With their eyes on the prize, the Mission Bay High track and boys volleyball teams are chasing CIF championship dreams as the regular season moves through April.
On the track front, head coach Willie Matson’s Bucs are slated to compete for the boys league crown this Thursday (April 20) in a meet with Coronado and Madison (at Madison High).
According to Matson, Xavier Brandon and Naom Bass are having outstanding years in jumps, while Tyrese Reed and Marcus Nickerson have been great in sprints. “Our distance team is much improved, our 4×100 relay team is top-notch, the boys team is very solid, and the girls team is very competitive,” Matson commented.
Matson also noted the efforts to date of Alyssa Hernandez in jumps, Alex Briski in middle distances, and Janiece Waters in hurdles. Volleyball In boys volleyball action, head coach Nikki Caufield’s team continues to improve in just its second season since restarting the program.
In recent action, the Bucs fell in a close match to Coronado, and then lost five days later in four games to Lincoln.
Senior Jesus Zarate leads the team in kills and aces, while senior setter Jacob Cayatano leads in assists.  “Our last two matches came down to literally six or seven plays (over three to four games) that made the difference between winning and losing,” Caufield noted. “If our passing and serving is a little shaky, we tend to struggle. However, when our passing and serving are going well, we can easily take over games. “We are still in the playoff hunt and hope to clean up play a little leading into the playoffs. If we make it into the playoffs and keep our game together, we could make a serious run this year in Division IV.”