The Golden Age of Stallion Sports
More stories from Jack O'Connor
In the 2018 season, the girls varsity soccer team won five games, lost zero, and tied three getting first in the Sea View League. Even against Trabuco Hills, Mission Viejo, Capistrano Valley, and El Toro, San Juan came first.
From girls water polo to football, the sports teams at SJHHS very recently saw a sharp increase in success compared to the previous years.
Better coaching and new athletes who are more dedicated than ever are the main contributors that are causing the sports teams to advance further and further into league and CIF.
One team that has recently made SJHHS history is the girls water polo team who went 5-0 in league and made it to CIF quarterfinals. But two years ago, the girls water polo was 0-5 in the Sea View league. Going from losing every single game to going undefeated and making a run in CIF is incredible. With new talent coming in this is likely to continue for their team
I’d love to take credit for the improvement, but every coach knows that it is the players’ effort that leads to the victories. I certainly feel that I have done the best job that I can, but the girls did all the hard work. We added two rock star freshman to the roster (Kaia Wolfe and Bailey Smolinski) and all of the returners improved a ton
— Tim Dileo
A similar story happened to SJHHS football this year as well. This year the football team managed to go undefeated in league, but last year they could only manage to win one game. Standouts like Sean Rhyan and Cade Albright no doubt encouraged the team to put out an amazing season. The athletes and the staff are great examples of the athletic department of SJHHS showing what makes them different from every other school
Although the girls soccer team has always put up great results in league and in CIF, this year, however, they were in a tougher league, but still perceived and set new records for SJHHS by making to CIF quarter finals for the first time in our program’s history.
Individual athletes like Kaia Wolfe and Bailey Smolenski helped the girls tennis team go from 3-6 in league, to 8-0 in league. They also made deep runs into CIF individuals as well.
“I’d love to take credit for the improvement, but every coach knows that it is the players’ effort that leads to the victories. I certainly feel that I have done the best job that I can, but the girls did all the hard work. We added two rock star freshman to the roster (Kaia Wolfe and Bailey Smolinski) and all of the returners improved a ton,” said Tim Dileo, coach of girls varsity tennis.
The teams who are about to begin their season, girls softball and girls lacrosse, will most likely continue this trend of San Juan Hills teams dominating league and making deep runs in CIF. With new, even more talented athletes coming in every year, the athletic department will only see further success down the line.
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Jack is a senior at San Juan Hills High School. This will be his third year on The Express. He is looking forward to being Co-Editor-in-Chief this year....
![Quarterback Timmy Herr is in his throwing motion, targeting a receiver to his left in a CIF-Semi Final game. This season was Herr’s first at SJHHS. The lefty quarterback liked the welcoming environment at San Juan Hills. “A good thing that stood out is [that] right when I got here, everyone treated me as family. I just got welcomed in by the coaches and the players right away. It was easy to build a bond with the team and the coaches,” said Herr.](https://sjhexpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Football-3.-Joaquin-e1702323529765-600x588.jpg)