Legends of the Fall

IJ selects its athletes of the year for football, volleyball, and more

The 2022 fall season saw several Marin County teams make historic playoff runs, with San Marin winning the CIF State Division 4-A football crown and Archie Williams (Division III) and Branson (Division I) both capturing State titles in girls volleyball.

There were a number of outstanding team accomplishments during the season. The Redwood boys and girls water polo teams both were undefeated in the MCAL season and swam deep into the North Coast Section playoffs. Terra Linda made an unprecedented run in the Northern California D-III boys water polo playoffs after winning the North Coast Section D-II title.

Marin Catholic advanced all the way to the CIF Northern California Division 2-A championship game before falling to host San Ramon Valley on a cold, rainy night. Redwood field hockey defended its MCAL championship.

Along the way, we saw some outstanding individual efforts in cross country, where the Giants' Daegan Cutter won the NCS overall title to lead the Redwood boys to a second-place team finish, then went on to finish sixth at the State D-II meet. Branson's Adeline Johnson completed a stunning comeback from injury to win the MCAL and NCS D-V girls cross country titles, while Redwood's Audrey Maclean won the NCS D-II title.

Redwood's Branson's Elizabeth Liu again was one of the top individual placers at the NCS D-I girls golf tournament for the second year in a row, and Tam's Gabriella Plonowski dominated the singles ladder during the regular season and advanced to the NCS D-I quarterfinals.

These are some of the outstanding athletes the Marin Independent Journal honors as the Fall 2022 Players of the Year.

KARL MONDON — BAY AREA NEWS GROUP, FILE Marin Catholic's Charles Williams Jr. (3) stiffs-arm his way into the end zone for a touchdown against San Ramon Valley in the first quarter of the CIF State Division 2-A regional final on Dec. 3 in Danville.

DOUGLAS ZIMMERMAN — SPECIAL TO THE MARIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL, FILE Branson's Elizabeth Liu hits a tee shot during the MCAL girls golf tournament at Meadow Club in Fairfax on Oct. 17.