Mira Costa’s winter sports season has arrived, and with it new energy builds on campus. From the start up of basketball to the late night games at Waller Stadium, many programs are gearing up for a competitive stretch of high level sports. Boys basketball looks to build on the success of last season with the strong defense identity, while soccer looks to get back to their elite playoff push just a few years ago. No matter the sport at Costa, all athletes share the same goal of bringing success and a championship to the school.
Boys basketball enters the new season coming off of an extremely dominant run. The Mustangs finished 31-5 overall, went 7-1 in the Bay League to secure 1st place, and closed the year ranked 12th in California. With several starters returning, Costa hopes to build on last year’s foundation and only continue growing from here. A major point of motivation for the roster is getting another shot at rival Redondo Union, which handed Costa tough losses last season. Senior Sheamus McGerr is expected to be a key contributor again this season.
“We are building off last year by just staying together and believing in ourselves no matter what,” said McGerr. “This mentality only puts us in the best position to beat Redondo.”
Boys soccer also returns strong after an impressive season, finishing 21-3-1 overall with a 6-1-1 in Bay League to earn a 1st place finish. They ended the year strong with rankings of 4th in CIF Southern Section D1, 10th in California, and 45th nationally. With potential game changing players being introduced to the varsity roster this season, the Mustangs aim to maintain their elite status while pushing for an even deeper CIF run. Senior Cade Lagerwey, who joins the squad this season, steps into a leadership role as an anchor in Costa’s defense.
“I’m super excited to see how far we can go this season,” said Lagerwey. “I definitely feel like the team looks good and I’m hopeful that with some early season preparation we will be ready to dominate in every game and develop further off of our previous season.”
Costa’s Girls Water Polo program is also entering winter training with high expectations. They finished 8-15 overall, went 3-6 in Bay league to secure 4th place, and ended the year ranked 70th in the state. With a strong returning rotation and experienced lineup, this year they hope to flip the script and prepare for a run at league dominance and a significant postseason push. Senior Emma McCracken has been a game changing player and powerful leader for the team.
“This year, our goals are to increase our team chemistry so we can all be on the same page during games,” said McCracken. “It is very important that everyone comes to practice on time and stays focused so we can succeed.”
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