Varsity Volleyball
By Addison Stanton
Coronado Women’s varsity volleyball team took on the Bishop Gorman Gaels. With the student section packed and pumped, the Cougars got ready for this highly anticipated, 5 set maximum match.
The first serve of the first set went to Coronado, and it successfully made it over the net. Gorman handled this first serve and attempted to get the ball over the net for a point, but was blocked by #7, Sarah Sullivan. This block did get the Cougars the first point of the game, but the Gaels were not going down easy. The theme of blocking, spiking, and diving continued all through the first set. Despite the Cougar’s best effort, the first set point went to Gorman.
The second set started out with a controversial point that was given to Gorman. Although the Gaels started to get some momentum, Gorman’s point streak was shut down with multiple spikes by Coronado’s #8, Ashli Dean. Also contributing to the score was libero, Mia Arambula. With her two side out’s and Ashli Dean’s points, the setpoint was awarded to Coronado making the match 1-1.
Diving into the third set, #17 Angelina Sayles slid across the court to save the ball from hitting the ground, and this effort got Coronado a small lead. #9, Camdyn Carpenter, also dives to keep the ball up, giving Coronado a little bit more of a lead. Unfortunately, the Gael’s just barely generated more offense which gave them another set point, making the game 2-1 Bishop Gorman.
With the fourth set on the way, the Cougars came out strong and handled the Gael’s point attempts very well. This led to a long rally that ended with the Cougars getting a point. Then there was another block for #7, Sarah Sullivan, which led to another point. Coronado had the lead for a while but just couldn’t keep their competitors at bay. Gorman’s offense surged forward gaining multiple points, leading to the match point and a final score of 3-1 Bishop Gorman.
Catch them at their next game on October 29th at Centennial.
Varsity Football
By James Williams
The Coronado Cougars football team played their third away game of the season. Coronado played Bonanza in a lopsided match-up on Friday, Sept. 24, and was successful at getting the job done. Bonanza was an opponent that couldn’t hang with the Cougars as they went for a 53-0 victory.
This was the first time the Cougars debuted their new white-on-red uniforms. The players were excited about looking good when on the field. However, the team’s only focus was Bonanza and making sure they got the job done.
“I think our run game was at its peak today,” senior Bridger Freeze said. “Chris brought in 3 touchdowns and that was the difference-maker in this game.”
The Cougars were in cruise control from the start of the game. Senior Chris Avila had a big performance, scoring 3 touchdowns in the first half. The Cougars fought till the very end and put in their best effort as the Cougars won big time on the road.
“That was in my opinion the best performance we had this season,” senior Erik Hurley said. “All phases of the game were in our control throughout the entire game, which is why we won that big.”
The next Cougar home game is on Friday, October 1 against Mojave at 7:00 p.m.
Varsity Women’s Soccer
By James Williams
The Coronado Cougars girl’s soccer team played their third away game against the Centennial Bulldogs. The team played a strong opponent on Wednesday, Sept. 22, and they had a dominating performance. The Cougars went on to defeat the Bulldogs 5-1.
This was the 7th game of the season and the 3rd road game for the team. After ending up in a tie in their first contest, the Cougars have been on a hot streak, beating every team in their path. However, it all starts with the chemistry around the team.
“We have a lot of talent and chemistry on the team,” junior Xayla Black said. “And we really know how to play as a team and score, so we were successful with winning a lot.”
In the first half, the Cougars didn’t score a goal; however, they followed it by a 5 goal performance in the second half. The team was led by seniors Chrysta Vasquez and Alexis Pashales with 2 goals each, and junior Xayla Black scored as well. It took a team effort, and the work paid off with a big win on the road against the Centennial Bulldogs.
“You’re disappointing the people who believe in you if you don’t work hard,” junior Xayla Black said. “I love this team, and we have a lot of work ahead of us.”
The next Cougars home game is on Thursday, September 30 against Arbor View at 4:00 p.m.
Varsity Men’s Soccer
By Addison Stanton
Men’s varsity soccer kicked off their second season game against Eldorado. With a loaded bench, they prepared for a tough game.
With Eldorado in white and Coronado in red, Coronado started with a four man defense, three midfielders, and three forwards. Eldorado on the other hand started with a three man defense, three midfielders, and four forwards. Coronado had the opening kick off as they proceeded to possess and try to make penetrating runs forward. Eldorado intercepted one of these balls and played it over the defense, leaving an Eldorado forward one on one with the keeper who scored six minutes into the first half. Eleven minutes later, a Coronado defender gave up a penalty shot trying to defend another goal from happening. Unfortunately, Eldorado scored off the penalty kick making the score 2-0. A few minutes later, halftime was called and the majority possession for the half was to Eldorado.
“The PK was unfortunate but it was a wake-up call for our team to respond and try to get a few goals back,” junior Jaxon Findlay said.
One minute into the second half, the kick-off went to Eldorado, who sent a ball down to the corner flag, which was then crossed in and scored top right corner, making it 3-0. Right after this, Coronado’s forward had a breakaway that just barely missed and hit the back post. About 10 minutes later, Coronado finally got a goal off a ball that split through Eldorados backline and finished in the bottom right corner. This goal makes Coronado get on the scoreboard, 3-1. Later on in the second half, Eldorado had a corner kick that was cleared out by #21, Gavin Pierce, and converted into a counter-attack leading to a shot that went just over the goal. With the game coming to a close, #10, Mihai Ciobanu, is fouled in the box and is awarded a PK that was scored with two minutes left in the game (3-2). Eldorado took the kick-off and with Coronado’s high pressure, #10 took the ball from the center defender and scores making the final score 3-3.
“I am really glad we were able to come back from being down 3-0 and then bringing that score up to a 3-3 tie,” junior Mihai Ciobanu said. “I believe my back-to-back goals made up for making a mistake leading to a goal by Eldorado.”
Catch them at their next game on October 29 at 4:30 at Coronado.
