The Claw

 

Written by Sequoia Loya, Carlton Gilbert, and Carter Cox (Sports Writers)

It has been a long year with a long quarantine. We all know that many of the Varsity players are disappointed in losing their sports season but we can not let this obstacle get in our way. Right now, it is important to get lots of sleep, get on a healthy diet plan, and start weight training. The football players have strict workouts posted on hudl during these difficult times. The football team worked as a whole is becoming the best they possibly could. It took each individual’s strength, passion, heart, and dedication to step on to the field and show the audience that they are the San Lorenzo Valley Cougars. It is going to be interesting to see what rules in regulations take place in the next season due to COVID-19. Since football players work in close proximity with one another it will be challenging for the future sports seasons. A Cougar Varsity player Braiden Lewis states 

“There are so many aspects of being on a football team that I enjoyed, but my favorite and to me, the most important aspect of the game was team unity. There was a real family bond that I felt while playing SLV football that to be honest I didn’t see in any other teams we played. It didn’t matter how much you lifted in morning workouts, you’d never be strong enough to take down a whole team, you’d need a team to do that. It never mattered how much we were up or down by, I can without hesitation say that I knew me and my brothers had each other’s backs no matter what and that we’d play our hearts out to the last whistle. And all that credit goes to the coaches, SLV has given me the best coaches I’ve ever had. Each and every coach loves and cares about the players and wants them to succeed and truly motivates us to play our best. I have played other varsity sports where at the very least the opposite can be said about the coach. We laughed and we cried together, we won and we lost together, we made mistakes and we learned together, we all grew to be better men together. It’s something that I was lucky to be a part of, it’s something I will never forget and am truly grateful for.” When asking him if he was considering going to college he said. 

“To be honest before this past season if you were to ask my freshman self if I’d ever been playing college football, I’d probably laugh at you. But after this past year, I actually considered playing for Cabrillo and even went to meet the coach and watch a game. And this is all thanks to the coaches, honestly, for instilling me with self-confidence from spring ball. I’m not gonna lie, I had butterflies before the Jamboree and Scotts Valley game. I’d ask myself, “Am I really ready to play Varsity?”. But my confidence would increase each and every game with every “Good Job” and “Great tackle” and “I see you number two” that I got. I remember the Pajaro Valley game the punt before I had dropped and I was looking to redeem myself this next time around. I had a pretty decent run and when I got to the sideline Coach Poetzinger ran up to me, put his hands enthusiastically on my shoulders, and said, “Great run man! That’s how we get it done!” I’ll never forget that. Unfortunately, the Cabrillo Football Program has been shut down for the next two year, but some of my teammates are in talks of playing for San Jose City College and I wish them the best however the time has come for me to hang up my cleats, but I am grateful for everything that my SLV Football teammates and coaches have done for me.”

The San Lorenzo Valley Water Polo players have had a great last season they won one game against Aptos which is supposed to be the best team in the league. The Aptos team is very competitive and aggressive. A water polo player expressed that “I enjoyed playing against players that I already knew from comp water polo team.” he also stated, “I liked being able to play with people who I had known for a long time as well as meeting new people who I have something in common with.” The girl’s varsity water polo team had a record that was (0-8) for the season. The girl’s water polo didn’t have the best record but they always were very positive. The girl’s water polo team tremendously improved throughout the season. Practicing four days a week and playing two games a week the water polo team got better and better. At the end of the season the team looked like they had improved. Their positive attitude allowed them to get better and the season was an overall success. 

In a review of the cross country season the girls and boys season. The teams did well even though they didn’t make it to state finals. Overall the season was good. The cross country girls won most of their league meets and after they lost their first league meets they won every other one. With finishing the season well. While the boys lost their first league meet too and then won every other race than they did in the league meets. At the end of the season for the varsity girls they got second place for the SCCAL championship and then they went on to get fifth in CCS. They almost made it to state finals for the tenth year in a row but they did their best and that’s what matters. At the end of the season for the boys, they got third in SCCAL and made it into CCS. In CCS they got sixth place and were close to making it too but despite not making it they had a good season and they did their very best. Here is a quote that Mr. Coulson, the athletic director, had to say this about the cross country season “Cross Country, as you know, is a sport that gives back to you what you put into it. Our boys and girls cross country teams worked tirelessly over the summer and in the early season to have another successful campaign. While our results at SCCAL and CCS were not what we have grown accustomed to, a few injuries and illnesses at the wrong time played a big role in that. Overall, I am always impressed by the amount of work out cross country athletes put in that I think every season is a successful season for them. I am really excited to see the work pay off in the long run for our athletes as they progress through their high school cross country careers and reap the benefits of all the work in the coming seasons. For our graduating seniors, I hope they realized, and I think they did, that the true victory, the real prize, is the journey and not the destination. I think if you talked to each of our seniors that took that trip, they would count their cross country journey as one of their most meaningful and rewarding high school experiences”. 

In a review of the girl’s volleyball season, it was a hard season at times but in spite of it they did their best and still had fun. At the end of the season they ended up with a (0-14) record for the season. But, they got better and better as the season progressed. In the end the girl’s varsity team got much better because of the hard work they put in at practice. The girl’s volleyball team took big steps into getting better and even though they didn’t have the best season in the form of winning their team spirit made up for that. Their team spirit helped the team to stay positive even though they didn’t win and they played together and had fun which is what counts. Their team overall was successful because they played together as a team, had fun, had a good team spirit, and they never gave up. 

Girls varsity golf had a good season this year it really shows every player on the team tried their hardest at every event the team may have been small but that wouldn’t stop the small but dedicated group of players going out for there meets they only won one match  but their win-loss record isn’t what matters its that the players had a good time and want to continue to play sports throughout their lives one player from the team Cami Johnson had this to say about her last season at the school “I was definitely sad when I played my last match, it was a really fun season mostly because we got a few new players who joined. Sutty is such a great coach and he made every day so much fun while also teaching us so much! We all became a little family. I think each one of us improved individually a lot, and we all played really well together” Another player Ryan Hanning had this to say about the season. “Sutty was an amazing coach and this season really brought the team and I together. I am looking forward to what Erica and other future golfers will contribute to future seasons” 

             Girls tennis like any other team has improved tremendously. Working five days a week they got better and better. They also had a very good team spirit and that helped them to strive for success. After the season ended it was an overall successful season. Despite facing many hard teams overall their team record was overall successful and it made it even more of a successful season because of their very good team spirit. There were many seniors on the team who did their best to keep the team spirit alive and it paid off in success. One of the seniors Sarah Hansen had this to say about the season “Tennis this year was the best year yet, we had a huge team and it was fun getting to know everyone.”