The Paly boys have had an unprecedented season. They emerge as League Champions for the second year in a row, and qualified for the open division of CCS for the first time in many years.

Their league winning game against Harker was a nail-biter, and Paly won in overtime 11-10 with a goal from sophomore William Backstrand.

They advanced into open division, which has some of the best teams in the nation, including Sacred Heart School (sixth in the nation, according to MaxPreps), Bellarmine College Prep (ranked eleventh). Paly’s first match-up was against Saint Francis, who were 17-10 and won fourth in their own league, called West Catholic, which includes both Sacred Heart and Bellarmine. Paly put up a tough fight against this strong school but lost 10-4.

Senior Will Rowell was proud of their performance, especially in the first half.

“We stuck to our game in the first [half] and kept it close, then things slipped away from us and we came up short,” he said.

Despite this early knock-out from CCS, the Vikings’ qualification to the open division was an immense accomplishment and their season overall demonstrated their dominance and strength as a team.

Rowell says the team is happy with their performance overall.

“We’re all really proud of how the season went,” he said.

Next year, it remains to be seen whether coach Bob Greene can keep his 2 for 2 streak of winning League Championships. The 2023 team will likely have a strong array of juniors and seniors with previous varsity experience.