The Best of Terra Nova Sports in 2010-11 School Year

With the 2010-11 school year recently in the books, here is a look at the top accomplishments of the teams and athletes at Terra Nova High School:

1. Football: The Tigers earned , defeating Monterey 35-13 in the Division III championship game at Westmont High. With dynamo quarterback Chris Forbes out with an injury suffered late in over Jefferson, Terra Nova relied on backup Trevor Jacobs in the final, and he came up huge, passing for 314 yards three touchdowns. Earlier, the Tigers won the top-tier Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division title for the second straight year, capped by a 43-21 win over Sacred Heart Prep that averted a shared championship. Forbes, a junior, passed for five touchdowns and ran for another in that game to help Terra Nova finish 4-1 in league. Forbes was named to the All-PAL Bay first team along with three of his senior linemen – Ryan Hornstra, Corey Guynn and Jeremiah Stuckey. Junior wideout Elias Vargas, defensive lineman Fred Degenhardt and linebacker Jeremy Leaver also made the first team.

2. Girls Basketball: The Tigers extended their run as the dominant program in the PAL, but couldn’t make the breakthrough in the CCS playoffs they’d hoped for. After rolling to a 10-0 season in the PAL Bay, three games ahead of runner-up Mills, Terra Nova then streaked to . The Tigers hit the CCS playoffs gunning to hold their own against the West Catholic Athletic League heavyweights – but they were in the Division III semifinals. Terra Nova, which finished 24-5 and slotted No. 3 in Patch’s season-ending , returns most of its players next season. Guard Terilyn Moe, who broke Terra Nova’s career scoring record late in the year, and versatile Ivonne CookTaylor are highly-recruited players entering their senior years. And Jayzyl Tauala has been a valuable contributor.

3. Girls Volleyball: Terra Nova won a co-championship in the PAL Ocean, sharing the title with rival Half Moon Bay at 12-2. The Tigers missed out on the CCS playoffs by virtue of in the league finale. Senior outside hitter Katie Eastman anchored Terra Nova, which finished 19-8 overall. Eastman was a co-MVP selection in the Ocean, amassing 213 kills for the season.

4. Boys Swimming: A big step up in competition proved no problem for Bryant Jacobs. A year after winning the 200-yard individual medley and swimming on two winning relays at the PAL Ocean championships as a freshman, Jacobs more than held his own at . The sophomore won the 500 freestyle in 4:50.77, leading the Terra Nova boys to a share of third place in the team competition. A week later, Jacobs significantly cut into his 500 freestyle time by taking eighth in at 4:42.34.

5. Track and Field: Senior Reina McAlexander became the PAL girls pole vault champion by clearing 9 feet, ¼ inch at at College of San Mateo. Sprinters Clark Tolero (a sophomore) and Vincent Hernandez joined McAlexander in qualifying for the CCS semifinals. Hernandez, a senior, then advanced to the section finals in the 100-meter dash, where he took fifth in 11.06 seconds.

6. Boys Water Polo: Terra Nova finished second behind Half Moon Bay in the PAL Ocean title race with a 10-2 record. Senior Peter Spalholz earned Most Valuable Goalie honors. Joel Crossfield and Shay Tassi will return in the fall as the Tigers attempt to win the Ocean championship.

7. Softball: The youthful Tigers navigated the rugged PAL Bay to finish 6-8 and earn an at-large spot in the CCS Division III playoffs. There, Terra Nova hosted its first CCS game in school history, but lost to San Lorenzo Valley 2-1. The Tigers, who finished 13-14 overall and No. 6 in Patch's final , return the bulk of the team next year but will need to find a way to replace pitcher Devon Murphy, a four-year player.

______________________________________________________________________

Interested in the top athletic feats in other parts of San Mateo County? Here are the highlights from , , , , , , , and .