Thank you winter sports for a fantastic season! 

The collective effort and pride shown by our winter athletes on the hardwood was truly a spectacle to watch. 

Congratulations to the Varsity Basketball Girls for an outstanding run in the North Coast Section basketball playoffs. West-Co finished 8-2 in their league, advancing to the playoffs where they faced off against Hercules High School in the first round. The girls controlled the game from start to finish with tremendous shooting and rebounding. In addition, their defense held Hercules to two total points during the first quarter. Then our girls defeated Archie-Williams High School after a nail biting game went down to the wire, but West-Co came out on top 57-54. Unfortunately the team’s magical run in the playoffs came to an end. After missing their game manager and point-guard Maya Salas due to injury, the team was overwhelmed by the full court press of their opposition, but still fought until the final buzzer. Despite the game being out of reach, junior guard Maycee Hunter continued to apply pressure on defense. After the game, Coach Earl Pasamonte took to social media to express his gratitude for the team. He also utilized the opportunity to call for unity under the West County banner: 

“What do I say? How do I say it? The gym was empty, but the sound of a cheering student section can still be heard in my ears. At one point, during a timeout, my girls weren’t even looking at me! They were looking at their friends, chanting, cheering, doing all they could to me! They were looking at their friends, chanting, cheering, doing all they could to encourage them on. I wanted to scream at them, then something in my head said to let them enjoy it! Nobody could tell who was an EIMo kid, or who was an Analy kid in that student section. There was a community of kids cheering for one common goal…to win! This team showed me something this season. In life you have people out there that are negative, they look for the failures, they look for anything to complain about. The West County Varsity girls basketball team could have fallen into that same world. They could have been negative, they could have looked for everything in the world to bail them out of success. This group of girls refused, they refused to let that happen. It wasn’t easy, not easy at all. This group, even at the toughest times, moved forward. You can’t bring two rival schools together and expect it to be all dessert and party. They did however, move toward a common goal better than I have seen within this community of mine, the community I call West County. We as adults, as teachers at West County, as community members for both Sebastopol, Forestville, and of course the surrounding communities could learn something from these brave young ladies. I am so proud to have been part of this historic consolidation of two schools. Out of all the ugliness that we have seen in the last few months, this little group of strong willed young ladies was a sign of positive influence and hope. To the West County varsity girls of 2021-2022, I applaud you and I thank you for allowing me to be part of your legacy. #1-0 everynight! Love you ladies!”

Whether it is two former foes coming together athletically, creating a Dream-Team esque squad, or students collaborating in the classroom academically, Coach P’s message is emblematic of the culture built at West County this year.  

 The Varsity Boys also qualified for playoffs after finishing in second place in their league. The team finished with a total record of 17-10 (7-3 in league). The thundering applause fueled West-Co to defeat Albany High School after an exhilarating performance from junior Gavin Reid, scoring an efficient 30 points with his stellar three point shooting. Unfortunately the boys were squashed by Branson High School in the next round, who went on to qualify for the state championship. 

For the West County Boys baseball team, they have been on a two-game winning streak. The squad put on a dominant performance against St. Vincent High School, outscoring them by 16 runs. Starting pitcher and dominant hitter Luke Dillion was awarded player of the game consecutively after his two starts. The senior delivered 10 strikeouts in both games, but prefers to celebrate with teammates after home runs. Luke broke out his signature celebration with his teammate, senior Miles Snodgrass,  at the last game. The two athletes linked arms midair—trust me, it’s a spectacle you have to catch live. I had a chance to sit down with Luke and he described the ambience of the team with a simple, yet compelling quote “Everyday is a great day.”  

Moving onto the boys volleyball team, they have had a strong start, opening the season with three wins and only one loss. The team has already built lots of camaraderie, middle blocker Dantae Casini shared his favorite part about playing volleyball is the bond with his teammates. In addition, the team features electrictric players such as senior Reid Olsen (outside hitter) and junior Art Dos Santos (setter). 

Zooming outside of West County, the Los Angeles Rams are officially your 2021-22 SuperBowl Champions. Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow and Rams QB Mathew Stafford made their Super Bowl debuts in the 53rd rendition of the Big Game, despite both being number one overall draft picks. The young buck Burrow was drafted in 2020 and sought to become one of the youngest players to win a ring. When Stafford was selected by the Detroit Lions in 2009, Katie Perry hadn’t released California Girls yet, so it’s safe to say that his playoff success is long overdue given the amount of talent he possesses. The Rams took a leap of faith to acquire that talent in the off-season offering a massive haul of top draft picks, signaling to the rest of the league they meant business. In addition, the Rams acquired the theatrical wide-receiver Odell Beckham Jr from the Cleveland Browns, whose off-field antics were becoming more noticeable. However, in the Sunday matchup he provided a massive spark plug for the Rams before sitting out the rest of the game with a knee injury. The Rams were led by the heroics of wide receiver Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald, who both dominated during the 4th quarter, contributing on multiple key plays down the stretch. Kupp caught nearly every reception after half-time, eventually securing the touchdown to give the Rams the lead. Donald came up huge for Los Angeles after sacking Burrow on 4th down, eliminating Cincinnati’s opportunity for a comeback. 

In world news, WNBA superstar Brittney Griner was arrested in February on possession of drug charges in Moscow, the capital city of Russia, according to customs officials. Controversy has emerged, with Griner potentially facing up to 10 years of prison if convicted. Many have brought into question the timing of the arrest as a result of sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine. Briner’s former high school coach pondered if Griner has become “a political bargaining chip.” 

February 10th featured one of the most entertaining trade deadlines in NBA League history with multiple blockbuster deals made. The first news of the day involved Isolation scoring mastermind James Harden being sent to the Philadelphia 76ers for a package of Ben Simmons, Andre Drummond, and Seth Curry. For months it felt like Simmons was destined to be traded after his disappointing playoff performance and non-commitment to the team. Grading the winner of this trade is quite difficult as both teams land what they desperately need to win a championship. Philly received a Hall of Fame level player to pair with their dominant big Joel Embiid. Brooklyn received perimeter defense and playmaking in Ben Simmons, in addition to prolific shooting and rebounding from Curry and Drummond, respectively. Multiple other moves were made on the deadline, such as Portland separating from long-term Trailblazer CJ Mcollumn in pursuit of creating salary-cap mobility and Sacramento, headscratchingly, departing from young talent Tyrese Haliburton. 

The MLB Players Association reached an agreement with the league, ending the lockout thrusted upon by league commissioner Rob Manfred. The MLBPA was seeking consequences for organizations intentionally losing (also known as tanking), an increase in the minimum salary, and other rule changes. Conversely, more playoff teams were added in the agreement on behalf of Manfred. Opening Day is slated for April 7th, and expected for 162 games to be played.