The Lady Brahmas have high expectations this season with desires of making it to the playoffs and going further, following a first round exit last season.
After the graduation of last year’s 10 seniors that made up the majority of the team, there are high hopes for the new group of players and returners. Head coach Matt Franco hopes that good interactions are found during pre-season to prepare them for the league with the new group.
“Our goals would ultimately be to qualify for the CIF playoffs and compete for a league title,” Franco said.
To prepare and train for the season, the team has been focusing on the weight room and recovery exercises to ensure that strength is well-conditioned during the games.
“We have been utilizing the weight room and exercise bands to focus on recovery from their club seasons and helping us get stronger before we play a lot of games,” Franco said.
Some obstacles that are to come this season would be trying to find field time and space as well as balancing the workload for the players who are finishing their club seasons.
While this year’s leaders have yet to be decided, senior Alyna Evans wants this year to be successful while bonding with the team.
“Our team this year has gained a lot of new players and we are seeing the chemistry build more and more every practice. We all are very close and this makes it easier to connect well on the field,” Evans said.
With a lot of last year’s key members returning to the field, this season they plan on passing the legacy down to upcoming new members.
“Some of the players that have been very beneficial to the team are: [senior] Samantha Beltran, [senior] Shelby Ghiuzelian, [junior] Darah Johnson, [and many more,]” Evans said.
The team thinks that managing time is crucial when it comes to this practice season. It’s been a bit of a struggle trying to balance everything, and that focusing is important.
“To give it out all each and every minute you’re on that field. At first it will be slightly shaky since we are all playing with a new group of people with different playing styles,” Johnson said. “Focus on giving your all while you’re on the field. Show you want to be out there.”