Hello Dons – first of all, we wish good health and safety to the entire community during these uncertain times. The 2020 Booster Bash has been postponed to a date to be determined. The Boosters are dedicated to supporting Acalanes athletics throughout this crisis, and while nobody is sure when our kids will be back on campus, we are planning to hold an event for the Dons community in the Fall. In the meantime, look for additional communication about an online fundraising opportunity before the end of the academic year. Stay strong Dons!
There is nothing as sweet as a comeback, when you are down and out, about to lose, and out of time…
The Freshman Baseball team traveled to Pleasanton to play Foothill High School on Wednesday evening with parents in the stands cheering on the Falcons and Dons.
Dons took their first ups and could not get on base. The Falcons did find their way to the bases, scoring 3 runs in the first inning. Miller Smith tried to get the party started for the Dons in second inning with a deep hit to left field and Ellis Burger took a walk to first base, yet the Dons could not bring it home. The Falcons put another run up on the scoreboard to to make it 4 to 0 in the third inning.
In the fourth inning, Kyle Bielawski made it to first base as the short stop juggled the ball, followed by Smith with a full count took a walk to first base. Colin Norstad moved the runners around to second and third with a hit to the pitcher. With two outs, Tyler ‘Worth a Ton’ Worthington hits a bomber to center for a single and score two for the Dons.
In fifth inning, Andrew Habas is at the plate and sends it to center for a single. Jospeh Castelli had a hard hit to the short stop for an out and moves Habas to second base. Bielawski next up hits in long into the left field for a double and scoring Habas. The Dons were now behind by one run, Falcons 4 and Dons 3.
Heading into the seventh inning, the Falcons strutted out on the field to get three quick outs, collect a win, wash their hands and head home for dinner. Well, that did not happen. There is nothing as sweet as a comeback, when you are down and out, about to lose, and out of time…
You are much stronger than you think and what you imagine. – Superman
Nikko Woodson smacks the ball between third base and short stop…MasonMichlitsch hits to the pitcher to move Woodson to second. Habas back in the batter’s box, hits it the short stop and slide dives into first base like Superman (Side note: I wish we had a video clip because it was over the top, amazing…back to the story)…SAFE…and Woodson on third. Habas took the opportunity to steal second, with the next batter striking out. It is now two outs, Bielawski is back with bat in hand, hits the ball deep to the center…Woodson scores….Habas rounds third with the ball coming in hard for him at home…once again, Habas Superman dives to home plate, dust all around and the umpire calls it …SAFE!The Dons take the lead 5 to 4. The Falcons had their last bats with three up and three down. The Dons strutted off the field, collected their win, washed their hands and headed to In-n-Out for dinner.
Three Dons pitched for the win for Acalanes. Mason Michlitschled things off on the hill for Dons. Kyle Bielawski entered the game in the second inning and pitched for four innings with one strikeout and only one run scored. Miller Smith took over in sixth inning to close the game and gave only one hit to the Falcons. The Dons didn’t commit a single error in the field. So cool!
Hit Summary for the Day: Nikko Woodson (2), Mason Michlitsch (2) Andrew Habas (2) Kyle Bielawski (1) Miller Smith (1) Tyler Worthington (1)
RBI Summary for the Day: Kyle Bielawski (3) Tyler Worthington (2)
Twenty of the top Northern California teams came out to play an 18 hole shoot out at the De La Salle Tournament. The match was moved to Ruby Hills Golf Club this year. Acalanes finished 18th place. Murphy Baker came in with the lowest round for the team at an 83. Ryan Reilly was close behind with an 84. Will Condy shot 87, Ely Pancoast 99 and Ryan Allen came in at an even 100.
Bouncing back hard from a 3-1 loss in the first game of a doubleheader, Acalanes won game two, 8-3
School rivalries are the backbone to any high school sporting event, especially in Lamorinda. Ultimately, rivalries provide for fun and spirited games. Victory is always sweet, but it is even sweeter when it is against a rival team. For the day, the Acalanes Dons collected a total of 9 runs and the Campo Cougars took only 6. We call that a BLUE-tiful Day!
Game 1: We don’t lose. We either win or learn.
Both teams were strong on the mound on Saturday, but Campo was just a little bit stronger at the plate in game one. Mason Michlitsch started on the mound. Tyson Bates and Joseph Castelli entered the game from the bullpen, throwing two and two-thirds innings and one-third of an inning respectively.
Cougars won 3-1. The Freshman Dons lost despite out-hitting Campo seven to five.
Game Two: Unfinished Business
The Frosh Dons scored more runs than Campo, takes victory back to the 94549 to the tune of 8-3
The Dons jumped on the scoreboard in the top of the second. Nikko Woodson with a single, Miller Smith with a double scoring Woodson. Smith stole third followed by a Campo balk on the mound, giving the Dons a free trip home, 2 to 1. In the fourth inning, Smith doubled on a 2-1 count, scoring one run and Tyson Bates singled on a 1-0 count, scoring one run. The Dons wanted more! The team scored four runs in the fifth inning. The offensive onslaught by Joseph Castelli and Tyler Worthington hitting the Dons to home plate, a single by Bates and a double by Smith.
Nikko Woodson led things off on the hill for the Dons. He went four innings, allowing two runs on six hits, and striking out three. Miller Smith came in to fifth inning and finished out the game with four strikeouts.
The Dons scattered ten hits in game two. Andrew Habas, Miller Smith and Tyson Bates managed multiple hits for the Dons. Smith hit three doubles for the Dons and Habas collected three hits.
Moraga police where called in for the second game-The Dons kept stealing!
The Dons stole 13 bases during the game as three players stole more than one. AndrewHabas led the way with five stolen bases and…Mrs. Habas we hope you have Oxy-Clean for Andrew’s pants. Dons win over the Cougars, 8 to 3.
Where did the baseball player wash his pants?… In the bleachers.
Hits Summary for the Day: Andrew Habas(4) Miller Smith(4) Nikko Woodson (3) Tyson Bates(2) Tyler Worthington(2) Mason Michlitsch(2)
RBI Summary for the Day: Tyson Bates(2) Miller Smith(2) Andrew Habas(1) Joseph Castelli(1) Tyler Worthington(1)
The Frosh Dons head to Foothill High School , Wednesday March 11 and Saturday, March 14 the Cougars visit the Dons in another doubleheader Saturday battle.
This past Wednesday, March 4th, we hosted Clayton Valley Charter for our first home Diablo Athletic League (DAL) dual meet. Due to some major unforeseen issues with the timer we hired, the meet ran exceptionally long and there are still a lot of corrections to be made with the results. Huge thank you to everyone who volunteered and participated!
As it stands now, our boys team cruised to a 78-57 victory and the score on the Girls side is still being verified. On the girls side, despite incredibly valiant efforts from Caroline Crossland and Nicole Frigon, who hopped in the 3200 late in the meet in an effort to swing the score, we fell 63-59 – a heartbreaking loss that could have been swung by only one event. Big shoutout to Nicole for rallying her teammates and also running an outstanding leg in the 4×400 relay only 15 minutes after competing in the 3200m.
Next week, we start a 2 week road trip at Las Lomas for DAL #2!
Full results are here, highlights below. There were a lot of great performances – so many that we have had to split hurdles and sprints into separate categories for the first time!
Jumps
Portia Seymour and Gema Villafan-Perez both PR in the High Jump – Portia also wins the Triple Jump and currently ranks as the DAL #2 in High Jump
Owen McNamara polevaults to a DAL leading 13’10”
Scarlette McCullough returns to the pole vault, also posting a DAL leading mark
Marcela Wiznewska leads a squadron of her teammates to PRs in the Long Jump with a jump of 13’-10”
Devin Miniello PRs with a jump of 17’-5” in the Long Jump as well
Throws
Josh Ramlan hits 3 digits with a throw of 108’-5” in the discus – a PR of nearly 10 feet!
Ben Thistleton-Dyer and Brooke Blacklidge PR in both Shot and Disc
SPRINTS
Led by Dane Jenssen, our varsity boys sweep the 100 meter dash
Freshman Eli Brent posts a huge PR of 11.53 (and DAL #4) in the 100
Freshmen Sarah Gohres and Rachel Pan PR and take 3rd in the Frosh-Soph Girls 100 and 200 respectively, leading all of their teammates to PRs- both run impressive relay legs in the 4×100 and 4×400 as well
In the 400, freshmen Jasmine Lattimer and Laura Selle both PR
Freshman Bennett Dodge posts an impressive 52.52 in the Varsity Boys 400m
Hurdles
Senior Emily Sverak wins the 300m Hurdles with a DAL #1 time
The 3sophomores Marshall Lockwood, Evan Malmquist, and Connor Spellman PR sweep the Varsity Boys 110 Meter Hurdles
Sophomore Josh Gohres leads a trio of Frosh-Soph Boys 300m hurdlers
Finally, senior Kevin Mlynek PRs in the Boys 300m hurdles with a time of 41.53 – a DAL #1 mark and a #7 Acalanes all time mark
Distance
Freshman Taylor Carlin debuts with an impressive time of 6:05 in the 1600
On the Boys side, freshman Dominic Sarica turns heads in his 3200 debut
Junior Megan Baginski PRs in the 1600
Dominic Basaldua and Tyler Hunt take 1st and 2nd in the Boys 800 – both PR!
Lauren Yee and Nicole Frigon cruise to easy victories in the Girls 800 AND the girls 1600!
Andrew Owens breaks the 5 minute barrier in the boys 1600
Relays
Rayce Walton anchors the Boys 4×400 with a huge PR
Freshman Carly Harriman runs a great leg on the Varsity Girls 4×400, giving our team a chance
Lauren Yee leaves it all on the track and nearly snags the win for our Girls team – she also splits an impressive 61 seconds
Sadly the cold, windy weather made for some tough rounds as the Dons fell to the Las Lomas Knights on Friday. The teams played at Acalanes’ home course, Rossmoor GC, for a 9 hole match, but fell short by 3 strokes. Mike O’Donnell led the team with a top score of 39, followed by Will Condy with a 41 and Tucker Gannon with a 42. Next match is Monday, March 9 at the De La Salle Tournament.
All good things must come to an end. The Varsity Girls Soccer team fought valiantly against a very well-coached team from Burlingame High School. The Dons had put their hearts and souls into the win against Branson less than one week ago to win the NCS Championship, and they simply ran out of gas. Battling injuries and illnesses, the Dons just couldn’t find a way to get on the scoreboard. Passes that were usually connected, weren’t. Shots that usually went in, were blocked. They lost 1-0. Every player was giving it their all, but they were spent. The sign of a true team is when each player is playing as hard as they can for their teammates…that was evident yesterday, but they fell short.
The Dons finished their historic season with a record of 18-6-3. They are the first Acalanes Girls Soccer team to win NCS. They made it as far as the CIF Regional Semifinals. Quite an accomplishment.
Wishing all of the seniors the best of luck in their next endeavors. The 15 seniors on this team are: Taylor Boren, Maile Broad, Kate Carter, Beth Daughters, Dylan Hagglund, Georgia Karas, Natasha Malinovsky, Ellie Meyer, Gabby Ortale, Eliza Parry, Olivia Pelligrini, Jordan Pratt, Elle Skvarna, Ivy Souza, and Keri Wendt. Each and every one of you made this team special.
Thank you to our head coach, Nick Barbarino, for turning this program around. You made this team a true family.
Thank you to all of the fans that showed up to support our Dons. It was a packed house yesterday!
The Dons got their season underway this past week by becoming co-champions of the 2nd Annual Pittsburg Invitational Tournament, a tournament they also won last year. The tournament included all top D1 teams and ended up crowning co-champions because both semi-final games ended in ties, which led to having two “final” games.
2020 Varsity Dons
Dons win Game #1 (3-2) vs. Amador Valley High School: Nick Kresnak was an iron horse on the mound and went the full distance, pitching a complete game with just 3 hits, 1 ER and 9 K’s. Thatcher Hurd led the Dons’ offense, going 2 for 3 with 2 doubles, and 1 RBI. Luke Miles (1 RBI), Davis Diaz, and Brady Huchingson also had hits in the game. Kresnak was awarded Player of the Game for his excellent pitching performance.
Dons tie in an epic Game #2 (4-4) vs. Vacaville High: The match-up that pitted the #11 Vacaville Bulldogs against the #12 Acalanes Dons (in PBR state rankings) ended in an extra-innings tie when the game was called because it was time to turn the lights off at the ballpark! The competition was stiff and strong pitching on both sides shaped the game. Michael Castelli started for the Dons and pitched a gem, going 4.2 innings with 6 hits, 1 ER and 9 strikeouts. Logan Hurd picked up where Castelli left off, pitching 4.1 innings, with 4 hits, 1 ER and also 9 strikeouts. Dons offense was led by Tommy Thrasher who went 2-3 and was helped by Nick Kresnak (1H), Davis Diaz (1H), Thatcher Hurd (1RBI), Nicolas Bamont (1RBI) and Cole Murgia (1RBI).
Dons win Game #3 (6-1) vs. Berkeley High: The Dons extended their success on the mound, with Sam Winkles pitching six strong innings, allowing just 4 hits, 1 ER and striking out 7. Sophomore Dante Montgomery came in to close out the final inning, keeping Berkeley off the bases and striking out 2. Sophomore Kyle White (1H, 3B, 3RBI) was the offensive hero, and named Player of the Game, for coming up with a bases-loaded line drive triple in the six inning to blow the game open. After Nicolas Bamont (2H, 1RBI) knocked White in with a line drive single of his own, the Dons were up 6-1. Davis Diaz (1H, 2RBI) got the Dons on the board in the 1st inning with an RBI single that brought in Cole Murgia (1H) who had flexed his lead-off speed on the base paths and stole his way over to third base. Other offensive contributors in the game included: Nick Kresnak (1H, 2B) and Brady Huchingson (1H).
The Dons will build on this strong start to the season when they take on an always-talented Foothill High School squad on Wednesday, March 11 at 4pm at home. Come out and cheer on the Dons!
Follow on Twitter: @AcalanesDonsBB and on Instagram: acalanesbaseball
Nick Kresnak receiving his Player of the Game award for Game 1 Kyle White receiving his Player of the Game award for Game 3
The Dons came out strong at the Cowboy Classic tournament held at Wente Golf Course. Teams from all over the Bay Area brought their top players for the all-day, 18 hole competiton. Will Condy golfed a solid round of 74 followed by Tucker Gannon with a 77 and Joe Evans at 79. Mike O’Donnell shot an 82 and Murphy Baker an 88. Next match is at home (Rossmoor GC) Friday against Las Lomas.
The #5 seeded Girls Varsity Soccer Team traveled to Manteca to take on #4 seed Manteca High School on Tuesday night. Still reeling from their NCS Championship, the girls had to dig deep in order to move past Manteca.
The biggest adjustment that the team needed to make was that they had to play on a small, grass field. It’s a much different game than playing on turf! That being said, the Dons came out very flat in the first half. Not a lot of intensity, poor communication. But this is no ordinary team. It’s truly a family. With several injuries and illnesses going around this team, there is someone else there, ready to step up and help out their fellow teammates and family.
Elle Skvarna had just entered the game in the left-back position with about 20 minutes remaining in the first half. Kate Carter gained possession of the ball from a shot on goal. She rolls the ball to Ivy Souza in the midfield. Ivy turns to find Elle making a run up the left side. Elle takes some space to connect with Emily Keeler with a beautiful pass up the middle. Emily is able to get around two defenders and the goalkeeper to get the ball into the net! An incredible goal due to teamwork and sheer tenacity on Emily’s part. Dons up 1-0 and that is where the score remained at the half.
The second half proved to be better soccer for the Dons. It took them some time to adjust to the grass field. They started connecting passes and were playing tough defense. Midway through the second half, the girls were able to use possession to get another goal. Again, Ivy Souza was able to gain possession in the midfield. She dishes it off to Tatum Zuber on the left side. Tatum cuts back to the center and makes a cross to the right side of the field to find Emily Keeler and Emily bangs it in for her second goal of the game! Dons up 2-0. Manteca had a few chances to score, but the Dons’ defense was able to hold them off. Another gritty performance. And this would be the final score.
Kate Carter had some terrific saves in goal to keep Manteca off the scoreboard. Sami Hansen was a brick wall in the center, especially in the second half. Freshman Emmi Cronin came in with fresh legs up top to give our forwards a rest and she played tremendously well. Olivia Parnell did an excellent job at the left-back position to fill in for an ill Dylan Hagglund. Natasha Malinovsky also played well in the midfield, connecting passes and tough on defense. Emily Keeler was the true star of this game–2 goals and she played with high intensity. #donsstepup!
Next up for the Dons will be a home game on Thursday for the Semi-Finals. The #8 seed Burlingame defeated the #1 seed Mountain View, so the Dons will face Burlingame at home at 4pm. Come cheer on our Dons! #donsshowup #donsfamily
