STATE CHAMPIONS: Mustang Boys Basketball Wins First Title in School History

San Marin High School · Novato, CA

San Marin Sun

CIF STATE CHAMPIONS

Boys Basketball · Division V · Golden 1 Center, Sacramento

89–64

San Marin Mustangs over Sylmar Spartans

Friday, March 13, 2026 · 12:00 PM · Golden 1 Center, Sacramento

First state championship in program history · Final record: 22–13

Mustang community. Our boys did it. CIF State Champions.

Yesterday at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, our boys basketball team beat Sylmar 89-64 to win the Division V state championship. It is the first state basketball title in San Marin history.

This group of young men was told their season was effectively over when they missed the MCAL playoffs on a tiebreaker six weeks ago. They responded by winning six straight elimination games, including a rematch victory over the team that beat them in the NCS semifinals. They finished their run on the floor of an NBA arena with their families, classmates, and community cheering them on.

We could not be more proud of these players, Coach Lavdiotis, and the entire coaching staff. This is what happens when kids believe in each other and refuse to quit.

Go Mustangs.

After missing the MCAL playoffs on a three-way tiebreaker, the Mustangs entered the NCS tournament as the #1 seed in Division IV and never looked back.

NCS Division IV Playoffs

CIF NorCal Division V Regional

CIF State Championship · Golden 1 Center

San Marin stampeded to a 31-17 first quarter lead, but Sylmar answered with a 20-8 run to close the first half, cutting the Mustang lead to 39-37 at the break. The Spartans opened the third quarter on a 6-0 run and built their largest lead. Then San Marin flipped the switch. Miller Morgan's layup sparked an 18-3 Mustang run to close the third quarter. Jackson Young followed with a layup to put San Marin ahead 51-50. Kellen Dunning drove the lane, and Grant Means added a pair of layups as San Marin stretched the lead to 11 by the end of the period. The Mustangs then scored the first 12 points of the fourth quarter to blow the game open, outscoring Sylmar 50-27 in the second half. San Marin shot 55.6% from the floor (62.5% in the fourth quarter), forced 24 turnovers, and scored 21 fast-break points. Ryan Houlahan contributed with key steals and transition baskets throughout the second half. Sylmar's Rob Winn scored a game-high 27 points and Aiden Garcia added 14, but neither could keep pace with the Mustang depth.

Grant Means was awarded the CIF Pursuing Victory with Honor Award.

Six weeks ago, this team's season looked like it might end quietly. A three-way tiebreaker eliminated the Mustangs from the league playoffs. Most teams fold after that kind of disappointment. This one went a different direction.

The Mustangs entered the NCS Division IV bracket as the #1 seed and won their first two games by double digits. Then came the gut punch: a 49-45 semifinal loss to Mission San Jose after scoring only four points in the first quarter. Their path to an NCS title was gone.

But a third-place game against Alhambra offered one more lifeline: win and earn a berth in the CIF NorCal Regional. San Marin won 86-68 and never stopped. They blew out Trinity and Woodland Christian at home, then went on the road to beat Rancho Cotate in the NorCal semifinal at Santa Rosa. In the NorCal championship, they traveled to Fremont to face the same Mission San Jose team that had beaten them two weeks earlier. The Mustangs trailed by 10 in the third quarter. They closed the game on a 28-6 run and won 56-46.

Three days later, they walked onto the floor at Golden 1 Center and won it all.

Coach Lavdiotis began his coaching career in 1992 as a scout at Piedmont High School. He coached freshmen, then JV, before becoming Piedmont's varsity head coach in 2001. Over 24 years with the Highlanders, he set a program record with 23 wins in a single season and built one of the most respected programs in the East Bay. 

After his time at Piedmont ended, Lavdiotis found his way to San Marin for the 2024-25 season. He inherited a program built by the late Craig Pitti, who coached the Mustangs for 11 years, won the 2011 NCS Division III championship. Assistant coach Jeff O'Brien, who has been with the program for 22 years and coached alongside Pitti, remains on staff.

In his second season leading the Mustangs, Lavdiotis won a NorCal championship and a state title. 

“For the last six weeks, since we got snubbed out of the MCAL playoffs for a tiebreaker game, this team has taken every day as a gift.”

The core of this team has been playing together since sixth grade, on a youth team coached by Anthony Elwell's father. That group grew up in Novato gyms, stayed together through middle school, and walked into San Marin as freshmen with a shared dream. Eight seniors finished their careers on Friday at the Golden 1 Center. Jackson Young, who stepped away from basketball for over a year before returning this season, plans to play football at American River College. Grant Means will also continue in football at the JC level. Miller Morgan, Jake Beisler, Kellen Dunning, Anthony Elwell, Jason Gillen, and Ryan Houlahan round out a senior class that turned heartbreak into history.

San Marin boys basketball was shaped by Coach Craig Pitti, who led the program for 11 seasons, won three MCAL titles, and captured the 2011 NCS Division III championship. He was also a beloved social studies teacher and co-athletic director at San Marin. A Novato native who lived minutes from campus, Craig passed away in October 2017.

His legacy lives on in the culture of this program, in the coaching staff who continue to carry his values, and in a community that still honors him. Friday's state championship belongs to everyone who has been part of Mustang basketball. Coach Pitti built the foundation. This team finished the job.

The Mustangs' championship run was covered by media across the Bay Area and Southern California. The state final was broadcast live on Spectrum SportsNet and the NFHS Network.

Congratulations to our players, coaches, families, and the entire Mustang community. This is a moment we will remember for a long time. Issue 26 of the San Marin Sun will be out tomorrow with spring sports updates, campus news, and more. For now, let's celebrate.

State Champions. Go Green & Gold. 🐴