Yosemite
High School
Blue
Print
February 11, 2005
Volume 28 Number 3
Girls’
basketball team travels across country
Baseball pros return to YHS
Wrestling
coach hopes to
send captains to state
Boys’
basketball coach says the key players
this year are all the players
Girls’
soccer team wins first place silver in tournament
Boys’
soccer team gains back its credibility
Girls’
basketball team travels across country
The team is not only a team, but a family.
CRYSTAL
LACHAWICZ
Gary
Blate says the girls' varsity basketball team is not only a team, but
it is a family. Coach Blate is on his way to winning his third consecutive
league title and to be the CIF champions and so far has been very successful.
Coach Blate says that the reason his team is so successful, is because
the players like to, and are ready to, commit to anything that is necessary
to make their team an even better one. Although they spend so much time
working out, running and practicing, they also enjoy themselves and
have the time of their life.
This team has had the privilege to meet some famous people and travel
to places such as Anaheim, Seattle, Lake Tahoe, Sacramento, Reno, Phoenix
and Orlando, Florida to attend tournaments.
Blate and the girls' basketball team devote just about all of their
weekends to helping the younger kids develop better skills with the
National Junior Basketball (NJB) program.
The team holds fundraisers to help pay to go to tournaments. Coach Blate
runs a tournament, NJB, he helps the football team with their advertising
sales and programs, hosts bake sales, runs a summer camp for kids who
want to learn the basic fundamentals of the game, and runs and takes
care of the basketball snack bar.
Coach Blate says that his team is really balanced and he believes that
all of the players are important. This year, he has three seniors, Karras
Blate, Alyssa Sayre and Amanda Gordon.
Baseball pros return to
YHS
 Ted
Lilly
Six
Yosemite High graduates who are now professional and drafted baseball
players will return to their school for an alumni game Saturday, February
12, beginning at noon with pre-game batting practice. Infield practice
begins at 10:30 a.m.
Those expected to appear are Ted Lilly, Toronto Blue Jays; Jay Sturgeon,
Baltimore Orioles; Core Miller, Oakland AB; Ryan Olsen, New York Met;
Mikela Olsen, Florida Marlins and Dayton Buller, San Francisco Giants.
There will be a silent auction during the game and then a live auction
at a dinner that evening at Hondo’s Steak House.
Tickets for the game and the dinner are $30; tickets for the game are
a $10 donation. All proceeds will go to the YHS baseball program.
Tickets are available at Hondo’s, Yosemite Bank and at the Student
Store at Yosemite High.
For more information, call YHS baseball coach George McWherter who coached
the professional players who are returning for the fundraising event.
Wrestling
coach hopes to
send captains to state
CRYSTAL
LACHAWICZ
The
Yosemite High School Varsity Wrestling team has won five out of six
matches this year. Coach Kent Lincoln says that he has three outstanding
wrestlers, two of whom are captains. The standouts are Dan Larsen, a
junior and co-captain, in the 119 pound weight division; Ronn Johnson,
a junior, in the 130 pound weight division, Ryan Caywood, a senior and
co-captain in the 277 pound weight division. The third co-captain is
Manuel Gallegos, a senior.
The team was scheduled to wrestle against Sierra February 3 and then
in the Parlier junior varsity tournament February 5. NSL championships
started February 10.
Lincoln says that he expects to be very competitive at the NSL finals.
The wrestlers will move into post season and section finals. Lincoln
hopes to send Larsen, Gallegos and Caywood to state.
YHS hosts the junior varsity Mountain Classic Tournament. The event
is a fundraiser sponsored by the Rotary Club.
During football season, in the fourth quarters, the wrestling team does
a 50/50 donation raffle.
Lincoln says this season has been has been more challenging and the
team has attended harder tournaments. He believes that the group of
kids this year have been very dedicated and are very hard working. He
says these traits will pay off individually.
Boys’ basketball coach
says the key players
this year are all the players
ASHLEY
NICHOLS
Coach
Kevin Shaw is really proud of his boys because they have tried so hard.
In league as of February 1 they were 2-6. Over all they were 6-12. They
don't have any upcoming events, and their only fundraising that they
are doing right now is the concession stand when they have a home game.
Wednesday, February 2, they were scheduled to play at home against Kerman.
The coach said this should be a good game. February 4 they were to play
Selma at Selma and February 9 they were scheduled to play Washington
Union at Washington Union. Tonight, Friday, February 11, they play Kingsburg
at home.
Coach Shaw says that his key players are everyone on the team. As long
as everyone is doing their part then everyone is just as important as
anyone on the team.
Coach Shaw says that everyone has their key roles in the games. “It's
a team sport so they all have to work together and do their part,”
he says. His captains are Garrett Jensen, Sean Ratchford and Brad Wilkinson
and he said they do an outstanding job.
Coach Shaw says that they need to find a way to win the close games.
The last eight out of 11 games they have been ahead in the fourth quarter
and lost five of them within the last minute and a half. He wants to
be able to make the winning play and he wants his team to learn how
to win the close games and play their best no matter how long they are
in the game.
Girls’
soccer team wins first place
silver in tournament
JAMEE BOLDING
The junior varsity girls’ soccer team is shown in action against
Kingsburg during a home game January 31.
This
year the girls' soccer team is outstanding and they are playing very
well with great expectations, says Coach Sonja Mazaira.
They have played many games this season including Madera (1-4), Coalinga
(2-0), Reedley (2-1), and many more. They won first place silver division
at the Lemoore Tourna-ment.
Throughout the year the junior varsity and varsity teams have had many
fundraising activities to raise money for new uniforms. They were very
successful within the community and raised enough money to buy warm-ups
and team bags for both teams.
The captains this year are Lauren Cook and Melissa Springer. Coach Mazaira
says, “They both led by example on and off the field.” She
feels this season has been enjoyable and the team is great. She says,
“We go into each year with high expectations of being a competitive
team with a goal of winning league. We take the season one day at a
time and one game at a time.”
Boys’ soccer team
gains back its credibility
DOTTI JACKSON
The
varsity boys’ soccer team started out the season with a scrimmage
where the Badgers lost to Stockdale, Santa Maria and Dos Pueblos but
gained their credibility back when they won the final game against St.
Joseph Knights.
Varsity began to come back with a win over Orosi (3-0) and Dos Palos
(3-2). Their record so far is four wins (Orosi 3-0, Dos Palos 3-2, Selma
3-0, and rival Sierra 1-0) and three losses (Kerman 0-4, Washington
Union 2-3, and Kingsburg 2-8) tied twice with Chowchilla at 2-2 and
Dos Palos at 0-0.
According to Coach Ron Cox, the key players for varsity are Joaquin
Morales and Michael Vaughan. The other players are T.J. Grijalva, Matt
Prescott, Justin Leithem, Evan Robinson, Chase McCabe, Michael Barker,
Casey Lucas, Andy Langley, Jason Schrank, Craig Norman, David Gordus,
Ryan Shapiro, Bryan Adair, Greg Choate and Ricardo Alvarez.
Coach Cox says “we will make whatever adjustments are necessary
to keep the strongest team possible on the field at all times, we have
some players in new positions to accomplish this goal.”
Robinson has proven to be effective with his new position as the Badgers'
sweeper and some of the defenders moved into forward positions to practice
and improve their game.
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