The second half came and the Mustangs were running out the gates. Both Trey Flurry and Jeffrey Malm-Annan were having monster days as Trey took the ball down and Jeffrey scored the TD! 28-14 MT. As Laguna finally was showing signs of resiliency, Ricky Casteneda put them away when he came up with his second interception of the game which lead to another touchdown run for Trey Flurry. The Cardinals were being shut down from every corner and it was all Mustangs. Laguna Creek’s last fight was when Kyle Shepherd threw a long touchdown pass to Shaquille Cornelius but it just would not be enough. With Eric George scoring another touchdown for Monterey Trail, the fat lady had sung. Laguna Creek scored a meaningless touchdown and the game was over.  The Mustangs look to keep it rolling as they play the Grant Pacers next week.

The second half began and both defenses came out with the same mentality of: STOP THE OTHER TEAM! Every time Monterey Trail looked like they were going to get something going, the Tigers shut them down. And it was vice versa; as every time Inderkum had something going, the Mustangs would just make huge plays. Then with Monterey Trail controlling the ball, Wes Lawson broke away looking as though he might have a touchdown and Monterey Trail would lengthen their lead; he fumbled at the one yard line and this cost the Mustangs dearly. With the very next play, D.J. Mayart took the ball 98 yards and the Tigers had re-taken the lead, 10-6. The Mustangs were being beat but you couldn’t tell that they were letting themselves get out of the game. With the Tigers having the ball and at the one yard line, all they had to do was score and the game would be virtually over. But the Mustangs were not going to give up. In the 4 plays, NONE resulted in a touchdown, and Monterey Trail had the ball again with about three minutes left to go. They kept moving the ball down field and came to a 4th down and 5 yards to go. This pass had to be completed or else it would mean the game for the Mustangs. As he dropped back, Lorenzo Hawkins was pressured and let the ball go. From the sidelines, it was a great pass; the ball was just out of reach of the receiver, and with that the game. Inderkum scored another touchdown to make it 17-6 and that would be the final score. The Mustangs look to get back on track and even out their record at 3-3 when they host Laguna Creek next Friday.

After interviewing students on the water polo team, VFTT came across very interesting information on the team’s players. Water Polo is a sport that takes place in a very deep pool. It involves six field players and one goalie, in the pool on each team. A goal shall be scored when the entire ball has passed fully over the goal line, between the goal posts and underneath the crossbar. The game is similar to soccer, basketball, and hockey, but of course, taking place in the water. In a 12 foot deep pool, 6 feet is the shallowest part of the pool. Keeping your feet off the bottom of the pool takes extreme muscles. If your feet do touch the bottom of the pool, you will be withdrawn from the game. Therefore, water polo is an extreme sport.

The MT Water Polo team’s first game of the season was a success. The Mustangs won against  Florin, with a score of 11-9 for men and 19-3 for women! However, when they faced Franklin on September 14th, they were defeated. On September 21, water polo lost to Oak Ridge, 20- 1 for the men and 20-4 for the women. Andre Viloria, a freshmen on our water polo team, believes, “Monterey Trail put up a valiant effort!” They will be at Ponderosa High School on September 28th.

Many new students have joined Water Polo this year. George Le, a freshmen here at the Trail, wanted to “make the name [water polo] known and try a new sport out.” Other swimmers on the team, including Karissa Newton, a senior who was on the team last year believes the “new members are willing to try.”  Let’s hope for a good season!

Water Polo is not just about getting chlorine in your eyes and wishing that you didn’t have that burger before jumping into the pool. You get a lot back from turning into a prune, because you’ve been in the water so long, your muscles are stronger. “Water Polo can go on your college résumé, you gain teamwork skills, and its great on your transcript” according to Shabaz Virk, a senior on the water polo team. Karissa Newton gets a “good work out” from swimming. According to some of the water polo members, Speedos are surprisingly comfortable! “They make you feel FREE!” says Shabaz Virk.

Water Polo is a great sport that takes a lot of dedication and team work. Their next match will be when they face Ponderosa High School on September 28th. GO MUSTANG WATER POLO!!!

 The defense took over after that, as Ricky Casteneda brought the Rodriguez momentum to a complete halt with a fantastic interception. This led to another touchdown run by Jeffrey Malm-Annan and the score was 30-0 MT Mustangs. The defense was coming up with big play after big play with blocked punts, sacks, and incredible interceptions. The Rodriguez Mustangs finally broke through when the quarter back, Jordan Riggins, carried the whole team on his back. Running and throwing the ball he led the team down to the 7 yard line. Two plays later, Billy Hurst took the ball in for Rodriguez’s first touchdown and it was 31-7 MT. Before the first-half ended, Lorenzo Hawkins had another touchdown run and the Monterey Trail Mustangs took a commanding lead into the half 37-7.

The Rodriguez Mustangs came onto the field thinking that much would change and they would finally have things go their way. The Monterey Trail defense did not let that happen as Ricky Castenda picked off Jordan Riggins once again, and as it had been happening all night; a turnover was converted to a touchdown. Lorenzo Hawkins tossed a lob pass towards the end zone for his 3^rd passing touchdown. The rest of the game was taken over by the MT “D”. After giving up 2 field goals, the Monterey Trail team shut down Rodriguez, not letting them get close to a touchdown. With another score by Eric George, the game was over. The final score was 51-13. Monterey Trail is now 2-1 and looking to get another big win against the 1-1 Inderkum Tigers.

Monterey Trail junior Sterling Powell (#31) runs for 25-yard TD

The Monterey Trail Mustangs and Florin Panthers met for the 5th Annual Mark Macres Memorial football game at Monterey Trail High School. The two schools share the football stadium at Monterey Trail, which is named in his honor. Before kick-off, both teams and their schools honored Mr. Macres in pre-game ceremonies, where Mrs. Macres and their son, Blake, participated in the coin toss. The Mustangs won the coin toss and asked to receive.

The Mustangs got on the board first with a 25-yard touchdown from junior Sterling Powell. The Mustangs and Panthers were aggressive as they held the opposing team, which became difficult for both teams to get their first down. The Mustangs finally got a  first down as Powell and junior Viliami Umufuke sacked the Panthers’ quarterback junior Ben Walls. The Mustangs added more to their lead when senior Trey Flury scored a 60-yard touchdown. The long touchdown and successful 2-point conversion made the score 14-0 Monterey Trail.

The Mustangs were in charge at the beginning of the second quarter with three touchdowns. The first, scored by Flury, who ran over 50 yards.  The second was scored by senior Jeffrey Malm-Annan, and finally the third scored by senior Eric George, who matched Flury with 50 yards. The score was 41-0, until the Panthers finally scored with a 54-yard touchdown from senior Rayshawn Johnson, who received the ball over his shoulder that left the crowds in awe. Florin tried for a 2-point conversion but it was no good. The Mustangs came back with a touchdown of their own from senior Ricky Castenada, making the score 47-6. In the third quarter, the Mustangs and Panthers each scored a touchdown. Senior Lorenzo Hawkins scored for his team and senior Lopeti Linauna for his team, respectively. The fourth quarter didn’t have much action as the teams again struggled to get a first down. The final score: Monterey Trail 54, Florin 14.

The Mustangs were assertive the entire game. The touchdowns definitely highlighted their team, and their fans were excited that their team had the offense to match their defense. The Panthers had a tough time making successful passes and getting first downs. Overall, the both teams honored Mr. Macres and played with excellent sportsmanship, and Monterey Trail gets to keep the Mark Macres trophy for one more year.

Monterey Trail senior Lorenzo Hawkins dashes to score the Mustangs’ only touchdown.

From blocks away, one could already feel and hear the energy coming from Mark Macres Memorial Stadium. Students, faculty, and alumni of Monterey Trail and Pleasant Grove high school gathered to see their football teams play in one of the biggest rivalries in the Elk Grove Unified School District. Both teams entered the stadium around 6 PM getting all warmed up before kick-off time at 7 PM. The Monterey Trail cheerleaders pumped up their side of the bleachers and the Pleasant Grove cheerleaders also kept their side energized. The players lined up for the National Anthem played by the Monterey Trail band as they raised their helmets in honor of our country’s song.

The Mustangs played aggressively throughout the first quarter. Senior Juan Albarran sacked the Eagles’ quarterback Cody Demps after he was unable to make a pass attempt. Following that, Mustangs’ sophomore Donovan Robinson nearly intercepted the ball from Demps. The Mustangs were first on the board with a 60-yard touchdown from senior Lorenzo Hawkins, but they were unable to get that extra point- the score at 6-0.

The Eagles tied the game with a touchdown in the second quarter, and took the lead with their field goal. There was a turn of events when Eagles’ junior, Josh Adams, scored a touchdown from Monterey Trail’s 40-yard line. Pleasant Grove’s crowd was pumped that their team had gotten a bigger lead, but the touchdown was called back due to a hold on their team. However, the recalled touchdown did not affect the Eagles negatively as they scored a second touchdown and field goal in the quarter to make the game 14-6.

Pleasant Grove’s Cody Demps carried his team throughout the second half of the game taking the ball himself for a touchdown and having two successful pass attempts for touchdowns. Monterey Trail’s Juan Albarran had two sacks in the game and also picked up a fumble in the fourth quarter. Lorenzo Hawkins scored the only touchdown in the first quarter for the Mustangs. The Eagles’ defense played aggressively the whole game, while the Mustangs’ defense continued to leave receivers open.

Some Mustangs fans lost hope as they started to leave in the fourth quarter after the Eagles scored to make the game 35-6. But most of their crowd hung on until the last second. The Mustangs put up a good fight, but it just wasn’t enough. The Pleasant Grove Eagles went home with their heads held high as their team continued to be the talk of the Elk Grove community. But the rivalry between these two schools will remain until the next time they meet.

Both teams line up to congratulate each other. The Pleasant Grove Eagles won 35-6.

Just entering the big field of tennis courts and you can see all the players rallying with grace and severity combined; it was obvious that they were preparing for the next game.  Looking around and interviewing others, you could see it was practice, but the mood created a sense of a great bond between all players. I interviewed the assistant manager, Agnes Chan, about the team’s performance so far. Agnes replies that the team is “going good”. She describes it as though they are having fun, they can always improve their game.

Walking around the courts you see varsity’s #1 singles player, Tommy Luu. He’s been playing tennis for 3 ½ years and, through all the hard work and training, he enjoys playing the game. He is greatly impressed in his team and sees it as a brotherhood.

The one thing about tennis is that you don’t have to play alone; tennis can also be played cooperatively with another, which brings us to the #1 Doubles team: the dynamic duo of Son Yang and Dean Le. They both explain how difficult it is to work as a team (mainly the communication) and the benefits, since that they have to grow a companionship in order to be a good team. However, they both agree that playing singles would be a whole lot easier on them. The most important thing is that the pressure is still the same, maybe even doubled, for them both, but they put all effort into it.

The varsities aren’t the only ones performing at their greatest. The junior varsity is working just as hard to step up their game.  Speaking to one of the JV players, he explains that he has improved greatly since his first day, but he still needs to get better. Luckily he gets help from the varsity players and some veterans that come by to rally also give him pointers and tips so he can step up his game. As for pressure, he stays cool and keeps at it, all while avoiding any possible flaws in his game.

These guys are performing at their best, and everyone should go see one of their games whenever they get the chance. So what are you waiting for? Give our tennis team some pride and root for our hardworking student athletes!