Dobson High School - Equus Yearbook (Mesa, AZ)

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The JV baseball team practiced for bours NOT BATTING AN m working hard and watching it pay off. “I found that the maturity level of the team members was outstanding for a team consisting mostly of sopho- mores. The players were leaders, with an overwhelm- ing desire to do well, always giving 150 percent, said Coach Dan Marcello of the junior varsity baseball team. Their intensity level helped them as they worked to- ward the varsity level. When most people think of baseball, they think of players working from Febru- ary to May. This is not com- pletely true. In order to be the best he can be, a player must work hard year round, lifting weights and preparing for the regular season. When February rolled around, the players practiced six days a week for a full month before actual games started. In the practices, the coaches tried to create a positive environ- ment and attitude with disci- pline. The fundamentals of all aspects of the game were worked on in prepara- tion for the games. According to Coach Mar- cello, A winning tradition and attitude for being suc- cessful began to surface due to hard work. Winning had a domino effect; every- one wanted to be a part of it. The team members atti- tudes, hustle, desire to do well and good work ethic combined to help the play- ers as they strove to do their best and move up to the varsity level. Design by Wendy Roberts. Photos by Michelle Cunico. THROWING HIMSELF INTO HIS WORK. During a ncessary practice. Todd Unkus takes the time to polish his pitching style He works on this skill and others, hoping to perform well and improve his game in the course of the season RUNNING ON TIME. With an the energy he can muster, sophomore Charllo Scarpulla moves toward the ball which is flying in his direction. He gives it all he has got. trying to catch the ball and show his skits V Baseball 143

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 What I teed best about being a port of the team was the closeness and team unity We off puSed for one another, and because of our positive attitudes. Marc Olsen, Sophomore STRIKING UP SUCCUSS. Keeping his mind on the game and his ©ye on the bell. Andy Paulo is enthusiastic as he thnks through the steps of what he must do. After practicing many hours, he enjoys seeing the results. HIT OR MISS? Sophomore Tom Sassatelli takes his turn at bat. hoping to score points to help the team win. Stooping down low and fixing his eyes on the bal. Tom concentrates on what he must do in order to score. CATCHER IN THE RYE GRASS. Tony Chapa prepares to catch the bail being fired toward him whie Chris Gash stands behind offering support and motivating his team mate to do well. Support such as this helped the members be friends UP FRONT When he was younger. Tom Sas- satolli tried many different sports, and found that he really loved baseball. In the ten years since then, this sophomore has found that he enjoys It more each year. ' The feeling of playing together made me feel good. Everyone had their own person- alities off the field, but on the field we played together as a team. - Tom Sassatelli JV Baseball. First Row: Mike Scott. Hung Nguyen. Joe Rouget. Andy Swingle. Tony Chapa. Chuck James. Steve Berghoff. Second Row: Chad Taylor, Tom Sassatelli. T. J. Wilcoxsen, Robbie Chlpperfield. Char- lie Scarpulla. Chris Gash. Brett Markuson. Third Row: Raymond Lewis, Marc Olsen, Jeremy Grohman. Todd Llnkus. Chris Hall. Andy Paulo. 142 ports

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With a history of average seasons, the boys’ tennis team got a HEAD START ON SUCCESS by building moral and beating Westwood for a first. Beating a Mesa School for the first time at the start of their season gave the Boys Tennis team the boost of confidence needed to push them into a successful sea- son. Team unity was also a key in the team's success. With tennis being such an individ- ual sport, keeping the play- ers unified was a tough job. However, the boys achieved unification by cheering each other on and avoiding negative com- ments in their workouts and matches. The team had at least one match a week where they faced tough comeptition. Their toughest, Mt. View, was said to be head and shoulders above the rest”. Despite Mt. View's ability. Coach Crabtree was quoted as saying, We should be a contender for second place in the city tournament. The goal of most players was to be top ranked among his teammates. To achieve this status. Coach Crabtree used his own judgement and challenge matches in the ranking pro- cedure. The majority of the team considered this a fair process. Tennis was a challenging sport requiring physical and mental skill, but because ev- ery member enjoyed the game, such skills came easily and successfully. Design by Kathy Pollard, Gina Giallonardo. Melissa Celaya. Photos by Laura Davis. DOUBLES PSYCHOLOGY Brian Cheney uses Ns stare-clown approach to weaken his oppo- nent's defenses as doubles partner Alex Muller readies his infamous monster serve. OUCH! Takmg advantage of Ns multi-pur- pose tennis rocquet. Matf Busta- mante bears the pain and replaces h»s shoe after losing it during on in- tense practice match. GOING. GOING. GONE. Rick Jurgens watches Ns tennis bo'l fly over the fence as he painfully re- members the agony of climbng the chain-link to get it back from the parking lot 144 ports