Bishop Amat High School - Tusitala Yearbook (La Puente, CA)

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Boys Volleyball Sets New Preoedent Coach Mathews disciplined the players, and made each one work hard and stay conscious of his mistakes. There was another entry into the history book with the for- mation of the first boys volley- ball teams. ln spite of being first year teams, both the Boys Varsity Volleyball team and the Boys Junior Varsity Volley- ball team were considered to be strong and had high hopes for victory largely due to the out- standing work of Mr. Brian Mathews who coached both teams. At the beginning of the season the teams had a weak- ness in communication. As time progressed, they realized that teamwork was the key to suc- cess. The teams consisted of 24 members, an elite group from a tryout squad of 130 students. The tryouts were held for two months in the early morning hours and during late evenings. Each member was picked ac- cording to their ability and con- sistency in passing, serving, set- ting, and spiking the ball. Thus, the teams were made up of the finest players the school had to offer. Coaching two teams at one time required much dedication on the part of Coach Mathews. I Boys Varsity Volleyball Cathedral Cathedral Upland Flintridge 'Saint Paul 'Mater Dei 'Bishop Montgomery 'Saint Paul 'Mater Dei Upland ' Indicates Angelus League ! as it fs , el Hernani Ledesma He gave up much of his free time to organize, form, and coach the two teams. Even though coaching two teams at one time was very time con- 5 suming, I enjoyed working with them and didn't mind the hard work it took, Coach Mathews stated. The players appreciated his dedication. As expressed by senior Hernani Ledesma, Coach Mathews disciplined 5 the players, and made each one E work hard and stay conscious of his mistakes. . Both teams started the sea- son with only a few victories, C E i ? but they did not give up hope s . ss . Qssssff and confidence. Each player continued to practice their ba- 3 sic skills, while correcting his mistakes. After playing many at games together the members of the teams slowly improved and began to communicate with one another. They also realized that they had to play as a team and not just for themselves. Their hard work and effort inevitably made them successful in addi- tion to being the first boys vol- leyball teams. Thus, these his- tory-making teams enhanced the athletic program. . L 3 i . yZig:s 5 . Gladstone 'Bishop Montgomery 'Saint Paul 'Mater Dei Gladstone ' 'Bishop Montgomery 'Saint Paul 'Mater Dei 'Bishop Montgomery Bottom to top: Mark Gaul, Hernani Ledesma, Joe Halbmaier, Doug Ramos, Manager Rodney lnjarusorn, John Urbayan, Manuel Delgado, Eddie Yer- kish, Jude Urbayan, Mike Connis, Peter Beck, Abraham Tang, Eric De La Cruz, Coach Brian Mathews. 270 Sports

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Freshmen Begin With High Hopes Practicing, to me, is hard Work and that is what makes a team number one. Niki Hanamaikai Front row: Juan Delgado. Chris Moreno, Mike Rogers, George Garcia, Richard Gon- iaies, Eloy Gallegos, Jesse Alveraclo, Rafael Uribe. Miles Chen. Secorieci l'0WZlJQff L Judziewicz. Jesse Holguin, Emle Rivera, Carlos Cervantes. Jeff Gustavasorx, Brandyn Hayward, Niki Hanamaikai. Tommy Provenclo, Mickey Valasco. Third row: Nathan Hawkins, Elar Gallagher, Joel Kelly, Zackery Zertuche. Erik Moore. Gregg Mann, iohn Ludwiczak, David Korey. 1 1 i 1 1 The most important part of playing team sports was having the right attitude. The Fresh- man Baseball team contained many members that exempli- fied what the right attitude was for playing sports. As freshman baseball players, they had to deal with feelings of insecurity, excitement, and curiosity as to what the new season would hold for them. Most players played baseball before they came to Bishop Amat. They were used to some practice, but were surprised at the amount of work that was demanded of them. It made completing homework a diffi- cult task, but these players seemed to accept the challange with eagerness and anticipa- tion. As stated by Niki Hana- maikai, Practicing, to me, is hard work and that is what makes a team number one. The other thing that made the team great was the coaching staff of Mr. Richard Wiard and Mr. Steven Hagerty. The hopefuls began tryouts with some heavy doubts, but managed to work up a positive attitude. Mike Rogers ex- pressed honestly, I was ner- vous seeing all the competition and wondering to myself if I was good enough. Many of the players started out with these worries, but a few turned their worries into constructive emo- tions. Ernie Rivera explained, I felt like I was learning some- thing new everyday. The season ahead of these players was not at all bleak. In fact many felt that with their stong hitting and good defense they could come out on top. They wanted to show the other teams that they were worthy of praise. High hopes and willing- ness to do what they could to achieve their goals was the plan. Winning did not seem to be all that was on their minds. Having fun and making friends was also important. Many be- lieved that that was what base- ball was all about. In the words of Niki Hanamaikai, No mat- ter if we won or lost, the team felt like a family and will re- member how much fun they had playing Bishop Amat base- ball. Freshmen Baseball . Claremont South Hills La Serna Glendora Beverly Hills I Bosco Tech Northview Downy La Salle Edgewood La Serna Alhambra Beverly Hills Saint Paul Northview Montclair Glendora I La Salle Arcadia Burroughs Bosco Tech Saint Paul Saint Francis Burroughs Arcadia Bosco Tech I Arcadia Alhambra Saint Francis Freshmen Baseball 269

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Junior Joe Halbmaier fiercely spikes the ball through the hands of his opponents. Spiking was one of the key ways to score in volleyball. grgggu , 1-as Leaping high in the air, senior Abraham Tang returns the ball. His leaping ability contributed to his spiking ability. Attempting to block the opponent's hit, senior Eric De La Cruz reaches above the net. Blocking was a major defensive skill in volleyball. Freshman Greg Heyman sets the ball for his teammate, sophomore Anthony Hernandez. A perfect set was essential for a successful spike. Cathedral , V Cathedral , ' Upland 'Saint Paul 'Mater Dei 'Saint Paul 'Mater Dei Bottom to top Jerry Perez Anthony Hernandez, Greg Heyman, Chris Gonzales Jay l-lalili Robert Bautista Robert Elder, lvan Tovar, Paul Moetu- iui Jeff Martin Mario Navarro Coach Brian Mathews. 'Bishop Montgomery Boys lunior Varsity Volleyball Upland 'Bishop Montgomery 'Saint Paul Mater Dei 'Bishop Montgomery 'Saint Paul 'Mater Dei Y lk Bishop Montgomery ' Indicates Angelus League Boys Varsityflunior Varsity Volleyball 271