Harris "PUTS" in Her Best Effort

In track and field some of the field events are not glamorized as much as the track events like the 100 meter dash but for senior Nikaela Harris and the Golden Valley track team shot put is just as important as any other event. Harris is definitely one of the best, if not the best shot putter to not only come through Golden Valley High School but the entire Santa Clarita Valley.  Just recently she added to her list of accomplishments by winning the the Fresno State Indoor Championship in shot put this year with a mark of 41’2”.  This past weekend she took home another first place medal but tossing the metal ball 41’3” at the Nike Invitational held at Redondo Union High School. Last season as a junior she won the Foothill league  and looks to repeat that performance again this year.

Like any other athlete that excels in a specific sport or sporting event Nikaela’s ambition to become great shot put started at a young age.

When Nikaela was nine years old she did youth track, but  only running events.  One day she  decided to wander over to shot put. “I started when my brother was doing it. In youth track he was practicing and I went over to where he was and tried it. The coach was shocked and said I need to stop doing the running and start throwing.”  Nikaela never realized that she could be good at shot-put always thinking it was her brother Diontre’s sport.  Diontre who graduated from Golden Valley in 2013 and still holds the school record for shot put at 55 feet would always give Nikaela advice and help her get better. From working out in the weight room to helping her out with her form. Diontre was big help in Nikaela’s success.

John Quam who coached Nikaela for three years saw her potential when she first came to Golden Valley. They would go to throw clinics at Shafter High School in Bakersfield where even Nikaela impressed the Arizona State throws coach. "She was always somewhat scared of the weight room, because she thought she was going to turn into a muscle bound person", says Coach Quam. Nikaela was always the younger thrower and has grown into her throws now. "She has learned that hard work is essential to becoming a great thrower. She also possess an attitude of hating to lose" says Coach Quam. Nikaela says coach Quam has helped so much and been very motivational.

 

Every track meet there is pressure for Nikaela to win so her team can earn points. Even though the event is worth just a few points it has the possibility of making a difference in the always tough Foothill League between the track team winning or losing. There are seven throwers in the group and Nikaela is the leader. Nikaela gives help to the other girls like her brother did with her. This Gives her  a big sister type role which she takes seriously.  “Being an example for the other girls is important because someone was there for me and I think I need to be there for them,” said the senior.  It’s wise for the younger throwers to listen to her because she is a defending league champion and advanced to the Masters Meet during her junior year making her the first junior from Golden Valley to make it that far.  

With a long list of accomplishments and a host of medals hanging around her neck Harris has one more goal that she fell short of last year and that’s the State Championship Meet. “I fell just short of advancing last year so I’m bound and determined to make it this year.  I don’t want anything to get in my way.”  With an air of confidence and experience from last year to build on watch for Harris to not only make it to the State Meet but to hang another medal around her neck before the day is over.

                                                                           Nikaela after winning the Fresno State Indoor Championship

Playoff Bound?

Over the past couple of years the Golden Valley boy’s golf program has had minimal success.  In 2014 they had their best year ever.  Sophomore Jonathan Kang won the league MVP and player of the year.  Jonathan was also the first individual in school history to make the CIF individual playoffs.  Jonathan advanced farther than every other Foothill League qualifier falling 6 strokes short of making the State Championship.  Kang led the team to a second place finish in the 4^th league match of the year at Valencia Country Club defeating West Ranch and Valencia for the first time in program history.   The Boys Golf program missed the CIF playoffs by three strokes.   This year their chances to make it to playoffs seem to be a lot better since they have their top three players  returning.  Those returners consist of Jonathan Kang, Ray Asuncion, and Kameron Hobbs.  These three golfers will be counted on to lead a very young team to heights never before achieved.

            Being a first year player in a program and being asked to contribute is difficult for anyone.  For Sophomore Ray Asuncion his freshman year was just that. “I played to the best of my ability but I know I need to improve my iron game” Being part of a team to barely miss out on the playoffs has sat with Ray the entire off season.  “I was devastated that we missed by such a small amount motivates me to work harder for this season.” 

            Winning a championship for any individual or team is a difficult thing however people in the sports world say that defending that championship is the toughest.  Junior Jonathan Kang is hoping to do just that as he heads into this season as the defending league MVP.  After asking him how last season was for him he explained to me how he was proud of him and his team for making it so far but personally devastated that they didn’t make it playoffs. He says that he personally needs to work and improve. Jonathan states that team chemistry is at an all-time high forming a bond between him and his teammates.

After having the best finish in program history Head Coach Tony Moskal feels this may be the year 

the Grizzlies break through.  “We have our top three returning golfers in Kang, Asunscion and Hobbs

 so I think they’re ready to go out and compete.”  With a solid nucleus of three players the team is in 

good shape.  Needing to find three more is a task Moskal thinks they’ve accomplished.  “Senior Brian

 Bedell quit baseball to come out for the golf team and he’s going to play our #4 spot.  He’s got a 

solid game and he is going to contribute.”  The other two spots are up for grabs as Moskal says, “I’ve

 got three other guys for two spots.” In the always tough Foothill League the Grizzlies are getting 

ready to compete and improve on their finish from last year.  They’re off to a pretty good start this 

season with four qualifying scores and a school record score of 183 on nine holes at the Encino Golf

 Course.  “It was a day where everything came together,” Moskal said of the record score.  “We’ve 

never had one player shoot under par in any round and for us to have three shoot under par shows that

 this group has the ability to put up some low scores,” continued Moskal.  With a solid group of 

returners and some JV players ready to step into varsity sport the future looks bright the 2015 

Grizzlies.

Junior Kameron Hobbs warms up before a match.

Sophomore Ray Asuncion hits his approach shot.

Defending League MVP Jon Kang with his hardware.

Champions are Made in the Off Season

Golden Valley High school has been a struggling Football program since day one. Coming into their 11^th year as a football program, the Grizzlies are looking to change the image that everyone has about them.  They are working hard to increase their skills for next season by intensifying the off-season training program.

            In Coach Dan Kelly’s first year he realized that the Grizzlies needed more off season work. Coach Kelley came from Arleta High School and Sylmar High where he won three CIF championships as an offensive coordinator.  Coach Kelly understands the old saying “Champions are made in the off season”. In previous seasons the Grizzlies have not truly dedicated themselves to lifting.  Coach Kelly is changing that. Coach Kelley noted “I am here to stay, and I am hoping to change the culture of this program.”

             The Grizzlies have been putting in 10 hours a week in the weight room focusing on three main lifts power clean, bench press and squats; and despite their lack of a field due to winter sports, have been using the blacktop to practice footwork. Coach Kelly said, “I am trying to turn this team into hard working athletes. They are working hard in the weight room and on the blacktop. I am looking for big things from Julian Torres a returning senior, Tai Brown an incoming junior, as well as Shane Tamura the returning senior running back, and a lot of other guys”. The Grizzlies are changing the culture of Golden Valley by putting in the necessary work.  They already have 24 players who have broken the 200 pound barrier for bench, and 31 players break the 300 pound barrier for squat. Sophomore Tai Brown says, “We are looking to improve our game. We are taking it day by day step by step; giving everything we have during every rep”.  Junior Quarterback Victor Corona says “Coach Kelly has been pushing us harder than any coach has ever pushed in my entire 3 years. I have already improved 20 pounds in my bench since he has been here.” Since their first league game in 2006 the Grizzlies are win-less in the Foothill League.  In the past Golden Valley’s off-season program was centered on conditioning. Dan Kelly has changed that by involving weight room activities, blacktop activities, and a little conditioning here and there. The Grizzlies are going to be back on the field next week hopes to intensify their training even more. With a new program, a new focus, and more intensity, the Grizzlies are hoping that all of their hard work will pay off come this fall season.

From Average Joe to G.I. Joe

The teen years are probably the most difficult time in a persons’ life. There are teens that make both positive and negative decisions that will make them who they are in life. Some kids decide to make decisions that will affect their life in a negative way. Some kids decide to use these years wisely and make decisions that will affect their life in a positive way. Golden Valley High school senior, Tyler Schumann is one teenager that has decided to focus on the positives and his future.

            At 17 Schumann in his junior year on decided to make what was according to him, “The biggest decision of my life.”  Tyler decided to enlist in the military. Two months after committing to the military, On June 16^th, 2014 Tyler left home and boarded a plane to Fort Jackson, South Carolina. After staying at Fort Jackson for five days, Tyler began his basic combat training. Staying at Fort Jackson Tyler says, “It was a life changing experience.” He was a squad leader and was promoted to Private 2^nd Class in the span of 2 months and completed Basic Combat Training and graduated from BCT on August 28^th, 2014.  The experience of basic training was a difficult one.  Being away from home for the first time is a challenge for anyone, however for a 17 year old boy being in the Army and away from home can be a huge culture shock. Tyler who was born in Southern California was now in South Carolina surrounded by people from across the whole world and his thoughts were, “Eye opening to life outside of Southern California different social classes, backgrounds.”, and even as far as China.

After coming home from Basic Training, Tyler came back to Golden Valley for his senior year. Coming back to school his peers and teachers have seen a huge improvement in Tyler’s attitudes and character. Tyler’s Sports broadcasting teacher at Golden Valley High school, Tony Moskal said, “Tyler has really matured as a person and is more focused and a lot more caring.” When I asked Tyler his reason for joining the military he told me, “To improve myself and serve my country at the same time.” Most high school kids don’t really think this way but Tyler is a special person.  “Once I returned and re-connected with my friends I realized that there was a difference in mentality.  It seemed that I had more common sense than they did and they continued to do immature things that I felt were not the smartest things to do.”  Now that he’s back in high school with those same peers Tyler hopes that his maturity rubs off on some of his friends.  “When I talk to my friends about their decisions I try to help them and explain that what they’re doing isn’t really smart and the real world is going to laugh at them.”  Being an example in high school is tough because kids take things for granted.  “It’s funny because when it rains at school I see kids panicking and running for cover because they’re a bit wet.  When I was participating in a field training exercise it rained for 3 days straight. I had to sleep in a hole filled with water and mud for that time.”  These are the major differences that Tyler has encountered has he has come back to his high school.

            Tyler now is focused on finishing high school, and getting prepared to depart to Fort Leonard Wood MI, for Advanced Individual Training anytime between June through August. After he plans to attend Airborne School and further his military career. Hopefully more people will take after Tyler and further themselves for the betterment of their country and other people.  Golden Valley High School is fortunate to have people like Tyler in their student body.

Written by: Andrew Flores

Sister Act

In this day and age every student athlete wants to continue their sport at the next level, which is college. It’s rare for one member of a family to achieve that opportunity. It’s even rarer for two people to achieve it.  Rachel and Rebecca Ho are two Golden Valley graduates who have done just that.  Stars on the tennis court and in the classroom their success on the hard-court earned them both scholarships to the college level.  Rachel attends UCSB and Rebecca is a student at Washington University in St. Louis Missouri.

Both were stars at Golden Valley High School in Santa Clarita for Head Coach Josh Stimac, “Rachel was a fierce competitor which earned her a great deal of respect around the league. She was also well liked around the league on and off the court because of her easy going and friendly demeanor.” Younger sister Rebecca on the other hand, “was relentless on the court. Earning first team all-league for three years, two of which she was the foothill league individual singles champion,” said Stimac. Rebecca finished 160-13, engraving her name as the winningest girl’s tennis player at Golden Valley High school. “Rebecca is one of the most successful female athletes that ever attended Golden Valley”.

As the sisters had to learn on the fly and transition to playing at the next level, they both mentioned that they continue to use their same style of play from high school. “There hasn’t been any change in my stroke or play style,” said Rebecca. Although the Ho sisters bring their same savvy play style from high school, they still had to adjust to the higher level of competition. On the other hand, in some occasions you could get an early preview of what collegiate sports could be like. “The competition in college is definitely much more challenging, although there were a few exceptional players from the other high schools that presented me with difficult challenges,” Rachel mentioned. That competition in high school allowed Rachel important preparation for success at the next level.

The high level of competition wasn’t the only the struggle the two young ladies faced, juggling their academics with tennis was the most enormous task they're currently facing. “My biggest challenge is managing my time with school and also keeping up with other athletes who have trained just as hard, if not harder than I have” said Rachel.   Both sisters mutually agree how difficult the task can be. “It’s very tough to balance the two effectively” Older sister Rebecca mentioned. Of course balancing the two can be very challenging, but it is even tougher when you attend Washington University which is one of the top fifteen institutes in the country. The well-known UCSB isn’t exactly the easiest schools to attend either. The two sisters aren’t just achieving their goal of being a student athlete at the college level; they are going above and beyond by earning an education at two of the toughest and competitive schools in the nation.

By Nash Solimon

Toby Okunna Signs

Toby Okunna signed his national letter of intent  yesterday to Western New Mexico University. Okunna has only been playing high school football for 2 years but in that time he saw an opportunity that his talents might earn him a scholarship at the next level. " I have worked very hard for this from lifting at 6 in the morning before school to working out another 3 hours after school". Okunna looks to make an immediate impact on the team playing defense end and linebacker by hopefully contributing the Mustangs to a wining season.

by Nick Herrera

2015 Signing Day at Golden Valley

This year Golden Valley had 3 student-athletes sign scholarships. Zachary Bygum, a baseball player, signed with Dartmouth College an Ivy League school in New Hampshire. Vincent Hill, a baseball player signed with Midland University in Nebraska. Golden Valley’s lone football player that signed a scholarship was Nash Soliman, who will be attending Northern Montana State University.

                       

Zachary Bygum is second year Varsity pitcher for The Grizzlies. Zachary is a hard throwing right hander standing at a towering 6 ft. 6 inches with a fastball that can reach up to 88 mph. Dartmouth is a highly touted Ivy League school and Zachary’s 4.1 overall grade point average and talented pitching abilities is what convinced the Dartmouth staff to pursue Zach.

Vincent Hill also in his second year as a Varsity pitcher, has a wide variety of pitches that cause miss-matches for opposing batters.  With a devastating curveball and newly acquired slider that just breaks off the plate, Vincent has the perfect size for a pitcher trying to succeed at the next level.  Standing in at 6 ft. 4 inches he definitely has a pitchers frame and has plenty of  room to fill out in order to be successful as a college pitcher. Midland University is an NAIA school located just outside of Omaha.  After visiting the school Vincent decided that it was the right fit for him and his family, “I discussed it over with my friends and family, and agreed that it gave me the best opportunity to play at the next level.”

Nash Soliman had a solid season for The Grizzlies who had a rough time finding bright spots this season. With 25 catches for 400 yards averaging 16 yards a catch Nash wasn’t a standout but a solid player for first year coach Dan Kelley. Nash isn’t going to kill you with size standing in at 5’7 and 150 pounds, but runs excellent routes and has great knowledge of the game. Northern Montana State University has found what people call a diamond in the rough.  A tough kid with very promising skill set this is the perfect fit for Nash.  “I talked to the coaches and they liked my abilities as a football player.  I wanted to continue to play at the next level and this is a great situation for me.”

by Andrew Sabedra