Orange Lutheran athletics got off to a strong start in the fall season of the 2022-2023 academic year, with several teams qualifying for the postseason and one program winning a CIF championship.
Boys Water Polo
Led by first-year head coach Jacob Moore, the Orange Lutheran boys water polo team took the CIF-SS crown for the second time in school history.
After a third place finish in Trinity League play, the Lancers entered the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs facing Aliso Niguel in Round 1 action, defeating the Wolverines 18-11. In the Quarterfinal round, OLu took down Palos Verdes 16-14.
In the Semifinals, after being down 7-6 at the half to Corona del Mar, Jon Carcarey scored with less than one minute remaining in the game to give the Lancers the 11-10 win and a trip to the championship match.
On Saturday, November 12, OLu defeated Foothill 11-7 with goals by Carcarey, Jackson Benners and Cody Chastain, and with Greg Moore providing a stellar performance in net. The win was the program’s second CIF title.
First Team All-Trinity League honorees include seniors Benners and Wade Sherlock, as well as junior Matthew Mai-Prasarnsuk. Carcarey and freshman Luke Weichert were named 2nd Team All-League, and Carcarey was also named OC Varsity Athlete of the Week for his 10-goal performance across both the CIF Semifinal and Final games.
Senior Jon Carcarey was named the CIF Division 1 Player of the Year, and head coach Jacob Moore was named the CIF Division 1 Coach of the Year. First-team All-CIF honorees include Wade Sherlock, Jackson Benners, and Greg Moore. Junior Matthew Mai-Prasarnsuk and senior Cody Chastain were 2nd-team and freshman Luke Weichert was 3rd-team.
The Lancers advanced to CIF State Regionals, where they fell to Harvard Westlake 16-9. OLu finished 20-11 overall.
Girls Golf
The Orange Lutheran girls golf program had another historic season, finishing 6-2 in league play for 2nd place in Trinity League and securing a 17-2 overall regular season record, the best in school history.
The Lancers also took the top prize in the Ayala Tournament with a team score of 386, defeating a number of Division 1 opponents. Junior Jayne Sung placed 3rd overall, shooting a 71.
Senior Alexia Egdahl and her sister, sophomore Mason Egdahl, both advanced for the second year in a row to the CIF-SS Individual Tournament.
The Lancers also qualified as a team for the CIF-SS Division 1 Team Tournament where they advanced to the Finals, finishing 5th overall out of 20 teams with a team score of 389. They finished the Section Finals 10th overall.
Both of the Egdahl sisters earned 1st Team All-Trinity League honors, while seniors Riley Shin, Stella Fergin and Alice Zhou were all named 2nd Team All-League.
Football
Coming off of a CIF-SS championship last year, Orange Lutheran football finished the regular season 6-4 (4-1 nonleague, 2-3 Trinity League) with league wins over Servite and Santa Margarita.
This earned the Lancers a berth in the Division 1 CIF-SS playoffs where they faced Edison in the opening round, the only team OLu lost to in nonleague play.
Down 24-14 late in the 3rd quarter, the Lancers mounted a thrilling comeback, scoring 24 points in less than eight minutes. A two-point conversion with less than 90 seconds remaining in the game gave OLu the 38-37 victory.
The Lancers advanced to face St. John Bosco in the Quarterfinals where they lost 49-14 and ended the season 7-5. First Team All-Trinity League honorees include TJ Lateef, Khanrad Hernandez, Nate Hale, Jireh Moe, Talanoa Ili, and Auma Jennings.
,Sam Utu, AJ Ia, Kaleb Marshall, Gabe Morin, Ben Alefaio and Manaia Ala were 2nd Team All-League selections, and Dieter Kelly was named Trinity League Most Valuable Kicker.
Girls Volleyball
Orange Lutheran’s girls volleyball program began the season on the Hawaiian island of Oahu at the Sacred Hearts Tournament where they finished in 3rd place with a 6-2 record. Seniors Paige Buzzerio and Londyn Giles were All-Tournament team selections.
Back at home, the Lancers finished the regular season 25-11, earning a spot in the CIF-SS Division 2 playoffs. They opened the postseason against Etiwanda, the team that ended OLu’s playoff run last fall.
This year, the Lancers earned the victory, winning in five sets. They advanced to Round 2 where they faced #2 seed Vista Murrieta and lost in straight sets, finishing the season with a 26-12 record.
Buzzerio earned 1st Team All-Trinity League honors, while Giles was a 2nd Team All-League selection.
Cross Country
In Orange Lutheran cross country, the Lancers’ girls team earned a spot in the CIF-SS Division 4 Prelims race held at Mt. SAC.
Behind the efforts of seniors Caroline Kargenian and Kira Anderson, junior Carissa Moll, sophomores Amber Larsen and Jessica Vandenberg and freshmen Ashley Miller and Sarabella Stakely, the girls placed fifth in their heat, earning a spot in the Division 4 Finals for the third year in a row.
Racing again at Mt. SAC, the girls team finished 15th in one of the strongest divisions in the state. Anderson, Kargenian and Stakely all were 2nd Team All-Trinity League selections.
On the boys side, senior Joseph O’Donnell took ninth place in Trinity League Finals, earning an individual berth in the CIF-SS Division 4 Prelims where he finished 9th out of 96 runners. O’Donnell was a 1st Team All-League selection, and senior teammate Hank Reynoso was named 2nd Team All-League.
Girls Tennis
The Lancers girls tennis team finished the season 6-10 overall and 4th place in Trinity League with nine players competing in the Trinity League Finals.
The young squad had a strong showing, with sophomores Kara Barry and Nicola Frisch finishing in 3rd place with a 3-1 record, earning the doubles team 1st Team All-Trinity League honors.
The doubles pair of junior Gracie Formsma and freshman Chloe Elkhoueiry went 1-1 on the day, which earned the duo 2nd Team All-League selections.
Follow Lancer athletics all year long at oluathletics.org or on Instagram.
Topics from this blog: Athletics
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