Recaps: Palomar sports gear up for end of season

FOOTBALL

Palomar’s football team has started to turn their season around with a record of 4 – 3 going into the bye week. The team struggled early on to connect as a unit, but in recent games has hit a stride.The comets are down to their last two quarterbacks, Connor Curry and Shea Morales, as injury has been a consistent problem for the team all season.

“We need to be more consistent. We win one then we lose one,” Coch Joe Early said,“ We haven’t really been able to put anything together.”

After the news of Fullerton Community College use of ineligible players came to light, palomar is now in a position to win the Central Conference if they can pull out three consecutive wins to finish out the season.  

The team will be on the road for a game them be back home Nov. 3 against Cerritos at 6 p.m. at Escondido High School.

SOCCER

The men’s soccer team continues to struggle their way through the season averaging 1.15 goals per game. The first half of conference play has been tough for the team who has tied a majority of their games so far.

“We knew from the beginning that we are a very young team, only 3 sophomores, and it would take time for this group to gel.” Coach Linenberger said, “ I feel we are starting to really come together and look forward to a

successful second round of conference play”.

Heading into their final 5 games of the season the men will look to turn thing around and finish out the season strong. The team is back on their home field taking on San Diego City College Oct. 26 at 3 p.m. at Palomar.

The Women’s Soccer team continues to struggle their way through the season. The team is averaging 1 goal a game while allowing 3.15 goals a game. They have struggled to put together anything but a losing streak and with 5 games left in the season they will be looking to end the season with a few more wins.

The Comets will be home Friday Oct. 26 to take on division opponents San Bernardino Valley Wolverines at 1 p.m.

WATER POLO

Palomar’s men water polo team has stepped up their game play with the start of their conference games. Averaging 11.5 goals per game the comets are blowing their competition out of the water. Their most recent win against southwestern showed how connected the freshman heavy team has become.

The Comets downed their opponent 20 -9  behind a strong performance from freshman Kevin McCollum. The team has hit their stride in time for conference play.

They will be back in their home pool facing San Diego Miramar Oct. 22 at 3:30 p.m.

The women’s water polo team has had ups and downs to their season struggling through illnesses and injuries. They stand with a record of 7-10 overall and are 4-2 in conference play.

“Our focus is on communication and working as a team rather than individuals.” Coach Mandy Simon said, “ I believe that if we nail this aspect of the game, we can, and will do well at our conference tournament in November.”

The team who only has a few returning players has found their rhythm in time for the final push of the season.The Comets will be home to take on Miramar Oct. 22 at 2 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL

Palomar women’s volleyball team has hit their stride at  the right time this season. After a tough start the team has started to turn their season around. It has been a team effort with strong performances from

The women will look to continue their success on the court as they head into the final weeks of the season. They are back in the Dome Oct. 31 at 5 p.m.

GOLF

The palomar women’s golf  team has flown under the radar this semester. In their most recent match freshman golfer Denise DeLaCruz is currently sitting second in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference( PCAC) averaging 80.5 strokes per 18 holes.

Another stand out golfer, Lily Rodriguez has a lower average score, 78.3, than DeLaCruz but hasn’t played in enough of the matches to qualify. The team is currently tied with Cuyamaca for second in the conference.

CROSS COUNTRY

The men and women of Palomar’s cross country teams have been moving up the later in recent races.

Out of a field of 1 teams and 97 runners sophomore Hannah Lopez placed 13th in the Brubaker Invitational. The runner helped palomar to a 5th place team finish out of 13. Other strong performances from Maia Chaffin,  Brianna Frain, Leslie Maldonado, and Jolie Beentjas, helped boost the team forward.

WRESTLING

The palomar wrestling team continues to try and improve their overall record as well as individual scores. After going unbeaten in their season opener, the team placed fourth at the Santa Ana Tournament with 70.5 points.

In their most recent home match against the defending state duel champions Cerritos the Comets nearly missed a victory after a late escape.

Standout performances from freshman Mace Anderson, who pinned Cerritos’ Nick Dozier in 2:02, and freshman Nick Kimball, who won by a technical fall over Cerritos’ Isaiah Leyva, 17-2.

The team will have a home match Mt. San Antonio College in the Dome Oct. 24 at 7 p.m.