The first round of 2011 sports has come to an end. That means we have to get ready to root for the next round of teams, Mesa! There are Girls and Boys Basketball, Girls and Boys Soccer, Wrestling, and Girls Water Polo. These teams are all very confident and are looking forward to their upcoming seasons. 

To begin with let’s talk about our Girls’ Basketball Team. Our motivated team is led by the guidance of Marlene Castro, Molly Settles, and Noor Salameh. When asked about their captains, every team member had great things to say about them. Eloisa Martin said, “They know how to set good examples.” Colleen Mino called the girls good motivators and Alexa Loredo said, “They are patient with our mistakes.” “I feel that as long as we keep working together we will be successful,” Noor Salameh, senior, sad. “We work hard at practice every day and have a lot of potential and we are hoping that it will show during league.” Marlene Castro added. The captains also have faith in their team for when they were asked about this they said that they as captains have to set the tone to motivate everyone to work their hardest. The girls also have much respect for their coaches saying that they are fantastic and extremely committed.  The coaches put tons of time into the program and the team appreciates all their effort very much. The Girls’ Basketball Team is ready to take on this season and to win league.

For Girls Soccer, there are only five returning players from last year. Head Coach, Dan Johnston, expressed that he was working with a “whole fresh crew.”  He mentioned that the team had a strong defense, but the players need to work on their attack.  The team is starting off the season with some obstacles.  Three of their starters have faced injuries in preseason.  The star players to look out for on the field would be: Cindy Mejia, a team captain who is known to be a playmaker, Darian Miller, a forward who is an efficient scorer, and Carly Dixon, another team captain known to be a great stopper.

The Wrestling team is led by coaches Paul Serio and David Garcia. The team seems to be well led by their captains Eduardo Hernandez and Jory Hartshorn. The brotherhood between the team is clearly shown by the effort and dedication each person shows to the team and everyone on it. Perry Brophy said with pride, “We depend on each other to pull each other’s weight.” Coach David Garcia said he was expecting, “progress, plain and simple, progress,” out of the season this year. He also added, “We don’t have stars, we are a team, and we are one unit.” This year’s team may finally be the first team in the history of CMHS to make it to state, a goal which is in the minds of each and every wrestler on the team.

Girls Water Polo also has a fresh line-up as well.  Head Coach, Tim Postiff, says he has a “young, but talented team.”  The team only has one senior and has lost five players from last year.  Coach Postiff also says that “all the kids are stepping up” to play. The team placed 2nd in league last year, and there are high hopes that the team will hold this place.  A star player to look out for would be Kaitlyn Hill, an efficient goalie.

Boys Basketball seems to have a strong team.  Considering the fact that the team has lost 5 seniors, the players seem pretty confident.  Starting shooting guard, Nick Hefner, says the team’s “all ready to go.”  He also believes the team is more solid than last year.  The team has more faster and accurate shooters than last year.  The Boy’s Basketball’s team finished 3rd in league (5-5) last year.  The team is training to improve on their Pressure Break and to limit the amount of turnovers per game.  Some star players to focus on out on the court are: Nick and Kyle Hefner, Jordan Walden, and Nick Dawson.   

Let’s not forget about our Boys’ Soccer Team. The team has already had a good start to the season. They boys are led by Franco Ramirez and Brian Delgadillo. They seem to have great confidence in their coaches, Adrian Medina and Juan Becerra, for all of them agreed when one said, “We think our coaches are pretty good, but they are on us to work harder.” The entire team was very happy and calm before their game, showing how confident they are and how much trust they have in each other and their abilities. Their captain, Franco Ramirez, said that it is very possible to win league this year and that they are going to train harder this season than ever before. Whether or not training becomes more intense, the team seems to be prepared enough to be well on their way towards many victories.

Practicing everyday for 2 hours and sometimes 6 on the weekends. Constant worry about injury and having complete trust in your teammates. This is all just a part of being a cheerleader.

Mesa Varsity Cheer’s state championships (the Cheer equivalent of CIF) happens this Saturday at the Home Depot Center in Carson. A total of five teams are competing with Mesa going in for a bid for nationals. When asked how they were preparing for this important competition, Summer Rudas answered, “Lots of practicing. It can get intense.”

While there are some nerves, the seniors seem pretty confident they’ll qualify. Summer Rudas said “I don’t care. It’s fun. I’m just excited, not nervous.” Kerlly Castellano claimed “I’m just mad that it’s [the competition] on my birthday.” If Cheer qualifies for nationals, this will be their first time actually competing. Two years ago, the Cheer team was honored with an award at nationals but didn’t actually compete. Nationals take place in Disney World, Florida. “We really want to win,” said Brooke Wanbaugh. Armed with a new competition coach, Varsity has been focusing more on competition this year and seem to be having a successful season so far.

To qualify, Mesa Cheer only has to obtain a certain score (placing doesn’t matter). Teams are scored on bobble (wobbling or falling), tightness, recover, and spirit. Judges are also said to be big on signs. The girls gave us a preview of their dance routine and showed us a few tricks such as the 360 tick tock. Kerlly Castellano and Selena Arreola even put in extra time to help with choreography.

“It’s hard, thinking about so many things at once,” Alyssa Hatton explains, “getting to your spot, getting your flyer up in the air, getting your jumps high. All at the same time having strong arms and a smile on your face.” Problems that face cheerleaders everyday, especially with State Companionships right around the corner, would be injury. If a girl were to get injured, they would have to be replaced by a Junior Varsity member, who would have to learn the routine. Because of this, Natalie Fowler is competing despite having an injured wrist. “I have no idea how bases do a routine and manage to lift another person up,” said flyer Summer Rudas.

The girls’ preseason soccer game last Thursday against Los Amigos ended with a 0-0 tie.  Both teams had ample opportunities to score, but each shot always saved by the goalie, defense, or was simply a missed opportunity.  

Things became tense, when Mesa’s goalie, Maggie Acevedo, got injured, in the first half when she went to save an attempted shot. "The girl crossed it, she kicked it out of my hand, and also kicked my ear." Maggie was okay and continued playing for the rest of the first half. Injuries happened on either side and despite many shots scored on either team’s goalies, neither school got the chance to score.

Regardless of the freezing temperatures, many spectators came to watch the game. Students and parents alike came to cheer on the players. “I’m very interested right now! Even though it’s 0-0,” spectator Royce Friedmann said, during half-time. “Cindy’s doing beast!” he added. Cindy Mejia, a senior who’s been on varsity since her sophomore year, is one of the three captains. 

This was only the girls' second game and their first ended in a loss unfortunately. Some players saw this game, better then a loss. “We did good as a team, second half was much better though. We should have started how we did second half,” senior, Daniela Benitez said after the game. There are still many games left before the season starts, which means more chances the team will have to win.