Athlete of the Week Articles

For senior Case Bruton, the secret to success is hard work. The shooting guard from St. Joseph is the team’s leading scorer and a ball-hawk on defense. According to Knights head coach Tom Mott, the reason for Bruton’s success is attributed to his work ethic. “Case is a good player because of the work he […]

Simone Swain does it all on the basketball court. A forward from Valley Christian Academy, Swain is playing at a level her opponents can’t seem to match. Only a sophomore, she’s shattered the career record for blocked shots at her school, registering more than 60 this season. “Simone is a well-rounded player—she rebounds, plays defense, […]

Stephanie Ramos has a reputation for being a relentless defender on the soccer field. The junior from Pioneer Valley High School is strong, fast, and constantly attacking the ball, skills that recently earned her accolades at the area’s Athletic Roundtable. Varsity head coach Gabriel Velasco said Ramos possesses all the natural abilities needed to dominate […]

For junior Sophie Stanfield, everything about water polo comes easy to her—except for egg beating. A varsity polo player for Santa Ynez High School, Stanfield was recently named Athlete of the Week for the Athletic Roundtable held every month at Giavanni’s Pizza in Orcutt. Head water polo coach Jenele Martin has coached Stanfield since her […]

Although Shemarr Parker only recently came to Santa Maria from the Bronx, he’s made his way from anonymity to a near-hot-shot within the halls of Santa Maria High School. Before his brother had him moved to Santa Maria—he also has another brother who plays on the team, senior Marquis Parker—Shemarr had been playing basketball for […]

Longtime baseball studs Derek Jeter and Chipper Jones are on their way to leaving the game forever, making room for the next generation of stars. The future looks bright for major league baseball, with the growing amount of baby-faced talent like Mike Trout, Buster Posey, and Clayton Kershaw taking over the league. Greener than the […]

Adam Hernandez’s passion for judo began because he had nothing to do with his time. “A friend of mine had me go with him to a judo class,” Hernandez said. “I showed up just to see how it was. A week passed, and I decided to stay with it.” It didn’t take long for Hernandez […]

There isn’t a whole lot cross-country athlete Beth Rigali doesn’t like about running. A junior at St. Joseph High School, Rigali has been outrunning the competition this season. Her passion for running and boundless determination helped propel the St. Joe girls’ cross country team to the state race in Fresno at the end of November. […]

For the Righetti High School Warriors men’s water polo team, 2012 will be remembered as a high point in the team’s history. That’s in no small part thanks to their leading scorer, Keanu Martinez. In his fourth and final season with the team, Martinez helped to lead the Warriors to the CIF Division Final against […]