Lions Take the Lead

Seniors reflect on their last fall season.

By Jacob Polacheck (’17)

The 2016 SDJA fall sports season featured some of the most memorable moments in SDJA history. Although there have been better years of fall sports, this was a season for the ages. From a tremendous football season to an extraordinary season from the women’s volleyball team, this year has excited us for what’s to come in the future of SDJA sports.

Although they missed out on playoffs, the 2016 SDJA Lions Football team captured the attention of the whole school with a 6-2 record, their best since moving to 8-man football. Leading the team was senior quarterback Jordan Battaglia, who threw for 20 touchdowns and ran for another six. “This year I became a type of leader that I never thought I could become,” said Battaglia (‘17). “Being a captain for my third season, I knew that all eyes were on me. It was a much different experience being one of the true leaders of the team,” he continued.

Despite their 4-12 record, the SDJA Women’s Volleyball team played much better than their record showed. Leading the way for the Lady Lions were seniors Brooke Posnock (‘17) and Sophia Keller (‘17). The senior leadership helped the team rebound after a poor start and end the season on a high note.

Women’s tennis finished their season strong and qualified for the San Diego CIF team tournament for the second time in recent history. Aleksis Livshits (‘18) and Alex Hansen (‘17) also qualified for CIF individuals. Hansen (‘17) was ecstatic to have finally made it to the San Diego tournament as a singles player, considering it was her last tennis season at the school.

The 2016 SDJA Cross Country team was a bright spot this year for the school. Despite not winning a meet, every runner on the team improved their times throughout the year. “By the end of the season, we were all better runners,” said Josh Glasser (‘17). “We really came together as a team to help each other get better.”

From the football team’s near playoff appearance to the volleyball team’s tremendous league play, the fall season has been a great one. As senior David Smith (‘17) summed it up best, “”We gave this school the best season it’s had in years.”