We’re awarding Leighton Mand of the girls’ cross country team and Xavier Henderson of football our Athletes of the Month for November. Honorable mentions go to Emma Chan and Samantha Huynh of girls’ tennis, along with Jimmy Lagios of the football team.
Leighton Mand
Leighton Mand earns Athlete of the Month for November after leading the girls cross country team
It’s been a clean sweep for Leighton Mand, earning all three of the Post’s Athlete of the Month awards for the fall season. In November she led the way for Piedmont in the three most important races of the season. She was sixth of 41 runners at the WACC Championship on November 8, placed 17th of 111 runners at the North Coast Section Championship on November 22, and competed in the prestigious CIF State Championship on November 29.
Xavier Henderson
Xavier Henderson earns Athlete of the Month for November for leading the football team to its first NCS Championship appearance since 1976
Xavier Henderson was the heart and soul of the Piedmont High football team, helping them reach the NCS Championship game for the first time since 1976. He was also our Athlete of the Month for September. Henderson was a big part of Piedmont’s NCS run, scoring two touchdowns in the 49-7 quarterfinals win over St. Patrick on November 14. He had three touchdowns in thr 28-10 semifinals win over Willits on November 21, and scored one touchdown in the recent 37-23 loss to Middletown in the NCS Championship on November 28.
Honorable Mentions
Samantha Huynh and Emma Chan both earn honorable mentions for Athlete of the Month for making school history as Piedmont High’s top tennis doubles duo. At the WACC Individual Tournament on November 8, Huynh and Chan won the school’s first doubles title in the league’s 14-year history. The pair defeated Alameda’s No. 2 seed Natalie Wong and Sophie Featherstone in the finals, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. To get there, they defeated Naomi Lin and Caroline Sue of Alameda 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals, won 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 over No. 4 seed Fiona Wood and Sloane Kau of Bishop O’Dowd in the quarterfinals, and opened the tournament with a heated 4-6, 6-2, 14-12 win over Berkeley’s Esra Abarbanel and Vera Ertel.
Sophomore Jimmy Lagios earns an honorable mention for being a key figure in Piedmont’s NCS Championship chase as the team’s starting quarterback. He tossed four touchdowns in Piedmont’s 42-28 win over Newark Memorial on November 7, threw three touchdowns on St. Patrick on November 14, and threw one more in the NCS Championship loss to Middletown on November 28.
