The winter season of sports has notoriously been known to have been the hardest season for Student athletes as around the November- February time range it tends to be the part of the school year that is the most crucial and challenging. Balancing school and their respective sport is not easy but something they manage their way through, with the Winter sports season finally coming to an end our Student athletes across LAUSD can rest now. Here is a recap of HP’s Winter sports season.
Basketball
Kicking things off with our boys basketball team, with new Head Coach Marvin Bragg at the helm and a team senior heavy the year prior they were eager to get things going and prove people wrong. Led by Eastern League Co-MVP Tylen Singletary The Spartans ended the first semester of the season on a high note defeating Garfield in a signature victory that placed them on top the standings of the Eastern League. Coming into the second semester of the season the Spartans were certain they were going to capture their first league title for the first time in a long time in this program’s history, but met their fair share of struggles with crucial losses to Roosevelt and Bell and even dropping the rematch against Garfield. HP found themselves finishing in third place in the league. They were able to make a deep run in the Division 3 CIF playoffs breezing through Wish Academy in the first round then going on the road over to Hollywood where HP upset them on the road on their home court. They would ultimately meet their match against the number one seed RFK Academy losing by a final score of 28-55.
“To others the expectations for this season were very low considering that we lost 6 seniors last year and also lost our coach. But for us seniors we put high standards for ourselves by having workouts during the summer without a coach guiding us. We started the season off very strong winning our first three games including a big win against Garfield. We unfortunately couldn’t win the league after some regretful losses but I’m proud of the team since we doubled our league wins from last year. With our hard work and our coaches motivating presences we went a division higher and significantly improved as a team from last year. Even though the playoffs didn’t go how we wanted, I’m proud of the team making semis playing a division higher. So overall this season was a great one, exceeding expectations.” says #4 Matthew Flores Sr, Small Forward
Sticking with basketball we go over to the girls basketball team who have had a fairly different season compared to the boys squad. They had their fair shares of ups and downs during the season going 8-17 on the season losing in the second round of the CIF Division 4 playoffs. The team was led by senior Kandie Chavez, point guard for the team, leading the team in just about every major stat category embracing the heavy workload she had to endure during the season. The squad finished 4th in their league sweeping season series to South Gate and Roosevelt easily. The HP girls were able to muscle out a playoff game defeating Maya Angelou Community 15-18 , their season would unfortunately come to an end losing to the number one seeded Maywood CES in the second round of the playoffs 33-36, a tough one to swallow.
“This past high school basketball season was one to remember, filled with hardwork, teamwork, and unforgettable moments. From the very first game our team was not the best, most players were new and didn’t really understand the game of basketball. But throughout the season the team improved by practices and commitment. Close games testing our focus as big wins boosted our confidence and brought the school together to support us at games. Every player contributed whether it was by scoring, defending, or simply just encouraging teammates from the bench. The energy in the gym during rivalry games and our playoff run made the experience even more special. By the end of the season, we had not only built stronger skills on the court but also stronger and closer friendships off it, to me that’s what its all about playing for each other and forming a family” says #2 Haley Tath, Shooting Guard
Soccer
Shifting our gears to the HP soccer programs our boys had a relatively up and down season starting off the season on the right foot starting out winning six of their first seven matches and things looking good for the team. But after that is when the team struggled to stay healthy as the squad was derailed by injuries the key one being #10 Alvaro Polanco senior who served as a forward and midfielder for the team. The struggles on health led to a free fall for the Spartans going winless in their next 14 matches, drawing in one and losing in thirteen of them placing a mere 6th place in league ahead of Roosevelt by one draw. With the tough regular season coming to an end HP finally were able to get healthy in time for playoffs with key players returning to lead HP into a great playoff run getting through the first and second round against Jefferson and AHSA, they unfortunately met their match in the quarter finals when they ran into RFK and much like our boys basketball team they were knocked out by RFK 3-1 ending their season.
“Coming off a championship appearance we were hungry for revenge this season trying to get over the hump this season and unfortunately things didn’t pan out our way. I’m proud of the way this team fought and stayed together even when we were being killed by injuries. Im grateful to have finished strong with this group, I love these guys” states #00 Angel Santillan, Goalkeeper
For the HP girls soccer team, their season looked up as they started off the season with an impressive 3-1 record with wins against Wilson, MACES, and Diego Rivera before league kicked off, they came storming right out of the gates. Unfortunately a rough start to the league season put the team into a bit of a rough stretch dropping their first 3 league games which led to them finishing with a less than spectacular 2-10 in league play placing them last place in league. Definitely a bright spot on the season was the Spartans victory on January 16th against their bitter rivals Bell High School with the final score of 2-1 earning themselves some bragging rights beating their rivals. Although the Spartans struggled in league games in non-league games they played very well finishing with a 6-4 record earning themselves the 3 seed as they began the Division 3 CIF playoffs. The Spartans showed heart, advancing to the quarter finals running into a hungry Verdugo Hills team, after tying in regulation they faced each other in penalties where HP fell to the 6 seeded Verdugo Hills team upsetting the 3 seeded Spartans.
“The 25-26 Soccer season started a little rough after losing our first game of the season but we were able to come back stronger and were able to win the next three games in a row. The season had its ups and down although we had some wins we also had many losses not just in games but also lost multiple players. We had long 3 hour practices Monday through Friday but overall it did benefit us on and off the field. On the field we were able to put to use all the corrections we made to our skills and off the field we were all able to make new connections within each other. This season thought us many lessons, but also allowed us to have fun and make new friendships “ says #14 Kelsey Sandoval, Sr
With the tough season of winter sports coming to an end we congratulate all of our student athletes who went above and beyond in the classroom and on the pitch or court. This winter season certainly isn’t the easiest to balance sports and school with, the lifestyle certainly isn’t for everyone as we give thanks to our student-athletes across the district for putting on a show for each city’s respective schools.
Written by Adrian Garcia, Sports editor