Scotts Valley High senior Naiya Samios was named the SCCAL's Girls Soccer Most Outstanding Attacker by the coaches within the league for the 2022-23 season. (Raul Ebio - Press Banner file photo)

Another chapter of the winter sports season is officially in the books following the conclusion of the Central Coast Section and California Interscholastic Federation NorCal playoffs.

Scotts Valley High girls’ soccer team was snubbed from a postseason berth, yet they still stood out as one of the premier groups to watch out for during the regular season.

Senior standout striker Naiya Saimos was all over the pitch this season, making the transition to midfielder and then back to her natural spot at the forward position. She recorded 14 goals and one assist in 15 games played for the Falcons, according to the Max Preps website.

“When I was at the mid at the beginning of the season, it was super cool to distribute the ball but I really wanted to get up there and just finish them,” Samios said. “I got a chance to do that the rest of the season.”

The coaches within the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League recognized her brilliance on the field and she was named the Most Outstanding Attacker for 2022-23.

“I was super stoked about it and I was kind of working towards that towards the season and now I’m just happy to achieve it,” Samios said.

Scotts Valley coach Taylor Raymond joined the girls soccer program as the JV coach when Samios was just a freshman and remembers how impressive she already was as an underclassman.

“It’s just so amazing to watch [Samios] grow not only as a person but as a soccer player,” Raymond said. “She’s been good since the beginning but she puts in those countless hours and she’s very dedicated to the sport, and to the team.” 

Raymond also received some hardware after she was named Coach of the Year by her peers, which came as a shocking surprise to her.

“I felt like I did a good job with the girls, but I guess I wasn’t expecting it and was honestly just a pleasant surprise,” she said. “It boosted my confidence a little bit, which was really nice.”

In just her second season with the program, Raymond helped put together a group of players that led the team to a 7-6-5 overall record and placed third in the SCCAL with a 4-3-3 record in league play.

“Even though we didn’t win league or go to CCS, I think we still had such a good season,” Samios said. “I think we played really well, especially the hard teams in our league and she was a big part of all that.”

Raymond said it was an honor to be recognized by the rest of the coaches within the league especially because she used to play for the Falcons and grew up in the area.

“It means more than I can describe,” she said. “It just made me so happy and it makes me want to come back every single year just for that.” 

Scotts Valley freshman Ella Ireland and senior Alex Teves along with San Lorenzo Valley High senior Gianna Schwarzbach earned all-league first team honors.

Scotts Valley sophomore Ashley Haver and Lia Lock, and SLV freshman Simone Mugnier earned all-league second team honors.

The Honorable Mention team included SLV juniors Joci Carkner, Leila Nite and Naomi Sifton, and Scotts Valley junior Paige Bariteau, sophomore Dillon Fiorita and junior Annie Gowing.

Boys basketball

Scotts Valley senior Tristan Roure earned All-SCCAL First Team honors for his performance on the court this season. He helped turn the season around near the end of league play by leading the Falcons to a 3-1 record to close out the regular season. 

Scotts Valley was stunned by SLV, 65-57, in the SCCAL Tournament opener on Feb. 7. But they went on to win three straight in the Central Coast Section Division IV playoffs before eventually falling to Half Moon Bay High, 66-62, in the semifinals.  

SLV senior Skylar Thayer was part of that Cougars team that pulled off the upset against Scotts Valley, which helped him earn all-league second team honors. He also received the Special Award for Most Inspirational that was given out by the coaches within the league.

Scotts Valley sophomore Will Shilling also earned all-league second team honors following a stellar campaign in his debut season on the varsity squad. 

SLV senior Damian Aguilar, junior Aiden Nounnan and sophomore Jacob Sanders, along with Scotts Valley junior Evan Anderson, senior Davie Bruce, sophomore Taylor Knox and sophomore Zach Schilling were all named to the Honorable Mention team this season.

Girls basketball

SLV senior Amelia Sizemore earned All-SCCAL First Team honors following a strong season on the court. She finished with an average of 8.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game, while turning the ball over just 77 times in 25 games played this season.

The Cougars finished with an 18-8 overall record and placed second in the SCCAL with a 7-3 record in league play. They qualified for the CCS D-IV playoffs and earned a pair of wins before falling to Half Moon Bay, 56-26, in the quarterfinals on Feb. 21.

Fellow senior teammate Lucy Lilienthal-Wynn earned all-league second team honors. She finished with an average of 13.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game for SLV this season.

Scotts Valley senior Elana McGrew also earned all-league second team honors, helping the Falcons to an 8-16 overall record and placing third in the SCCAL with a 5-5 record in league play.

Scotts Valley earned a CCS postseason berth and beat Gonzales, 51-42, in the opening round of the D-IV playoffs. They lost to Harker School, 57-25, in the second round. 

SLV seniors Bella Reynolds and Hannah Morley, along with Scotts Valley senior Amy Weiss and sophomore Abigail Shi were all named to the Honorable Mention team.

All-SCCAL winter sports teams 

Boys basketball

Scotts Valley High senior Tristan Roure earned All-SCCAL First Team honors for the 2022-23 season. (Juan Reyes – Press Banner file photo)

Individual Awards

Most Valuable Player: Aden Cury (Sr.), Santa Cruz

Coach of theYear: Brian Bowyer (6th season), Aptos 

Special Award – Most Inspirational: Skylar Thayer (Sr.), San Lorenzo Valley

First-Team

Isaiah Ackerman (So.), Aptos 

Ben Dotten (Jr.), Santa Cruz 

Demeke Smith (Jr.), Santa Cruz 

Tristan Roure (Sr.), Scotts Valley 

Braylon Noble (Jr.), Soquel

Second-Team

Trevor Brady (Sr.), Aptos

Kevin Hamlyn (Sr.), Aptos

Kirby Seals (So.), Santa Cruz 

Skylar Thayer (Sr.), SLV

Will Shilling (So.), Scotts Valley 

Honorable Mention

Harrison Bloom (Sr.), Aptos 

Hudson Garvey (Sr.), Aptos 

Lawrence Ingram (Jr.), Aptos

Nash Campbell (Sr.), Harbor 

Matt Munro (Sr.), Harbor 

Mosiah Cumberbatch, (So.), Santa Cruz 

Jackson Douvia (Sr.), Santa Cruz 

Demarco Hunter (Fr.), Santa Cruz  

Damian Aguilar (Sr.), SLV 

Aiden Nounnan (Jr.), SLV

Jacob Sanders (So.), SLV 

Evan Anderson (Jr.), Scotts Valley

Davie Bruce (Sr.), Scotts Valley

Taylor Knox (So.), Scotts Valley 

Zach Schilling (So.), Scotts Valley 

Cade Peterson (Jr.), Soquel 

Nico Ramirez (So.), Soquel 

Girls basketball

San Lorenzo Valley High senior Amelia Sizemore earned All-SCCAL First Team honors for the 2022-23 season. (Juan Reyes/Press Banner file photo)

Individual awards

Most Valuable Player: Claire Thompson (Sr.), Santa Cruz

Coach of the Year: Todd Trowbridge (7th season), Santa Cruz 

First Team

Laurel Southall (Jr.), Aptos 

Tiera O’Connor (So.), Santa Cruz

Madison Yazalina (Sr.) Santa Cruz 

Amelia Sizemore, (Sr.) San Lorenzo Valley

Gianna Winterhalder (Sr), Soquel

Second Team

Guin Lines (Jr.), Aptos 

Maya Manildi (Sr.), Harbor

Mackenzie Gomes (Sr.), Santa Cruz 

Lucy Lilienthal-Wynn (Sr.), SLV

Elana McGrew (Sr.), Scotts Valley

Honorable Mention

Abby Sherwood (Fr.), Aptos 

Sophia Pursley (Jr.), Aptos 

Amelia Wyland (Sr.), Harbor 

Molly Endert-Tatum (Sr.), Harbor 

Ava Lord (Jr.), Santa Cruz 

Natalia Espinosa (Jr.), Santa Cruz 

Bella Reynolds (Sr.), SLV 

Hannah Morley (Sr.), SLV

Abigail Shi (So.), Scotts Valley 

Amy Weiss (Sr.), Scotts Valley  

Lily Thayer (Sr.), Soquel 

Meaghan Diaz (Sr.), Soquel 

Girls soccer

Scotts Valley High girls soccer head coach Taylor Raymond was named the SCCAL’s Coach of the Year by her peers for the 2022-23 season. (Raul Ebio – Press Banner file photo)

Individual Awards

Players of the Year: Jocelyn Travers (So.), Santa Cruz; Summer Jacob (Sr.), Aptos 

Most Outstanding Attacker: Naiya Saimos (Sr.), Scotts Valley

Most Outstanding Midfielder: Lily Montesinos (Sr.), Soquel

Goalkeeper of the Year: Ruby Holmes (Jr.), Santa Cruz 

Coach of the Year: Taylor Raymond (second season), Scotts Valley

First team

Alexanda Castaneda (Fr.), Aptos 

Kaitlyn Murphy (Jr.), Aptos  

Ella Shoemaker (Jr.), Aptos 

Hannah LoFranco (Sr.), Harbor

Gianna Schwarzbach (Sr.), San Lorenzo Valley

Zaina Alahaina (Sr.), Santa Cruz

Clara Willet (Jr.), Santa Cruz 

Ella Ireland (Fr.), Scotts Valley

Alex Teves (Sr.), Scotts Valley 

Haily Betterman (Fr.), Soquel 

Julia Inkles (Jr.), Soquel 

Second team

Gwen Chapman (Sr.), Aptos

Angelique Nunez (Jr.), Aptos 

Catalina Ontiveros (Sr.), Aptos 

Sonja Hulpers (Jr.), Harbor

Simone Mugnier (Fr.), SLV

Clare Byram (Sr.), Santa Cruz 

Maya Kingsley (Jr.), Santa Cruz 

Ashley Haver (So.), Scotts Valley 

Lia Lock (So.), Scotts Valley 

Chloe McGilvray (So.), Soquel 

Yaren Yanez (Sr.), Soquel

Honorable Mention

Madison Redding (Fr.), Aptos

Peyton Westjohn (Jr.), Aptos 

Alessandra Zuniga (Jr.), Aptos 

Anika Dawson (Jr.), Harbor

Zoe Soenen (Jr.), Harbor 

Becca Vaca (So.), Harbor 

Joci Carkner (Jr.), SLV

Leila Nite (Jr.), SLV

Naomi Sifton (Jr.), SLV 

Lia Gulorte (Fr.), Santa Cruz 

Sienna Parker (Jr.), Santa Cruz 

Lucinda Steiner (Jr.), Santa Cruz 

Paige Bariteau (Jr.), Scotts Valley 

Dillon Fiorita (So.), Scotts Valley

Annie Gowing (Jr.), Scotts Valley 

Alexis Sierra (So.), Soquel 

Sadie Strout (Sr.), Soquel 

Victoria Weiss (Jr.), Soquel

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A Watsonville native who has a passion for local sports and loves his community. A Watsonville High, Cabrillo College, San Jose State University and UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism alumnus, he primarily covers high school athletics, Cabrillo College athletics, various youth sports in the Pajaro Valley and the Santa Cruz Warriors. Juan is also a video game enthusiast, part-time chef (at home), explorer and a sports junkie. Coaches and athletic directors are encouraged to report scores HERE.

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