After a season of significant wins and pivotal losses, most Oak Park High School sports teams head into CIF playoffs with determination and a drive to win it all. 

Cross Country

October was a busy month for the runners, as they competed in the Coastal Canyon League, Clovis Invitational, Ventura County Championship, Mt. Sac and King of the Track. After all their hard work, their performances at Coolbreeze, Woodbridge and Clovis secured their rank at 2nd in California as they advanced to CIF preliminaries. 

“I think we need to keep trusting the process that got us to this point in the season,” junior Dhruv Kulkarni said. “Keeping the intensity and mileage up throughout the three-week long post-season is necessary to make sure we dominate all the way through from CIF prelims to state.” 

Without a doubt, this team has strong hopes of changing their ranking to first with a state title for the first time in a long time. However, before that, the runners will compete in their last Coastal Canyon League race in Camarillo on Nov. 7. 

Girls Golf

After a month of four consecutive wins, the girls compete in the league tournament. Placing first in both league tournaments, they are underway to CIF individuals and teams. As they continue their five-year winning streak, they stay consistent and improve by practicing on and off season. 

“I think the team does a good job practicing while also balancing school work since golf is very time-consuming,” senior Joanna Hong said. “Sometimes, we like to stay after practice to continue working and improving our game to build up our confidence for our next match.”

With CIF playoffs coming up, the girls hope to make it to state by the end of November. 

Dance

Although football season is over, the dance team is still working hard at practice, preparing for winter sports season and future dance competitions. 

“It’s a little bittersweet being a senior since it means everything is a last, but it’s also another reason to make the most of it,” senior Claire Farnsworth said. “My biggest accomplishment has been to be co-captain, it’s really fun to be able to lead the team and it’s special to be someone that people can look up to.”

Competition season starts next semester, where this dance team will make school history being the first team to compete in a dance competition at OPHS. Despite the competition being two months away, the dancers are working on their choreography and putting in even more practice than usual. 

Boys Beach Volleyball

The boys conclude their season after their last championship placing fourth overall. As the team switches gears, they begin to prepare for in-court volleyball season in the spring. 

Football

Finishing the month with a record of 6-3, the boys took home a win against Oxnard 27-18 and Buena 41-7. Although they have already secured their place in the CIF playoffs, their last season game against Royal’s outcome is still very significant to which team they will be playing. 

“I think we have great team chemistry and camaraderie and we need to keep that up,” senior Ethan Abergel said. “One thing I’m proud of is our team’s spirit and ability to not give up after a bad season last year.”

After continuous practice and watching films ever since summer, no player on this team has allowed their losses from last season to affect their mindset for the games onward. OPHS students, parents and faculty can come to support the boys at their last season game at Royal on Nov. 1. 

Cheer

Their final routine at the last home football game of the season will not be the last you see from the cheer team. Just like dance, the cheerleaders will be continuing their sports, cheering on the bleachers at basketball games and the sidelines at soccer games during the upcoming winter season. 

“I am most excited for the winter rally and preparing for it,” sophomore Rachelle Kim said. “My favorite moment this season was senior night because I loved spending one last home game with everybody.” 

Girls Tennis

Going undefeated this month, the girls took wins from Royal, Moorpark, Camarillo and Simi Valley. Despite losing the first round in Division I CIF playoffs, the team hopes their collaboration and encouragement can also play a role during this year’s playoffs, as it did this season. 

“I’m really proud of our adaptability and ability to work together,” senior Joy Chu said. “I think for playoffs, we need to work on our focus and staying consistent.”

The girls believe the environment and mindset they sustain and maintain will be a dominant factor in their success. With high hopes, the team will play in the first round of playoffs on Nov. 6. 

Girls Flag Football

The girls flag football team concludes their season after qualifying for CIF playoffs, but taking a loss in the first round. Without a doubt, the team is still proud of their accomplishments and wins. With this season being just the second year of flag football as a sport at OPHS, this team’s biggest strength is their kindness.

“We always try to lift each other up even when we have bad plays and my biggest accomplishment was senior night and all my interceptions,” senior Jayden Bellemeur said. “My favorite memory was senior night and I really liked being able to celebrate the day with all the other seniors.”

Boys Water Polo

Finishing the season with four wins overall, the boys are proud of their success with this just being their second season ever. The team has become a brotherhood and new friendships have been formed, as this team has such a great sense of camaraderie. 

“The team’s biggest accomplishment is bringing together the entire team, we all come from very diverse friend groups and places,” senior Ryan Smith said. “Water polo forced us to bond and achieve several wins as a team.”

Girls Volleyball

Unfortunately, the team didn’t qualify for the CIF playoffs, but OPHS athletics are not just about playing a sport you enjoy, but the friendships you build within the team. 

“Since there were so many people on the team, there were so many opportunities to make new fresh friends with freshmen varying to seniors,” junior Maegan Daley said. “I’ll miss all the seniors so much because I’ve kind of looked up to them since my freshman year because I played on the same team with them.”

As their friends and role models leave after their last season, the underclassmen will never forget the memories formed throughout the years. 

“The most memorable part of the season was the connections and lifelong bonds I made with some of my favorite people I’ve ever met. We got signed up for a lot of tournaments this season, which enabled us to do a lot of team bonding.”