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Miramonte High School

Miramonte High School
MWP Open Division Champs (Dry)
@ANNMURPHY

General Clay Kallam, Executive Editor, The Orinda News

Nationally ranked boys’ water polo headlines impressive fall season

Nationally ranked boys' water polo headlines impressive fall season
By: Clay Kallam, Executive Editor, The Orinda News
December 26, 2025

    It's not often a season ends with the fourth-string quarterback playing in a championship game, but that was just part of the story for Miramonte's football team this year – and it was quite a story.
    But the football team was not alone when it came to athletic achievement, as Miramonte's athletic program continues to steadily improve on all fronts. From success at the state cross country meet to national rankings in water polo, the Matadors are making it known they are, and will be, a force to be reckoned with.

Football
    Though the season-ending 35-7 loss to Calaveras in the NorCal championships might seem like a disappointment, coach Nick Safir isn't buying it.
    "I'm really proud of what we accomplished," he said, and in truth, how many teams would have won three postseason games with a quarterback on the junior varsity in October?
    After all, when Carson Blair, the senior leader and QB1, went down with a season-ending injury on Oct. 10, most people wrote the Mats off. But a gritty 25-22 win over Las Lomas with sophomore quarterback Lane Dalton – QB3 as QB2 Charlie Metherd also was out for the year – propelled Miramonte into postseason.
    A riveting comeback win over favored Hayward, led by RB2 Jonah Imberg's 124 yards on 24 carries, earned a North Coast Section title for the Mats – and Imberg's gritty performance is even more impressive considering he is one of the smaller running backs in the Diablo Athletic League.
    "He's very strong," said Safir of Imberg and the staff had full confidence he could get the job done against Hayward. "We had a great game plan to run the ball right down their throats," said Safir, about a successful tactic that was even more rewarding as rumors had circulated that the Farmers felt they would just overpower Miramonte physically.
    But after Hayward jumped out to a 14-0 lead, it was all Miramonte the rest of the way – and hopes were high heading to Calaveras. But then Dalton pulled a hamstring on the first series, and suddenly frosh quarterback Gus Millstone was thrown into the fire. Though Millstone made some plays, it was a bridge too far against a quality team.
    "We had injuries, field problems and all sorts of adversity," said Safir, but after two years, he feels the program is clearly on the right track. "The JV team was excellent," he said, "and didn't give up a point at home."
    The Mats battled both Acalanes and Campolindo into the fourth quarter, and Safir feels the days of being overmatched against those local rivals is soon to be in the rearview mirror.
    "We're definitely closing the gap," he said – even with QB4.

Boys' Water Polo
    Don't let that 24-7 record fool you. According to the MaxPreps' computer, the Miramonte boys were the third best team in the nation, and lost by just one to the No. 2 team, Sacred Heart Prep, in the NorCal finals. And the Matadors lost by just one to the No. 1 team, Newport Harbor, as well.
    "It was a very competitive season," understated coach Lincoln Haley. "We knew going into the year that offense was not going to be a problem, but we really turned into a defensive team."
    For example, the coaching staff's emphasis on defending the power play resulted in Miramonte not allowing a score 34% of the time – and 40% is exceptional.
    Of course, it helped to have senior Tristan Tucker, the leading scorer who will play for UCLA next year, plus three other talented seniors. Brock Bliss (who will play for Navy), Jackson Cherry and Yoav Schmoismann were key pieces in the team's success.
    And No. 3 in the nation definitely counts as success.

Cross Country
    Logan Letulle led the way for the Mats at the state cross country meet, finishing fourth in the Division 4 race, but Miramonte's team performance was even more impressive.
    With Letulle averaging a 4:55 mile in the five-kilometer race, the Matador boys finished 13th overall, and the girls' group did even better, coming in 10th in the state and second in North Coast Section.
    A trio of sophomores (Cameron Kuhns, Grace Kosla and Isabel Mickel) and a freshman (Marissa Dollard) all scored well for the Mats' girls, and their youth sets up the program for continued progress.
    On the boys' side, juniors Gabe Verity and Brendon Collins will come back next year, as coach Julia Hall has a lot of reasons to be optimistic about the 2026 season.
    "We hope it's the start of a successful run," she said, choosing her words carefully.

Girls' Tennis
    The Matadors won their fourth straight league title behind seniors Caitlyn Chan and Maddie Silveira, who teamed up to finish second in the NCS tournament. They played singles in matches, though, and had help from seniors Jessica Hui and Amelia Mordy all along the way.
    "Jessica and Amelia were the girls who were at practice every day," said coach Riki Sorenson, and she credited their "awesome attitude" as a key to the team's success.
    But that third straight trip to the NCS semifinals wouldn't have been possible without a dramatic performance from Regan Lovell and Livia Segall against American in front of a big crowd. The winner of the last doubles' match would advance in NCS, and in a back-and-forth thriller, Lovell feathered in a perfect drop shot to close out a pressure-packed 6-2, 1-6, 7-5 win.

Girls' Water Polo
    John Roemer's team was 16-13, but it's always important to consider the competition. Despite that apparently pedestrian record, the MaxPreps' computers had Miramonte 13th in the nation and sixth in NCS – and as Roemer pointed out, "We were really young."
    So young, in fact, that their leading scorer was a freshman, Ana Shogan, and two of their other top players – goalie Joslyn Cox and attacker Hannah Gardner – were just sophomores. Of course senior Roxie Tarantino played a big role as well, as she scored 58 goals (before heading off to Loyola Marymount).
    "We played the hardest schedule in Northern California," said Roemer, and that was part of the plan. "We lost so many good players from last year, but I wanted this group to get better."
    And get better they did, losing one of their two playoff games in overtime, and the other, to No. 2 in California Sacred Heart Prep, by just one.

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Players Mentioned

Carson Blair

#2 Carson Blair

QB
6' 0"
Senior
Charlie Metherd

#4 Charlie Metherd

QB, CB
6' 0"
Senior
Jonah Imberg

#21 Jonah Imberg

RB, CB
5' 7"
Junior
Jessica Hui

Jessica Hui

Senior
Regan Lovell

Regan Lovell

Junior
Amelia Mordy

Amelia Mordy

Senior
Livia Segall

Livia Segall

Senior
Lane Dalton

#7 Lane Dalton

QB
Sophomore
Gus Millstone

#12 Gus Millstone

QB, DE
Freshman
Brendon Collins

Brendon Collins

Junior
Marissa Dollard

Marissa Dollard

Freshman
Grace Kosla

Grace Kosla

Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Carson Blair

#2 Carson Blair

6' 0"
Senior
QB
Charlie Metherd

#4 Charlie Metherd

6' 0"
Senior
QB, CB
Jonah Imberg

#21 Jonah Imberg

5' 7"
Junior
RB, CB
Jessica Hui

Jessica Hui

Senior
Regan Lovell

Regan Lovell

Junior
Amelia Mordy

Amelia Mordy

Senior
Livia Segall

Livia Segall

Senior
Lane Dalton

#7 Lane Dalton

Sophomore
QB
Gus Millstone

#12 Gus Millstone

Freshman
QB, DE
Brendon Collins

Brendon Collins

Junior
Marissa Dollard

Marissa Dollard

Freshman
Grace Kosla

Grace Kosla

Sophomore

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