Athletics have always been a huge part of MacArthur’s culture. I can vividly remember attending football and basketball games back in 2006 because my sister was at the games for dance to support the team. Nine years later, the atmosphere still blows me away and now, even more, as I see what each and every athlete goes through in training and preparation every day. The pride and respect that you get from representing Mac in the city or state is tremendous, and this year more than ever, people see the Brahmas as a power in almost every sport.
This year we’ve seen the emergence of young players contributing more than usual in most sports. Whether it’s freshman Tyler Vitt in football, two sophomores, Trawick and Potts, killing it in volleyball, 3 freshman on JV basketball, or freshman Kiersten Licea in softball, all made huge contributions. The young players show the way for a bright future but this year showed a certain bond between players of all ages.
The individual sports had great seasons this year. Swimming’s junior Kyle Benson went to state, and junior Mary Cardone came in 3rd in the region in tennis. Both will return with plans to exceed their superb junior years. In track, the 4X200 team that included senior Tony Kane, and juniors Anthony Vera, Daijon Williams, and Donald West came in 4th in the region.
The teams entered the seasons with expectations of playoffs and many of those goals were met.
Football made a return to playoffs behind a terrific defense and a strong run game.
Volleyball narrowly missed playoffs, coming in 5th, but they are set for a great season next year.
Tennis had an exceptional year, making playoffs in the tough district.
Boys Basketball came in 4th in the district and had an exciting team and season.
Girls Basketball had an up and down season that was hampered with injuries, resulting in a 6th place finish in the district.
Boys Soccer surprised the district by coming in 3rd after being predicted to miss the playoffs.
Girls Soccer was the team that went the furthest in the playoffs from Mac, the 3rd round, with their final game going to PK’s.
Baseball had a terrific season with good pitching and a solid batting order, they came in 2nd in the district and lost in the 2nd round of playoffs.
Softball made the playoffs and, for the first time in school history, won a playoff series.
I witnessed almost every team play at least once, and there were standouts on every team that could take over games, and had seasons that impressed the entire city.
Seniors, Nick Mendez, Nik Tesalona, Zannon Stallworth, and Isiah Dennis along with junior Daijon Williams pushed the football team into the playoffs. Kyle Murphy averaged 15.2 ppg and 4 apg for the basketball team, both of which were at the top of the district. Boys soccer boasted two all district selections in forward Parker Miller and defender Rox Guerrero. Girls soccer had goalkeeper Mary Cardone and forward Kyra Falcone make the Super team this season. Baseball showed off Josh Jung as a terrific all around player, just as softball did with Kiersten Licea.
Regardless of the sport, it felt as though every game, match, or meet that included MacArthur brought a sizeable following of parents, faculty and students. Having the best student section in the district only adds to the immense school pride that every athlete holds.
This year has shown me that I was wrong my whole life, that winning really isn’t everything. The elation, the determination, the tears are why I love sports. This school year made me feel like I was a freshman again, wanting to go to every sporting event and see how Mac does. Albeit, it was a different feeling watching my peers and friends in a much different environment than taking a physics or calculus test. This year has made me thankful that I still have another year to cover the tremendous athletes that wear MacArthur across their chest.
