The Bluffer - Red Bluff, CA
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/509223
Page 6 May 8, 2015 Coach of the Issue/Shania Prieto Sports Jv boys baseball team has faith to Varsity softball pushes to attend this years playoffs Sophia Cumpton Staff Writer Red Bluff High Schools girls varsity softball overall season record is 8 wins and 17 losses and 1 tie. Their league record is 1 win and 7 losses. "If you work hard and have confidence good things will happened." Ashleigh Fox, senior, explained that this was the best advice she has ever received in her time of playing softball. Red Bluff High School's girls varsity softball team practices Monday from 1:30 to anywhere from 3:30 to 4. On Tuesdays through Fridays they practice from 3:30 to 5:30. "Almost everyday we don't have a game we have practice. Our coach gives us days off every once in a while but for the most part we practice at the scheduled times everyday we don't have a game", stated Fox. Aubrie Thomas is the head coach and Wade Souza is the assistant coach for this years team. Aubrie Thomas has been the head coach for varsity for two years. Caitlyn Igarta, junior, said "My favorite part has been able to get to know each and everyone of the girls on my team. They are such a lot of fun and are great people." When Fox and Igarta were asked who they felt were their biggest rivalry they both responded with Foothill High School. "They were always a challenge, but we consistently beat them last year," said Fox. Igarta explained "Their pitching is really good and we have a tough time hitting her. They beat up by a lot the first game, but we almost beat them last game." The team hopes they make it to playoffs, but according to Igarta the team had a rough start. "We haven't won very many games so far and we would have to win all of our next several games in order to make it to playoffs." "The community supports our team and my family supports me." Fox said. Igarta's position on the team is right field. She used to pitch, but she hurt her arm due to a previous season of softball. "Don't ever give up. Always try your best at all that you do" was the best advice Igarta has ever received in her years of playing softball. C oach of the issue this week is Ryland Sanders. He's been coaching for 15 years at Red Bluff High and coaches JV football and Varsity baseball. Sanders loves to coach and wanted to because of his strong competitive drive. His coaches also gave him great experiences and taught him a lot, not only about the sport, but different skills on how to coach and how to bond better with the kids. He loves coaching and his favorite part is watching the students/athletes hard work pay off successfully. head. Through focusing and concentrating on what matters the golfers know that they can improve. "Just keep playing," Durfee said, "just keep living and breathing golf." Although just playing through everything is a great strategy even golfers need real practice and a commitment to the game. "Golf is the game you can't improve upon until you commit." Durfee said. And the only way to win is to improve upon your game. Their well liked and helpful head coach Ron Kuwata makes them do just that. "I feel pretty good about my coach," Grossman said about the head We proceeded to ask them for their thoughts on the teammates and Browing said, "Everyone's really friendly towards each other." He also mentioned his thoughts on the tennis coach, Mr. Twitchell, "He's really good at being sarcastic." Now Schoelen is one of the guys with the most experience because he's been playing tennis for about four years. However, the freshmen, Jones and Morehead have just b e g u n p l a y i n g this year. Near the end of the interview, Schoele n said the m o s t important thing he's learned from tennis is, "How to volley." Volleying the tennis ball, is when a player hits the ball and it doesn't bounce on their own side of the court. Morehead said, "How to serve right," Browning said, "Keeping track of my stuff," and Jones also said that he learned how to serve. The team ended the season with an overall record of three wins and ten losses. Nichole Valdez Staff Writer Tennis team ends 2015 Golf strives to achieve low scores in championships Brittany Lawley Staff Writer "Everyone's really friendly towards each other." -Connor Browning In tennis, most of the players have difficulty with serving the ball or getting it over the net. When Connor Browning, sophomore, from Red Bluff's tennis team was asked what his biggest challenge during the game is, he said, "Having to be patient," Kai Cardillo, sophomore, responded with, "Getting the ball over the net." B r o c J o n e s , freshman, said he had d if f icu lt y in getting the strokes right. Devan Schoelen, senior, mentioned that he needed to work on his backhand. Later, we asked them when they get most nervous during a game, Cardillo said, "At the very beginning when I don't know how good the other person is," Schoelen said, "When the opponent is really good," Jones said he gets nervous when he serves and Mitchell Morehead, freshman, faces the same situation. The golf season is beginning to end and with the end brings the hardest game, the Championships. To get to the highest of golf tournaments the players must start scoring the lowest they can get. "My goal, by the end of the season, is to make it to NORCAL or state. To get there you have to shoot pretty low. I am trying to get my scores down," Dylan Grossman, senior, said. He knows he has to improve to make it to the big tournaments and is doing his best to get there. He says that he has improved since he had played last year as a junior and knows if he works hard enough he can do it. "I've improved a lot since last year. Last year I was off the second half due to grades. Ever since I started back up this year its been good," Dylan Grossman said. To Grossman the best way to improve his playing is to stay focused and not thinking about his scores. This way he hopes he won't distract himself with his own thoughts and he can score low. "The game has become a lot more mental for me," Tanner Durfee a junior said. He also believes that to get better it is all in your Spartan's Coach of the Issue Ryland Sanders: Football and Baseball to end season with winning streak coach Ron Kuwata. Durfee agreed. "Ron is an amazing coach, he is ex-professional and he just knows how to help us." Through the expertise of the coach and the potential he sees in the boys they feel they can go big. "I have known him for a while, I've known him since I was younger," He said that because of their history together Kuwata knows how he plays and how to make him better. "He knows how I play and he sees potential in me." That potential is what Ron works on, and through commitment and a mind prepared for success they will be able to get to NORCAL or even the Championships. Sophomore, Kegan Richards slides into home plate during last Fridays home game against the Vikings of Pleasant Valley High School. As baseball season for Red Bluff High comes to an end, the junior varsity players are proud of how they've played this year. "The team's been doing really good this season," commented Trenton Coats, freshman, left fielder and catcher. As of Tuesday, April twenty- first, the junior varsity baseball team has won twelve games in a row. "It's great because we're on a winning streak and we have a really good team," Ian Skjegstad, freshman, pitcher, and outfielder proudly stated. "I think that we can continue [our winning streak] 'till the end of the season," agrees Dusty Crain, sophomore and shortstop. The junior varsity baseball team had two games against Pleasant Valley last week. "We just beat them two days ago. We can do it again," Crain commented about the games they had against Pleasant Valley on Tuesday, April twenty- first and Friday, April twenty- fourth. "We killed them eleven to two. Our team was getting base hits and we weren't making any errors," Crain added about the Pleasant Valley game on the twenty-first. Crain commented, "Yeah, we never have any problems with our own team mates. [My favorite part about baseball is] probably just getting to know people you didn't know before." Prior to their game against Pleasant Valley on Tuesday, April twenty-first, Coats commented, "If we hit the ball we'll probably do good. We work well together most of the time. Sometimes when a player does bad he'll come into the dugout all mad and throw stuff and it's funny." Coats has been playing baseball for ten years now. "My favorite part is catching and picking someone off at a base," said Coats. Coats said that he hopes to go to college then he has to decide on baseball or football. Skjegstad has been playing baseball for seven years. "I really like pitching because I like striking out people and seeing their reaction," Skjegstad commented, "I'd like to go all the way to the MLB." Crain hopes to play baseball in college as well. He has played baseball since he was five-years-old. "We've come a long way since the very beginning and now if we set our minds to it, we can beat anybody," Crain said. Now that the junior varsity baseball team's season is over, the players can reflect on their strengths and weaknesses and strive to improve themselves for future seasons. Julissa Villalobos Staff Writer Bluffer/Julissa Villalobos season closer than ever