Athlete of the Week Articles

Stefanie Clark is training for a smoker. There’s not necessarily one in her immediate future—none have been scheduled that she knows of—but she’s training nonetheless. Clark practices Muay Thai (essentially Thai kickboxing), and a smoker is an unsanctioned fight. Despite the mysterious-sounding name and description, there’s not any back-alley brawling involved. A smoker is simply […]

His jersey says he’s No. 1, and so does his coach.     Jonathan Ramirez plays for the Allan Hancock College men’s basketball team, and Head Coach Ralph Gorton can’t say enough good things about him: Ramirez has the “kind of maturity all coaches would like to have.” “He’s a coach’s dream.” “He’s our best player.” […]

Righetti senior Servando Perez has been playing soccer for the last eight years. He’s loved every minute of it, and it shows. He was blocking goals a few feet away during practice while Coach John Pranjic related what an exceptional player and all-around good guy he is. “He’s probably the happiest kid out there,” the […]

As the weather turns cold and people begin avoiding the beach, Katie Draeger’s surf season is just getting started. For the last several years, from September through December, Draeger has competed in Western Surfing Association competitions. The Nipomo resident is already sponsored by Esteem Surf Company, and ranks in the top 10 for the Western […]

Nick Leyden has been playing football for Pioneer Valley since his freshman year, and everything points to him having a great college career, too. He’s already seen inquiries from Oregon and Fresno State and hopes to play “anywhere [he] can get a scholarship” The 17-year-old, 245-pound Leyden plays linebacker, along with tight end and “some […]

Allan Hancock College freshman baseball player J.P. Maseta already has a great future in front of him. The 18-year-old shortstop—No. 32—has had a great season so far with six RBIs and a homerun, and is carrying a 3.5 GPA to boot. Coach Chris Stevens had good things to say about Maseta during a recent game: […]

St. Joseph’s Ane (pronounced Ah-nay) McPike is one of those people with enough talent to make you feel bad about yourself. The 5-foot-11 senior is an accomplished tennis and basketball player. “She’s one of our outstanding female athletes,” said St. Joseph Athletic Director John Osborne. “Ane is also one of our best girls’ basketball players. […]

Righetti senior Ehi Robinson is playing football for the first time this year—but you wouldn’t think that was the case from watching him play. Ehi (pronounced Ae-he) says he got into football from soccer after his friends said he would be good at it. Turns out they were right. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound corner and kick […]

Sydney Delgado kicks far and she kicks hard, but she doesn’t have to practice, she said, because she was just born to play. “My family is a soccer family,” she said. Delgado, 7, plays for the Coral Crush soccer team. It’s a name Delgado said she came up with because their team shirts are a […]

In Guadalupe, there’s a school: Mary Buren Elementary. At Mary Buren, there is Mr. Cuello’s third grade class, and in Mr. Cuello’s third grade class there’s an up-and-coming football star who plays for the Guadalupe Bulldogs: 9-year-old Luis Ramos. Ramos has been playing football for the last two years. So how did he get interested? […]

If you’ve ever driven down Main or Donovan streets and seen the Pioneer Valley cross-country squad out running, chances are you caught a glimpse of Steven Youngblood, one of those guys who makes the rest of us look bad. Youngblood started running cross-country his freshman year as a way to get ready to play soccer, […]