Tag Archives: JGHS Athletics

JGHS Sports Roundup: Winter and Spring Sports

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By Jason Leyva

How has John Glenn done in sports recently? I’ve gathered spring sports to highlight, as well as a recap of Eagles basketball.

Our first sport highlight is softball. How is varsity softball doing this season? Softball is doing a great job! As of today (March 27) softball is 6-0-1. Some big games include wins against Hawthorne Math and Science Academy 17-0, Avalon 20-1, Leuzinger 6-1, Firebaugh 12-0, and finally a win over Bishop Conaty Loretto 7-1.

In the first 605-League game of the season, the girls easily beat Oxford Academy behind strong pitching from Carissa Galvan and a balanced offensive attack that scored 9 runs in the 3rd inning to put the game away, winning by a final score of 13-3.

The 2-2 tie against the Wiseburn-Da Vinci Wolves was also a memorable game for the team, as the Wolves were a tough preseason matchup and Glenn more than held their own.

Pictures courtesy JGHS Softball Instagram

Our next sport is baseball. The varsity baseball team is off and running this season. As of March 27, baseball is currently 2-5 this season. The team has won against Firebaugh 5-0 and against Bell Gardens 15-3 in preseason games, and in 605-League play they are 0-2 after back-to-back losses to Oxford Academy.

Rain has been a problem for both baseball and softball in the early going, but hopefully the rest of the season will play out as scheduled.

Upcoming home games for softball that you should go to are the “Senior Night” game on Thursday, 3/30, plus games against Artesia HS on 4/4, a non-league game against Bell Gardens on 4/11, followed by back-to-back home games against Cerritos (4/18), and Pioneer (4/21). The 605-League schedule ends with a road game against Artesia on 4/25.

Upcoming baseball games to check out include Glenn against Cerritos on 4/4 (road) and 4/6 (home), some non-league games against Hawthorne Math and Science Academy (4/12), Lynwood (4/14), and Santa Ana Valley (4/15), followed by a return to 605-League play against Pioneer on 4/18 (road) and 4/21 (home); and finally, two games against Artesia on 4/25 (home) and 4/27 (road).

Recapping winter sports with basketball, how did the Eagles do this season? The varsity boys finished with an 11-16 record this season, and at 3-7 in the 605-League, ending in a tie for 4th place. Some of our team’s most impressive games were against Saddleback, Montebello, and Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary. The Eagles won 76-45 against Montebello, 77-54 against Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary, and finally a very impressive 76-26 rout over Saddleback.

The girls basketball team finished at 3-18, and 0-10 in the 605-League, but they had fun and learned some valuable teamwork and basketball fundamentals along the way. A season highlight was the back-to-back wins on December 12-13, including a thrilling 21-20 home victory over Blair High School.

JGHS Lady Eagles on Instagram

JGHS Welcomes New Head Football Coach

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Interview & Photos by Stany Hernandez | Press Release courtesy Dr. Padilla

Updated 3/27/23 @ 3:56pm

Eagles,

It’s official. Please join us in welcoming our new Eagles Varsity Head Football Coach, Elijhaa Penny!

As a graduate of NLMUSD, Penny has returned from his college and NFL career to Norwalk to give back to the community that he is passionate about. We are thrilled to welcome him into the Eagle family and look forward to the skill, experience, and energy that he will bring to our program!

The school welcomed him officially at lunch on Friday 3/24/23 in the quad. Students, teachers, and media were on hand to stop by and say, “Welcome!”

During the March 24 interview in the Quad, Coach Penny described his position here as preparing players to be higher-level athletes and to excel outside of high school. He reported having connections with NFL coaches and college coaches to help students he deems with potential to play at a university or have the commitment for it.

If there are any of our dear readers teetering the edge of playing football or not, Coach Penny says, “You can’t do that with football. It’s almost like a position where you have to be 100% committed. If you have a burning desire, just come out and try it. Other than that, I feel like football is one of those sports where you’re either 100% committed or you’re out.”

His goals for the season include winning the coveted Mayor’s Cup, stating, “I wanna win the Mayor’s Cup trophy, so we’re definitely going for that.” He continues to reflect on the community saying, “It’s definitely good for the city. Our kids are considered to be low-level talented kids but I want to make the best out of the city–whether that’s Norwalk or John Glenn, I don’t look at it any different (when it comes to the community).”

For our football players next fall, be ready to work for Coach Penny! Go Eagles!

ed. note: Coach Penny attended the University of Idaho, and then signed as an undrafted free agent with the Arizona Cardinals, for whom he played from 2016-2018; he then played, most notably, for the New York Giants for four seasons from 2018-2021. The fullback retired from the NFL on November 28, 2022.

Winter Athlete Spotlight: Andrea Urena–Girls’ Wrestling

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By Stany Hernandez

Andrea Urena is a senior and long time member of the Lady Eagles Wrestling team.

She has been dedicated to the program for her entire high school career and won league champ. She reflected back on this experience in the following interview:

  • What drew you to the sport?
    • It made me tired, like I’d never been in such a sport that made me tired like that. I got a good night’s sleep; and you know what, I want a good night’s sleep all the time. After my first win, the rush of getting your hand raised and you doing it for yourself, it was the best feeling ever.
  • Why did you stick with it for so long?
    • I just didn’t want to leave after a while. My friend dragged me to the first practice and I kind of fell in love with it since then. Even if I ever wanted to quit, I wouldn’t, my love for the sport is so much I wouldn’t want to leave.
  • What are your season’s goals? What do you want to achieve?
    • Probably get first place at a tournament, like I’ve done it before, but I’ve never done it individually. Probably be league champ again, two times in a row and just win league again because like I’ve never lost league since I’ve joined the team so if we lost my senior year that would be pretty embarrassing, just do my best and work harder than I’ve ever worked before.
  • What are you most excited for in your last season? Will you cry?
    • I will definitely cry. Probably on my last match, I’ll break down on the mat crying and I won’t get up. You’ll probably have to drag me away. I’m excited for how the season’s gonna go, right now, we have a good, solid team. We’re strong, everybody shows up, and it’s really united. Since it’s my senior year it pushes me to do more, like work harder, and enjoy every moment I have left.
  • How does it feel being a senior and getting your senior night, finally?
    • It’s, like… bittersweet. For senior nights I’ve been a part of, I’ve always tried to make it the most memorable night for my seniors and I’ve noticed that sometimes I’m the only one that does the work, and I think “Will I get that?” But it’s gonna be different; it’s gonna be weird not being the one doing the work, and getting the work done for and I hope it’s nice, and I’m probably gonna cry again. I’ll be crying a lot.

JGHS Boys Wrestling: Are We off to a Good Start?

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By Daniel Altamirano

This wrestling season started off pretty well with a 46-0 Win against Bell High School and a 66-18 win against Gahr High School.

Recently, at the San Clemente Tournament, we had three placers with sophomore Jacob Enriquez (128 wt) taking second, senior Emmanuel Enriquez (122 wt) taking third, and senior David Barahona (HWT) taking fourth. We also have two sophomore transfers: Cameron Nuñez (132 wt) and Ruben Gomez (220 wt) doing really well.

Pictured L-R: Jacob Enriquez, Emmanuel Enriquez, David Barahona (picture courtesy JGHS Wrestling Instagram)

It looks like the JV team and the Varsity team both have a full lineup which is good news because that means more people are joining the team.

However, even with all these victories we have some bad news to share, two of our key seniors — Diego Lopez (152 wt.) and Emmanuel Rebollar (220 wt.) have gotten hurt in a tournament and are out for most of the season; and a couple of our JV and Varsity wrestlers also have gotten sick.

We still have two months left in the season so let’s make this season count! GO EAGLES!

2022 Wrestling Squad (credit)

Here are the big league matches to look forward to:

John Glenn Vs Cerritos 1/12/23

John Glenn Vs Pioneer 1/19/23

John Glenn vs Artesia   1/24/23

Here are the dates for Finals:

Glenn CIF Duals 1/28/23

John Glenn 605-League Finals 2/3/23

Eagles’ Wrestling is led by coaches Monaco Enriquez, Adrian Enriquez, and Martin Gevorkian.

Jacob Enriquez dominates
Michael Rodriguez does a power half in his winning match vs Norwalk

Glenn Boys Basketball off to a Great Start

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By Carlos Lopez

As teams in the NBA season continue to dominate, our JGHS boys’ varsity basketball team has also been brewing up a storm of their own.

As of today (December 9), Glenn has gone 2-5 during their pre-season campaign (not counting many successful tournament games) starting with their season-opening win versus Bassett High by a score of 66-43. Armando Arreola was the leading scorer with an impressive 29-point performance accompanied by Sebastian Figueroa’s notable all-around performance.

I had a chance to talk with the team’s head coach, Sam Abebe, after their first win. The following is our Q&A session:

Q: How do you feel about tonight’s game?

A: “Obviously I’m glad we got the win. But as a coach who wants excellence and wants perfection, I thought that we struggled a little bit: not understanding what we needed to do to break that zone that they played all night. But at the end of the day, I have to understand that we got a win and move on and come back tomorrow and just get ready to work again tomorrow.”

Q: Who or what stood out to you the most?

A: Armando Arreola. The whole game he just played with high intensity; it’s just unfortunate that other guys couldn’t match his intensity. But for his first game here at John Glenn, for him to play that well and be able to score tonight and pretty much be the best offensive player for them all night, I thought he did a great job; he stood out to me the most and I’m proud of how he played.

Q: What should we expect for the rest of the season?

A: “I mean, on paper, this team is better than last year’s team–we’re deeper, we have more guys. But again, it’s a mental thing with this team; today felt like a loss even though we won but how are we going to come back tomorrow? Are our leaders going to step up and say something, or are we just going to keep letting the mediocrity fester? That’s the thing. But we’ll see; it’s early in the season obviously. I’m glad we got the win and we just got to move on now and look forward to Saturday.”

605-League play begins with a home game against Whitney on Wednesday, January 4.

Opinion: JGHS Needs More Sports Involvement–Here’s How

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By Edmundo Manriquez

Involvement in sports at John Glenn High School is declining. Why? Most of our sports fail to win games, win titles, or make it to the CIF playoffs, and why is that?

I believe it’s due to the high workload and expectations that the student athletes have to get in order to play for the school. Student athletes are not able to continue sports due to having low grades, and for that reason, many are not able to continue playing their sports.

Most student athletes who are in sports don’t do advanced classes or strive to gain a higher GPA, and that is due to having to dedicate most of their time in their sport and having to decide which to sacrifice, which is either sleep or doing homework for their classes. Student athletes have a certain amount of time to get a GPA of 2.0 and if they don’t get to that requirement they will not be able to participate in that sport for the entire season of that school year.

As a student athlete, ways to overcome these problems is to communicate with your teacher and let them know that you may be busy or overwhelmed and most of the time they will understand. It is very important to let your teachers know ahead of time or they will mostly deny your requests.

Use your time in school wisely, use the time you have in class to finish up schoolwork so you don’t have to work as much at home. Communicate to your coaches, let them know that you may not be able to show up due to school work, and most of the time they will be understanding. Just make sure you let them know beforehand or else they will think that you are irresponsible and will affect how future practices work.

JGHS Cross Country Season Review

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By Edmundo Manriquez & Daniel Altamirano

The cross country team for John Glenn High School had its first league meet on September 10, 2022, and the final meet will happen towards the end of October 2022. The Cross Country team had more runners than they had last year. And with the newly appointed coach Andy De La Torre, there are hopes that the runners will be able to make it to CIF.

Last year saw a disappointing end for the boys’ team as no one from the boys’ varsity team made it to the CIF playoffs. After the season ended, the boys’ team trained tirelessly and worked hard during the offseason. The girls’ varsity team had one runner qualify for CIF, Melanie Hernandez. Unfortunately, though, she did not make it further. The newly appointed coach for the cross country team, Andy de la Torre, had to pick up from what remained from last season. And began working with the group immediately.

Coach Andy had to pick up from what was left last season, and with the seniors graduating, there would be fewer members on the team. Andy and the remaining team members made it their mission to recruit more members.

The 2022 Cross Country Squad poses
Jacob Enriquez (center) gets warmed up.
Captain Javier Reynoso (#2349) races in a meet.

Bugle Athlete Spotlight: Kaylani Moncada

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By Stany Hernandez

Kaylani Moncada is the captain of the Lady Eagles Volleyball team and an outstanding key player. 

This season has been an exciting one, ending in the volleyball team going to CIF playoffs. They have set their mark on John Glenn history as they have been the first team since 2009 to go to the postseason (see our season recap).

When asked how it felt to learn of this information Kaylani recalled how her heart was racing as she remembered being short of CIF her freshman year via tiebreaker with Oxford Academy and that this year’s team had finally done it. As captain, Kaylani describes this experience as bittersweet, saying, “I still can’t believe [I’m leaving], I feel sad about it because, eventually, I have to let go, but I just don’t know how to. Playing for Glenn Volleyball is a part of me now but what makes me happy about it is that the plans ahead of me are greater.” She has been a member of the varsity volleyball since her freshman year as the only freshman on the team. 

One of the most amazing highlights of the season was when she hit a season high of 40 kills in a game against Whitney High School. She recounted the situation saying, “I was surprised myself! It didn’t feel like 40 kills and my arm didn’t feel tired. I just wanted more and more, but everything was God’s work.”

She is a very humble player, thanking her family, her family, and coaches constantly for their support. She especially gives credit to Coach Reyes for constantly motivating her, even after a rough year with only one win last year. She said that Reyes would make sure to talk to her and reassure her after every game. He told her that the next season would be a great one, and he was right. She is really passionate about this sport and has grown from the season they experienced last year.

Kaylani plans to continue her volleyball journey in college, hopefully attending Pepperdine University without any end in sight.

Glenn Volleyball Season in Review

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Girls make the CIF playoffs for the first time in 13 years

By Laura Gomez

The John Glenn girls’ varsity volleyball team had quite the season, with this team being the first in over a decade to make it to the CIF playoffs.

This year, we came a long way toward qualifying for playoffs for the first time since 2009. With an overall record of 10-8, going 5-5 in the 605 League, it is safe to say that this can be attributed to the hard work, dedication, and energy everyone contributed throughout the season. Through all the doubts from many people here at Glenn, the team worked diligently to prove the doubters wrong and did so.

Being the first team to make it to CIF from the 605 League was a huge accomplishment. Every game we play is like an adrenaline rush; you only care about not letting the ball drop. Everything else, the world, the audience, and the pain, is a blur. When Coach Reyes told us we were going to CIF, everyone became ecstatic. The feeling was indescribable. That was one of the best moments of my life. Sharing it as a team, a program, and a school is even better. Even though we didn’t make it far in the playoffs, being able to say that we went out with pride is an honor because John Glenn High School never goes to CIF.

One of the most memorable games this season was against Whitney High School on Sep 27, 2022, with a victory of 3-2. It was astonishing to see senior outside hitter Kaylani Moncada with a career-high of 40 “kills.”

Last season was a rough patch to cover and recuperate from. This was the year we returned from Covid. This came with plenty of problems: Everyone was out of shape, and no one came to summer practices. It was just a messy season overall. When asked about what makes this season special, Coach Reyes stated: “Based on last year and only winning one game, and seeing how we are still beginners, this being a second year for a lot of people, we’re learning how to compete and win.”

The JGHS CIF Girls’ Volleyball Team

This is what our Captain Kaylani Moncada had to say about the possibility of making the playoffs a few weeks prior to qualifying for CIF: “Definitely. There’s always a chance, even if it’s a wild card. We work so well together, and I know we will earn our spot in CIF. We definitely have the potential for a spot.”

To sum up our season: We were the first team to make it to CIF from the 605 League. We have made a lot of progress, we have created better chemistry as a team, we have had genuine fun, we get bread, and we are the dream team.

We may have had some ugly wins, but it has come to the point where we will take anything we can get.

Eagles Winter Sports Round-Up: Basketball, Wrestling, Soccer

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By Oliver Cisneros

In our first month back for the second semester, winter sports are wrapping up their seasons. Soccer, basketball, and wrestling each have had their own great experiences this season and here is a recap.

SOCCER:

To help recap soccer, here is a quote from Jimmy Torres. Jimmy has been playing soccer for all 4 of his years at Glenn and provided me with a statement about how the team has performed this season: “It’s been a work in progress, the program is trying to build with the potential that the underclassmen have. Upperclassmen play a big role when it comes to the games. Overall, the guys on the team will fulfill their potential in the next upcoming years.”

The varsity boys soccer team defeated Whitney 1-0 on Tuesday, January 25th, the second time they defeated Whitney this year. The team is led by Giovanni Martinez, who scored a hat-trick (3 goals) against Whitney on January 7. In addition to Torres, Junior Jose Navidad also leads the defense at left back.

Aerial photo by O.Cisneros from January 4, 2022

WRESTLING:

For the fourth straight year, JGHS Boys and Girls Wrestling has won the 605-League Championship title. In a meet on Tuesday, January 25th, varsity girls defeated Pioneer 42-15, including junior Trinity Escobar winning her match with a pin. The girls also soundly defeated Artesia 60-12 in a meet on January 24th. The defeat of Cerritos High on January 20th was also notable, as pins by Diana Bravo and Mia Ramirez helped the Lady Eagles win 54-18.

Varsity boys also beat Pioneer by a whopping 66-18 on January 25th. Emmanuel Enriquez, Daniel Altamirano, Diego Lopez, Benjamin Sanchez, and Alex Valdez all won their matches by pins. It has been a dominating finish for wrestling, as the boys also defeated Cerritos in a much tighter contest 39-26, including pins by Freddie Valdivia, Robert Renteria, Diego Lopez, and Jacob Enriquez.

The JV team also finished their season with an undefeated league record.

Initially, our wrestling team was off to a rocky start with the effects of Covid but as their season progressed, it has been pretty successful. All members of the team have been putting in hard work and have pulled through in the end with a much more successful season. In addition to the league matches, Freddie Valdivia, a senior, and junior Emmanuel Enríquez placed 5th at the Monte Claire Classic Bob Bellot Tournament on January 21st.

BASKETBALL:

Finally, the basketball season has been pretty successful this year. The team’s overall score is 9-9 with hopes of making it to the playoffs for the first time in 20 years. Here’s a quote from Natanael Jacobo, a senior who has been playing basketball for all four of his years at Glenn: “As for us we know what we are capable of and I would say we could’ve done much better than what our record says. It’s been really fun and hard but it’s always a rollercoaster when there is success!”

Overall, Covid can be to blame for any of the teams’ lack of performance this season as it greatly impacted the whole school and it’s programs. All the teams this season have worked hard and put in the effort to get to where they are now and will continue to work harder for more successful years to come. 

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