With its 44-42 win against Kennedy, the girls basketball team has clinched its first CIF berth in 11 years. The Tribe (4-3), who lost to Kennedy by only 4 points on Jan. 14, were able to come back from a 13-point deficit in the second half to earn the victory in the Jan. 30 rematch.

The girls will play host to first-place Tustin (6-1) on Monday, Feb. 3 at 6 p.m. If the Indians win they will likely tie Kennedy (4-3) for second place, but a loss still secures their third place finish and entry into the CIF playoffs. The Tribe lost by 10 in the first meeting with the Tustin Tillers, but Kennedy beat Tustin 44-41 on Jan. 21 and Fullerton beat Kennedy 44-42 last week. In other words, the top three teams are evenly matched, but the Indians will have to bring their best gameplay for their Senior Night and final Golden West League game.

The Tribe traveled to Katella on Jan. 9 and won a close game, 49-48. It was a tight game throughout, with the Indians up by only one in the first quarter. The Indians and Knights alternated the lead the entire game with the game tied 46-46 in the final seconds of the game.  Sophomore Emily Kim completed a 3-pointer, but the Fullerton coach had called time out during the shot, sending the game into overtime.

The tie continued in overtime, with both teams scoring 2 points apiece. The game ended when Katella fouled Kim, who scored the winning free-throw.

This season is a huge turnaround for the Indians. In its final season in the Freeway League last year, the Tribe finished 0-10. “Changing leagues helped a lot because we adjusted playing teams away at our level,” senior Karly Kakimoto said. “We’re D5, but we played D2 schools and D1 schools before.”

Despite a 2-1 win against first place Santa Ana (5-2) at home, the Fullerton boys soccer team (1-3-3) will finish in fourth place in the Empire League. The Jan. 24 win against the Saints was particularly satisfying as Santa Ana crushed Fullerton 8-0 in their first league game. With the help of a goal from Abraham Benevidez and Jashua Harris’s composure from the slot, the win reassured the Tribe that with more consistent play they will have a good chance of improving next year. 

After playing in the Freeway League for over 30 years, the team had some struggles. After losing their first two matches, the Indians opted for a more defensive approach. Using five players at the back rather than four resulted in 0-0 ties in their next two games.

With the defensive back protecting their goal, the Indians’ confidence began to grow. Their next match was a true test of their new tactics. However, facing Valencia on Jan. 22, the Indians struggled to capitalize on opportunities like when the Vikings had to play with a man short after receiving a red card. The Indians were unable to take advantage and walked away with the 0-0 tie.

The Indians will play host to the second place Valencia (3-1-2) on Wednesday, Feb. 5 for their final Empire League game.

Due to CIF’s new ranking system, the boys basketball coach is unsure what division bracket his team will enter at the end of league play this week. In previous years, CIF sorted schools into various divisions based on the previous two year’s records. In an attempt to be fair, CIF is scheduled to use each team’s current season record and stats to determine CIF divisions.

“The rules are confusing, so it’s still undetermined,” coach Erik Kamrath said. “Now that they are an at-large team we have to win our final game to make the playoffs (3AA). If they lose, they might get moved down to a lower bracket (4A).” CIF is scheduled to release the brackets Feb. 8.

Coming off a 61-51 win against Costa Mesa on Friday, the boys will face Calvary Chapel in their final Empire League game on Tuesday in the Fullerton Gym at 6:15 p.m. An Indian win on Tuesday would likely mean a 3-way tie for second place with Fullerton, Calvary Chapel and Costa Mesa ending with 4-4 Empire League records. Tustin (7-0) will finish first; Godinez (0-8) will finish last.

The Indians had a 9-game winning streak in non-league match-ups plus a 52-45 win in their first game with Godinez. The Indians also beat the Grizzlies 60-41 on Jan. 24 when senior Jordan Myvett led the way with 18 points followed by senior Jad Mustafa with 17 and sophomore Jadon Reed with 14. Seniors Cesy Alfonso, Lincoln Sailhamer and Jeremy Guillen also scored.

The Indians are playing better than their current fourth place standing might show. The Tribe lost by only 5 points to the undefeated Tustin Tillers on Jan. 15. In their first meeting with Calvary Chapel on Jan. 17, Fullerton lost by only 6 points, so the Tribe is optimistic going into its final game Tuesday.

Current players say overall this year the team is playing better compared to their last Freeway League season. Last year the Indians lost by greater margins and some fans would leave at halftime. 

This season’s overall 16-11 record is an improvement from last year. Returning senior Jeremy Guillen credits the team’s growth as a group. “I think for this season, we’ve actually done a lot better because our team has better ball movement and chemistry,” Guillen said. “Last year people would try to score at their own will, but this year we actually have people that pass around, move the ball and get a good shot.”

Sophomore Jadon Reed acknowledges that their game could improve in certain areas but he says that team chemistry has been an essential part of their growth as well. “This year we’re definitely more of a well bonded team with a lot more chemistry and togetherness,” he said. “While last year we were more individual, which, you know, in a team sport, that’s not always going to work out.”

Freshman Sophia Thibodeau’s first half goal against Santa Ana on Tuesday was enough to give the girls soccer team a 1-0 win, securing the Indian’s first place standing in the Golden West League.

The Tribe (5-0-1) is looking to hold onto its top spot as they head into their final two league games this week. The team’s strong showing has also moved them up the CIF Power Rankings. “I hope we get put in a Division 4 bracket and can make a deep run,” junior Stevee Reger said. “I hope we win CIF but nonetheless I am so glad that we’ve made it this far.”

Leading the charge offensively is senior Briselda Tellez, netting 17 goals and averaging nearly a goal per game. As she plays her final season, Tellez is determined to make it count. The team’s captain, sophomore Kamryn Myers, has four goals and five assists.

Reger attributes the team’s strong season to its midfielders including Tellez, Meyers and junior Ava Torres, who has 3 goals and 3 assists this season. “They help us maintain control of the ball and smoothly transition,” Reger said. 

Monday the Indians will play host to Westminster (1-6) who lost to Fullerton 1-0 on Jan. 16. The team will travel to Calvary Chapel (1-5) on Wednesday for its final game. If Fullerton loses either game, second place Garden Grove (4-1-1) has a chance to grab first place if the Argonauts beat Calvary Chapel and Santa Ana (4-3) this week. No Golden West team has beaten the Indians this year, but Garden Grove tied Fullerton 0-0 in the first game of the season.

The girls water polo team will play its Southern Section CIF Division 5 playoff game against La Mirada on Feb. 4 at 5 p.m. at the FUHS pool.

Senior Sofia Crail said practices have been more intense. “We’re ramping up practice and working on some new plays to refine some of our skills,” she said.

The team lost 11-8 to Garden Grove on Jan. 27 going into League finals. The Indians were scheduled to play for third place against Costa Mesa, but the Mustangs forfeited pushing the Tribe into a league third place finish and a CIF berth.

The Indians traveled to Anaheim High School on Jan. 24 for the Conquers Classic tournament. After a 12-9 win against California High School, the event organizers had to move the tournament on short notice to the Fullerton campus. The water was contaminated with blood after a player’s injury.

With only 16 female water polo players on campus, the program has struggled to fill rosters for both varsity and JV games. The problem is not unique to Fullerton. Several schools in the Empire League don’t even try to schedule junior varsity girls water polo games.

“A big struggle for us is getting enough people to play. But that’s also allowed us to get really close and become really good friends,” said senior Olivia Brazo, who has been a real threat in the set position, leading teams to put three defenders on her.

Having been a part of Fullerton High’s water polo team for four years, and having experienced such a tight-knit team throughout her senior season, Brazo encourages her fellow teammates to continue playing, as well as for new and incoming players to give water polo a real chance.

“I would recommend sticking with it. It’s easy to try for the first time and think ‘I’m never getting in the pool again’, but as a group, we have our moments. That’s what comes with being on a team and being a part of a sport. It’s something I’m gonna miss,” Brazo said.

The girls wrestling team (3-1) will compete in League Finals at Santa Ana High School this week. With an impressive 9-1 overall record, the girls have a strong chance of qualifying for the playoffs.

In the Golden West League, the Tribe competed against Garden Grove (4-0), Segerstrom (2-2), Costa Mesa (1-3), and Tustin (0-4). 

Not only have the Indians won most of their matches, the girls wrestling team has won by big margins. The girls beat Tustin last week 42-24. They recorded a 54-11 win against Costa Mesa on Jan. 15 and a 42-18 win against Segerstrom on Jan. 8.

In a Jan. 11 tournament, the Tribe beat all five of their former Freeway League opponents—Sunny Hills, Troy, Sonora, Buena Park and La Habra.

Sophomore Melodee Gallardo says that wrestling practices have been focused on conditioning which has helped the team throughout the season. Gallardo, a varsity wrestler, also plays on the junior varsity girls basketball team. Playing two sports in the same season has been exhausting.

“I go from sixth period wrestling to basketball practice. And then, this week has been crazy. I’ve had my tournaments on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and my basketball games, Tuesdays and Thursdays. So, it’s like back to back,” Gallardo said.

The boys wrestling team (1-3) has had less success this season, but the Indian’s Golden West record doesn’t tell the whole story. In the league opener, the Fullerton boys lost by only one point to Garden Grove who finished the season undefeated. The Tribe also suffered a close 40-36 loss to the Tustin Tillers on Jan. 28.

This week the boys wrestling team will travel to Valencia High School for League Finals.