Sports Briefs: Ponytail 14U finishes second at state championships
DOWNEY – The Downey Ponytail 14 and under All-Star team took second place last weekend at the 2016 Southern California ASA 14-under “B” state championships. Two weeks earlier they won the L.A./South Bay District Championship.
The Downey Ponytail All-Stars will also be playing in the 2016 ASA Western National Tournament in La Habra July 26-31. The Downey Ponytail 14 and under All-Stars have certainly had a busy summer.
Several of these players attend school in the Downey Unified School District. Many of these same athletes have been playing softball since the age four and tee-ball. These players also compete against each other at Independence Park during the Downey Ponytail spring season, fall ball and again when the middle school softball season comes around. These highly competitive young ladies play softball year round.
Bottom row left to right are: Breanna Mairena, Serena Quintero, Sara Luna, Hailey Harris, Rita Aragon, Savannah Sanchez and Coach Ariel Arguello. Back row left to right is Coach Richard Ayala, Brianna Luevanos, Manager Teresa Corral, Annalee Ortiz, Savanna Espinoza, Hannah Figueroa, Victoria Ayala, Vanessa Jackson, Bernadette Quintero and Head Coach Nate Harris.
Sara Luna, Hailey Harris, Savannah Sanchez and Victoria Ayala are all students at Doty Middle School. Photo is courtesy of Nate Harris.
•••
The Downey High School girls’ lacrosse team has been busy this summer.
The Lady Vikings have had practice four days a week, from 10 a.m. to noon, since June 20. The girls will continue with their summer program until Friday, July 29, and will take their C.I.F. mandated “dead period” in August.
Several of the Lady Viking lacrosse players have been participating in club lacrosse this summer. Five players have been involved with the L.A. Wave summer session while others have traveled outside the state.
Last season the Lady Vikings finished their season with an overall record of 12-5 and were 6-0 in Ocean League play. Downey was defeated by Agoura 14-2 in the first round of the playoffs.
The 2016-17 season looks promising for the Lady Vikings despite losing one of the area’s best players, Ashley Guerrero, to graduation. Senior attackers Marissa Lopez and Brooklyn Urtez will lead Downey along with junior midfielder Natalie Hernandez.
Coach Mires is looking forward to the upcoming season and sees this team as a more athletic squad that can play both man and zone defense. Mires sees his team as winning another Ocean League title and making a nice playoff run.
•••
The Downey High School boys’ soccer team has been busy this summer. The boys have been practicing and participating in summer league four days a week since school ended on June 10. The boys have had workouts from 8-10 a.m. in preparation for the start of their 2016-17 season.
Downey finished last season with an overall record of 12-10-2 and were 6-3-1 in S.G.V.L. play.
The Vikings were the number three league entry and were defeated by Royal at Royal 1-0 in the first round of the C.I.F. Division 1 playoffs.
Downey High School will be sending three of their current soccer players to the Super Cup in Northern Ireland later this month. Downey sophomores Cesar Ruvalcaba, John Guerra and Oliver Juarez will all be making the trip across the Atlantic Ocean to compete for the 2001 Junior Team.
These three players will be accompanied by two fellow San Gabriel Valley League competitors from Paramount High School. Paramount senior Chris Perez and junior Brian Duarte will be making the trip as well and be competing for the 1999 Premier Team. These five players will be representing the Strikers Football Club and the U.S.A.
•••
The Warren High School wrestling summer camp will be coming to an end next Thursday, July 21.
The camp has been in session four days a week for the past five weeks since school ended on June 10. Workouts have been Monday-Thursday from 8 to 10:30 a.m. with the exception of the week of the 4th of July holiday where workouts were Tuesday-Friday.
The camp has averaged between 20-25 wrestlers each day. Wrestlers have worked on technique daily and have have been on the track conditioning Mondays and Wednesdays and in the weight room getting stronger on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The Bears will continue wrestling camp through next Thursday and take their C.I.F. mandated “dead period” starting the end of July and August.
Assistant coaches Ryan Medina, George Mariscal and Ruben Gutierrez have been pleased with the efforts they have seen in many wrestlers. Carlos Vasquez (106), Latt Lopez (120) Josh Mendoza (120), Gabriel Cabrera (145) and Alexis Galvan (220) are all names to remember as the season approaches.
Several other wrestlers have been to every practice and continue to improve as well. The high school wrestling season begins in November and the summer workouts will certainly pay off for those student-athletes working hard this summer. Classes for the fall semester begin Wednesday, August 17, for all D.U.S.D. student-athletes.