Honor roll: The week’s best performances by San Mateo County high school athletes

Luke Ostrander, Sequoia football. The presumptive starter at quarterback at the beginning of the season, Ostrander did not get his first start until two weeks ago. Friday was his third start of the season and he seems to be finding his groove as the Ravens wrecked Hillsdale, 34-14. Ostrander accounted for 336 yards. He completed 13 of 17 passes for 222 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing for 14 times for 114 yards.

Irene Hur, Mills girls’ golf. The freshman No. 1 golfer for the Lady Vikings helped them to their first-ever PAL Bay Division title as she had the low round of the day in wins over second-place Aragon and defending champion Carlmont. Hur shot a 1-under 34 in a 197-214 win over Aragon Tuesday and came back a day later with another 1-under 34 in a 208-218 win over Carlmont. Both rounds came at Poplar Creek Golf Course in San Mateo.

Katerina Tilis, Mills girls’ water polo. The Lady Vikings recorded a rare shutout last Tuesday in a 9-0 victory at San Mateo, with Tilis minding the cage like a rock star. The senior entered the day with a 4-4 record on the season, and recorded win No. 5 in style with career-high 27 saves.

Connor Burks, Menlo School boys’ water polo. The senior goalie had a big week in the cage as the Knights kept pace with Sacred Heart Prep atop the WCAL standings. Burks opened the week with 11 saves in a 13-10 WCAL win over Valley Christian. The Knights then transitioned into the the North/South Challenge, hosted by SHP and Los Altos. Menlo went 2-2 against some of the top teams from the state. In those four games, Burks finished with a combined 29 saves, including nine in a 16-10 win over Campolindo-Moraga.

Brody Farrugia, Capuchino football. The junior receiver fronted an emotional come-from-behind win for the Mustangs. Trailing 21-7 at home to Mountain View with any hope of a PAL De Anza Division championship hanging in the balance, Cap used two touchdown passes to stage a 35-28 comeback. Farrugia hauled in a 17-yard touchdown catch on an option pass from senior running back Carmel Villarreal, then added a 27-yard TD catch from sophomore quarterback Logan Arceo. Farrugia now has five touchdown catches on the season, and with a kickoff return for a score earlier in the year has six TDs overall.

Sofie Zlobinsky, Hillsdale girls’ water polo. The Lady Knights earned their most closely contested win of the year last Tuesday, holding off a late surge by Notre Dame-Belmont for a 16-15 victory. Zlobinsky was piling up the goals early, and each one of them ultimately mattered, as the freshman finished with 10 goals to match her career-high.

Parker Lee, Hillsdale boys’ water polo. The sophomore 2-meter man had a pair of big games as the Knights make a push for a CCS playoff spot. He had three goals and three assists in the Knights’ 13-12 win over Carlmont. But that was just a precursor to the Knights playing spoiler in the PAL Bay Division race. Taking on Sequoia, which is in the thick of the title chase, Lee accounted for eight points in another 13-12 decision, scoring four goals and assisting on four others.

Skye Ramil, Hillsdale flag football. Taking on South City in a battle for first place in the PAL Ocean Division, Ramil came up with a pair of huge catches that she turned into scores in a 13-6 win over the Warriors. In the first quarter, she snatched an Ania Aleshi pass away from a pair of defenders, and left both of them grasping air as she motored 16 yards for the score. In the third quarter, Ramil caught a tipped pass on an underneath screen, weaved through traffic and burst down the left sideline for a 49-yard score. She finished the game with four catches four 94 yards.

Daniela Ruiz, Summit Shasta volleyball. On Oct. 9, the Black Bears reached a historic milestone winning their 50th straight match in Private School Athletic League play dating back to 2019. Last Tuesday, Summit Shasta started its quest for a second 50, winning No. 51 in a row with a four-set victory over Nueva School. Ruiz led the way, as the senior outside hitter totaled 12 kills and six service aces.

Jayden Aparicio, Serra football. Because the team has a kicker in Saul Marks who can boom kickoffs into the end zone on a regular basis, the Padres’ special teams spend a majority of their practice time drilling kickoff returns as opposed to kickoff coverage. In Saturday’s 41-28 win over rival St. Francis, Serra showcased those extra miles when Aparicio turned in the most pivotal score of the day. The Lancers had just taken the lead on the opening possession of the second half, but the Padres answered as Aparicio took a kickoff return 91 yards to the end zone to claim the lead for good.