The Bluffer - Red Bluff, CA
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Sports Page 9 Coach Howell Last softball season the school's varsity softball team won the Sacramento River League Championship and became runner-up section champions. They did pretty well with 29 wins and 8 loses. This team was coached by J Howell. Howell is the principal of District Charter School and is also a social studies teacher. Howell has been coaching softball for 22 years and has also coached football for 18 years. When he was a football coach he was the head JV football coach, a job which is currently held by Ryland Sanders. Howell appears to enjoy coaching sports. "I wouldn't have coached for 22 years if I didn't enjoy it." said Howell. The varsity team practiced Monday through Friday on days where they didn't have games, which usually went on for about two hours. During practice they would do hitting and defense drills and learn how to catch round and fly balls. The team got along fine and tried their hardest to improve their skills and learn more about the game of softball. The team worked hard on coming closer as a team so that they could work better as one solid unit and would be aware of each others strengths and weaknesses. This team unity helped to take them to the play-offs. It is admiring that Howell can be in the teaching business as well as coaching, when most people can only do one or the other. Stories written by Hunter Latham Coach Sanders Ryland Sanders coaches junior varsity football and varsity baseball at the high school. Ryland Sanders is also a teacher here. He teaches RSP American Government and RSP Math. Spring training for the JV football team is May 20 through May 31. Spring training is mandatory for anyone from the class of 2016 who wishes to be on the JV football team. This practice goes from 3:30 to 5:30. Sanders also coaches the varsity baseball team, which recently ended in about the middle of May. The Baseball season starts at the end of November and ends in the middle of may. Last season the varsity baseball team made it to the section finals and were section runner-ups. The team had 18 wins and 14 loses on the season. Sanders was quite pleased with their progress and saw it as an "accomplishment to make section finals" and is "looking to get back there for years to come." The team did not appear to have a problem getting along and working with each other to achieve their goals in baseball. "They were a great group of players, their personalities matched up well with each other," stated Sanders. If you had to pick, pitching would probably be their greatest strength. This is Sanders eigth year coaching Baseball, but his first year coaching varsity. According to Sanders, he absolutely looks forward to coaching again. May 31, 2013 S partan ound off What is your favorite senior moment? Teresa Cisco (12) "Homecoming because all my friends were there." RBHS teacher holds record at old high school for highest batting average Sahvanna Rice Staff Writer Mr. Palubeski, drama teacher, is known to tear up the baseball field in his high school and college days. He attended Burbank High School, represented by the Bulldogs, class of 1984. He began his love for baseball his sophomore year. He tried out for the team only because his friends had tried out, but come to find out baseball is like his second language. "I tried out my tenth grade year, and I made the varsity team, and then I started it, I made all league my tenth grade year, and then naturally that was my sport," said Palubeski. After high school he continued to play baseball in the minor league and played for California State Northridge. Unfortunately, Mr. Palubeski did not continue his love for baseball after college, he found other interests. "I went to Cal State Northridge which is where I wanted to go and I got straight A's, and I played baseball for a year there then I decided I wanted to focus more on my studies and to graduate college," said Palubeski. According to Palubeski, the characteristics high school students need to play any sport in college is to have strength, good study habits, know exactly what you're getting yourself into have good counseling and good study habits. "You need to be strong and you need to understand what you are getting into. That was one of the biggest things I did not get, it was very hard to balance school and being on the road so much with the baseball team and needless to say I wasn't the best student," said Palubeski. Good motivation is what any player needs. For Palubeski himself is what motivates him, he was good at baseball, it became easy to him. "What motivates me is that, I hate to say it, but I was good at it, it became very easy to me. Even to this day I hold the record for Burbank High School for batting average," said Palubeski. No matter how good he is at baseball, no matter how much he loved it; at the end of the day, helping students and teaching students is what he really has a passion for. When his wife, Mrs. Palubeski got hired at Red Bluff High school his wife had a D student that was on the freshmen volleyball team and so Mrs. Palubeski asked him to tutor her and so he did. Making the student go from a D to an A was incredible. "I seemed to help, I made a difference, and I actually felt like 'wow, this girl has an A when she use to have a D, I actually made a difference so I figured I would give the teaching thing a shot and since then, I love it." Cheerleading to be a big change for the following cheer season Sarah Bartlett Staff Writer The Red Bluff High School Cheerleading squad has recently renewed its members with a try out on Friday, May 10 at 3:30 pm at the field house. For the try out, the people trying out had to learn a dance and a cheer. There are two levels of Cheerleading: Junior Varsity and Varsity. Junior Varsity consists of freshmen and sophomores. Varsity consists of juniors and seniors. Freshmen don't have their own team like they do in other sports since they're part of Junior Varsity. The squad cheers at the football games and Holiday Classic. They do not cheer at any competitions. The coach is Kristine Durfee. Durfee, alongside coaching cheerleading, also teaches Spanish at RBHS. The squad goes to cheer camp every summer for a number of days. Sometimes they go to a college. For example, they have gone to University of Oregon and UC Santa Cruz before. Other times, they'll go somewhere local. Last summer, they went to the Tehama County Fitness Center. They worked with Troy Lalaguna. They went for eight days, six hours each " I think that we are a good group of girls, we get along well, but we argue a lot when we are stressed." -Kaylee Houchins day. The squad works on their DMV# 4584 -Driver's Ed-Driver's Training- Online Courses- Traffic School- Bryce Etzler Sport: Softball College: 45,100 to McNeese State University Driver's Ed classes June 1114 and August 5-8 Classes are held at the Community Center Steer your future in the right direction by booking today. They cheered at all the football games. They cheered separately, but at half-time during the Varsity games, they cheered together. Kaylee Houchins, freshman, is on the JV squad. She has been cheerleading for 10 seasons and plans on cheerleading for all four years of her high school career. "I think that we are a good group of girls we get along well but we argue a lot when we are stressed", said Houchins This cheerleading season has ended. Seniors Who Received Athletic Scholarships Mac's Driving School For details call 529-2828. skills, their dancing, and their cheers. They do not know what cheer camp they will be going to this summer, as it has not been planned yet. The season started at the beginning of the school year and ended in December. They practiced after school, starting at 3:30 pm and ending at 5:00 pm, sometimes at 5:30. First they stretched, then they ran, then stunted, which is where they pick girls up and throw them in the air. Finally, they spent the rest of the practice learning dances and cheers. Allen Kain (12) "Senior trip because of half the places I've been to I had never been." Morgan Hampton (12) "Getting the chance to know Skylar Garcia." Cody Strock (12) "Realizing I only have 3 days left, because I don't have to do anything for the rest of the year." Mrs. Ferran (Teacher) "When Student Government came and sang my 60th happy birthday song." Daniel Frantz Sport: Golf College: 90 to 100% full ride University St. Francis Haley Harris Sport: Softball College: 21,000 to UC Riverside Mr. Wheeler (Teacher) "I had a blast seeing old friends from south Medford during the Holiday Classic." Sound Off/Claire Samay