Spring Sports Work Towards Successful Seasons
By: Dylan Jennings
Writer
Spring sports are in full swing. Whether you’re wanting to see the swim team swim like fish in the sea or the baseball players swing for the fences, there is always a sport you can watch during this time. There are currently seven spring sports that are all starting up. With the addition of El Capitan High School to the Central California Conference (CCC), the league may be shaken up. While this article will be a two-part piece, let’s preview a few sports from Buhach Colony High School and see what these teams will bring to the table in this year’s CCC title race.
Writer
Spring sports are in full swing. Whether you’re wanting to see the swim team swim like fish in the sea or the baseball players swing for the fences, there is always a sport you can watch during this time. There are currently seven spring sports that are all starting up. With the addition of El Capitan High School to the Central California Conference (CCC), the league may be shaken up. While this article will be a two-part piece, let’s preview a few sports from Buhach Colony High School and see what these teams will bring to the table in this year’s CCC title race.
Seniors Michael Casso and Zach Pisacco will bring their leadership to the team this upcoming season.
Photo by: Dylan Jennings |
Baseball
Baseball is about to be in full swing and coach Greg Wakefield believes that his team is headed in the right direction to compete for the title this year. Wakefield says, “Our goals are pretty similar every year and that is to play for a league championship, to be a playoff team, and to at least play a game at the University of Pacific.” For everyone who didn’t know, the section playoffs are played at the University of Pacific, so teams have a long road ahead of them with playing at the University of Pacific at the end of these roads. This path will especially be difficult for Buhach Colony baseball. “Our league is always really good from top to bottom,” says Wakefield when asked about the competition in the CCC. This year El Capitan is joining the fray and that adds another really good program into the title race. Wakefield just wants to prepare to finish well in the league before taking the next step. Last year, the varsity baseball team was fairly young and this year has many returning players who Wakefield believes need to step up in order to reach the team’s maximum success. Some of the seniors that Wakefield believes will make a big impact this year both on the field and |
with leadership roles are 2nd baseman Michael Casso and right fielder Christian Witt. Casso is a four-year varsity player and Witt is a three-year varsity player so they both know how the program works and they need to set a good example for the team to ultimately be successful. While the team is swinging for the fences they will also be swinging for a CCC title.
Swim
This year’s swim team is ready to turn the tide in the CCC title race. They believe that they are more than capable in bringing home this year’s CCC title and beating Merced’s varsity swim team who hasn’t lost a meet in eight years. The team is starting off the year at full speed. Coach Justin Tanzillo states, “We’re about where we were at the end of last year which is pretty good for a sport where you need to go fast to win.” In sports where you compete for speed (ex: track and swim) the goal is always to go faster and to increase your speed. Tanzillo says that this year’s team is very deep and he believes there are a couple athletes who can really help with this team’s success. Senior Garrett Groth, juniors Zachary Fookes and Luke Bird, and sophomore Aaron Helfgott are a fewathletes who Tanzillo thinks will be able to make a great difference. Fookes mainly competes in the 200 freestyle and the backstroke and made the top 15 in last year’s sections for his 200 freestyle. Bird also qualified for sections last |
Senior Garrett Groth will compete in the butterfly for the swim team.
Photo by: Dylan Jennings |
year and he too finished in the top 15. This year he will compete in the 200 IM and the 100 breastroke for the swim team. The 200 IM is where you swim two laps, there and back, of each kind of stroke. These strokes include fly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle. Groth races in the butterfly. Last year he started at 1:10 and he ended with a 0:58, dropping 12 seconds. Tanzillo includes, “Not many people can do the butterfly in under a minute.” Helfgott does the freestyle and he has already beaten his time from last year. On the boys side of things, the team is looking brighter than ever.
On the girl’s side, Tanzillo believes that Seniors Gwynne McBride and Emma Seifert as well as junior Pamela Solano will be key contributors in the team’s success this year. Tanzillo has high expectations for McBride as he says, “Gwynne has had success the last four years of swimming and she has always been a powerhouse in girl’s swimming.” This year he believes that she will do the 200 IM and the 100 freestyle. Last year Solano made it to sections and in the process set the school record for breaststroke with a 1:13. This year she will be doing the 100 fly and the 100 breaststroke. Seifert got second last year in the 100 freestyle, which Tanzillo believes is impressive for someone who comes from volleyball and doesn’t do swimming year round. This year’s swim team has the weaponry to turn the tides and to bring this year’s title to Buhach.
Men’s Golf
Men’s Golf is also in full effect and this year’s team is definitely joining in with the youth movement. Coach Michael Bell says “We’ve got 16 members on the team and 14 of them are freshman and sophomores.” Bell’s goals are to be in the top spot in league in a few years when his young players develop and get even better. However, this doesn’t limit Bell’s expectations of his team this year. He believes that they are more than capable of finishing in the top half of league and going to playoffs. One guy to definitely watch out for is sophomore Justin Pasley, who went to the second round of playoffs last year as a freshman. Bell believes that Pasley will score in the low 80s and high 70s in a 18 hole match. A score in the 70s means that you are shooting really well. Another top player might be freshman Keitaro Thao. Even though he is young and hasn’t competed at the high school level yet, Bell believes that in the next few years, if not this year, Thao will be one of the highest scorers in league.
Similar to other sports such as football, basketball, and baseball, golf also puts a big emphasis on team chemistry. One tradition that Bell likes to do is take a trip up to Mariposa, compete up there, and then stop at Happy Burger on the way home. Bell believes that traditions like these will build team chemistry and the more that his team plays together, the more they will improve as a team. The golf team may be young, but they have a fire to fuel their way to the top. Look out for the golf team this year, because they may be swinging for a league title.
On the girl’s side, Tanzillo believes that Seniors Gwynne McBride and Emma Seifert as well as junior Pamela Solano will be key contributors in the team’s success this year. Tanzillo has high expectations for McBride as he says, “Gwynne has had success the last four years of swimming and she has always been a powerhouse in girl’s swimming.” This year he believes that she will do the 200 IM and the 100 freestyle. Last year Solano made it to sections and in the process set the school record for breaststroke with a 1:13. This year she will be doing the 100 fly and the 100 breaststroke. Seifert got second last year in the 100 freestyle, which Tanzillo believes is impressive for someone who comes from volleyball and doesn’t do swimming year round. This year’s swim team has the weaponry to turn the tides and to bring this year’s title to Buhach.
Men’s Golf
Men’s Golf is also in full effect and this year’s team is definitely joining in with the youth movement. Coach Michael Bell says “We’ve got 16 members on the team and 14 of them are freshman and sophomores.” Bell’s goals are to be in the top spot in league in a few years when his young players develop and get even better. However, this doesn’t limit Bell’s expectations of his team this year. He believes that they are more than capable of finishing in the top half of league and going to playoffs. One guy to definitely watch out for is sophomore Justin Pasley, who went to the second round of playoffs last year as a freshman. Bell believes that Pasley will score in the low 80s and high 70s in a 18 hole match. A score in the 70s means that you are shooting really well. Another top player might be freshman Keitaro Thao. Even though he is young and hasn’t competed at the high school level yet, Bell believes that in the next few years, if not this year, Thao will be one of the highest scorers in league.
Similar to other sports such as football, basketball, and baseball, golf also puts a big emphasis on team chemistry. One tradition that Bell likes to do is take a trip up to Mariposa, compete up there, and then stop at Happy Burger on the way home. Bell believes that traditions like these will build team chemistry and the more that his team plays together, the more they will improve as a team. The golf team may be young, but they have a fire to fuel their way to the top. Look out for the golf team this year, because they may be swinging for a league title.