The Falcon faithful experienced one of the most successful fall sporting seasons in recent years. Girls Varsity volleyball (21-8) dominated the competition and competed in the CIF division two state champion tournament. Boys Varsity water polo (20-5) claimed another MCAL title. AWHS Varsity football (7-4) had their winningest season in the last 20 years, and boys cross country placed second in the state of California. 

AWHS athletics will look to continue its winning culture with the winter sports season now underway. One of the school’s main sporting attractions, basketball, regularly receives a high level of spectator attendance and student engagement year in and year out. This year, the talented and experienced AWHS boys Varsity basketball team looks to win its first MCAL title since 2015. 

With two league games behind them and the student body rallying around the squad, boys Varsity basketball remains undefeated. 

“It’s great to have our team receive a lot of support amongst the community. Having a packed student section means a lot to us,” said 6’7” senior small forward Will Heimbordt. “With that being said, it’s important that we don’t get caught up in the hype, we need to stay focused on the goals that we have set for ourselves.”

 Will has emerged as the face of this year’s basketball team with his high-flying dunks and astonishing athleticism. In the Falcons’ first league game, Will tallied 21 points and 10 rebounds, leading the Falcons to a 56-32 victory over San Rafael High School. He is averaging 23 points per game and 15 rebounds per game in league play thus far. 

“[Will] is a very talented and skilled competitor. Back when Will was a sophomore, he primarily played with his back to the basket. However, he’s worked really hard and developed a nice perimeter game, as a result of that he is a multi-threat player. He has the full package,” said head coach Bret Tovani.

Tovani has nearly 50 years of coaching experience in the Bay Area. He formerly coached at San Rafael High School, Dominican University, and The Branson School before taking the head coach job at AWHS back in 2017. He is pleased to be able to coach a group of such a high caliber. 

“These guys have been playing together for a long time and have great chemistry. The experience on this team is crucial for us and will allow us to compete for this year’s title. Our expectation is to win an MCAL championship,” Tovani said.

AWHS basketball has no shortage of talent this season. In addition to Will, the team has another strong big man, 6’8” senior Charles Preston. Charles is committed to play Division III basketball at Occidental College beginning in Fall 2022. Charles averaged 10.5 points throughout the past two MCAL games this season and has high hopes for himself and his teammates this season. 

“The standard we have set for ourselves is nothing short of excellence, I believe this is one of the more talented teams our program has ever seen. We plan to go out every night to out-work and out-play our opponents,” Charles said. 

With eleven of the fifteen players on the 2021-2022 roster being seniors, the veteran players have their hearts set on an MCAL title entering their final year of high school basketball. The team has embraced the “now or never” mentality and are the early-season favorites in the MCAL. The Falcons hope to continue their hot 5-0 start in the Red Brown tournament on Friday, Dec. 10 against Terra Linda High School.