Throughout the year, DV sports teams have won various league games and tournaments. Teams such as mens basketball, mens soccer, womens basketball and womens wrestling have all had great seasons this year and are all contributing to the reduction of the stigma that surrounds DV athletics. 

Kevin Clark, who is one of the head coaches for the mens varsity soccer team and has been coaching for the team for four years, described how his view of popular opinions on DV athletics have shifted.

“Take a school like Dougherty that is very well known for its academics, and not so much for athletics, and then we have the run that we had, not just this year, but the last [two to three] years,” Clark explained. “And then at the same time, I know the [mens] basketball team is doing some really good things. Also [womens] basketball had a really good year this year as well. So it seems like the athletic program in general is growing.” 

Mens soccer

The mens varsity soccer team is one of the teams that have found prominence this year, winning NCS for the first time. 

“Before the season started, we as a group sat down and wrote a bunch of rules down on the whiteboard of what we wanted to accomplish,” Clark said. “And it was a pretty lofty list we had, winning League, winning NCS, getting revenge on Berkeley and then winning state. And we did all of those except win state. So it was a pretty successful season, for sure.”

Clark mentioned how the soccer program has changed since the time when he and Bijan Sadeghy, the other head coach, assumed their roles.

“Before Bijan and I took over four years ago, [the team] was not in the greatest space, they had only made playoffs one time in their school’s history,” Clark said. “So they’ll only make playoffs one time and never win a playoff game, and essentially, kind of be the doormat or the punching bag for all of EBAL and all of NCS.” 

Clark explained how the team was able to turn their losing streak around. 

“In that first year it was very hard to change the culture and take a program that had won zero games the season before and say, you guys have value; you are worth it. We need to start demanding more of ourselves and expecting more about ourselves. And once people started to buy into that everything kind of started falling into place,” Clark said. “To do it in four years, to go from kind of zero to hero is a remarkable accomplishment, testament to the boys, putting in hard work.”

Clark believes that this year’s success will lead to a better reputation in the future. 

“I mean, it definitely brings some notoriety to the program and maybe a little bit of pride associated with that as well. I think it is an awesome reputation and kind of standard to live up to, but I think each year and each generation of kids has to make their own mark on it, so maybe a little more pressure,” Clark said. “But I don’t think there’s anything wrong with pressure, because with pressure comes expectations, and if you’re expecting things, that means you’re doing a good job.”

Womens wrestling

This year, the womens varsity wrestling team has had multiple significant victories, such as winning EBAL and placing sixth overall in NCS. Junior Reyna Jimenez, the captain of the womens wrestling team, describes their season as historical. 

“The first tournament that we ever went to, the Gaels showdown at Dublin, we won first place there. We got a big trophy. And then the Contest of Champions, we won a big trophy,” Jimenez said. “We had some really big wins over the season.”

Vanshika Burman, a junior on the varsity womens wrestling team, added to Jimenez’s thoughts about their season. She said, “I think our team has done better this year then ever at Dougherty before. We definitely made history. We have five places in NCS [on the girls team]. We won first for three tournaments, including EBAL which is really important because EBAL is our entire league.” 

Burman also mentions her goal that she had for the year.

“Wrestling with the goal made it more purposeful. [My goal] was to place at [a prestigious tournament]. I don’t think I achieved my goal, placing as high as I wanted, but I did place,” she said.

Burman believes that the reason that DV students might not commit to their sport is because of their mindset.

“I just think that [DV students] don’t have the right mindset when it comes to athletics in general. We have really gifted people in our programs. We just don’t have dedication in our program. And I think that is really like the switch that really flipped this year and just in wrestling as a whole. I think performing better is a lot more then just placing at a tournament. Specifically in that match, you’re giving it your hundred percent and even if you [lost] you gave it your all,” she said.

With the wrestling teams’ multiple accomplishments, Jimenez hopes that the stigma around DV sports will change. 

“The stereotype [has been very prevalent in] our school, especially in wrestling. people didn’t really look at [DV] as being one of those schools that is good, and whenever you see they have a match against someone from Dougherty Valley, you are not immediately threatened,” Jimenez said. “But that has changed now, especially within wrestling.”

Though Jimenez is unsure if this perception was the same with other sports at the school, she hopes the stereotype changes. “I do know, like our athletics is growing, and I think with the support of our office and the administration, I think we could really work to change that stigma.”

Jimenez advises athletes who are eager to win championships to be patient.

“I think what you see with a lot of new girls is that they get upset when they’re not doing well immediately. But, I mean, especially if it’s your first sport, I think you should always provide yourself some leniency. Losing is an experience that everyone will have to face eventually, and one of the biggest lessons you can learn in any sport is how to deal with that kind of loss. Do not let it destroy you: use that loss to push forward and make yourself stronger.”

Men’s basketball

In addition to the womens wrestling team, the mens basketball team has also had a successful season. 

“Our seniors did a great job with their leadership and their effort just being great teammates to each other,” Head Coach Michael Hansen said. “Collectively as a group, they were incredible.” 

Tyler Robbins, a senior on the varsity team, listed some highlights from the year. 

“[Winning NCS for the third year in a row], winning against Redwood, especially for me, because I had the most points and most rebounds. So it really meant a lot to me, and being there with all my friends and teammates and family and winning,” Robbins said.  

Robbins described what the NCS tournament was like. 

“It was not too challenging, because we should have been in a higher division,” Robbins said. “So it was definitely different then EBAL, but I don’t know if it was as challenging as I expected or anticipated.” 

Hansen describes some challenges that the team faced throughout the year leading up to NCS and state. 

“Probably just coming together as a group and playing for each other, that was probably their biggest challenge,” Hansen said. “But they figured it out.”

Other challenges that the team faced during the year was their overall camaraderie. 

“We weren’t like a team, like we had a bunch of players that would play one on one, we wouldn’t pass the ball to each other. All our players would just shoot and we weren’t cooperating as a team,” Robbins said. “And later in the season, all the pieces came together, and we played really well and got really far.”

Since the beginning of the year, the mens basketball team has continued to develop their skills.  

“Our program has become a staple of Dougherty Valley athletics. We’ve had continued success. We’re highly competitive. When people think about Dougherty Valley athletics, they kind of lead with boys basketball.”

Though Robbins won’t be there next year, he believes his team will continue their winning streak. 

“We have to win NCS now, because we won three years in a row. Now we are [expected] to do this, so we have to work even harder to get there.”

Womens basketball

The womens basketball team has also had a memorable season, placing second overall at NCS. Keira Tom, a junior on the varsity team, explains how the team’s wins were unexpected. 

“I would describe [it as an] underdog performance because not a lot of people thought we were gonna be that good,” Tom said. “We surprised a lot of people as the season went on.” 

This year, the womens basketball team had multiple unforeseen accomplishments, such as winning against Washington High School from Fremont, who qualified for Division I in NCS, while DV was in the DIII playoffs this year. Beating Washington was a big deal for the Wildcat players, given the other team’s higher ranking. 

“They are a really good team, and they had some really good seniors. Also, Monte Vista, because we haven’t beat them in like seven years, and it helped us gain a better spot in the league,” Tom explained. 

Another big accomplishment that the team had was winning against The Branson School. 

Freshman Eesha Gujjewar, a player on the varsity team said, “Another big game was Branson because we lost to them earlier in the season by a lot but we beat them when we faced off in NCS by nine points.”

Since last year, many factors such as their coaching staff and practices have changed for the womens basketball team, which according to their members have contributed to their accomplishments this year. 

“[Practices are more] straightforward and organized, and we have to memorize a lot of plays. Every team plays hard, but it’s all about how you can execute the plays and execute the right thing,” Tom said.

Gujjewar mentions other factors that helped the team achieve their accomplishments. 

“Our coaches, like our new coaching staff, definitely helped. And then also the upperclassmen helping us out [because] there are five freshmen on the team, so they really guided us and helped us to this point,” she added.

Though these factors have all contributed to the team’s success, they also faced multiple challenges along the way. Their biggest dilemma was player injuries.

“Like our point guard, she is a freshman, and she dealt with some injuries. And then also Mikala [Caston, who plays all positions, but primarily center and power forward]. It was just a lot of injuries and we were going to battle that. So it was all just adaptation,” Tom said.

These accomplishments show that the team will only improve from here. Gujjewar mentioned, “It shows us that we’re able to get to this point again, and we can do even better now that we’ve gone here before, and like we know the taste of loss and victory. So it’s only going to go up from here.”

Gujjewar also hoped that the team would win a state game next year as they made it to one this year, but did not win. 

Tom believes that the team’s success has contributed to the overall growth of DV athletics this year.

“It was really cool to see how the womans side can contribute,” Tom said. “I think changing the culture for our program helped DV athletics as a whole, because DV is not known to be a very athlete-dominated school. So it just helped as a whole for Dougherty to be more than just academics.”