“The path that I’m taking right now is the most sure pathway to go play as a professional soccer player,” said Simon Diagana, a Berkeley High School senior who switched into Independent Study to play for the San Jose Earthquakes Major League Soccer Academy team.

Berkeley High School senior Matteo Small competes for the mile and the 800 meter events in track. He also runs cross country, and feels that the sports have the ability to give him a “mind reset”.

Oliver Shrieve, junior and Berkeley High School boys volleyball captain, started playing volleyball at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School when he was 11 years old.

On a sunny day at the North Coast Section finals at Hayward High School, despite injuries and illness, Berkeley High School’s cross country team defied expectations and made history, qualifying for state championships for the first time in 37 years.  At the crack of the starter pistol, BHS, dressed in red and gold,

Throughout the regular season, Berkeley High School’s sports teams fight to earn a spot in postseason tournaments such as North Coast Section or West Alameda County Conference league championships.   Girls volleyball made it into the NCS championships as the eighth seed out of 15.

A couple years ago, Samir O’Brien, a junior on the Berkeley High School varsity basketball team, went up for a layup and fell on his hand.   “I knew right away that my pinky was messed up,” O’Brien said.

Talia Antell-Proulx, a Communication Arts and Sciences senior on the girls tennis team, was taken by surprise when her senior night was rained out twice.

Brothers Jackson and Jalen Harris have been star players this season on the football field. While being brothers who play together isn’t always easy, they say that the whole team is very connected.

Camille Jacala is a junior at Berkeley High School, and captain of the girls varsity volleyball team. Jacala started playing volleyball at 13, inspired by her mother, who also played.

Camille Jacala is a junior at Berkeley High School, and captain of the girls varsity volleyball team. Jacala started playing volleyball at 13, inspired by her mother, who also played.

When Sienna Prak-Perry first began playing lacrosse in sixth grade, she was one of few players of Asian and Black descent on her team. At that age, she believed that she was an outsider in the Berkeley Bear Lacrosse community.

Luca McKerley Coronado is a senior in Berkeley International High School on the boys varsity baseball team. McKerley Coronado started playing baseball at four, inspired by his father and grandfather.

Phoebe Wells is a senior in Berkeley International High School and a captain of the Berkeley High School diving team. Wells is driven, dedicated to both athletics and academics, and is currently aiming to earn the International Baccalaureate  diploma.

Jackie Dai is a senior in Berkeley International High School and captain of the boys badminton team. He discovered his passion for the sport after taking a badminton class at Berkeley High School his freshman year and found he was “naturally kind of gifted [at badminton].” Dai improved on techniques such as grip,

Jude Rockafellow is a senior in Academic Choice and a member of the boys varsity basketball team at Berkeley High School. A power forward, Rockafellow’s experience with BHS basketball has been tumultuous.

Jasmine Moreira-Cortes, a junior in Berkeley International High School, joined the cheerleading team for the community, and has grown into a leader of a sisterhood.

Senior cross country runner Quinn Koch of Berkeley International High School hopes to help lead the Berkeley High School cross country team to a league championship.