Junior Adam Houssami will mark his third year on varsity by moving into the point guard spot – and coach Mark Shuaghnessy is impressed with both Houssami’s adjustment to the position and his overall improvement.
Most of the action moves indoors for the winter sports season – though soccer players, parents and fans will be found shivering in the stands at times – and as usual, Miramonte’s teams are ready for Diablo Athletic League rivalries and postseason play.
Practice starts Nov. 4, with the season running until March in most cases, which means winter athletes find themselves practicing and playing while their classmates are on holiday. Yes, Thanksgiving week, Christmas break and the long weekends in early 2026 might be time off for some, but not for those wearing Miramonte uniforms.
So as you read these brief previews, don’t forget the commitment it takes to play high school sports, regardless of the season. Sure, winning is the goal, but sticking to it through the short days and long winter is a win in and of itself – especially if you’re playing or a watching a soccer game on a 45-degree night.
Boys’ Basketball
Mike Shaughnessy’s second year in charge should, if all goes according to plan, be a step up from the 12-14 mark his inaugural team posted last year.
“This year, there’s a better sense of what we’re doing,” he said. “The expectations are much more clear.”
And one of those expectations is that the Mats will score more. “We’ve made a huge leap at the offensive end,” he said, pointing in part to the addition of 6-2 junior transfer Davi Freitas. “He’s going to be terrific for us.”
Shaughnessy, though, is also looking for improvements from his returners. “We’re more skilled and we’ll make better decisions,” he said.
A lot of that decision-making will come from Adam Houssani, a 6-1 junior point guard who’s in his third year on varsity. “He’s our vocal leader,” said Shaughnessy, “and he’s improved a ton.
Shaughnessy is also expecting big things from senior Santiago Bossutt-Ugarte and juniors Elias Logan and Rhys Sande, but he conceded “We’re not very big.”
That lack of size will make a difference in the very competitive DAL, but Shaughnessy said “We’ll make up for it. We’re tougher and grittier than last year.”
Girls’ Basketball
Ace Wright may be in her first year as head coach, but she’s a familiar face. She’s been the junior varsity coach and a varsity assistant, so she knows the territory.
At the same time, she plans to redraw the map.
“I want to start fresh,” she said, “with a new style of play. I want us to run and be a fast-paced team.”
Wright will also implement an aggressive man-to-man scheme on the other end, featuring ball pressure and a style that will also pick up the pace.
To implement the new system, Wright will rely on junior Annelise Lindberg, who “can play multiple positions because of her length and speed.”
Wright expects senior Maegan Eichenberger to run the show from the point. “She’s a true point guard,” said Wright. “She’s a great ballhandler and gets everyone in the right spot.”
Sophomores Ally Rogin and Lorelei Keenan return as well, and Wright is also excited to add another sophomore to that duo, Acalanes transfer Ava Noga. She’s an excellent outside shooter who will add perimeter offense.
As always, the DAL is a challenging league, but Acalanes has taken a step back after losing all but one of its stars to graduation, so Wright is confident that the Matadors will be in the mix.
“We’re going to be competitive,” she said.
Girls’ Soccer
Taylor Abbott is in his fourth year as the coach of the Miramonte girls’ soccer team, and six girls on this year’s roster will have been with him since day one. And he feels that continuity is going to pay off big time in the coming season.
Even better, four of those seniors are the last line of defense in his 4-3-3 formation.
“They are the backbone of the team,” said Abbott, with center backs (and captains) Camilla White and Taylor Stephens playing the lead roles. “We will be anchored by our defense.”
Of course, you have to score to win, even in soccer, and Abbott is looking to sophomore Jordan Mathews to build on an outstanding freshman season in which she was second on the team in scoring. Her size, strength and quickness make her a force in the box, and she will get scoring assistance from senior wing Inara Inesi.
Las Lomas and Acalanes look to be the top two teams in the DAL’s Foothill Division, but Abbott is confident his senior class will have the Mats in the mix, both during the regular season and the North Coast Section playoffs.
Boys’ Soccer
Boys’ soccer coach Masood Ahmadi did not respond to several requests to discuss his team.
Boys’ Wrestling
Louis Suba has spent the last five years coaching Miramonte, after spending six years coaching at Campolindo. And this year, in an unprecedented move, he will actually coach both teams.
Yes, archrivals Campo and Miramonte will share practice mats at Miramonte all season, as the Cougars couldn’t find a coach and Suba was convinced to step in. Still, his primary focus will be on Miramonte, and he’s looking for improvement on last year’s second-place finish in the DAL tournament.
“We have everyone back,” he said, including junior Jaxson Ziehn, who finished second in the DAL last year and will likely wrestle at 132 pounds this year. Seniors Brady Suba (144 pounds in 25-26) and Elliot Orr (175) were third-place finishers and junior Finan Hura (138) wound up in fourth.
Suba is also expecting a quality season from senior Owen Beidelman, who probably will weigh in at 165 this year.
The Valley Division of the DAL will be competitive this year, but Suba feels his returners and their talent will pay off for Miramonte. “We’ll contend for the league title this year,” he said – and they’ll certainly have a good scouting report on Campolindo.
Girls’ Wrestling
Everyone returns on the girls’ side as well, and they will be led by seniors Olivia Park and Claire Casado and junior Cayleigh Farrar. Because of the limited number of female wrestlers, competition usually doesn’t kick in until the NCS tournament, but Suba is hopeful there will be enough participation at Miramonte and throughout the league that there will be more official dual meets and more depth of competition at the league meet.
