Something special is being accomplished. Spend a few minutes around Anzar High and the Hawks boys basketball team and you’ll understand.
Long the doormat in the Mission Trail Athletic League, the Hawks take the court today against Carmel in their regular-season finale knowing that they have already made school history.
For the first time, Anzar’s boys basketball team has qualified for the Central Coast Section playoffs and awaits its seed in the Division V playoffs when the brackets are released Sunday.
“It’s pretty exciting,” said Hawks junior guard Nick Romero. “It’s a big accomplishment for us. First time in school history. Hopefully, we can succeed in that.”
After finishing in the Mission Trail cellar for seven consecutive seasons, Anzar showed early that this season would be different. A six-game winning streak gave the Hawks a 7-1 record out of the gate and the confidence to overcome a midseason slump.
Anzar pieced together three consecutive wins toward the tail end of league play, leading head coach Ed Cecena to believe that the Hawks’ strong season may well continue deep into the postseason.
“I think our chances are just as good as anyone else’s,” said Cecena, who thought his team might be in line for a No. 4 seed. “It’s pretty much wide open.”
No matter where they are placed in the field, the Hawks (12-8, 6-7 Mission Trail) have already proven all of their doubters wrong, a fact that at least one of their players delights in.
“It’s awesome,” said Anzar junior forward Scott Benson. “Everyone completely underestimated us.”
And with just two seniors on their roster, the Hawks even look primed to make their CCS appearance a new trend for the program.
After years in the cellar, the rise to the penthouse has to be that much sweeter.
