Fall Sports Update 9/16/08
Posted September 16th, 2008 in Athletics, High School Comments Off
We had a good week last week as Cross Country started their season under new Head Coach Sean Henning at the Laguna Hills Invite and volleyball started off strong at the Gladstone Tournament going 2-2 on the weekend. Football had a good week as they are off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2001. And the grand opening of our new on campus football field was a huge success and the excitement was undeniable. It is an exciting time here at THE WC and this week should not be any different.
CROSS COUNTRY
The Western Christian Lancers had a very successful opening to their 2008 cross country season. On Saturday, September 13, they competed at the Laguna Hills Invitational at Laguna Hills High School. The races were broken up by grade level and school division. Junior Caleb Meister set a personal best for himself by running a 17:09 for the 3-mile course and finishing 35th against juniors from all over the Southern California area. He was 6 seconds off of the Western Christian Cross Country record, which he should get easily by the end of the season. Junior Ben Rinard also had a solid race in running an 18:42 for 71st place. Ben has improved dramatically over the summer, and is expected to compete for all-league honors with Caleb at the end of the season. Junior Nathan Keys ran a great season-opening time, and was very close to his personal best, in running 21:54 and finishing very strong at the end of the race. Freshmen Niko Sapetto and Tyler Keys debuted well for the Lancers. Both having only been running for the past two weeks. Niko ran a 21:53, and Tyler ran a 24:35. Both are expected to improve dramatically over the course of the season as they gain more experience. Sophomore Nicole Dinisi started out the season well by running a 24:05 in her race. Nicole also had a late start to her training this year, and is expected to drop that time by minutes as she gets herself back into shape throughout the year. Overall, it was a successful start to the cross country season, as the team is still getting used to a new coach and new training.
FOOTBALL
VARSITY
C.I.F. Rankings: East Valley Division (XII)
1. St. Margaret’s, 2. Maranatha, 3. Twentynine Palms, 4. Big Bear, 5. Brentwood, 6. Desert, 7. Aquinas, 8. Ontario Christian, 9. Fillmore, 10. Western Christian. Others: Downey Calvary Chapel, Santa Paula, Sage Hill, Bishop Union, Grace Brethren, Kern Valley.
San Gabriel Valley Tribune High School Roundup
Western Christian 19, Calvary Chapel Downey 0
COVINA – In its 88-year history, Western Christian High School’s football team had never played a game on campus until Saturday.
The Lancers didn’t waste the opportunity, defeating Calvary Chapel Downey 19-0 in a nonleague game.
“This feels so good for our team and our fans,” Lancers coach Rob Castaneda said. “All the dedication in getting the field ready and all the fans who came out are just amazing.”
Western Christian was led by Sophomore running back Ryan Salausa, who finished with 163 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries.
“He is a great player for a sophomore” Castaneda said. “He works hard every play and never asks for a break.”
Salausa, also a linebacker, led a Lancers defense that limited the Grizzlies to 99 yards. Calvary Chapel managed only one first down in the second half and entered Western Christian territory once the entire game. Also potent for the Lancer’s defense was Senior Daniel Sutton and Junior Josh Wiley who thwarted any attempt at a Grizzlies’ passing attack.
“Our defense really stepped up today,” Castaneda said. “We gave up a few points last week, but we made some adjustments during the week and they really paid off.”
The Lancers’ Reed Covington scored the first touchdown on campus when he intercepted an errant pass and returned the ball 36 yards for a touchdown, giving Western Christian a 7-0 lead.
Western Christian will face Bloomington Christian next week as its tries to open the season 3-0 for the first time in more than 20 years.
JUNIOR VARSITY: No Report Result: Lost 20-19 to Calvary Downey in a good back and forth game. THE WC is 0-2 on the season.
VOLLEYBALL
Lady Lancer Volleyball began on September 9th with scrimmages against Walnut High School for Varsity, Jr. Varsity and Freshman squads (this is the only school where we are represented by a freshman team). Playing against a large public school has its challenges but the ladies came to play and showed some promising potential for their league games. On Thursday, the JV team had a tough match against Rio Hondo losing the match in 3 to an exciting 17 – 15 finish. The Varsity played on Thursday, 9-11 & Saturday, 9-13 in the Gladstone tournament winning 2 of their 4 games.
Varsity
Varsity vs. Walnut highlights – Junior Chelsea Cramer had 6 kills, Sophomore Taylor Pierini had 6 assists, and Seniors Katy Surface and Christina Mao, and Freshman Lyndsey Caruthers had a combined total of 62 digs on the back line. The team had hard games against Walnut losing the match in 4 games.
Gladstone Tournament highlights – Freshman Emily Beaton who just joined the Varsity team on Thursday had 15 kills during this tournament as did Senior Alyssa Stevenson. Junior Jessica Arguelles had 9 blocks and the defensive line of Seniors Katy Surface and Christina Mao once again racked up over 100 digs.
Jr. Varsity
The Jr. Varsity had an exciting game against Rio Hondo. Highlights included 6 kills by Sophomore Jasmine Lara and 5 kills by Junior Vicky Rorex. Junior Stephanie Yeung also had 8 digs while Sophomore Alexa Cordero lended 16 assists.
