Page 9 - Sanger Herald 5-17-18 E-edition

SangerSports
SANGER HERALD * PAGE 1B * THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2018
Broncos end season for volleyball Apaches
By Mike Nemeth
Sanger Herald
The disparity began to show about midway through the first game.
Sanger had home court advantage after drawing the No. 4 seed in the California Interscholastic Federation Central Section Division I Playoffs. Rival Clovis North wound up with No. 5 and a first-round contest with the Apaches.
But the Broncos, a team Sanger rarely sees in the regular season because it’s in the Tri River league with most of the other Clovis powerhouses, soon took charge of the first set. The team featured a number of tall players, strong hitters and a cohesiveness that rattled the smaller and younger Apaches.
“They played good ball,”
Mike Nemeth / Sanger Herald
Kacy Maine in Sanger red, left, and Grant Harrison block a shot from Clovis North in a home playoff game.
said Seth Moua, who as a first game 25-14 and
“Tough draw for the first round,” said Jorge Pena, Sanger’s head football coach who took in the game May 10 in the Coach Dean Nicholson gym. “They really battled this season. They’ve got a bright future.”
The Apaches weren’t expected to accomplish so much this season. But they amassed a 34-9 overall record and a series of wins against their arch rivals in the County Metro Athletic Conference. But volleyball in the top division isn’t for the meek or mild- mannered, especially in the playoffs.
Sanger avoided a first- round match with top- seeded Buchanan. But Clovis North, which had a 31-14 overall record, was far more familiar with the likes of the Clovis teams
and their high-level play. In the second round, the Broncos face Buchanan, and the winner will face the victor of the No. 2 Clovis vs. No. 3 Clovis East match.
“We were nervous,” said freshman Apache Brennan Taylor. “Today’s just a bad night for us. They played better.”
Taylor speculated that had something to do with the average age on the team. There are only three other seniors besides Moua on the roster.
But Taylor expressed confidence in the future of his team. “Next year if we play them again, most likely we’ll win,” he said. “We’ll put in the time and effort it’ll take.”
And Moua said he’s headed to Fresno State but plans to continue to pay attention to Apache
volleyball. “I’m going to watch a lot of them grow,” he said. “I love these guys. They’ve got next year to come back and go even harder.”
Moua mentioned that his brother Kent will be playing for the Apaches next year. Kent Moua played for the champion Warriors who demolished Desmond of Madera last week for the eighth-grade title. He will be joined by a number of other players, including Jon Dillon, brother of basketball standout Luke Dillon.
So stay tuned.
The reporter can be contacted by email at sangerheraldsports@gmail. com or by phone at the Herald at (559) 875-2511.
senior played his final game with his beloved Apaches.
The Broncos won that
showed the same flash in the next two, winning 25-13 and 25-15.
Ending senior night on a high note
By Mike Nemeth
Sanger Herald
Junior Alec Flores had a two-week break before taking the pitcher’s mound against a hard-playing Edison baseball team May 10.
“We wanted him to be fresh,” said coach David Cuellar after the game. “I knew he’d be ready to go.”
And Flores did not disappoint. The junior pitcher and first baseman kept his cool and dispatched Tiger after Tiger at the home game. It wasn’t easy, but he had the help of the entire Apache outfield. And they played like they’re ready for the upcoming playoffs, winning 5-3.
And Flores made a statement with his final batter, fanning him for three strikes. He won the game with 105 pitches, just five under the maximum allowed in a game by a single player.
“That’s what I wanted to do,” Flores said just minutes after the team’s post-game on-field meeting with coaches. “I’m just happy I got the win. I’ve got good D, believe me.”
Flores said the outing gave him his confidence back. He got rattled by an earlier game after turning in a solid season with fellow pitcher Jake Harrell and others in the lineup.
Mike Nemeth / Sanger Herald
Teammates hug Alec Flores after he helped win the game for the Apaches with his pitching talents, 5-3.
the game.” He said his Apaches “caught fire in the end,” scoring two runs to break a 3-3 tie late in the game.
Quinonez acknowledged the Tigers were a good team but said his teammates “made some adjustments. We’re just ready to get started in the playoffs.”
Cuellar told his team, “Let’s be ready to rock,” referring to the playoffs. He said the win was a good one. “It’s the only way we can end the regular season. Hopefully, that helps us in the playoffs.”
Cuellar said all the extra time in the offseason, getting into the weight- lifting room at 6 a.m., the training, the plays, the focus on fundamentals paid off. “For this moment,” he said. “This is it.” He said he told the team before the game that he wanted the win, and they delivered.
“We had so many good moments (this season),” he said. “(And I told them) things are not going to go our way all the time.
“This team sticks together. They’re all in for each other.”
More to come.
The reporter can be contacted by email at sangerheraldsports@gmail. com or by phone at the Herald at (559) 875-2511.
And it was perfect timing. The night was dedicated to the team’s seniors — Jose Quinonez, Justin Boissonneault, Jaime Pacheco, Zack Jaurique, Danny Jackson and Anthony Schwamb.
“Honestly, when I came out here It was for these seniors,” Flores said. “And
they worked their asses off for (this win). Just do it for them. Oh yeah, I’m going to miss them for sure. These guys brought me up, showed me what a good work ethic is.”
Boissonneault, who is called by the nickname Bossy on the field, threw the compliments back at
Flores. “Feels good,” he said. “End it with a bang. The pitcher did a great job out there. Let the defense make the plays.”
And Boissonneault said he enjoyed the season. “I’m going to miss it,” he said. “It went by too quick.”
Pacheco said the team had its ups and downs.
“(But) we never let anything get in the way of our friendship,” he said. “We were there for each other. Through everything.”
Quinonez, who has anchored the team as catcher, took a blow to the head during the game. He said it hurt, but “I finished
Warriors mop up in the sports championship department this year
By Mike Nemeth
Sanger Herald
The future Apaches did a number on their opponents last week during the Central Valley Athletic League Championships.
“SANGER SWEEP!” wrote Allyson Niino, Washington Academic Middle School athletic director, in an email. “GO WARRIORS!!!”
The seventh grade volleyball team under coach Sindee Silveria defeated Martin Luther King Middle School in Madera 25-6 and 25-15 May 9.
The eighth grade volleyball team under coach Melanie Parrent defeated Desmond Middle
Mike Nemeth / Sanger Herald
Warriors eighth-graders beat Desmond of Madera to secure another championship for WAMS. They weren's alone.
said.
Legendary Sanger
photographer George Armenta covered the softball games while I spent the time in the school’s West Gym, shooting pictures of the volleyball players.
Despite the lopsided score, Silveria said she was concerned MLK was going to win the second game, forcing a third set. Her team hadn’t had to go to three during the season, and at one point the Warriors dropped eight points behind.
“They pulled it together,” she said.
Team captain J.C. Flores said he wasn’t worried. “I trusted my team,” he said. “One of the best in the
Valley. The way we play together, there’s like no other team. We play like no other team.”
Parrent called her eighth-graders “absolutely one of the best” teams of her career. She said they worked and trained hard over the season and it paid off. “They’re not only good athletes but great people,” she said.
And these teams, these athletes, by and large, are headed to Sanger High to continue their sports, adding more talent to the Apache rosters.
Jon Dillon, who delivered some decisive kills over the course of the game, said Desmond kept up with his Warriors for part of the last game. “We weren’t passing
so good, and we weren’t getting our serves,” he said. And Dillon said he really likes his team. “They’re fun to be with,” he said. “I’m going to miss playing with them. I’m going to come and visit (the seventh-
graders) next year.” Randeep Singh on
Parrent’s team said he may focus on wrestling while in high school. “I’m proud of this team,” he said. “Because I’ve never had a team like this. It’s my second year with them, and they’re like a family.”
Singh got one of the final points with a big kill at the end of the second game.
Ywipheej Lee, the setter on the team, said
See WAMS, Page 2B
School of Madera 25-6 and 25-15.
And the eighth grade baseball team beat Rio Vista Middle School of Fresno 8-0, the seventh grade softball team beat Rio Vista 8-5 and the eighth grade softball team beat
Kerman Middle School 6-1. Plus the boys and girls track teams landed their share of champions.
“If you see a Warrior athlete or coach, please congratulate them on all of their hard work and successful season,” Niino