Boys Basketball
By Jannelle Dang
Features Editor
After years of tradition and consistent passion for the sport, the one thing that set this year’s boys basketball team apart was their newfound sense of unity. The Eagles concluded their season 5-7, and advanced to the first round of CIF Southern Section Playoffs. They were defeated by Rialto High School, 81-54, and ranked 4th place in the league overall. Despite losses and an unexpected outcome for the season, the team’s morale and dedication were undeterred. They attributed their successes to communication skills both on and off the court, as well as strengthened team bonds.
“This team was a lot closer than last year’s team, considering [that] we did almost everything utogether,” said senior Aaron Van, who was co-captains with senior Jayson Espinosa and junior Jonathan Nishimoto.
The annual STOP Cancer Night games and senior night were the highlights of the Eagles’ season, aside from the simple enjoyment of playing basketball.
“We’re going to miss playing for each other,” stated senior Warren Phan.
Softball
By Lana Hy
Staff Writer
Throughout the beginning of the season, girls varsity softball suffered four losses before their first win against San Gabriel High School on March 19, 15-1. The girls improved by focusing more on how to hit different styles of pitches, as that was a main weakness that got the best of them during tough games.
Their effective communication and dedication to victory led to more wins. However, the remaining of their season stayed steady between wins and losses.
Despite not making CIF, each girl worked together and put in an immense amount of effort on the field.
“The highlight [of this season] for me is how close [we gotten as a team],” stated Maya Saparito, senior. “Everyone is so supportive of one another and it does not matter if we win or lose, because we know we have our girls with us.”
Their overall league record is 5-7.
Girls Basketball
By Megan Tran
Staff Writer
The Girls Varsity Basketball team ended their season by becoming back to back League Champions. Undefeated in League the Eagles sweeped the court, 12-0. Senior Co-Captain Kelly Tran stated, “Winning round two of CIF and moving on to quarterfinals was a great accomplishment because it has never been done before in gab history.” In addition to their successful season, the Girls Varsity Basketball team broke two school records, being undefeated in League and going to the third round in CIF. “It was one of the best moments in my life, it was a feeling one cannot express in words, because it’s been a goal for our team to get past the second round of CIF,” said senior Co-Captain Amanda Lee. With 1465 points the Eagles soared through the season and ended up on top.
Girls soccer
By Marleld Duran
Staff Writer
The girls varsity soccer team secured the Mission Valley League title for the fifth year in a row after winning their game against South El Monte High School (SEMHS), 2-1. This landed them in a spot in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF). Although they did not win CIF, the lady eagles made it to the second round.
“The highlight of the season was when we played [SEMHS since] they were probably our biggest rivals,” said senior Ciannah Correa, co-captain. “It was the greatest feeling when we won because our team fought so hard and came out with the outcome we wanted.”
The lady eagles nearly accomplished an undefeated season, however they lost to Arroyo High School, 1-2. Despite this loss, the team managed to win 11 games and tie twice throughout their season.
Boys Golf
By Stephanie Foo
Student Life Editor
Despite receiving a fairly new batch of golfers different from last year, the boys golf team came out on top, becoming the undefeated Monteview League Champions. They concluded their season, 7-0 and automatically qualified for the team California Interscholastic Federation games.
Beaming with pride, senior and captain Ryan Cheng said, “A highlight for me would be being the captain of an undefeated team my senior year.”
As for individuals, senior Devin Heng and junior Osiris Sesma will continue onto the individual California Interscholastic Federation games, representing Gabrielino.
Throughout the season, they worked hard to match the success of past years, practicing for long hours and supporting one another. Their best team score during the season was a 207, from their last league match against Azusa High School at Azusa Greens Golf Course.
“In the end, it was really about supporting each other and working as a team,” Cheng concluded.
Wrestling
By Kaylin Tran
Entertainment Editor
This year proved to be tough for Gabrielino’s wrestlers, as many experienced members graduated last year. Thus, much of the season consisted of basic drills in order to prepare the team for upcoming competitions. Boys captain Donovan Sanin, sophomore, explained that since the team was still young, it was learning how to improve throughout the season. Despite this setback, Gabrielino’s wrestlers still had a successful season and ended the year with a score of 8-3, as well as second in the league after the team scored 4-1 at the League Championships. “Since many of the varsity members were gone, the JV players had to step up, both physically and mentally,” stated girls captain Cassidy Do, junior. “But it made me proud when I saw everyone start to step out of their shell at the end of the season.”
Cross Country
By Brittany Snow
Staff Writer
This year, Gabrielino’s cross country runners qualified for California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) at the Riverside City Cross Country Course. As the races continued and the scores were being tallied together, the team found that their scores combined did not get them in a top spot for the season, but they went home knowing that they had given it their all out on the field.
“Cross Country really is a team sport,” stated Stepfan Ng, senior, “every point counts meaning everyone needs to try their best, and everyone really does count.”
Despite the CIF results, the team had many successes this season. Many runners had experienced a change in their personal bests in comparison to last season. In each of the three events, there was a visible change for every runner, especially for the girls.
“This was my first year running for Cross Country, so I didn’t really know what to expect,” stated sophomore Quyen Le, “There were a lot of schools at the race, so it was actually pretty intimidating. However, all the athletes were super supportive and nice.”
The boys placed 3rd in League and the girls placed 4th.
“As a team, they performed very well,” stated coach Ryan Kammerman, “individually, we had many personal records.”
Boys Volleyball
By Michael Hong
Staff Writer
For the many seniors on Gabrielino’s boys varsity volleyball team, this season was far from the fairy tale ending they were looking for. Unable to pick up a win, the team ended 0-8 in the Mission Valley League.
Co-Captain David Taing, senior, expressed that the team was short-handed due to the quality and leadership of the seniors that graduated last year, but intended to continue right where they left off last year: in pursuit of another CIF berth.
Though things didn’t go all according to plan, it does not mean there were not any highlights to the season.
“Our first game against Schurr, we managed to come back from a 22-24 deficit. It was great seeing the team work together,” stated Matt Wong, senior.
Despite this year’s shortcomings, co-captain Noah Kim still remains optimistic for next year.
“Next year’s volleyball team has potential because they have a special bond that other teams lack. With that, they can achieve CIF for sure,” Kim noted.
WC: 163
Girls Golf
By Christopher Lung
World Editor
Gabrielino girls golf ended their historic season undefeated with a record, 10-0, and were named Montview League champions. It was the first time that the team claimed its own distinct title, unlike previous years in which the Eagles tied with the South Pasadena Tigers for first place or ended up as second place. Compared to last year’s performance, many new personal records were set as the team’s overall scoring ability improved. Supported by a large amount of seasoned seniors, the underclassmen were able to quickly rise to the challenge. Six individuals from the team made it to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Round 1, and the future of girls golf looks more promising than ever.
“I’m proud of what our team could accomplish this year,” stated Jasmine Lam, team captain. “I couldn’t be more honored playing alongside such talented athletes throughout this unforgettable season.”
Baseball
By Joshua Raymundo
Staff Writer
The Gabrielino Baseball team started off the season with two freshmen and thus a new identity. Regardless, the Eagles gave it their all every single game and remained confident in themselves, en route to a record of _____. Despite being unable to qualify for CIF, their hard work and dedication were essential to win games, as they overcame many obstacles.
Their teamwork was exemplified in their game against Marshall, where they won by a score of 4-3. “We were down 3-2 in the bottom of the 7th and we had bases loaded. Mauricio hit a sac fly and Dylan scored to end the game,” stated senior pitcher, Nathan Hernandez, later adding that it was, “the highlight of [their] season,” especially because it occurred on senior night.
Football
By Elizabeth Campos
Staff Writer
With the Football team starting off the sports season for Gabrielino, the team won their first home game against Sierra Vista making for a promising year.
“It was hard fought on both sides of the ball and was good opportunity for us to show what we had in store for the season” explained Senior Wide Receiver Nyle Ussery Brumfield “and it was a home game which made the stakes even higher It was a very uplifting game for us and gave us hope for the season.”
Despite the football team’s following losses, the spirit was kept alive through the season as well as the support from students as well. Unable to qualify to CIF, the team worked hard through the year and constantly worked on their strategy at practices through the season.
Cheer
By Rodin Batcheller
Addendum Editor
No longer a co-ed team, the Gabrielino Cheer squad entered into a new division of all-girls teams with more stiff competition.
At two of their regional competitions, the girls placed first and second respectively, which ended up being the highlight of their season as they would usually place lower in such competitions, especially since the first win was during first regional competition of the year, co-captain Sydney Jung, senior, explained.
Feeling confident after receiving positive feedback from their winter rally performance, cheer placed ninth out of 21 teams at the national competition in Anaheim during February, capping a successful season with yet another great run in the United Spirit Association competition.
“I’m really proud of our team and all the long hours of practice we went through this season,” stated Jung.
Swim
By Angelina Liang
Opinion Editor
“I’m proud of how far our team has come,” stated boys swim co-captain Michael Chiu, senior, “especially with a lot of newcomers.”
As a team that has had extremely successful records in recent years, the Gabrielino swim team has once again finished their season with both the girls and boys teams holding 6-1 league records. Both teams won every meet, save for one against their co-league champions, Mark Keppel High School.
Although the Eagles are proud of their accomplishments, they are more grateful that they were able to create a sense of unity that was stronger than in past years. With many new swimmers on the team, returners were able to build an environment that welcomed all team members and contribute to their successes.
Both the boys and girls teams qualified swimmers to the CIF Southern Section Championships held May 7-10. _____ will be moving to the CIF State Championships.
Boys Soccer
By Annie Phun
Sports Editor
This school year, the boys soccer team faced many struggles as their team comprised of many young players. Despite this, Coach Miguel Garcia and his players made it a goal to seek constant improvement.
“I’m not entirely satisfied with how the season ended,” revealed junior Edgar Mercado, “but I’ve learned how to command the field and keep the ball in possession. I can’t wait to use this next season.”
The team ended their participation in the Mission Valley league with a 2-8-2 record. They hope to learn from their losses in order to make a comeback next year.
“Most of us will be seniors next year, so we want to make it count,” stated junior Luke Hernandez. “We’ll enter the season ready to win.”
Girls Volleyball
By Nyah Toomes
Staff Writer
The Lady Eagles had a successful season this past fall. The girls went 12-0 in their league and earned the title of Mission Valley League Champions for the fifth consecutive year.
They came together as a team and placed first at the Garey Tournament for the fourth year in a row. Additionally, the Eagles placed second at the Gabrielino Tournament.
CIF brought the team together as they had to face off against teams made up of six foot girls, while their average height is 5’5. They proved that height does not matter when they finished off their season by making it to Quarter finals.
“Although I am a senior,” stated captain Michelle Wee, “being on the 2017 varsity team was a rewarding experience because of the girls I was surrounded by and the memories we made, while making school history.”
Track and Field
By Kevin Pham
Staff Writer
Last Sunday, qualifying individuals of Gabrielino Track & Field team competed in the CIF southern section masters meet at El Camino College in Torrance, California. Their successes this season has been one of the best years the team has ever seen.
During league finals on May 4th, junior Julien Thai surpassed the school record of __ in the long jumps event and senior Min Han set two school records for both his events, shot put and discus, earning him the league champion title.
“Jumps as a whole did really well this year,” said Thai. “I’m really happy that all our hard work paid off.”
Despite having to assimilate to a constantly shifting coaching staff, the team still managed to triumph, scoring the highest cumulative total for 6 out the 7 league meets this year and 3 out of their 5 invitationals.
