Girls Basketball
By: Kourtney Lee
The Torrance High School girls basketball team is entering the new season with focus and determination, using the preseason to sharpen their skills through tournaments and non-league games. Sophomore Megan Wada explained that “our team goals for the preseason are to practice and prepare for the actual season,” also including that playing unfamiliar schools “allows us to adjust and see how we need to improve.”
The team has also been dealing with injuries, which have impacted their play. Wada shared that “a couple of our players are injured, which hurts our team and impacts the way we play.” She added that one of their coaches acts like an athletic trainer, “helping our players stretch and get well.” Staying healthy has become essential. “We have had a lot of injuries, so before practice we make sure we stretch really well to prevent any cramps or pulled muscles,” Wada said.
Team chemistry has remained strong despite setbacks. “We have team bonding events which allow us all to get closer,” she said, noting that team drills during practice help the players “connect more on the court.” With many shorter players on the roster, defense has been a major emphasis. “We rely a lot on our defense when we play taller teams, so we practice it by running plays and doing drills,” Wada explained.
Conditioning has also been a priority as the team prepares for the fast pace of games. Wada said, “We do a lot of running up and down the court during games, so our coaches have to make sure the team is in shape and ready for the season.”
Overall, the Tartars are working hard to build a strong foundation for the year. With improved defense, better conditioning, and growing team chemistry, Wada believes the team is preparing to compete confidently once the season officially begins.
Boys Basketball
By: Sofia Caballero
The Torrance High School Basketball season has already started and the boys varsity team is ready to face another season head-on. Last season, the team’s overall record was 20-9, placing them fourth in the Pioneer League. Even though it was a strong season, the team strives for more. Returning players to keep an eye on are point guard Shane Stanfield, slasher Elias Emerson, shooting guard Chance Lacey, small forward Cain Hawkins, and forward Cash Correa.
Team captain Shane Stanfield said, “We want to win league and make it deep in CIF.” Stanfield is a Junior, and last season he led the team in scoring, totaling 418 points and averaging 14 points per game. In order to achieve the goal of making it into CIF there are changes to be made. Head coach Andru Vaughan said, “Our inability to rebound the ball has been difficult, as well as maintain possession of the ball. So, you know, we’re doing a lot of things in practice that hopefully we’ll eliminate turnovers and make us a better rebounding team.”
A crucial part in having a good season is putting in hard work during the offseason. Senior Chance Lacey said, “I feel like with a lot of changes made, the offseason really improved our team chemistry. And I feel like the offseason really helped us get better at shooting, which is something we struggled with last year.” Senior Cain Hawkins added, “Offseason got me better and boosted my confidence up.” Hawkins has been a top scorer in the past two tournament games against Mira Costa and Lakewood High.
Some anticipated games to look out for this season are matchups against our rivals South, West, and North High. Last season, the boys were able to defeat the Spartans 49-46 but unfortunately fell short against their other rivals. For Lacey, eating healthy, getting good sleep, watching film, and locking in mentally are all essentials when facing tough opponents. Lacey was selected to the All-Pioneer League second team last season and strives to be the MVP this season.
With a shared goal of making it to CIF, a clear vision of what needs improvement, and strong team chemistry, the Tartars enter the new season ready for what’s to come and more motivated than ever. As league approaches, Emerson says the team plans to “just play together, stay together, and just really be around each other when the things are hard.” Coach Vaugn added that their offseason preparation will ensure the Tartars will be “pretty tough to beat.”
Boys Soccer
By: Sofia Caballero
Winter is approaching and soccer season is on the way. It’s easy to say the Torrance High boys varsity team has high hopes for the new season. Last season, the Division 4 team reached the CIF semifinals, but unfortunately fell short 3-1 against their opponents at Warren. They finished with a 14-9 record and placed 2nd in the Pioneer League. This year the team shares one goal: to conquer league and win CIF. Some key players returning on the pitch are midfielder Giancarlo Murillo, left back Nathan Han, and midfielder Alex Kozhukharov, and midfielder Jorge Navarro.
Although the season was a great one, giving players the opportunity to test their limits and achieve their goals, the Tartars strive to “finish it off with a bang,” striker Nori Woshimori says. And in order to have success, head Coach Burnett says it’s key for the team to “make sure everyone’s on the same page, we did that last year and it turned out well when we made it to the semi-finals. Hopefully we can take the next step this year.” Coach Burnett, also a teacher at Torrance High, is entering his 26th year coaching the boys soccer team.
Junior Matthew Vazquez states, “Finishing has been our biggest struggle, and we plan to use our opportunities to our best possibility.” The team scored 37 goals for the season, averaging 1.5 goals per match.
One key moment that’s keeping the team motivated for this new season was the loss against Warren in the CIF semifinals. “ Last year, we made it to the semifinals, so to get that close and not get to the final game was disappointing,” Coach Burnett said. “Hopefully, this year, we get to the same level and take it to the next step.” To ensure the boys make it to the next step, working hard in the offseason is especially important. Han shared, “During the off-season, we’ve really focused on bonding and bringing the team together, so it’s allowed us to have that team chemistry on and off the field.” Han, now a senior and a top performer last year, hopes to “score a couple goals” this season.
So far, the team has been successful in preseason and tournaments, working together as they accomplish their goal of winning league and CIF. Let’s wish this boys varsity soccer team luck this season and, as junior Matthew Vazquez said, hope they “take it all the way.”
Girls Soccer
By: Natalia Gasca
Torrance High girls soccer are in the midst of preseason as many people await to see what great things this talented team will accomplish this 2025-26 season.
Last year, the Torrance girls soccer team competed in the Bay League for the first time after previously competing in the Pioneer League. Switching leagues meant tougher competition for the girls, but despite this, they still fought hard and definitely made their presence known within the league.
The Tartars finished the season with a 9-8 record and secured a spot in the Division 1 CIF playoffs. 
Kylie Calaycay, a junior on the team playing her second year on Varsity, shared how her team’s biggest strengths are how they all have “different skill sets” and “we play a lot of different spots”.
This season, Calaycay looks forward to “getting to know the new members of the team” and “seeing how much we progress as a team.”
For Addison Wall, a sophomore who is also playing her second year on Varsity, she seeks “having fun playing with the seniors for their last year and overall just trying to perform better than last year.”
Calaycay mentions that a personal goal she has for herself is getting to know the players better individually, to “be more connected on the field.” Wall’s personal goal is “to build more confidence and learn from my teammates because we have a lot of really good talent and skill from the upperclassmen”. Notable players like Jennah Black, Kaya Herndon, and Veronica Jimenez are now in their senior year as they approach this season.
The team’s goal for this upcoming season is to “have a better season than last year,” explained Wall. By doing so, it may include “beating Redondo and PV [at] home and away and possibly becoming Bay League champs.”
The THS girls soccer team has its first regular season game on December 17th against Redondo.
Wishing the THS girls soccer team good luck in their upcoming season!
Girls Wrestling
By: Kayla Kasterko
As the fall season comes to an end and the frigid winter season approaches, Torrance High’s winter sports teams are starting to bundle up and prepare for their upcoming season. One of these sports is the Torrance High girls wrestling. These athletes are always moving and trying to stay warm during their practices and meets, warming up in any way they can.
In a quote from sophomore Izzy Gomez, who is in her first year of wrestling, she thinks, “Warmup is good for getting our bodies ready, so we aren’t stiff before games.” Warming up your body is a crucial step to prevent muscle sprains and stiffness. It can also be a way to help challenge yourself and make room for success in CIF.
Looking back at last year’s season, the girls’ wrestling team performed well in their meets and advanced all the way to CIF. This was a huge accomplishment for them. Each athlete has different expectations for the upcoming season. Sophomore Lily Gracia shared one of hers, saying, “This year I expect my competition to be harder, since I’m going to be wrestling in more difficult tournaments.” Lily scored 8-13 last season, moving her into CIF. With more experience comes harder challenges, and since the girls won CIF last year, they’ll have some newer competition to handle the following season. Speaking of newer competition, Izzy has expectations of how her first wrestling season may go. “I expect to get better since it’s my first year and the first year teammates are getting better as well.”
Overall, the team has all season to practice hard during warmups and play harder during games to achieve their goal of getting into CIF at the end of the season. The players will warm up together to achieve this goal as a team while also focusing on their personal goals.
Boys Wrestling
By: Natalia Gasca
The Torrance High Boys wrestling team is finally back on the mat and is ready to compete in the 2025-26 season, which has started. Recently, on December 12th, the THS boys wrestling team won their dual against Redondo.
Last season, the Torrance High boys wrestling team made an appearance at CIF. Issac Hokama, junior wrestler, competed last year in CIF as well. With his experience in competing in CIF, Hokama seeks to “put that experience forward and make it further than I did last year in CIF and potentially get a shot at Masters or State.”
The team has added many new faces and currently has more members compared to previous years. Hokama shares how the number of new people has benefited the team. He explains, “We have seen more people this year than any other I’ve seen. I hope we take the advantage we have and use it to bring us back from previous losses.” To add to the list of strengths, junior wrestler Joseph Esparza mentions “how quickly [the team is] learning” as a part of the various strengths this team brings.
The Torrance boys have various personal goals amongst themselves. Hokama’s goal for himself this season is “making Masters and to keep improving.” Similarly, Esparza desires “to make it past league finals and move on to CIF this year.” Despite striving to be successful and securing a spot in CIF and the playoffs, as a team, their goal is “making sure the wrestling program becomes healthy again.”
As their season is now in full swing, the boys are excited to be wrestling yet again. “Watching my friends hopefully win,” noted Esparza when speaking on what he is looking forward to the most this season.
We hope the THS boys/ wrestling have a great season filled with success and joy!
Girls Water Polo
By: Kayla Kasterko
With the Torrance High girls water polo season approaching, it’s good to get an insight into how the players plan to play this season. Considering how the boys season went, it can set expectations for how the girls season may go. Sophomore Chloe Coe thinks, “We may start off the season a bit rocky because we lost many of our best players who graduated, but at the same time, we gained many new players, so hopefully we improve as the season progresses and win more games toward the end of the season.” The new players joining open up new chances for a successful season.
Since most of the girls on the team were seniors last year, they have graduated and the rest of the players have moved up to take their spots. Now the current seniors, class of ‘26, have one final chance to shine and leave their mark before graduation. Senior Maddison Luna said, “I think some players, including myself, are definitely a bit nervous, but in the end I think we’ll come together as a great team.” With this year being Madison’s last at Torrance High School, she will play her best, as will the other seniors. 
New players also have input on the upcoming season. Freshman Emma Bone predicts, “We all seem to work well together and get along to where we can collaborate and use team effort to move forward through the season.” With new teammates come new opportunities to advance skills within the team. Since everyone has grown close with each other, the team is eager to see how this season goes.
It’s not just the players being excited for this upcoming season, but the coaches as well. Head coach Lara Williams has predicted, “There is a lot of great talent that needs to be developed, and with the right dedication, we will advance into a great team!” Coach Williams thinks that with the right improvements, the team will thrive and give it their all for this season. As the season begins, all players will strive to achieve their goals with the support of their coaches and teammates.
