Girls Soccer

-Clyde Mashburn, Sam Franks, Kai Hakam

Marlowe Rowland (Junior):

Rowland is the starting goalkeeper for the girls’ soccer team. She’s a two-time team captain and has been on varsity since freshman year. “I think our primary goal this season is to win some games and have a good playoff run. I think to achieve that we’ll have to improve our team chemistry on the field,” Rowland said. Rowland also believes that the team has an unbreakable bond that sets them apart from their opponents. Rowland’s personal goal this year is to protect the goal and provide clean sheets for her team.

Isabel Blindert (Senior): 

Blindert is one of the starting center backs for the girls’- team. This is her first year as a captain and her second year on varsity. “I think our (team’s) greatest strength is how we can get the ball up quickly through our midfielders to allow distribution to our forwards,” Blindert says. She also points out that having trust between each other is key to a successful team. Her primary goal this season is to “be the best player and captain I can possibly be.” 

Ella Cohen (Junior): 

Cohen is one of the starting strikers for the soccer team. She has been on varsity since her freshman year, and this is her first year as a captain. She was All-PIL first-team and Co-PIL player of the year last year as only a sophomore. “I would say our greatest strength would be our tenacity and our desire. I think that we have a lot of pride for Cleveland and we really show that on the pitch, and we wanna represent the Warriors as best possible,” Cohen said. In addition to scoring more goals, her target for the season is to be a good leader whom teammates can come to for advice.

Sloane Jockin (Senior): 

Jockin is the cornerstone midfielder for the soccer team. This is her first year as captain and fourth straight year on varsity. She had already been given All-PIL honors in past years and plans to do it again this year. When asked about how this year’s team differs from last year’s, Jockin said, “We lost a lot of the seniors we had last year that led the team very well, but we still have lots of quality on the pitch with the new sophomores and juniors.” Jockin’s primary goal this season is to make an All-PIL team and get her revenge for missing out on an honorable mention spot last year. 

Boys Soccer

-Matthew Wiebke, Zach Sanchez, Duncan Spain

Derek Puppo (Senior): 

Puppo is the starting goalkeeper for the soccer team. He is the most experienced player on the varsity team, having been on varsity since freshman year. “I think this year we’ve had more time to develop. Last year it felt more separated amongst the grades. I think we have much more experience now,” as well as saying that he believes the team can accomplish great things this year. His main goal as captain is to win the PIL title, which, up to this point, has remained elusive for the Cleveland soccer program. 

Sacha Abraham (Senior): 

Abraham plays center midfield and is now in his second year on varsity. He played for the junior varsity team his sophomore season and credits that year in building his chemistry with the many juniors on this year’s team. “(It’s) fun to be on a team and see these players grow and try to be a leader for them,” Abraham said. He believes the main differences between this year and last year’s team are that they’ve had another year to build chemistry with each other. “Though the team is young, I am stoked to see how much hunger the team has to get wins,” Abraham said. His main goal for this season is to work hard and win a PIL title.

Oscar Johnson (Junior): 

Johnson is one of the main components of this year’s soccer team, where he plays center midfield. Being a captain means a lot to him, especially since he is the only junior captain on the team. Joining varsity as a sophomore, he has been a vital part of the team, even making First Team All PIL. Johnson’s individual goals for the season are “definitely getting first team again, and then to score a lot more goals than last season.” 

Football

-Ben Tierney

Sam Ribner (Senior): 

Ribner is the varsity quarterback for the football team. This is Ribner’s first year as the captain. He played his first two years at Central Catholic before transferring to Cleveland his junior year. A captain to Ribner means, “leading the team, I’m one of the better players so I have to show up for the team.” Ribner was out for the games against Aloha and Century. “I feel like I let the team down… I feel like we need me out there.” Ribner is looking to lead his team to many wins following his absence. 

Cael Balderson (Senior): 

Balderson plays varsity safety and wide receiver for the team. Balderson has a lot of fun playing for the Cleveland Warriors. Balderson’s goals this season are to “get some good plays and get some touchdowns.” Balderson had a breakout game against Century, which helped the Warriors have hope for the rest of the season. Balderson still has high hopes for the rest of the season, hoping the team will win two to three more games this season. Balderson is a great team player and is always looking to help the Warriors win.

Henry Austin (Junior): 

Austin plays varsity center and defensive tackle for the Cleveland football team. To Austin, being a captain means “leadership and rebuilding, not a great program, but is on the rise.” “An individual goal is getting everybody prepared for, I think next season will be like a much better season,” Austin says. Austin wants to bring everyone together as a team this season. Austin is a very big team player and believes, “If we have everybody healthy, and we’re all together, I think there is really no ceiling.”

Volleyball

-Emerson Odom, Leo Butzeby

Karina Lee (Senior): 

Lee is a defensive specialist and outside hitter for the Warriors, and is the “star of the team.” She has played varsity volleyball all four years of her high school career. Lee has embraced her role as a team leader this season. “It’s really fun being a captain and being able to make sure that all the underclassmen get to have the experience that I got to have on the volleyball team, but it’s also just sad knowing that this is my last year. The team chemistry is very good, we are all really good friends, and get along well on and off the court. A lot of players improved over the off-season. Our goal for the season is to make the state playoffs,” Lee said. Lee has a knack for making impressive dives and keeping the ball in play to prevent scores for the opponent. She’s going for an All-PIL team again this year after making it the past two years.

Sierra Lamberth (Senior): 

Lamberth is the right side hitter and has been playing on the varsity team since her sophomore year. Lamberth has been “spectacular” this season, getting kills on a regular basis, along with acrobatic digs and game-saving blocks. She is ambitious about taking her team to the “promised land.” “Our goal is to get to the playoffs,” she said. Lamberth has a lot of admiration for the underclassmen this year. “Vivienne Acelar is the only freshman on varsity, and she’s cracked.” She also has high hopes for herself in the future. “My personal goal is to commit to a college to play volleyball.”

Cross Country

-Elliot Weir, Hewet Ciz

Kai Jensen (Senior): 

After placing seventh in 6A junior year, expectations are even higher this year for Jensen. Last season, he ran a school record time in the 5,000-meter (14:50). This time is fast enough to compete in the highest levels of NCAA cross country, which Jensen intends to be a part of next year. His individual goal for the season is to place on the podium at the state meet once again, as well as getting his PR down to around 14:50. Team-wise, Jensen said, “I think the team is in a really good spot right now. I think we have a chance at state this year that we haven’t had in a couple of years.” Jensen hopes to qualify as a team and not just individually, but lots of pieces will need to come together for this to happen. He sees his role as captain as “being a role model for the underclass and to help the team out.”

Grant Breger (Senior): 

After overcoming constant injuries throughout junior year, senior Grant Breger is now in a position to help push the Cleveland team to state. In his opening meet of the season, he set the 3,000-meter school record at the Wilsonville Night Meet. On Sept. 20, Breger ran a 15:27 in the 5,000-meter. This timer bumped him up to second in school history, only behind fellow captain and teammate, Kai Jensen. About his role as a captain, Breger said, “Being a captain is a very important role on our team since we have such a large team and not too many coaches. Us captains have to be able to lead the underclassmen.” Breger understands the importance of this role and has already seen the impact on the younger runners on the team.

Lucy Moenning (Senior): 

Coming off a strong season last year, Moenning is entering her final season, now as a captain. Last year, Moenning ran a PR in the night meet for the junior girls’ 3000 meters with a time of 12:34.9, a time which she has since passed earlier this season, making her the second fastest on the girls’ team. This season, Moenning is on track for more PRs. When asked about her role as a captain,  Moenning said, “It feels great to be a resource to both new and returning runners.” Regarding Individual goals in the coming season, Moenning said, “I would like to qualify for state as an individual and to bring the team closer together as a captain.”

Maggie Gibson (Senior): 

After many seasons of running cross country, Gibson is now a team captain as a senior. After a successful season last year, Gibson is already improving in the current season with new PRs in both the 3000 with a time of 12:36 and in the 5000 with a time of 21:17. Gibson said, “I love being a team captain, I like just the small things like leading dynamics and leading the team.” In terms of team goals, Gibson wants to lead as many of the girls as possible on the team to the 6A state meet come November.