playoffs next week. Some of the key players for the Centaurs right now are Henry Herrbach, Even Reiter, Nolan Risenberg and Joaquin Scholer.
