Page 9 - Sanger Herald 1-18-18 E-edition

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SANGER HERALD * PAGE 1B * THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018
Lady Apaches gear up for championship rematch vs. Coyotes
By Mike Nemeth
Sanger Herald
Ashley Mata was fired up. She hit four from behind the three-point arc for 12 of her 18 points as the Lady Apaches lit into an underperforming Sunnyside team Jan. 9.
Mata said she didn’t know where that connection with the rim came from, just that it was there.
“I was just feeling it that day,” she said.
The Lady Apaches dispatched the Wildcats 59-40 that night, never having trailed. Sanger led 34-11 at the half. But the Apaches dropped offense to an almost nonexistent seven points during the third quarter, giving Sunnyside a sliver of optimism when the team rallied for 16 points.
And that’s the story of the Sanger girls varsity basketball program this season, powerful one night and maybe less so on another. The team is 9-10 overall and continues to show flourishes of profound talent, hustle and heart.
Coach David Campbell
Mike Nemeth / Sanger Herald
Madera started slow on Jan. 12, and the Apaches' shooting went temporarily cold during the game in Sanger.
Nicholson Gym for a rematch of last season’s run to the California Interscholastic Federation Central Section Division III championship in Selland Arena. The Apaches had knocked out arch rival and No. 1 playoff seed Mission Oak in the semi-final but lost by a single point to scrappy Madera, 26-27.
The Sunnyside game was a warm up. The Lady Coyotes were the real test.
Before the game Anelise “Annie” Lopez said just one word: “Redemption.” She wanted a win. So did her teammates. During the pre-game shoot around, Madera’s team looked strong. The Coyotes had some height, and their outside shooters nailed the basket from behind the three-point arc.
“We have to come out and play well, play our game,” said Scott Spielman, Sanger assistant coach. “We can’t just go through the motions. Madera lost its best three players in my opinion.”
And the teams had similar records. Both showed some early inconsistency.
But both wanted the win that night.
Big time.
Earlier, the junior varsity Apaches beat Madera 44-21, making it look easy. And the freshman team, playing with just five athletes, beat their counterparts by a score of 58-0, making it appear the Sanger-Madera rivalry may disappear in coming years.
The first quarter against Madera by the varsity squad was all Apaches. Lopez hit a three and so did freshman phenom Jackie Kulow, who was four of six from three-point range and scored a game-high 19 points. Sanger outshot Madera 12-8, and Lopez nearly made a desperation half-court shot as time ran out on the clock to end the quarter.
However, Madera coach Jason Smith said something to his team to lift them out of their funk. They came back strong. Sanger already had gotten into foul trouble, sending one Madera player after another to the free- throw line. The second period exacerbated that.
But both teams racked up fouls — and turnovers. Both teams doubled down on defense. And neither showed any inclination to back down or give up.
The Sanger crowd got into the game, voicing its views loudly on nearly every call and every Apaches’ score, especially in the second half.
When just a couple minutes remained in the fourth quarter and Kulow hit another three, many in the stands jumped to their feet. Then they did it again, turning up the volume even more when she hit a basket for two points seconds later, bringing Sanger within four points.
Fellow freshman Taylor Roth hit the final basket for the Apaches with a three when just seconds remained on the clock to bring the score to 51-48, Sanger trailing by three. Sophomore Sophia Perez hit one of her free throws to bring the final score to 52-48.
After the game, Madera
See Basketball, Page 2B
called the Sunnyside game a good effort. “We’re still learning,” he said. “We’ve got to be ready to play. We
can’t take anybody lightly.” The pendulum shifted somewhat Jan. 12 when Madera visited the Dean
Wrestlers drop Edison in first dual meet
By Mike Nemeth
Sanger Herald
Joey Hernandez started the morning at 128.3 pounds.
Still too heavy. He got on his gear and headed outside.
“Just a solid little run,” he said. “Twenty to 30 minutes.”
Hernandez, one of Sanger High’s top wrestlers, needed to drop down that afternoon to 126 pounds, not an ounce over. The first home meet of the season started at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 10 against Edison.
Failure was not an option.
“Had to keep moving,” he said. “Get that sweat going. I had to keep that pace up. Obviously, it’s a mental game.”
At weigh-in, about 4 p.m., Hernandez tipped the scales at 125.4, well within range. Heck, he even had 0.6 pound to spare.
No problem. But here’s the thing, just a couple days earlier before practice Hernandez had tipped the scales 14 pounds over. Not good. By after practice, wrestling and warmups, he’d dropped 4 pounds. Promising but still worrisome.
“You’ve got to love it or hate it,” he said. “I started wrestling when I was 8. And it’s my last year. I’ve got to make a statement.”
Hernandez and teammate and fellow senior Jonathon “JD” Roth both plan to do just that. Their goal is to make it into state competition in their relative weight classes. Roth weighed in before the Edison dual meet at 169.6.
Coach Zhon Kuraspediani said his varsity lineup is a good one, only forfeiting one weight class. “I’ve got high hopes for them,” he said. “Our guys have been working hard, especially our seniors.
“We just have to make sure we can make weight.” Assistant coach Robert Juarez said competition will be stiff. “Our league’s
Miike Nemeth / Sanger Herald
Jonathon "JD" Roth takes little time to dispatch his opponent from Edison at a Jan. 10 home dual meet. Likewise, Joey Hernandez does the same below.
done a lot of improving, so it’s tough for us,” he said. “Madera South looks awfully tough in our league — them and Bullard.
“I think we’re improving a lot. We started awfully soft. I feel good about our team for sure.”
Juarez also mentioned that the student athletes are all coming to practice, working hard to hone and develop skills. As he said this, the team continued to wrestle each other in pairs in the small wrestling gym.
And they went at it with fervor, like opponents will have something to worry about.
“Just got to make it to state,” Juarez said. “That’s our goal.”
The team also includes Christian Gonzalez, Anthony Gonzalez, Samson Mansy, Gabriel Acosta, Julian Diaz Barela, Vincent Stafford, Moises Navarro, Jorge Fortaney Jr., Bernabe Rodriguez, Rene Martinez and Lane Nixon.
Against Edison, which was no shrinking violet, the Apaches won, 42-27.
Hernandez and Roth both won by pin. So did Stafford and Rodriguez.
“This will be my last year,” Roth said. “I’m trying to make the most of it.”
Roth said he’s 16-5 since the season started. The Apaches have participated in a number of tournaments, common practice during the holidays for winter high school sports.
Roth said he’d never wrestled his Edison opponent before. “When I saw he was going for my legs, I (saw I) could straighten him and throw him.” The match went quickly. Roth got him in a head and arm pin and waited it out.
“If I can get that, I’ve (usually) won the match,” Roth said.
Roth, like Hernandez, said his goal is state. He said during tournaments he watched his likely opponents carefully so he could better prepare for a match. “I’m working on a lot of techniques,” he said.
Rodriguez’s match proved competitive. He wrestles at 182 pounds, and he and his opponent were well matched — both strong and skilled. “He kept coming,” Rodriguez said. “He was strong. (But) I knew what he was doing. I was just waiting for him to do it.”
See Wrestling, Page 2B