Welcome Back Winter Sports,

The season started off with a bang, a literal bang. As soon as the starting pistol fired the West County Cross Country teams were off to the races. Both the boys and girls varsity squads went undefeated during their respective seasons. Senior Carolina Dawson shattered the Ragle course record by 4 seconds. Showcasing his endurance and hustle, senior Ben Neargarder led the boys varsity team to the cross country league title.

The West-Co girls basketball squad crushed their competition in the latest slate of games. Recently, senior guard Lucca Lowenberg scored her 1000th point in her high school career and is lights-out from the three point line. Ellie Roan has dominated the paint area on both sides of the ball. The senior has racked up a ton of rebounds and hustles for every loose ball. Contributions from Juniors Maycee Hunter and Maya Salas, who have been on the team since their freshman year, are also a major reason West County remains undefeated.

The boys team have also started off hot, the merger between El Molino and Analy has created a very deep and versatile team. Coached by US History and AP government teacher, Jason Carpenter, the squad looks to have a strong season ahead of them. Carpenter only recently (2018) started coaching the Varsity team at Analy, but has been around the game for a long time. An El Molino alumni, Jason Carpenter, has been drawing up plays and getting buckets since his high school years. Having been on both campuses, Coach Carpenter has been the perfect candidate for coaching the newly merged team. West County plays with a certain grit, which was instilled by Coach’s passion and energy in practices. Junior Gavin Reid describes the team chemistry as “We are a family out there and will continue to fight each and every night”.

Girls and boys soccer kicked off as both teams are stacked with talent. Zach Kleinfield has great pitch vision/stamina, while Beau English is a very talented dribbler. Together they play with great pace and manage the game effectively. Senior Ethan Dierke holds things down on the defensive end of the pitch with considerable speed and awareness. Finally Jake De Souza is the team’s top goal scorer and is known for his amazing touch. The girls have formed a squad that works hard and has fun. Junior Emerson Reynolds says she loves getting to know all the girls during team bonding exercises. For example, after their last practice they had a scavenger hunt, a fun way to work together. 

The West County Dance company recently presented “New Beginnings” at the Forestville campus, where students were joined with special guests from the community. One of the dancers shared that the performance “showed skill and creativity on so many levels and made me so proud to be one of Ms. J’s dance students.” 

Last but certainly not least, wrestling has also begun at West County. The team is newly formed and for many members this is their first year on the mat. Coach Ryan Berger emphasizes dedication and tenacity for a successful season. “This is a group of individuals whom I call family,” explained senior Dane Smith. He welcomed the return of the season after a wrestling-free year during the pandemic. 

Zooming out of West-Co, in national news, the Golden State Warriors are currently the best team in basketball. Led by the “baby-faced assassin” aka Stephen Curry, the team is sitting at 19 wins and three losses.  During the off-season the Dubs added more three-point shooters to the team to support Steph Curry. Young player Jordan Poole returned to the team after a year in the g-league, where he was able to enhance his skills. He now is averaging 18 points per game and is becoming a rising star. The combination of new and old faces has created a seemingly unbeatable team. Some analysts predict the best is yet to come for Golden State, as key members Klay Thompson and James Wiseman are scheduled to return from injury before Christmas.

In global news, veteran center for the Boston Celtics Enes Kanter has officially become a US citizen and changed his name to Enes Freedom. Throughout his time in the league Enes has taken the opportunity to call out human rights violations in the world. His constant criticism of the Turkish government for jailing political dissidents and curtailing citizens’ freedoms prevents him from returning home. Enes made news earlier this season for sporting shoes calling out the attempted genocide of the Uighur Muslim people by the Chinese government. 

Finally college sports are back, and boy, have they been fun to watch. Starting with college basketball, the top prospects have been big men; Paolo Blanchero from Duke and Chet Homegreen from Gonzaga whose teams are both heavy favorites to make a March Madness run. Both of these guys are somewhat untraditional as they have great skill and size. Blanchero made headlines recently because every game he lost seven pounds of muscle due to cramps. As a result, team trainers concocted a special sports drink to combat fatigue. Also keep an eye out for UCLA, whose wings Johnny Juzang and Jaime Jauqez Jr. led UCLA to the final four last year. Finally, undefeated Purdue shoots the heck out of the ball, with six players shooting above 60 percent from the field. Top to bottom this team is built to win it all, will they? 

Let me know who you think will take it home at: [email protected]

Logan’s prospects to watch 

• • Ty Ty Washington – College: Kentucky 
    • Comparison: Terry Rozier
      • Info: Electric scorer
      • similar to former Kentucky star Malik Monk

• • Bennedict Mathurin – College: Arizona (a returning player)
    • Comparison: Mikal Bridges
      
    • Info: contestant shots taker and maker 
      • 3 and D player 
      • VERY LONG ARMS!!
•  Kennedy Chandler- College: Tennessee 
  • • Comparison: Mike Conley
    • Info: Old school style point guard
      • Crafty
      • Pick roll maestro