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Miramonte High School

Miramonte High School
softball

General By Clay Kallam, Executive Editor, The Orinda News

Miramonte Girls Already Working On Strong Spring Sports Seasons

(Mark Bell, Photographer)
Miramonte Girls Already Working On Strong Spring Sports Seasons
By Clay Kallam, Executive Editor, The Orinda News
January 27, 2025

It may be February, but the high school sports' calendar says it's spring – and a quartet of Miramonte girls' teams are already hard at it. In fact, they've been practicing since Feb. 10, and some have already begun their seasons. Here's a quick look at how the spring is shaping up for the Matador girls.

Softball
    Miramonte has never been known as a softball power – or even close – but that may be changing under third year coach O.C. Schott.
    "Miramonte had never had a winning season in softball," said Schott, so last year's 14-8 record was a huge step forward. And with three key players returning, the team could be even better this year.
    Of course, winning games depends on who you play, and Schott has upgraded the preseason schedule this year, which might mean the Mats could lose more games but still be improved.
    The three main reasons for that improvement are junior Abby Warren and sophomores Talia Kardon and Gianna Ganzella.
    Warren moved to Orinda from Shasta last year, and immediately took over the circle, giving Miramonte its best pitching in years. Warren's battery mate is Kardon, who's also the goalie on the soccer team. Ganzella, an outfielder on the very competitive summer club circuit, moved to shortstop for the Mats, and solidified the infield – while also adding plenty of offense.
    Sophomore centerfielder Maddie McKim and senior outfielder Julia Quinn-Ferguson are also expected to play big roles as Miramonte moves up into Valley Division of the Diablo Athletic League after winning the lower-ranked Mountain Division last season.

Swimming and Diving
    Swim coach Trevor Rose knows that competing with Campolindo – which he calls "the best public school swimming program in the country" – is a daunting prospect, so winning meets isn't necessarily his highest priority.
    "Personal growth is important," he said, though of course he'd love to see the Mats beat Acalanes and do well in the DAL and North Coast Section meets.
    Making that happen will depend on a pair of seniors, Ali Larsen and Bea Hearey. Larsen swims both the free and butterfly, focusing on sprints and relays, while Hearey is a freestyle specialist, swimming both sprints and middle distance.
    "We're also hoping for good performances from our incoming freshmen," said Rose, who is also the head swim coach at Moraga Valley Pool.
    "Our divers are young," he said, which is both good news and bad news. The good news is they will improve over time, but the flip side is that they may struggle a bit as they find their way.

Track and field
    Junior Milla Ohrbach leads the girls' contingent in track, and qualified for the State Meet as a sophomore in the shot put – an especially impressive achievement in an event usually dominated by older athletes.
    Ohrbach also throws the discus, so the Mats can count on some points in the field events pretty much every time out.
    Junior Inara Inesi supplies the speed, as the sprinter leads the way on the track.
    Both hope to help Miramonte rise out of the middle of the pack in the DAL, and challenge some of the more traditionally strong programs.

Lacrosse
    It never hurts to have your top two scorers back, and that's exactly what the Mats have in junior Sawyer Bohlig (70 goals in 19 games) and sophomore Sydney Gray (66 goals).
    The team will, however, have a new coach (not named at press time), so expect some adjustments in style from last year's 10-9 group.
    Seniors Dillon Tawes and Isobel Starkey will also play key roles as the Mats try to get past Campolindo in the DAL standings. The teams tied at the top of the table with 5-1 records last year, though Campo did beat Miramonte head-to-head to finish the season.


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Players Mentioned

Abby Warren

#12 Abby Warren

Sophomore
Maddie McKim

#15 Maddie McKim

Freshman
Inara Inesi

Inara Inesi

Milla Ohrbach

Milla Ohrbach

Talia Kardon

Talia Kardon

Junior
Julia Quinn-Ferguson

Julia Quinn-Ferguson

Senior

Players Mentioned

Abby Warren

#12 Abby Warren

Sophomore
Maddie McKim

#15 Maddie McKim

Freshman
Inara Inesi

Inara Inesi

Milla Ohrbach

Milla Ohrbach

Talia Kardon

Talia Kardon

Junior
Julia Quinn-Ferguson

Julia Quinn-Ferguson

Senior

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