by Aydn Morris

After having a winning record and an incredible improvement over last season Bosco baseball was snubbed out of the CIF playoffs.

The Braves had an outstanding season even with falling short of playoff expectations.

The Braves baseball team, led by coach Don Barbra, finished with an overall record of 16-12 and a Trinity League record of 6-9 which was good enough for fifth in the Trinity League.

The Trinity League is regarded as one of the toughest leagues in high school baseball, similar to its reputation in many other sports. Even with the fifth spot finish for the Braves, they still had a chance of making the CIF playoffs, as the other four teams ahead of them made it to the playoffs. 

If the Braves were to have won one or two more of their Trinity League matches, it would have changed the outcome of their season. As the fourth-seeded team, Santa Margarita won six games in the league as well, and was able to make the playoffs.

Even though the Braves did not make the playoffs, finishing the season with a positive win record is a huge improvement and accomplishment for the Braves. Last season the Braves finished with a 6-21 record and 1-14 league record, which is a massive difference from this year. 

“The program will be strong next year as many of the junior varsity guys will be moving up to varsity, and the same thing as this year. They will have a heavy-sided senior class,” said senior pitcher Julian Orozco. 

This year, the Braves had 21 players from the senior class, and it is looking to be around the same for next season as most of the guys moving up to varsity will be seniors next year. 

“We had a hot start. If we could have been more consistent throughout the season, we could have had a different outcome to the season,” said senior catcher Dylan Taguiam. 

The Braves started the season off 11-1, with their lone loss being to Tesoro High School in Rancho Santa Margarita with a score of 4-3. This loss was not bad, however, as Tesoro finished their season with a 21-8 record and at the time were undefeated. 

This is where the talk about consistency with the Braves comes in. In some games, the bats were on fire, and the Braves won games scoring up to 13 runs. Other games, however, are quite the opposite as they would, time and time again, get shut out in the next game they play.

“The biggest adversity we had to face was when we were 11-1 and we had to play JSerra in a series. That first loss to them, we kind of dealt with it in a weird way,” said Dylan Taguiam. 

The first loss to Junipero Serra Catholic started a huge five-game losing streak for the Braves, as they went into a series against Orange Lutheran High School and got swept with two shutout losses. That stretch was key for the Braves and simply breaking that huge losing streak could have changed their season outcome. 

“In the National Classic Tournament, we were on and off as we went 2-2 in the tournament and just inconsistent, which was really our downfall,” said Dylan Taguiam. 

The inconsistent play of the Braves may have determined their season, but it is something that can be fixed next season and the program is looking to only improve going forward.

by Ian Cook

With only 20 days left until summer, the spring sports of St. John Bosco have been able to keep their focus on their athletic season and not be distracted by the excitement of the 2021-2022 school year coming to a close. 

The 2022 St. The John Bosco golf team is an example of one of the many spring sports that has been able to have a strong season thus far. 

Recently, the Braves finished 2nd out of 16 teams in the Ontario Christian Tournament. Senior and Drew University commit, Matthew Ingram, was one of the key performers for the Braves during the tournament as well as in Trinity League play. 

“Matthew Ingram took 2nd place in the Trinity League Individual Tournament, which is the highest finish a Bosco golfer has had in that tournament in 16 years,” said Head Coach Jack Hastert. 

The Braves are 8-5 in dual matches and 7-1 in non-league matches. They have also shot under 200 in seven matches over the course of many years. 

“I feel like our dual match record can be better but our non-league matches have been great so far. We have beaten some pretty good teams outside of the league like Long Beach Poly and Cerritos, so I think we’re in a good spot,” said Matthew Ingram.  

In addition to the contributions Matt has made, junior Manny Huerta has the second best scoring average on the team, followed by junior Jesse Ramirez at 3rd, senior Aydn Morris 4th, and junior Andrew Chao 5th. There have also been contributions from juniors Carter Daley and Christopher Gonzalez.

“Although we’re not at the top of our league standings, we are having a good year, and I’m excited about where this group is headed. Everyone’s putting up good numbers and helping our team win these group and individual matches,” said sophomore Jacob Carrasco. 

A big goal for the Braves this year was to achieve their first league win, which they accomplished by beating a very talented Jserra team 199-196. Another goal for the team was to have an above .500 record in non-league matches, which they were able to achieve by going 8-5. 

Matthew Ingram has already punched his ticket to the CIF individual tournament with his 2nd place finish in the Trinity League tournament. However, with hopes to make the CIF Tournament as a team, the Braves will work to finish near the top of a very tough Trinity League. 

by Aeden Alexander, Sports Editor

This week, Braves lacrosse finished the regular season strong with a win over Oak Park on senior day, leading them into Division 2 CIF Playoffs ranked third in the section.

On April 27th, wrapped up an impressive season that included many firsts for the program. The Braves’ 3-2 Trinity League record was good enough for third place, securing them a playoff spot. With the final CIF polls being released on April 25th, the Braves 11-4 overall record allowed for them to rank third in Division 2 lacrosse.

After such a great year for the Braves, they look to make a deep run into playoffs and end it all with a ring. 

“To win a title, it takes every player, freshmen and seniors, to handle adversity and conflict, trust each other, communicate with each other and appreciate each other in a positive way,” said Coach Tommy Johnson.

In the Braves’ final week of action, they faced off against Servite to start the week in one of the most important games of the year. Beating Servite for the first time in program history secured third place as well as a playoff spot.

Many of the players from this year’s roster are upperclassmen, with a majority being seniors. The roster size doubled from last year, and the team will look to its seniors to lead them into battle and come in clutch when they need it. 

“The main component of our success has been our high level of experience and grit as we have ten seniors,” said senior captain Noah Citek. 

Noah has been one of the key players for the Braves, as they had many dominant performances over their opponents this season. Also, in the few games they lost, it was by a matter of a few points.

Another senior, goalie Brennin Melton, is one of the top performers for the Braves. His impressive saves keep games close, making it a lot easier to win games for the rest of the team.

“Without Brennin Melton in goal and Noah Citek taking face-offs, we would be using an entirely new game plan. These two young men are at the very top of the high school level and should be attending any college they choose. I have seen a lot of lacrosse over the years, and these guys are the best at what we ask them to do” said Coach Johnson.

Bosco seniors shined all year long, as they were the bright spot of this year’s roster. They made up almost 30 percent of the team, and that showed in their matchups, as they always seemed bigger and stronger than their opponents.

One of the main components to this year’s team has been their chemistry on and off the field. From seniors all the way down to freshman the players always have had each other’s back and had full confidence in one another.

“Our teamwork is our biggest component; we struggle at times to play as a team, but when we do, we are unstoppable,” said senior George Bratton.

Before the end of the season, the Braves got hot and won eight of their last ten games which hopefully will continue to happen as they roll into playoffs looking to continue to stay on their hot streak. CIF will release the brackets and schedule for the playoff games early next week, which most likely will have the Braves ranked at a high seed, giving them home field advantage.

by Aeden Alexander

After the Major League Baseball Lockout has ended the season is right underway as both local Los Angeles teams the Angels and Dodgers look to make a run for it all this year.

Expectations are high in Southern California after an amazing offseason from both local clubs. The two teams went with different routes that would fit what they were looking for and both have improved significantly heading into the season.

The Dodgers are the 2022 favorites to win the World Series and that’s not by coincidence. Not only did the Dodgers manage to bring back many of their core players but as well brought on some new guys.

The biggest move however for them would be the addition of 2021 World Series MVP Freddy Freeman. Freeman was the first baseman for the Braves and will continue to hold down his position in Los Angeles.

The Dodgers as well managed to trade outfielder A.J. Pollock for all-star closer Craig Kimbrel. Also re-signing Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw to a short deal to finish off his career.

Although they brought in high-level players, the Dodgers did indeed lose people as well. Previous World Series MVP and starting shortstop, Corey Seager, decided to sign with the Texas Rangers as they offered him a 12-year, 325 million dollar contract which will include over 140 million just in the first four years.

Across the city in Anaheim, the Angels made many moves this offseason that improved their roster dramatically. 

The Angels look to make their first playoff appearance since 2014 when they got swept by the Kansas City Royals which would be what this generation considers their Babe Ruth in Mike Trout to be his only playoff games.

Despite the key injuries in the previous season regarding Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon, the Angels have one of the best offenses in the league led by the two-headed monster in Mike Trout and reigning unanimous MVP, Shohei Ohtani.

The three all-star players only played in 32 games last season which would be a dumpster fire for the Angels struggling to find a rhythm and consistency.

The main problem that the Angels have had in the previous years is their pitching and committing to go get the top guys. This year that changed for Anaheim.

Not only did the Angels focus on signing free-agent pitchers this year, but they also used every pick in last year’s draft (20) on pitchers. This made headlines and other teams know the Angels are in to win now.

The first priority for the Angels was re-signing all-star closer, Raisel Iglesias. They would quickly complete this deal giving him four years worth 58 million dollars. This would be key for the Angels as he was their most reliable arm last year having a 2.57 ERA (earned run average).

After this the Angels would continue signing more pitchers, landing lefty reliever Aaron Loup from the New York Mets who had an astonishing .80 ERA in 2021. With Loup, the Halos also signed Michael Lorenzen and Ryan Tapera.

Another key signing for the Angels pitching staff would be starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard. Syndergaard is coming off Tommy-John surgery and is looking to return to his dominant self. With the Mets, Syndergaard had a career 3.3 ERA.

Not surprisingly this amazing offseason for the Dodgers had led them to the number one spot on many fans and analytics pre-season predictions. The Dodgers were rated +450 to win it all this year.

Despite the struggling spring for the Dodgers, they still will look to their big contract guys to carry them through the year. With Trea Turner in his main position as a shortstop and Cody Bellinger back in center full time, they are bound to make something happen.

They opened their season up in Colorado against division rival, the Colorado Rockies. In a three-game series that should have been a cakewalk for LA, the Rockies managed to stun the Dodgers taking two of the three.

Many believe that the Dodgers are elite on both sides of the ball, but just like in their spring training this was not the case this past weekend. The Dodgers would begin the series winning 5-3 with ace Walker Buehler on the mound. The next two struggled to get the offense going while the pitching gave up ten runs in two games while only scoring three.

by Ian Cook

The St. John Bosco track and field team has started their season on the right foot after recently performing well at the Quad Meet at Mater Dei, as they lead into their Trinity League matches. 

The 2022 St. John Bosco track team has made many top marks in the state and national marks as well. With many key performers this year, Head Coach Tim McIntosh and the Braves are working hard to have a successful season and turn many heads this Spring. 

“A lot of seniors have been key performers this year, Jaden Smith, Camryn O’bannon, Rayshon Luke, Jackson Harley, Jabari Bates, Tayvion Beasley and Chris Chavez to name a few,” said Coach McIntosh. 

The Braves have performed very well on the track as they are ranked number two in the state in the 4×2 relay. Camryn O’bannon is ranked number one in the state in the long jump, number three in the state in the triple jump and also number three in the nation in the Triple Jump. 

“I’m really excited for this season. We have really fast and athletic guys from football and guys like myself who have been doing this for a long time and are ready to go out and show what we can do,” said Camryn. 

The Brave’s last meet was a four-way meet on March 25th, at Mater Dei high school. The meet was between their fellow Trinity League opponents, Orange Lutheran, Jserra and Mater Dei. The Braves dominated the meet. 

Camryn O’Bannon placed first in the triple jump with a score of 46-3.00, Jaden Smith placed second in the long jump with a score of 22-08.00, this score was right behind Camryn O’Bannon’s first-place score of 24-04.00. 

“I felt like we owned the tournament. Orange Lutheran and Jserra didn’t stand a chance, so it’s usually us and Mater Dei that battle it out for the championship, but I think Mater Dei would’ve lost if they ran all their guys,” said Rayshon. 

The Braves also dominated in other categories of the meet including senior Chris Chavez’s 41.90 score in the 4×100 relay, and junior Myles Vaughn’s first place title in the varsity 300m hurdles and 110m hurdles as well.  

“Overall I feel that we would have beaten Mater Dei had they not had a race the following day and ran more of their guys. But, there was a lot of stuff we could’ve done better individually and even as a group to better our performance last week,” said Coach McIntosh. 

The Braves’ track and field team’s next meet will be against the Santa Margarita Eagles on April 6th, at 3:15 p.m. at Santa Margarita Catholic high school.