After almost a year of waiting, Orange Lutheran Athletes have been able to compete in games and matches. Due to COVID-19, all sports were cancelled for the foreseeable future back in March of 2020. It left athletes feeling incomplete without competitions and anxious for the next time they could compete. Now in March with vaccines being dispersed, increasing availability to testing, and a continual drop in cases, athletes are getting back onto the field, courts, pools, and courses to play. With fall sports being cancelled, many were pushed in with winter sports, with about three weeks to have what is typically a three month season. Here is how some of the OLu athletics programs have been doing.
Varsity cross country (CC) has had their season up and running since February 13th, where the girls varsity team took a win against Rosary. They followed with a win against Santa Margarita High School. Boys CC began their season on February 27th, with meets against Santa Margarita, Servite, Bosco, and JSerra. Both teams have finished their seasons with the girls exciting record being 2-2 and the boys being 0-4.
Tennis has been hitting the courts since early March. Both programs have played a few games, with the boys being 0-4 and the girls 5-2. Both teams are playing schools inside and outside the Trinity League. Fortunately for them, unlike many sports, they will have their Trinity League Finals in the beginning of May.
The water polo program began play in early March, with both varsity teams defeating Servite and Rosary. The boys have gone on since to win the game against Bosco and they currently hold a record of 2-4, they will conclude their season on the 18th with a game against Jserra. The girls have gone on to win against Mater Dei, San Clemente, and Los Al High Schools, holding a record of 4-2. The girls will conclude their season on the 19th in a game against CDM.
A new program at OLu is the lacrosse teams. The boys opened their season on February 13th with a game against Edison High School. The girls have played two games thus far, one against Murrieta and the other againstUniversity High School.
Girls volleyball are playing teams within the Trinity League, already taking wins against Mater Dei, Santa Margarita, and Rosary. They ended their season on March 17th with a loss against JSerra. Boys volleyball will begin their season on April 2nd with an opening game against Los Al High School.
Shredding it hard, the surf team caught their first competition waves on February 23rd. They took their first win of the season in a match against CDM. They will continue their season until April 3rd where their final sets will be caught against Los Al.
Football, regularly a fall sport, will begin their season on March 19 with an opening game against Servite. They will continue throughout the month of April with league play. Games will be played against Mater Dei, Santa Margarita, and St. John Bosco, concluding their season on April 16th with a final game against JSerra.
Baseball will also start their official high school season with a game against King High School on March 19th. They will continue both league series and regular games until the end of May, ending with a series against JSerra.
It is through the hands of God that Orange Lutheran athletes have gotten back to the sports they love. The best of luck to all athletes wrapping up their seasons and to spring programs gearing up to start competition. To stay up to date on all sports competitions, make sure to download the OLu Athletics app. May we all pray that the athletes will stay safe and be victorious, while playing in His name.
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Photo Credit: Dave Cacciapuoti
