The Brave News

by Eric Torres, Editor-In-Chief

Braves hockey continued their tradition of excellence, earning a first-round bye in the playoffs following a strong and tough regular season. 

This season, the Braves, participating in the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey League (ADHSHL), posted a record of 10-5-2. Their 29 points, the third-most in the league, was not only enough to take the second seed in the playoffs, but also clinch a very important first-round bye.

Even more impressively, this was the Braves’ first full season in Division 1 of the ADHSHL. They entered this division following a Division 2 championship in the 2019-2020 season, which was their second in four seasons, with three championship games reached over that four-year span.

Despite earning the second seed, the Braves’ start to the year was rocky at best. The Braves started the season 1-3-0 after tough losses to Santa Margarita, Lutheran (Orange) and the Capistrano Coyotes. A tough schedule and new players, which meant a lack of chemistry at the beginning of the season, played a big role in the slow start. 

“Honestly, we started against the hardest teams, and we had a lot of new guys on the team, so we needed to get it together,” said senior goaltender Kevin Zamazal.

However, the Braves turned the season around. After that 1-3-0 start, the Braves won their next three en route to taking the next six out of seven. In the end, the Braves only lost two more games in regulation for the rest of the season.

“We played our system more, we didn’t just focus on one guy. We made better passes and got more chemistry,” said sophomore forward Patrik Cech.

Furthermore, in that three-game win streak, the Braves got revenge on both Santa Margarita, who currently holds the first seed in the playoffs, in a thrilling overtime win, as well as the Capistrano Coyotes, in a 6-1 blowout. Unlike the Trinity League, the ADHSHL has different divisions, meaning that there was no competition against teams like “The Team in Red” and Servite. Instead, the Braves have rivalries with teams such as these two.

“Santa Margarita is our rival because every time that we play, it is a very physical game, and it is very tight. There’s a lot of energy when we play,” said junior defenseman Tyler Gagnon.

In order for this type of season to take place, especially in a sport like hockey, contributions came from everywhere. Nichollas Nelson, from Downey High School, led the team with 16 points. Elsewhere, the Braves received a push from their underclassmen, with contributions from Patrik Cech, with twelve points, and freshman center Ty Izadi, who added five goals and four assists in only nine games played.

“Everyone played well. Patrik played well, and Ty Izadi played really well and got a good start for his freshman year,” said Kevin. 

Even with a top-three offense in the division, the defense also carried their weight. The Braves surrendered 58 goals in their 17 games played. With the offensive capabilities of the team, this figure is more than good enough for a top seed in the playoffs. Defensemen, such as Tyler Gagnon, stepped up to hold other teams at bay.

Finally, the goaltending completed a well-rounded team performance in the regular season. Kevin Zamazal posted a respectable .885 save percentage and averaged 3.28 goals against per game. 

“Kevin stood on his head the whole year. Everyone did their part and did what they were supposed to do,” said Ty.

In order to succeed in the playoffs, the Braves will need to play at their highest level, while also remembering the adjustments that put them in this spot. Although they hold the second seed, no team is to be overlooked, especially with the amount of time since the last game. Furthermore, a deep run could allow for the return of senior first-line defenseman Donovan Felton, who is currently sidelined with an ankle injury.

“We need to keep playing like a team and play it simple. We beat the good teams by playing simple and doing the easy stuff. We also need to take our chances,” said Kevin. 

This year, the Braves’ chances to win it all are at their highest. Beyond holding the second seed and a first-round bye, the Braves defeated every team that is on their side of the bracket already this year. Furthermore, due to the seeding, the two teams with the highest points in the division, Santa Margarita and St. Mary’s are seeded on the other half of the bracket. This means that the Braves will not face either team until the final, should they make it.

“We have a big chance to win. In the bracket, we are on the right side, and we have already beat all the teams on our side. If we play our system and we play well we should get into the finals,” said Patrik. 

Due to a first-round bye, Braves hockey does not play their first playoff game until March 10 at Anaheim Ice Rink, which will start at 6:30 P.M. They will face the winner of the matchup between Bellarmine Prep and Pacific Ridge School, with a trip to the semi-finals on the line.

by Aydn Morris

Despite the many hardships and adversity faced by the Rams, they overcame it all in dramatic fashion to capture the Super Bowl LVI title on their home field.

The Rams began the game in outstanding fashion, taking a 13-10 lead into halftime. Everything was looking promising for them, until star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. suffered a huge non-contact knee injury.

Beckham started the game off with a dominant performance that had the potential to evolve into one that was worthy the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award. At the time of the injury, he had two catches for 52 yards and a touchdown. However, this is not the first time Beckham has dealt with knee injuries in his career, as he suffered an ACL tear last year.

Although the loss of Beckham put a huge strain on the Rams offense, the team bounced back, showing why they deserved to be Super Bowl champions this year. 

With the loss of Beckham, all of the pressure was set on quarterback Matthew Stafford, wide receiver Cooper Kupp and the defense for the Rams in the second half. This injury, combined with the powerhouse offense already suffering many key injuries, such as those to wide receiver Robert woods and tight end Tyler Higbee, the defense was the x-factor for the Rams. 

The second half did not start off great for the Rams on both ends of the ball, as on the first play of the half, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow threw a touchdown to wide receiver Tee Higgins for 75 yards over Rams star cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Although it resulted in a touchdown, there was a very controversial no-call on that play, as Tee Higgins pulled Ramsey to the floor to get open.

This resulted in the Bengals gaining a 17-13 lead over the Rams, where it only got worse for the Rams. Ten seconds later, Stafford threw an interception, deflecting of the hands of rookie wide receiver Ben Skowronek, giving the Bengals great field position on the Rams’ 31-yard line.  

It did not seem like any of the receivers for the Rams wanted to step up in the second half besides the Offensive Player of the Year Cooper Kupp. Kupp showed why he deserved the Offensive Player of the Year award, as he had eight receptions for 92 yards and a key carry on a crucial fourth down conversion on the final drive. 

Kupp and Stafford combined for one of the best, if not the best, fourth quarter offensive drives in Super Bowl history. The drive was a total of 15 plays, for 72 yards and left only 1:25 seconds on the clock for the Bengals. Fittingly, the drive ended with Kupp catching a 1-yard touchdown, his second of the game, following a controversial hold on the Bengals. This drive capped off an overall star performance from Kupp, which earned him the Super Bowl MVP.

Although the Bengals still had little over a minute left in the game with two timeouts, the Rams star-studded defense shut down any hope of a game-tying or game-winning drive. Three-time Defensive Player of the Year defensive tackle Aaron Donald made two key plays at the end of the drive. The first, on 3rd & 1 he stopped he stopped the rush, and on fourth down, he forced Burrow into an incompletion, clinching the victory for the Rams.

Aaron Donald may not have been seriously effective during the start of the game, but he will always have some impact at the end of the game, like he did in the NFC Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers. This playoff run may have cemented Donald’s legacy as one of the greatest defensive players of all time. 

Every Super Bowl always leads to emotions for both teams, but this one had a different type of emotional set to it, as players such as Beckham and Stafford won after spending years playing for struggling franchises. Also, players such as Donald, Kupp and Ramsey got their first ring after years of heartbreaking playoff losses. 

There were also many post-game celebrations, such as safety Taylor Rapp proposing to his fiancé during the celebration and wide receiver Van Jefferson rushing to the hospital to celebrate the birth of his second child.

Overall, the season for the Rams, who had gone all-in to win a Super Bowl, was a complete success, and they hope to get many of their injured players back and healthy to try to repeat next season.

by Aeden Alexander, Sports Editor

The St. John Bosco basketball team wrapped up their season, and now turn toward the CIF division one playoffs, where they will face off in round one against Culver City High School.

The Braves had yet another great year, finishing off with an overall record of 19-8. This resulted in a third-place finish in Trinity League play with a record of 6-3, getting themselves another opportunity at a CIF Championship.

This year for Bosco wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine; it was filled with highs and lows. There were critical moments this season where it looked like the Braves were one of the best in the state, as well as some games where they struggled to find their footing.

They started off the year hot, winning twelve of their first 14 games. But after that, their first roadblock hit them. Right before Trinity League games began Bosco would go on to lose four in a row including their first league matchup with JSerra.

They then got a glimpse of light as they beat Orange Lutheran, but quickly got knocked off their feet losing a crucial game to Santa Margarita on a game-winning buzzer beater shot in overtime. 

But, like always, the Braves didn’t give up, winning two in a row, though they ended up losing a tough game to their league rival, “Team in Red.” With four games remaining in the year, the playoffs were not guaranteed and they needed something to pick their spirits up. They found a spark after senior forward, Christian Estrada hit a game-clinching half-court hook shot. The Braves would then go on and win the last four games clinching them a spot in the playoffs.

“I am proud of where we are at right now. We definitely had some ups and some downs, but we are playing really well at the end. I’m proud of the guys. It’s our year with COVID and all those kinds of things, and we’ve pushed through a lot of adversity. That says a lot to me about this group of guys,” said Head Basketball Coach Matt Dunn.

In recent years, Bosco basketball has played in the CIF Open Division playoffs. But this year, they scrapped to get a spot and ended up being placed in division one playoffs instead.

“Well, the huge difference with division one is if you lose you’re done. So in the Open Division, you get a little cushion and when it comes down to preparing there isn’t really any difference, but there is that feeling of knowing there is no guarantee,” said Coach Dunn.

This season the Braves have had three great leaders, which led them to victory multiple times. Sophomore guard Jack Turner was a standout taking a big leadership role and leading the team in points per game, averaging an astounding 15.6 points. Turner hit many big shots to give the Braves a chance in every game night in and night out.

Not far behind is the “X-factor” for this Braves team, senior Christian Estrada, who averaged 14.3 points per game and led the team in rebounding with 9.3 boards per game. Estrada has always been known to be one of the top players for the Braves and has always been highly respected.

“For these playoffs, we are going to have to stay mentally focused, paying attention to the little things. For example with communicating and supporting each other,” said Estrada. 

The third player to round up the Braves’ trio of leaders is senior point guard D.J. Henry. Henry led the team in assists per game but got hurt toward the end of the season. He is looking to get healthy to win a ring in his final season.

On Friday the Braves will face off against a solid Culver City team who finished 14-7 and second in their league. This will be no cakewalk for the Braves, so they must bring their best game.

“Heading into this game, we need to continue playing well and doing the things we are good at. We have been rebounding and shooting the ball well so we just need to keep doing that, as well as passing the ball around getting everyone involved,” said Turner.

The Braves had many games this season where they think they should have won, and they feel as though these losses might have been because they didn’t take care of the little things. But when the Braves are at their best, they do all the little things correct like grabbing rebounds and boxing out.

This game for the Braves won’t be looked at any different than their others. Their goal stays the same, come in and win by playing hard nose basketball.

“This game is no different, we have been preparing for this game exactly how we prepared for every other game and that’s what will lead us to success,” said Estrada.

The Bosco Braves will tip off at Culver City High School tonight at 7 p.m.

By Andrew Fierro, Managing Editor

After an incredible season, St. John Bosco wrestling now looks to individual tournaments, as the wrestlers prepare for the CIF, masters and the state championship.

After a long and hard season, the Bosco wrestling team came out as Trinity League champions and finished the season with triumph. Though the season for the team may be over, for the individual wrestlers, it is just beginning. Now, each wrestler will turn his focus to the three tournaments that will determine the 2022 state champion for each weight class.

Going into these tournaments, Braves wrestling program looks to make a statement, as many wrestlers are going in well prepared and extremely focused. Each wrestler going into these tournaments wants to win, and they each know exactly how hard they must work in order to accomplish this goal. Though luckily for these wrestlers at St. John Bosco, hard work is a point of emphasis, and all of the wrestlers going into competition will be ready for what’s in store.

One great example of hard work and dedication is demonstrated by senior Oscar Aranda. He worked hard his entire life leading up until this moment, and he now looks to win a state championship. He knows that there is nothing left for him to do but go out there, wrestle and leave it all on the mat.

“I feel as though I have nothing to lose. I plan on letting it fly, as my coach would say, in these next few tournaments,” said Oscar.

Though he and the rest of the wrestling team may have put in all the work necessary to compete well at these tournaments, it does not take away from the fact that the competition they will be facing is some of the toughest in the nation. For these wrestlers, working hard doesn’t stop on the mat, as they have to make changes to their lifestyle away from practice in order to stay on top of their game going into competition.

“I will change my diet and eat healthier foods. I cut out most sugary drinks and drink lots and lots of water. When practicing, I start to slow the flow of the drilling down. Lastly, I focus on one match at a time,” said Oscar.

Going forward, there is nothing but confidence from the team as each wrestler believes that they can accomplish what they want if they put their effort into it. Though the competition is high, the talent in the wrestling program mixed with the incredible amount of preparation that they put in makes it so that Bosco wrestling has a great chance every year of creating state champions.

“I believe that our energy and all the hard work we have been putting in will allow us to be successful in our tournaments to come. I believe that my whole team has the capability of winning a state title,” said Aranda.

Fellow wrestler, junior Nicco Ruiz, also feels that the team is in a great spot to succeed going into these tournaments. Not only does the team already reflect a strong contender, but they are consistently improving as well.

“I believe that the Bosco team is going to do great. We keep getting better every day,” said Nicco.

Though this may be an exciting time for each wrestler, it is also very difficult for many of the seniors who know this will be their last time wrestling for the program. Even though many of them go on to have prestigious college wrestling careers, leaving St. John Bosco is a big step that is hard for many of the athletes. The same is the case for senior wrestler Abraham Galicia.

“Obviously I’m sad that these are my last couple of tournaments for high school, but I am going to continue wrestling in college so I’m excited for that,” said Abraham.

The wrestlers will be competing this weekend, in the CIF tournament where the top five will move onto the masters, and the top nine from masters will then move on to wrestle for a state championship.