Preps of the week: Redwood volleyball breaks through, clinches top seed

The fall postseason began Monday, meaning a slew of regular-season and postseason champions will be crowned in the coming weeks.

One title was decided this past Friday as the Redwood High girls volleyball team emerged victorious after a four-set battle against Branson. The win marked the first time since 2015 that Redwood clinched the No. 1 seed in the MCAL. The semifinals are set for Wednesday night with Redwood hosting Tam while Marin Catholic hosts Branson.

Elsewhere, the football teams from Marin Catholic, Redwood and Tam kept on rolling. The Redwood girls water polo team kept its league title hopes alive with a big win against MC.

Kate Giang, Redwood girls volleyball

The MCAL regular-season title came down to the final game this season with the Giants needing a win over long-time rival Branson to secure the title. Redwood needed and got big games from all of its usual suspects with Giang, who sits third on the team in kills this season, stepping up in a big way. “Kate’s performance was really important,” Redwood middle blocker Katelyn McKnew said. “Not only that but I feel like she really takes the time between plays to uplift her teammates. She’s really open to coaching — she’s one of the most coachable players out there. She can take information and immediately perform. She had a fantastic game.”

Jake Son, Tam football

Tam coach Matthew LemMon has compared Son to 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel on more than one occasion this season. On Saturday, Son added another layer to his reputation as a do-it-all player, going under center for a game in which Tam was missing its top two quarterbacks. Son threw for more than 150 yards with a pair of touchdowns and ran for 28 yards and two more scores to help Tam defeat Novato, 41-16. “We needed him to play quarterback and he did a hell of a job on like a half day of preparation,” LemMon said.

Stella Cico, Redwood girls water polo

Cico, an All-MCAL first team selection as a goalie last season, piled up 14 saves as Redwood secured a crucial overtime victory against Marin Catholic on Wednesday. The win kept the Giants unbeaten in league ahead of another showdown against Archie Williams this coming Wednesday.

Brady Weingart, Redwood football

Despite being held in check for a quarter by San Rafael, Weingart got it rolling in the final three quarters, accounting for five total touchdowns in a 44-6 win. The quarterback, who entered the game completing around 70% of his passes, was even better against the Bulldogs. Weingart completed 21 of his 25 passes for 247 yards, finding four different receivers for touchdowns. Weingart also ran for the opening score in the second quarter.

Charles Williams, Marin Catholic football

Williams has become a two-way player for MC this year following a breakout sophomore campaign as a running back last season. Williams opened the game against Archie Williams with his first interception of the season, returning it for a touchdown inside the first 2 minutes for a 7-0 lead. Williams then took over the game in his more customary fashion, running for three more scores as the Wildcats rolled to a 56-0 win.