Page 10 - Sanger Herald 12-21-17 e-edition

Soccer
Continued from Page 1B
to gel,” he said. “Once they start gelling, they should be able to dominate.”
Senior Brianna Alarrazabal, who played goalie against Clovis East, took the loss personally. “It was just like one of those games,” she said. “Where you give your all.”
Alarrazabal made some spectacular saves. But those weren’t what appeared to dominate her thoughts when she spoke after the locker room meeting. “We’ve got lots of
skill,” she said. “We’re still learning to play together as a team, but the connection is not there.”
Yet, she agreed.
Junior defender Monica Villacana, a force on last year’s team, said, “I feel like we have a lot more to live up to.”
And there’s another factor at play. Sanger has developed a reputation. Sanger’s teams play hard. And they play to win. Mediocrity is not something the coaches or players settle for — in any sport. Villacana, like her teammates, plays hard.
They don’t intend to lose. And if they do, they use the
loss, learn from it.
“We have a completely
different team,” Villacana said. “I feel like we just need a little motivation.”
The team did exercise a little of that against Coalinga at the McLane Tournament in Fresno on Dec. 15, blanking the Horned Toads 5-0. And on Dec. 16, the team beat McLane 3-0 and later that afternoon Stockdale in a shootout, 4-2.
The reporter can be contacted by email at sangerheraldsports@gmail. com or by phone at the Herald at (559) 875-2511.
Basketball
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“Hopefully. But it might not be me. It’s a team of shooters. It’s a different team. It’s a great team.”
One of those other outside threats was Cuevas, who addressed his performance against the Warriors. “I was just locked in,” he said. “My teammates give me the ball. They trust me. (And) that’s my specialty.”
Cuevas said he’s worked hard on defense, too. “Defense creates offense,” he said.
Alvarado agreed with that credo. He said his Apaches stepped up against Fresno High. “We closed the door on them in the second half with our defense,” Alvarado said. “They quit. We say we want to win this in the third quarter.”
Fresno kept up with Sanger in the first quarter trailing only by a point, 20-19. But in the second quarter, Sanger pulled further ahead, scoring
15 to Fresno’s 10. In the third quarter, the Apaches scored 23 to the Warriors’ 10 points.
“It’s a good win for our young team,” Alvarado said. “Fresno’s a good team.”
Norris said he’s happy. “It’s senior year, and we’ve got a good squad,” he said.
Leon, towering nearby, added, “Hell yeah, we are.” Leon said he’s dropped a bunch of weight on his current workout regimen and plans to lose a little more. He said he intends to be a force on this year’s team.
“He’s a factor because he’s so big,” Alvarado had said earlier. “We make the other team change their shots.”
Alvarado also said of Leon, “This year, he’s going to play.”
“I’m pretty excited,” Leon said.
During his time on the court, Leon exhibited no hesitation. He wrestled other players under the basket for the rebound and came up with the ball nearly every time. Then
quite a few times, he dropped it into the hoop. “I feel a whole lot better with my teammates,” Leon said. “I’d say we’ve got a great season ahead of us.”
Dillon said while he’s still getting used to the pace and faster tempo of the high school game, he appreciates playing alongside Leon. “Leo’s a hard worker,” Dillon said. “He always looks out for me.”
On his observations on the team, he said, “We still have a lot of work. They work us hard, really hard.”
Chatman agreed. But he also was lockstep with Leon. “I think we’re going to be great, honestly,” he said. “To be what the team wants to be — champions.”
And he may be right. The Apaches went on to win the tournament, beating Clovis 65-62 on Dec. 15 and Kerman 70-55 on Dec. 16.
The reporter can be contacted by email at sangerheraldsports@gmail. com or by phone at the Herald at (559) 875-2511.
SANGER HERALD
2B THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2017
Mike Nemeth / Sanger Herald
Jackie Segura defuses a Clovis East attack at Tom Flores Stadium on Dec. 12. The Lady Apach- es have turned around the loss that night and have started to notch wins.
Mike Nemeth / Sanger Herald
Leo Leon says he plans to be a factor this season. At about 7 feet, he makes an impact in the game just because the other teams have to shift the way they play, coach Al Alvarado says.
Lady Apaches place 3rd
Sanger continues to make a name for its program in a Bakersfield tournament.
Herald staff
Here’s an update from coach Narciso Juarez on his varsity girls wrestling team. The Lady Apaches attended the Ridgeview Born Vicious Girls Wrestling Tournament.
The following are results from Dec. 16 event.
Brianah Stafford — first place 137 pounds
Leilah Brewer — first place 235 pounds
fourth place 121 pounds Miranda Lopez — fourth
place 111 pounds
Thalia Williams — fourth
place 131 pounds
Hannah Cooper — fourth
place 170 pounds
Alexa Ortiz — fourth
place match 106 pounds Anika Schneider — third
place 143 pounds
Destiny Reyna — fourth
place 150 pounds
overall with 99 points. Twenty teams competed at the Ridgeview High event in Bakersfield.
Here are the top 5 teams:
No. 1: Paramount (CIF Southern Section) 181 points
No. 2: Ridgeview 173.5 points
No. 3: Sanger 99 points No. 4: Foothill 67 points No. 5: Porterville 44
Elizabeth Zarate —
team finished third place
points Sanger girls wrestling
Mike Nemeth / Sanger Herald
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