Dobson High School - Equus Yearbook (Mesa, AZ)

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• - Mi-m laying on the team gives me a sense of confidence and motivation to make me work harder towards my personal goals. '' — Mason Rudolph, Sophomore Senior Paul Ponce from the Varsity team concen- trates on fielding the grounder just hit to him. 122 Baseball Sports

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Baseball Dobson Fever As spring fever hit Dobson, fans headed for the baseball field where varsity and J.V. baseball teams demonstrated their skills in the all-American sport. Specta- tors cheered as Marc Leathers struck an opponent out pitching, or as Eric Van- Hook hit another ball over the fence into a frustrated neighbor's yard. The rowdy crowd and energetic team members didn’t let the spirit fade in a single inning during the season. The combination of unity and a desire to win created a strong varsity team. It was led by seven returning players who combined with enthusiastic new players to create a close-knit family who shared a common interest of winning. Junior Dar- ren “Bagel” Tewes said, “Baseball is a team sport. A victory is shared by the whole team and not by any one individ- ual.” The team spent many after school hours and weekends practicing, striving to achieve the team goals of improving as the season progressed and qualifying for playoffs at the end of the season. Fre- quent instruction from the coaching staff headed by Scott Morgan kept the team working hard. (Continued on page 123.) First baseman Senior Eric VanHook anxiously waits to tag out senior Paul Ponce during an afternoon drill. Catcher senior Marc Hogue cocks his arm to throw the baseball to his second basemen dur- ing practice. Baseball Sports 121

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Sophomore Steve Burgess uses all of his strength to control the distance of his hit. During the Varsity-JV scrimmage game, sophomore Butch McLaren waits for the pitch to run to second base. Baseball Catch It (Continued from page 121.) The players were eager to express their pride in belonging to the varsity team and playing for Dobson's coaching staff. Sen- ior Robert Marquardt added, With our excellent coaching staff, and the fact that we were working more as a unit, we had the potential to go all the way.” In addition to practices and games, both teams participated in the slug-a- thon to raise money for their program, and a scrimmage on February 21. Al- though JV lost, both teams supported each other thoughout the entire season. Sophomore Mason Rudolph stated, “It really made us enthusiastic to know the varsity team would help us during prac- tices and cheer for us during games.” The JV team, coached by Dave Tarrent, also worked hard and played to the best of their ability. They displayed constant de- termination and dedication. Both teams showed outstanding effort and sportsmanship during the season. They constantly displayed the attitude necessary to maintain their reputation for winning. IV Baseball. Front Row: Jason Ford, Troy Fowlkes, Steve Burgess, Jason Wilcox, Steve Burt, Ho Nguyen, TJ Tschida. Back Row: Coach Dugan, Eric (emp, Dennis Linkous, Kevin Noreus, Mason Rudolph, Cullen Maxey, John Patterson, Coach Tarrent. Design by Ashley Arnold, Tracey Metcalfe and Brad Treptow. Photos by Jerry Moore. Playing first base, sophomore Steve Burt lunges forward in anticipation of the ball. Baseball Sports