The fall high school sports season is in full swing with girls tennis, volleyball, field hockey, cross country, and football getting ready for league play. The Bucs spirit will be even stronger this week as their homecoming game is Friday, Sept. 22. The Mission Bay High School Alumni Association will hold a reception in the stadium at 5 p.m. The game, against Patrick Henry, starts at 6 p.m. and there will be reserved seating for alumni in the bleachers. Girls tennis
The Bucs, under head coach Trong Tong, come into play this week with an overall record of 3-2 (3-1 in league). “After getting off to a slow start, we’ve managed to bounce back and win our last three straight matches,” Tong said. “Despite losing one of our top singles players, Jerne Ward, for the season to tennis elbow and volleyball, we have been resilient, and we’re starting to find our footing with a reshuffled lineup. As we’re gaining confidence and momentum, we look forward to making a great run in the remainder of the season.”
According to Tong, some key players to date have been Amanda Edmunds, Jeanne Picard, McKenna Mountain, Rosina Valia and Sophia Gillenberg. Field hockey In field hockey, head coach Kris Auer’s team comes into play this week with a mark of 2-3.
According to Auer, the team has been getting some solid play from the likes of Katrina Eisenhardt (defender) and Naomy Espinosa (midfielder) to date.
“This year has been one my early favorites so far,” Auer remarked. “Our efforts to influence the spirit and culture of the program are working. The girls have a positive attitude and are driven by their commitment to their teammates.” Cross country
In cross country action, while head coach Barry Dancher’s team has not had an official league race yet as of this week, his team is doing well nonetheless.
Gina Queck and Linda Giffing (both freshmen) placed in the top 10 in the two invitational races that Mission Bay has run this year. Leilani Ferguson, Alyssa Hernandez and Ella Mansur round-out the girls’ varsity team.
The boys are led by Trevor Reichenberg, Carter Taffe, Jason Watts, Sean Pavone and Nick Archer.
“Fernando Ugarte and TK Berhe have shown steady improvement and have moved up to the varsity,” Blancher noted.
“We have very strong junior varsity teams,” Blancher added. “Many members of these teams have the potential to be varsity members in the near future.” Football Being at home for the second consecutive week last Friday did not cure any ills for the Buccaneers.
The Bucs fell to 0-3 on the season with a 34-20 loss to Rancho Buena Vista High. According to Mission Bay head coach Kenny Nears, key players to date include Isiah Mitchell, Kenny Russell and Jaiden Corea. “We have to get better,” Nears stated. “Every game we are looking better, but we must continue to work.”
A senior quarterback, Corea rushed for a score and also connected with fellow senior Schyler Ceniceros for a touchdown pass.
Mission Bay, which was shutout in its first two games against Escondido (27-0) and West Hills (28-0), respectively, did manage to score its first points of the season in last Friday’s loss to RBV. That said, it still did not result in a win.
The Bucs will finish out their September schedule with games against Patrick Henry (Sept. 22), which is homecoming, and The Bishop’s School (Sept. 29).
From there, Mission Bay is slated to face Christian (Oct. 6), Lincoln (Oct. 13), Saints (Oct. 20) and Morse (Oct. 27).
The regular season will conclude with a road contest at Scripps Ranch on Nov. 3.
While putting points on the board this past Friday night was obviously a step in the right direction, the Bucs need to get a win under their belts to truly feel good about themselves moving forward. Sand volleyball
In boys sand volleyball action, the Bucs, under head coach Nikki Caufield, had a scrimmage with defending Open Division champion La Jolla recently, providing a solid result in the process.
According to Caufield, “After having seven seniors graduate last year, this year shapes up to be a rebuilding year. Sophomores Ian Briski and Dusty Schroeder, junior Zander Caufield and senior Stephen Tarbell are key returners and give us a couple of experienced teams.”  As Caufield added, “We have 18 boys on this year’s squad and only one senior, so we have a bunch of really good young players. The boys are working hard and really improving. We hope that by the time playoffs start, we will be in a good position to try to defend the Division II championship we won last year.”
To start the regular season last week, the Bucs fell to Francis Parker 4-1. Girls volleyball
In girls indoor volleyball action, the Bucs, under head coach Steve Upp, have compiled a 7-3 record heading in to a very tough league schedule starting Thursday. Mission Bay is also hosting the Buc Bash on Saturday (Sept. 23). “With only two seniors, Kim Holloway and Shelby Moore, the team is learning every match,” Upp commented. “It is great to see the growth already.”