The Best of HMB Prep Sports in 2010-11

With the 2010-11 athletic year recently in the books, here is a look at the top accomplishments from the teams and athletes at Half Moon Bay High School:

1. Baseball: The Cougars streaked to the at 13-1, winning their first 10 games. Then Half Moon Bay advanced to the Central Coast Section Division III semifinals for just the third time in program history before at San Jose Municipal Stadium. The Cougars, who finished the year 23-7, were one of just two PAL teams to win a postseason game (and they won two) – and they were the only team in the league to reach a section semifinal. Senior Julian Garcia won , and Steve Terraszas was named the PAL Ocean Coach of the Year. Half Moon Bay finished the year slotted No. 6 in Patch’s .

2. Football: A memorable season on the gridiron included no shortage of highlights. Senior running back on the same day he broke the school’s single-game rushing mark, leading HMB to a 45-19 win at San Mateo. The Cougars, who finished third in the mid-tier PAL Ocean, seemed a playoff longshot until . That win, just HMB’s second in the rivalry game since 1997, helped the Cougars earn an at-large CCS berth, the program’s first postseason trip since 2005. Then to steam into the Division IV semifinals. A week later at Monterey Peninsula College, the Cougars seemed poised to return to the title game for the first time since their Small Schools crown in 2005. But defending champion Carmel roared back from a 21-point deficit with 16 minutes left to send HMB (8-4) home . Sena received PAL Ocean Offensive Player of the Year honors and was a second-team selection for Cal-Hi Sports’ small schools all-state team.

3. Boys Soccer: Half Moon Bay came up huge in to the PAL Ocean season, beating visiting Hillsdale 2-0. With that victory, the Cougars clinched what is believed to be the program’s first league title since the mid-1980s as well as their first CCS playoff berth in eight years. In the Division III quarterfinals, Half Moon Bay lost an intense battle, falling 2-1 in overtime to Soquel. The Cougars, who finished 11-1-2 in league games and 14-3-2 overall, earned the No. 10 spot in Patch’s . Half Moon Bay will scale up to the PAL Bay Division next season, replacing winless Westmoor.

4. Boys Water Polo: Powered by the dynamic Carter White, the Cougars won the PAL Ocean championship with an 11-1 record, one game in front of rival Terra Nova. White, a junior who set school records for goals in a game (12) and season (80), was named the PAL Ocean MVP. Then behind a dramatic late-game save by goalie Warren Jolley in a postseason play-in game, Half Moon Bay earned with a 10-9 win over Carlmont. The Cougars finished the season 14-5 after a loss to Live Oak in the first round of the Division II bracket.

5. Girls Volleyball: Needing to sweep Terra Nova in a PAL Ocean finale to earn a spot in the CCS playoffs, . HMB and Terra Nova both went 12-2 in league, but the Cougars grabbed the tiebreaker and the Ocean’s lone postseason berth with the sweep, which was their seventh straight victory. In the playoffs, in a CCS Division IV opener to complete the Cougars’ 25-6 season. Outside hitter Danielle Peranich was named a PAL Ocean co-MVP, and the Cougars' middle blocker tandem of Kelsey Moore and Courtney Callan combined for 371 blocks.

6. Girls Basketball: With a 9-1 record, the Cougars took home the PAL Ocean title, edging Carlmont by a game. Diana Cariaga was named the PAL Ocean MVP, and McKenna Hilton earned first-team recognition. Half Moon Bay lost 57-53 to Carmel in a second game in the CCS Division IV playoffs, and finished the year with a 16-9 overall record.

7. Boys Swimming: Half Moon Bay dominated the PAL Ocean regular season, finishing 7-0 to claim the dual meets title. Shorthanded in the Ocean finals, the Cougars couldn’t manage to add the boys team title to their haul. , 40 points behind. Cougars sophomore Eoin Bloomer claimed the team’s lone victory of the day, becoming the PAL Ocean champion in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 58.07 seconds. Bloomer and water polo star Carter White earned first-team recognition in the all-league awards.

8. Cross Country: The HMB girls finished third in Division IV in , Chandra Anderson nailed a 10th-place finish with her time of 20 minutes, 15 seconds. The boys team took fifth in Division V behind Mitch Martin. Martin earned his second-consecutive top-10 finish, placing ninth in 16:44.

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Interested in the top athletic feats in other parts of San Mateo County? Here are the highlights from , , , , , , , and .