Hillsdale’s athletics efforts paying off

Fast forward to this season and almost no matter where you look, a Hillsdale squad is near the top of the standings. The Knights’ football team is off to a 4-1 start, coming off an emotional 20-13 win over Sacred Heart Prep last Friday. The girls’ volleyball team is dominating the Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division with an undefeated mark and a No. 4 ranking in the CIF Central Region poll. The girls’ golf team is undefeated and leading the Bay Division standings. The boys’ and girls’ cross country teams are sixth and fifth, respectively, in the 18-team PAL standings after the first league meet of the season last week.

And coming into this week, both the Knights’ boys’ and girls’ water polo teams are vying for the top spot in the Ocean Division standings.

“It’s hard to give shoutouts (about athletic success) because there are so many. It takes an hour to put together the shoutouts,” said Hillsdale athletic director James Madison about a newsletter he sends out to coaches that includes a list of the top performers.

While public school athletic success depends largely on the student-athletes from the neighborhood, Madison said there is a lot more that has gone into the Knights turning around the athletic program as a whole and it’s something that is about a decade in the works. Madison, who is entering his fourth season as the school’s AD, said the changes began during the Brett Stevenson Era, who was AD the six years prior to Madison assuming the role.

“I don’t think it is (a luck of the draw),” Madison said. “A majority of the coaches here are veteran coaches. We’ve been working on some specific things for a while now. … It’s something that Brett (Stevenson, former AD) started before me and I have picked up. … Right before the pandemic, we really put our heads down and started working on specific things (to find success) and they’re starting to see those things pay off.”

Madison said his goal, and that of his predecessor, was to bring in the right coaches, help them find their voice and what they wanted to accomplish and then take that vision to their teams. And it’s more than just winning and losing. Madison said it’s about building the right culture, making sure coaches and teams are given the same amount of help and guidance as any other sport.

“There are so many families and athletes who care about those other (so-called ‘lesser’) sports. It’s just as important those cross country kids are provided the same opportunities,” Madison said. “For a majority of high school programs, it’s about finding the right coaching staff; really being intentional about incorporating what they do well, (find out) what they want from a program. If they do a good job of building a program … every two or three years, you’re going to have some good teams.”

Although Hillsdale is a public school, there are some private school-esque athletic situations. Because the San Mateo Union High School District has open enrollment, students are allowed to choose which high school they attend.

For athletes in Foster City and San Mateo a generation ago, Aragon was the destination of choice because of the Dons’ athletic success.

But those athletes in the Hillsdale district now see the Knights’ program as a viable option for continuing their athletic endeavors at a high level.

“The success and having publicity and having the community see our programs be highlighted are what bring in high-level athletes,” Madison said. “From the outside looking in, from the athletics website to what the campus looks like; what you’re writing in the newspaper, it communicates something to those parents and athletes. [The perception of the athletics department] is important.”

Now that the Knights are seeing success in nearly all corners of athletics, it is simply building on itself. Madison said he has noticed more involvement and recognition from the student body at large and it is resulting in more interest in athletics.

“It definitely feels different. You can feel the culture (change),” Madison said. “Usually, we’re around 51% of the student body involved in athletics and I’ve seen a growth in that area. … I’ve had kids come to me and ask me where they can fit (athletically).

“There is definitely an excitement from the student body.”

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Bay Area Sports Online Network (BAOSN) will be broadcasting a pair of local football games this weekend that can be streamed at BAOSN.tv or on the KOFY-TV20 television network.

Friday night sees the Aragon at King’s Academy game in Sunnyvale being broadcasted beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday, the Modesto at College of San Mateo football will be aired at 1 p.m.

With a new production studio in Belmont, BAOSN is really starting to make inroads as a local provider of local sports. In addition to producing high school community college games from around the Bay Area, BAOSN also produces Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo football games, as well as events for the Oakland Roots soccer club.

Fans can also catch the big West Catholic Athletic League and Nor Cal Bellarmine-Serra showdown in San Mateo Saturday, with the game being streamed by NFHSnetwork.com

The stream begins at 2 p.m., with kickoff at 2:30 p.m. You do need to sign-up for an account to watch it, however.

Nathan Mollat can be reached by email: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: 344-5200 ext. 117. To report scores or have tips, email sports@smdailyjournal.com.