Encina High School earns CIF recognition for zero athletic ejections or misconduct

Encina High School has been recognized by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Sac-Joaquin Section for completing the 2024-25 school year without a single athletic ejection or incident of misconduct – a rare distinction achieved by only 19 schools out of 185 in the region.

Vice Principal Yassar Salman, who oversees athletics, said the recognition highlights the combined effort of coaches, administrators and student-athletes across all sports.

“It’s a great honor to be recognized. I think it shows that our athletes and our coaches are doing the right things,” Salman said. “When you’re competitive and things don’t always go your way, our athletes know that that’s an opportunity to prove themselves and show their work.”

Salman shared that coaches and athletes are often complimented by opposing schools for their sportsmanship, whether it’s respecting referees, helping others or simply cleaning up after themselves at away games.

“It goes top down,” he said. “As coaches, administrators and athletic directors, we talk about what we expect from our students and preach it as much as we can. It’s great to see the kids follow through with our vision for our athletic program.”

Salman said that Encina’s coaching staff works to instill the idea that athletics is more than wins and losses. Omar Marroquin, one of Encina’s coaches, emphasized that it is about teamwork, accountability and learning lessons that carry over into life.

“There was one time where the other team was getting frustrated, even though we were losing, and it felt like they were pushing us to the limit,” he said. “I thought my players were going to lose it, but they didn’t. They kept it cool and took care of business.”

For students, the recognition reflects the work happening across all programs at Encina to build a positive team culture.

Dowayne, a 10th-grade student who plays volleyball and cross country, said the recognition pushes back against negative stereotypes.

“Encina gets a bad reputation from other schools, so to get recognized for something like this shows that we’re more put together than people may think,” he said.

Tenth-grader Nyla, also a volleyball player, said her teammates always focus on lifting each other up, even when facing challenges from opponents.

“It feels great to be part of a team that gets along so well. We know how to pick each other up and keep the mood positive. For us to get recognized like this, it’s a great thing,” she said.

Yasmin, a 12th-grade student who plays both soccer and volleyball, added that respect is huge across all sports at Encina.

“Even in tough games, we keep our heads up and continue playing. That’s just how we do things here,” she said. 

For Salman, the achievement underscores the values Encina athletics aims to reinforce every day.

“It’s not always about wins and losses. It’s about how you play the game,” he said. “When you do things the right way, across all sports, good things happen. This recognition just confirms what we already see in our athletes every day.”