{"id":168287,"date":"2026-02-07T16:45:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T16:45:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/168287\/"},"modified":"2026-02-07T16:45:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T16:45:12","slug":"patrick-henry-high-winter-sports-teams-eye-finish-to-regular-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/168287\/","title":{"rendered":"Patrick Henry High winter sports teams eye finish to regular season"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Patrick<\/a>Breanna Ivie controls the ball during a Patrick Henry girls\u2019 soccer contest. (Photo by Nick Gaona)<\/p>\n

With an eye on the calendar, several Patrick Henry High School<\/a> winter sports teams are looking to CIF and the potential to win some titles.<\/p>\n

As regular-season play winds down over the next few weeks, teams are positioning themselves for a postseason push.<\/p>\n

In boys\u2019 basketball action, the Patriots, under head coach Kenny Caesar, sported a 17-8 record (5-2 in City League action) as the first week of February was winding down.<\/p>\n

\"Patrick<\/a>\u00a0Issac Weatherred recently scored his 1,000th point at Patrick Henry High. (Photo by Hannah Weatherred)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Caesar says that the team has been led by seniors Issac Weatherred, Alex Newlands, and Owen Andersen.<\/p>\n

Weatherred recently scored his 1,000th career point in a big win over Hoover High.<\/p>\n

Girls\u2019 basketball rolls to 21 wins to date<\/p>\n

In\u00a0girls\u2019 basketball\u00a0play, the Lady Patriots,<\/a> under head coach Derrick Carter, have put together a great season to date, sitting at 21-3 as of the first week of the month.<\/p>\n

Carter noted that sophomore Ayvahlee Ruiz is the team\u2019s top scorer to date.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cShe has been a big part of our success this season,\u201d Carter said. \u201cShe can score from anywhere, driving to the rim, knocking down mid-range shots and hitting from deep. She\u2019s hard to guard and always seems to step up in big moments.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat really stands out is that she plays for the team. Ayvahlee creates opportunities for others, brings great energy and leads by example. When we need a bucket, we know who to turn to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sophomore Ellie Cloward is the team\u2019s rebounding, steals and assists leader.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe brings toughness inside, fighting for every board and giving us extra chances,\u201d Carter remarked. \u201cShe sets the tone on defense, creating turnovers and turning them into fast breaks. She keeps the offense moving, finding open teammates and making everyone better. Ellie brings great energy and emotion to the team, is a great communicator and a fierce competitor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another player on Carter\u2019s watchlist is Honey Smith, a junior who he said brings intensity with \u201cquick feet, sharp instincts and non-stop effort.\u201d <\/p>\n

Finally, sophomore Caylie Ferreira has been injured, but never absent, bringing \u201cenergy, insight and constant encouragement\u201d from the sidelines. He calls her \u201can extra assistant coach in uniform.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Carter sees it, \u201cThe season has been going really well. We\u2019re 21-3 right now, but the job isn\u2019t finished. Our main goal is winning a championship, but we focus on taking it one game at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Girls\u2019 soccer looks for another historic run\u00a0<\/p>\n

In\u00a0girls\u2019 soccer\u00a0action, the Lady Patriots have a tough act to follow after last year\u2019s historic Regional State Championship accomplishment.<\/p>\n

The team headed into early February with a mark of 10-2-1 for head coach Jason Renfro.<\/p>\n

Renfro noted some key players to date include Emma Cunningham, Zoe Wehrman, Annabel Grentz, Abby Weiss, Elizabeth Barefoot and Riley Roesch.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pressure to stay at the top is a tremendous hurdle,\u201d Renfro said. \u201cWith that, we have an amazing senior class and captains who, when the chips are down, know how to win, and it\u2019s contagious.\u201d<\/p>\n

Boys soccer coming together<\/p>\n

In boys\u2019 soccer play, head coach Seth Tunick had the team sitting at 8-3-5 (3-1-2 in league play) to begin the first week of February.<\/p>\n

According to Tunick, key players to date have included Landon Wong (senior), the leading scorer, along with Julian Lee (senior), Jacob Solis (senior) and Trenton Mikulanis (senior). After a couple of tough losses early in January, the team has rallied back with a six-game unbeaten streak. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe team has shown a lot of grit and maturity over the last few weeks and has come together to play our best soccer of the year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Raising the level for wrestling<\/p>\n

On the\u00a0wrestling\u00a0mats, head coach Sam Litvin noted the boys\u2019 squad came into this month with a record of 9-5, and 2-3 in league meets.<\/p>\n

According to Litvin, key members this year are Ethan Vinoray, who is a state qualifier and two-time CIF placer. He currently has a record of 94-22. He finished first at the City Championships, Londos and San Pasqual tournaments and took second at the El Cajon Invitational.<\/p>\n

There is also freshman Ayden Ventura, who is currently ranked in the Top 10 in San Diego at 152 lbs. He took fourth at El Cajon and second at the City Conference Tournament.<\/p>\n

On the girls\u2019 side, there is junior Aubrey Lund, who took third at San Marcos Queen of the Realm and third at City Championships. Freshman Kinsley Bannister was third at City Championships.<\/p>\n

Bannister and Ventura both wrestled in the San Diego Middle School athletic program.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe team has really raised the level this year,\u201d Litvin said. \u201cThe girls went from having one girl at City Championships to having seven girls, which resulted in the team being sixth in the conference with many of the girls placing at various tournaments. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe boys\u2019 team is also picking up steam. They wrestled a lot of tough schools, including Bonita Vista and Brawley, and improved on last year\u2019s record with a 9-5 overall in spite of having given up two to three forfeits due to lack of wrestlers at some weights.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Litvin, captains Ethan Vinoray, Justin Willard and Abdullah Alshami lead the team in a record-number of placings with the team taking third at Londos and San Pasqual and fourth at City Championships.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe team improved a lot thanks to the incoming freshmen who wrestled in the middle school program, with several of the freshmen becoming varsity starters and placers at tournaments,\u201d Litvin added. \u201cOur goal is to continue to have wrestlers place at D1 CIF and put Patrick Henry on the Masters podium.\u201d<\/p>\n

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