Page 9 - Sanger Herald 1-17-19 E-edition

SangerSports
SANGER HERALD * PAGE 1B * THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2019
Girls fight fog and a tenacious Madera South to get win
By Mike Nemeth
Sanger Herald
Apaches Audrey Reyna and Jasmine Guardado ignored the fog that swirled about Tom Flores Stadium so thick that a player on one end of the field couldn’t see the other.
They didn’t mind after a 4-3 triumph against rival Madera South on Jan. 10 that broke a three-game losing streak and appeared to rejuvenate their team. Nor did the cold, a wet Pacific Northwest style near-the-waterfront style bone-chiller, give them any pause.
They had played hard, scoring between them all four of Sanger’s goals — a pair each. “And Audrey assisted with both of them,” Guardado said, referring to her own scores which came in the first half.
“Dynamic Duo,” Reyna said, adding emphasis to the concept.
Indeed. Reyna’s goals came in the second half, the last one ending a 3-3 tie with about 4 minutes remaining.
Reyna dubbed the
Mike Nemeth / Sanger Herald
Audrey Reyna, No. 3, slides as the Apaches work to control the ball vs. the Stallions.
especially difficult. And referees stopped the game on a number of occasions when a player went down.
Mihailo Jovanovic, co-head coach with Sarah Bartley, said the win was well timed. “Today, the girls were desperate to win, and that’s what translates to the performance,” he said.
Guardado said her team delivered. “We’re excited to come back,” she said. “We wanted it just like our coach said.” And she added, “We have one of those days. Sometimes we reunite, and sometimes we fall apart.”
There was no falling apart that night. And the conditions made it feel like Rod Serling wouldn’t be out of place had he walked up prior to the game and said, “Please sit back and take a trip to the Twilight Zone.”
Gianna McLain, a senior midfielder who nearly scored four times, wore packs of ice on both calves after the game. “I felt it,” she said. And she said the conditions were tough as was the competition. “It was a hustle game. We worked up until the whistle. It was just mentally getting
through the game.
“We had to push
through.”
Reyna and Guardado
didn’t spend much time talking about the Dynamic Duo concept, but they did acknowledge being quite familiar with each other on the field.
“We play on the same club team,” Reyna said.
Their connection has appeared to strengthen over the weeks, and each said she would like to see that growth and that between the rest of the players continue. “You’ve got to build up as a team,” Guardado said.
The game also saw strong efforts by freshman Kianna Alcantar and seniors Rachel Pimentel and Monica Villacana. Neri may have set the tone when she nearly scored on a goalie kick, 2 minutes into the game.
The reporter can be contacted by email at sangerheraldsports@gmail. com or by phone at the Herald at (559) 875-2511.
conditions “difficult” but said that the thick fog actually aided her Apaches when Madera South’s Stallions came back to even the score in the second half. With about 32 minutes remaining in the latter half, Stallions senior Nevaeh Alonzo scored to tie the game at 2-2. Just about a minute earlier, Apaches goalie Vicky Neri made a huge save.
Alonzo’s goal didn’t go unanswered. As Reyna described, her Apaches reacted immediately, ignoring the fact that the white ball was near impossible to see if too far away.
freshman Brianna Maciel and senior Kayla Gutierrez. “When they came back, it gave us motivation,” Reyna said. “We could’ve won this
(by more).”
The Apache motivation
continued. Guardado said it wasn’t easy. “With this weather, we’re cramping, we’re running,” she said, adding that after colliding with opposing players
Sanger drove the
ball into Madera South
territory, and Reyna scored
about 30 seconds after the
Alonzo goal. Also scoring
for Madera South were loosening up proved
Apaches fight Knights in showdown
By Mike Nemeth
Sanger Herald
Harley Aguirre faced John Herrera of Bullard to start the wrestling meet Jan. 9 at Sanger High.
The pair competed at 113 pounds in the lone junior varsity matchup. The visiting Fresno school forfeited the other weight classes, and the other Apaches on the team won by default.
But Aguirre put on a show. Despite the two being almost perfectly matched skill-wise, Aguirre showed early on that he brought a little edge, and maybe some chutzpah, by flipping his opponent.
Aguirre won by pin.
“My opponent did great too,” he said after the meet. He gave an assessment of his performance and talked about his team’s upcoming season. “Just stay positive. I feel I’ve got to work harder to move up to varsity.”
And he explained that the flip is really called a Granby roll, where the wrestler at the bottom position can explode into a semi flip that’s part Jackie Chan. The move can turn the tables on the opponent if done correctly. “That’s how I did it,” Aguirre said. “I tried to do it a couple of times (before), and it didn’t work. But this time it did.”
Sanger also held its own in the varsity contest. But Bullard was a tough team.
“It was a nail biter,” said coach Narciso “Ciso” Juarez.
Juarez said this year Sanger’s varsity and junior varsity teams are full of talent. His father, Robert, a past Apache coach and current assistant, said that even over the holidays when students want to think about anything but strenuous practice, these athletes showed up and worked hard.
“We have a lot to work with,” the younger Juarez said. “They’re young. We have a bright future.”
Juarez said two Apache
Mike Nemeth / Sanger Herald
David Wright takes on Randy Bird of Bullard in the small gym at Sanger High. The boys team is young, motivated and shows promise, coaches say. Harley Aguirre is at right.
wrestlers to watch are Fernando Gonzales, a freshman, and Vincent Stafford, a junior. Gonzales placed at two recent tournaments, while Stafford appeared in the final in the Southern California Challenge in Anaheim recently.
Stafford wrestled Dawson Juarez of Bullard but was pinned. “I think I could’ve put up a better fight,” he said. As for the rest of the season, he appeared undaunted, however. “Just working hard,” he said of his plans. “I’m looking forward to trying to place at state this year and next year.”
Zach Butts wrestled Alex Torres in a match that turned into a bit of a brawl. Butts lost, getting
outpointed, but mostly due to the early minutes. He started to figure out Torres’ style toward the end, battling back. “I just wasn’t on my game,” he said after the match. “They (Bullard) did good. Like Vince. He had a really good opponent.”
Butts, a freshman competing at 106 pounds, said the season’s going well for him and the team. “I’m going to try and win Valley,” he said.
Senior Samson Mansy wrestled at 113 pounds, and his match got the crowd excited. Mansy won not by pin but by points, 19-8, and his opponent, Gabe Sanchez, didn’t give any quarter. “It was tough,” Samson said later. “A lot of hard work. It’s super tiring.
You’ve just got to fight to the buzzer. Fight for your team, fight for yourself.”
Freshman Randeep Singh, wrestling at 132 pounds, won by pin, dominating. “He might be pretty good,” Singh said of his opponent. “But I just stayed focused. I wanted to pin him.”
Singh wore the Bullard wrestler down and flipped him at one point. “Feels good after a win,” he said, leaving after the mats had been rolled up.
Sophomore David Wright outpointed Randy Bird of Bullard in what looked like a brawl. Both wanted to win. “It was a tough match,” Wright said. “He was really fast.”
Wright wore down his opponent as the match
continued. Wright said his goal for the season is straightforward. “I just want to do the best I can from here,” he said.
Gonzales won by forfeit. “We have a good team,” he said. And Gonzales said he’s feeling good about the season and his chances. “I feel I’ll do good this
year based on how we’re training.”
He said he intends to make it to state competition.
The reporter can be contacted by email at sangerheraldsports@gmail. com or by phone at the Herald at (559) 875-2511.