Football and girls’ volleyball charge into CIF
Winning the prestigious California Interscholastic Federation [CIF] is a title high school sports teams dream of winning, but even qualifying for playoffs is a difficult task. During the season, teams compete against other schools in their league. The top performing teams within a league then qualify for CIF playoffs, and compete for a chance to win the CIF title. At NPHS, this is no different. Following an eventful fall season, both the NPHS football and girls’ volleyball team qualified for CIF playoffs.
Qualifying for CIF playoffs requires time, hard work and dedication. Natalie Lachberg, senior, is the co-captain of the NPHS girls’ volleyball team and knows all too well about the practice that is needed for a successful season. “During the season, practice was hard. We were all very dedicated and prepared to go the extra mile to be the best players we could. We had a really good bond so practice was fun to attend,“ Lachberg said. Lachberg also reminisced about her favorite moment this season. “My favorite memory by far was our first CIF game at Royal because we were all so excited to advance to round two and there was a huge celebration, ” Lachberg said.
This year marks the second year in a row that the girls’ volleyball team has progressed to CIF playoffs. Unfortunately, their run in CIF this year ended in the second round. Addison Benson, senior and other co-captain of the girls’ volleyball team, recalls their two CIF matches. “The first [game] went extremely well. The whole team did their jobs and we were able to pull through and take a win even though it went to five sets and we were all tired. “It was incredibly relieving and rewarding when we had won. Our second game didn’t have the turnout we had hoped, but I was still so proud of the team for making it as far as we did,” Benson said. The volleyball team won their first round against Royal High School 3-2, but unfortunately lost to Campbell Hall 0-3 in the second round.
This is the first year in five years that the football team has qualified for CIF. Ryan Gillum, senior and middle linebacker, reminisces about their season. “My favorite memory this year was beating Oak Park because that was the game that decided if we made the playoffs or not, and we won, which clinched a playoff spot,” Gillum said. The Panthers defeated the Oak Park Eagles 55-36 on Oct. 21. Gillum hopes to play Division I college football and has been working hard, balancing football and school work to achieve that goal.
The football team won their first playoff game against Mira Coasta with a score of 41-14, coming back from a 0-14 deficit. “As a team we all feel amazing after that game, but we need to move onto the next. We had a slow start but we didn’t let that affect us in the end. The atmosphere was amazing but the panther pit was a little weak at the end,” Gilluim said. Although they lost in the second round of CIF playoffs on Nov. 11 against Newport Harbor with a score of 28-49, qualifying for and winning a round in CIF has been one of Newbury’s best seasons.
