Another fall sports season has come to a close and with a handful of teams not eligible for playoffs Palomar athletics look ahead to the spring. Those who qualify will be fighting for a title in the coming weeks looking to bring home another championship to an already impressive athletic program.
Football
Palomar football has exceeded expectations as they carried a 6-3 record into their final game of the season against San Diego Mesa.
The Comets have relied on a strong passing game, averaging 286 yards per game in the air as opposed to just 95 rushing yards per game. This one-dimensional game plan has worked surprisingly well as Palomar hasn’t had much trouble scoring all season even though they’ve been banged up since Week 1.
“Even as dinged up as we are on offense, we’ve proven we can move the ball and put points on the board,” Coach Joe Early said.
Palomar’s quarterback tandem of Connor Curry and Shea Morales has combined to throw for 2,328 yards and 20 touchdowns. Curry is also the team’s leading rusher, averaging 34.8 yards per game accompanied by five touchdowns.
Defensively, the team has been led by linebacker Chris Calhoun who has 76 total tackles on the season; 20 more than anyone else on the roster. He is also second on the team with two interceptions with one of those ending up as a defensive touchdown.
Due to two Fullerton forfeits Palomar has a chance to clinch a bowl appearance with a win against Mesa.
Soccer
The Palomar Men’s soccer team won their final game by a landslide with 7 goals and no room for the opposing team to breathe.
Standout performances from midfielder freshman, Tyler Eldridge who scored a hat trick helped the team improve their home record to 4-6-1.
Forward freshman Bryan Covarrubias and Left Midfielder and Captain, sophomore Aaron Garcia helped share and spread the win by scoring two goals each.
The young team, containing only 3 sophomores, looks to continue to build their chemistry and their spirit on the field into next season.
Palomar Women’s Soccer have had a rough season to say the very least. The team holds a record of 1-16-1 as the program begins to build its chemistry from the baseline up.
A highlight of the season would have to be their lone win, as the Comets took on San Diego Miramar on Minkoff Field, Friday, September 28 with a final score of 3-0
The first goal kicked off in the fourteenth minute as sophomore forward, Alexia Bruzzi was assisted by sophomore Midfielder, Seika Nakatsuru. The 43rd minute presented a goal by center-midfielder Samantha Kaye-Toral assisted by sophomore forward, Yuliana Sanchez.
In the second half, Samantha returned the assist to Sanchez in the 84th minute. The final score 3-0 allowed the comets to clinch their first win of the season.
The young team with 14 freshman and 8 sophomores looks to continue to build their chemistry and have a successful season next Fall.
Water Polo
Palomar’s water polo teams have struggled along their 2018 season. Both teams ended their seasons losing in the PCAC (Pacific Coast Athletic Conference) tournament.
The men’s team ends the season with an overall record of 12-14 and averaged 11 points per game. The women hold a record of 8-14.
Both teams fell short of being conference leaders with the men finishing at second place behind Grossmont They lost their final match for the PCAC title to Grossmont College by a score of 21-7.
The women ending at third place behind Grossmont and San Diego Mesa They lost to San Diego Mesa College in their final match also for the PCAC title by a score of 13-12.
Volleyball
The women’s volleyball team closed their season with a 4-6 conference standing.
The team went 6-15 in their overall matches. Within the North Division,Comets went 4-6 in their conference matches. The team’s finishing streak was 2 losses.
The Comets maintained their fourth place standing within the North Division.
Noemi Ramos, outside hitter and middle blocker led the team all season long. In the match between Palomar and Mira Costa, Ramos managed to land 13 kills and added 4 service aces.
The team closed out their conference in a match with Mt. San Jacinto on Nov. 2 with a loss of 3-0.
To end their season, the team will be attending the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference to play two cross-over matches.
Wrestling
The Palomar Comets Wrestling team have had an efficient season and are staying hungry and preparing for the state duals.
The team has been dominating as of late, defeating Santa Ana, and Mt. San Antonio in convincing fashion.
Coach Brody Barrios said, “My team is staying hungry and we only keep getting better with each and every practice that we have.”
Barrios is also pleased how the team handles themselves considering all the strenuous workouts and practices they have always given him a 120 percent.
The Comets are on a roll at the right time looking to keep the momentum going into their state championship matches the first week of November.
Golf
Women’s golf finished the season strong in second place for the overall season with a 5-13 record. Standout golfer freshman Denise De La Cruz finished third among the PCAC women golfers averaging 80 strokes for the season.
Cross Country
Palomar cross country finished their season in twelfth place out of 14 teams with 357 points. For the men Mario Travino was the only runner to qualify for the state meet. He placed 78th out of 193 total runners. He ran 4 miles in 21:19:05.
For the Palomar women,Sophomore Hannah Lopez led the comets running a 5k in 19:38:00 finishing 38th out of 177 total runners. Other scoring runners for the Comets include Cassandra Ramos who finished 67th (71st in the overall race), Maia Chaffin finishing 77th, Jolie Beentjes finishing 86th, and Brianna Frain who finished 89th over all.
