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. 

by Aydn Morris

Each year more and more sports fields change from natural grass to artificial grass in order to improve the cost and looks of their complex. Though it may be more dangerous for the athletes to play on turf rather than well-maintained grass.

Artificial grass (turf)  holds many benefits to athletes, as it can be easily maintained and can allow the athlete to perform better. Although turf may have many benefits, it also has strong negatives as it is significantly harder on the body than grass is. 

Turf fields have been highly preferred by Bosco athletes to play on due to how badly grass fields may be maintained. Artificial grass has been installed more in high school and college-level sports due to how much cheaper it is to maintain over time compared to natural grass.

Turf fields have not had the greatest history when it comes to injuries, as many athletes like to play on turf fields, in a long-term decision grass is more recommended to play on to prevent injury. 

“Grass has give. If you are a soccer player and are constantly running and changing directions, or a football player and plant your foot and turn, turf does not have the same give as the cleats tend to stick on the rubber pebbles. Which can cause lower body injuries because when having to quickly change directions, the foot will not be able to move rather than with grass. Your foot will be able to move and slide which will relieve pressure from the joints,” said trainer Melody Mohebbi. 

As a long-term decision for the athletes, grass would be better from a health standpoint. But, many high school athletes would rather play on a turf field due to the belief that their performance is better. 

“Playing on a wet grass field or a slightly muddy field, you get scared to overcommit because you may slip, whereas on turf you know you will stick to it,” said senior lacrosse captain Noah Citek. 

There is also the factor that many of the athletes performed most of their career on turf fields which gives them the comfortability of feeling safer on turf compared to grass. 

“I have been playing on turf all of my life. When I play on turf and I plant my foot, I feel like I won’t slip. Especially on my cuts when I am running,” said senior Arizona commit and running back Rayshon Luke. 

This safety and comfortability may come from the lack of having well-maintained grass fields as kids which can cause trauma to not wanting to play on grass.

“I was playing Pop Warner in the eighth grade with my friend Khalil Williams and we used to play on the West Coast Dolphins. I was playing corner and he was playing wideout and mind you, he did not even take a step but when the ball was hiked, he just slipped and did the splits and ended up hurting his groin and he has been having groin issues ever since. Ever since that situation at the park, we did not like the idea of playing over there,” said Rayshon Luke.

Due to the fact that it can happen on a grass field that is not well maintained, high school athletes turn away from it, but if the grass was well-maintained athletes would prefer playing on it rather than turf. 

“The expense of grass fields would be worth taking care of over turf because if grass fields were well taken care of I would prefer it over turf. But many grass fields are usually muddy and slippery,” said sophomore soccer player Marcos Velasco.

Turf fields have been the safest for high school athletes so far in their careers due to the low maintenance of grass fields. But a well-maintenance grass field is by far the overall preferred and a much safer place to play for athletes.

by Ethan Gibbs

The St. John Bosco swim team is looking forward to the remainder of their season, as they are off to a hot start with one of the most talented rosters they have had in years.

Bosco’s swim team has begun their season with a great start, as they have two wins and only one loss overall. On February 24th, Bosco started their season against West Torrence, which ended up being a loss with a score of 53-117. Despite the loss, it pushed the Bosco swimmers to train even harder. 

“Winning easy meets is a result of our hard work put into our training. When we do lose it motivates us to learn from our mistakes and to get better and faster,” said co-captain senior swimmer Joshua Joson. 

The next meet was against Warren, and Bosco came out on top securing them the first win for the swimming season 115-55. Senior athlete and co-captain Joson placed first in the 200 meters and the 100-meter breast. Another senior and co-captain Jack Woodson placed first in 100 meters back and 100 meters free. 

Bosco’s next opponent was Cypress on March 8th. Fresh off of their first win of the season Bosco swimmers carried that momentum into the next meet. It ended in another win for Bosco, 103-68. Marco Uribe, Tyler Baligad and Joshua Joson all placed first in the 200-meter medley relay.

Bosco’s swimmers are in the water practicing for two hours five days each week. The practice consists on average about 3000 yards every single day. Some athletes such as Josh, Marco and Nico will participate in club swimming outside of Bosco to help them train all year round. 

Bosco’s strongest swimmers are the captains, Joshua Joson and Jack Woodson. They set an example for the whole team to always do their best and lead the team in warm-ups. Coach Jeff Powers, the head coach of the swim team, strives to make his athletes the best competitors they can be. He pushes them at practices to be the best they can be as an athlete and a Bosco student.

“You can just kind of switch off your mind, forget about your problems sometimes and concentrate on your workout,” said Coach Powers. 

The swim team is preparing to continue their success as they still have 14 games before the prelims start. Bosco is training to win a CIF title this year, as they have the talent to do so as well as the dedication. 

Bosco swimming’s next meet takes place on El Dorado starting at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 15th. The rest of their season’s schedule can be accessed HERE.

by Ian Cook

The  St. John Bosco lacrosse team, led by coaches, Chris Jewett and Tommy Johnson, are excited to kick off their long-awaited 2022 Season with the addition of a few new players.

After a brief, and covid affected season last year with an overall record of 4-6, the Braves are looking forward to finally having a normal 2022 season. After the 2020 Season was canceled, followed by an unexpected 2021 Season, the Braves’ goals have not changed and are still striving for a 2022 Trinity League Championship.  

“I’m really excited going into this season. We have a few new guys and we’re ready to just be able to have a normal season and an even shot to win,” said senior Joel Embray. 

The Braves have welcomed new players such as senior Logan Booher, a former St. John Bosco Football Wide Receiver, and is accompanied by Noah Citek, George Bratton and Evan Stout, three very talented players who transferred from Millikan High School. 

“This season, we are loaded. We are going to shock a lot of people and just put us back on the map, and I’m looking forward to it,” said Bratton.  

Alongside basketball and wrestling, the St. John Bosco lacrosse team looks to turn a lot of heads this season now that they have a full roster. 

“Last year we only had 13 guys on our roster, so it was difficult to have a lot of success with that. This year we have a 27-28 man roster with guys that are fully dedicated to helping us turn our team around and get back on track,” said coach Tommy Johnson.  

With that being said, despite COVID-19 protocols within the last two seasons, the Braves have still been able to produce talented players that are going to make an immediate impact once the season begins.  

“We have the talent, we just need to play as a team. Brenin Melton and Noah Citek are just examples of some guys who are really talented and can go play this sport anywhere in the world,” said coach Johnson. 

The Braves are looking forward to the first game against Downey High School this Friday, they are hoping this game will be the start to a season to remember with a mix of seniors, freshmen, juniors and sophomores all playing key roles in their success. 

“We have freshmen all the way to seniors who play significant minutes that help our team win. I think that’s what makes us so special this year because of the depth this program is going to have for years,” said Noah. 

With the 2022 Season starting in less than 24 hours, the team is ready to take the field in their home opener against the Downey Vikings at 4:00 p.m Friday, and start their run for a CIF and Trinity League Championship. 

by Aeden Alexander, Sports Editor

Major League Baseball announces that the 2022 regular season will have games canceled much to the anguish of players and fans, as players and owners can’t agree to a deal that would end their lockout.

With the original start of Spring Training being on February 26th, the MLB and Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) are way past their deadline of getting a new labor deal finalized. This will not only delay and cancel Spring Training games, but it will now also cause the cancellation of the beginning of the regular season.

After the 2021 season, the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) expired, leaving another deal to be made. However, the MLBPA did not agree with the terms of the last deal and believed that it was too unfair for the players in many different aspects.

One of the players’ main concerns is about how poorly Minor League players are treated, as they get less pay than minimum wage in some states, as well as subpar housing in some situations. There were many other aspects of the deal that caused the lockout, including greedy owners and representatives of Major League Baseball.

Both sides have met almost every day for the past three weeks trying to make a deal. Reports have changed day to day, some being that a deal is close to being completed, with some days ending in frustration and talks going back to square one. 

The first deadline that the MLB set for an agreement to avoid canceling games was 5 P.M. on March 1st, which was not met due to Major League Baseball wanting a 14-team playoff bracket, opposed to the players’ preferred number of twelve teams.

Once the news broke about the first weekend series being canceled, many players and associates of the game of baseball came out on social media expressing their disgust with the league.

Statement from the Major League Baseball Players Association: pic.twitter.com/rmpciPsQm4

— MLBPA Communications (@MLBPA_News) March 1, 2022

One of the main reasons the MLB owners are able to go so long without a season is that statistically, the first month of the season is always their worst economically. Losing the first few weeks doesn’t mean much to them.

In addition to the players, fans are also in outrage because America’s pastime is not happening and getting shortened. Baseball is coming off of one of its most exciting years in the past decade, which included the two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani as well as the underdog Atlanta Braves winning the World Series.

The lockout has made many things tough within the league as well, due to the fact that players are not allowed to be around each other at times, which makes it difficult during holidays. 

Regarding The MLB Lockout: pic.twitter.com/QQUC1pWr5F

— Mike Trout (@MikeTrout) March 2, 2022

The board members of the MLBPA include some of the faces of baseball, as well as other respectable players. There are hundreds of players involved, but there are a selected number that really have a say in negotiations.

Tony Clark is one of the few retired players within the association and the Executive Director. Other associates consist of Max Scherzer, Andrew Miller, Elvis Andrus and Daniel Murphy.

This is only the ninth time in history where there has been a lockout in baseball, and the last time there was a lockout was right before the steroid era, in the 1990s. 

For America this is a major blow, as usually the end of the Super Bowl and NFL season signals the beginning of baseball. But now, with there being conflicts and delay, the future of the game due is at risk to the fact that kids are not watching any baseball.

MLB set another deadline for the end of the day on March 9th. If there is no agreement made, they will be canceling more games and most likely not play a full season.

by Ian Cook

After not having the season they longed for last year, the St. John Bosco Braves baseball team, led by Head Coach Don Barbara, have started off their 2022 season strong with an overall record of 5-1.

This year, the Braves have a grand total of 18 senior players. This team has already proven to be a strong contender as they were ranked 16th in Southern California by the Los Angeles Times. With this experience, they are hopeful to beat out the very challenging competition and win the prestigious Trinity League Championship.

“We’ve had a great start to this season so far, and since we have a lot of seniors, including myself, I just want to turn a lot of heads and make it big for our team,” said senior third baseman Julian Orozco. 

The Braves will face off against the Jserra Lions and the Orange Lutheran Lancers, two high-level programs that have drawn national attention in the last few years due to their continuous successful seasons. 

The Braves have had to battle through adversity over the course of the last two years due to COVID-19 and an unsuccessful season. Though going into this season, the Braves are excited to get back to a championship-contending team.

“We’ve had a rough two years, our season was cut short due to COVID, and last year we went 6-21. This year we’re finally back to normal and we have a lot of division one talent that we’re ready to display this year,” said senior catcher Dylan Taguiam. 

As of now, the Braves have defeated El Dorado 6-1, Mission Viejo 9-6, Woodbridge 8-1, Newport Harbor 13-1 and San Juan Hills 6-3. The Braves’ only defeat was to a very strong, Tesoro team, losing 4-3 in the championship game of the Newport Elks Tourney. 

The Braves have been able to use their depth to have a successful season thus far and hope to continue this game plan going into a very tough Trinity League stretch. 

“We’ve had a lot of guys this year step up big time and help us make great plays to close out these games. Dylan Lina, and Taguiam, as well as Jake Ellison, are just examples of a few guys that have really helped us close out games these last couple of weeks. We’re going to be counting on them and other guys as well to keep being as consistent as possible,” said senior pitcher Niko Riera. 

With this heavy senior group, comes many commitments, a few to mention are Caleb Brandon, committed to the University of Southern California, Dylan Taguiam, committed to Lipscomb University, Dylan Lina, committed to San Jose State University, Aeden Alexander, committed to Azusa Pacific University and Niko Riera, committed to the University of California Irvine.

Despite the depth in this year’s team, the expectations will even be higher than in previous years. The Braves hope to win the 2022 Trinity League Championship, as well as a CIF Southern Section and State Regional Title. 

The Braves will play an away game against Dana Hills Tuesday, March 8th, at 3 P.M.

by Aydn Morris

Following a disappointing loss at JSerra last week, the Braves are looking towards their first-round matchup with the La Costa Canyon Mavericks in the CIF State Championship tournament.

In an uncharacteristic game from the Braves, they lost 60-44 against JSerra. They struggled heavily to put the ball in the basket. In the first quarter, they only scored six points, and things did not get much better as they only scored ten points in the second quarter. 

“We shot the ball very poorly and allowed that to affect our defense. We have to always defend at a high level,” said head coach Matt Dunn.

According to Max Preps, the Braves average 15.7 points in the first quarter, and average a total of 64.3 points per game. The Braves were not able to hit either of these marks in this game, which led to the loss.

“We weren’t talking and did not communicate enough and get organized. We just weren’t ourselves and we can’t let that happen again. We need to improve by having more energy and the seniors leading more vocally,” said senior point guard D.J. Henry

Even with the loss last week, the Braves still have high hopes and expectations in what seems to be a second chance. The state tournament consists of 32 teams. The Braves earned the tenth seed in the southern side of the bracket, and they go against the seventh seeded Mavericks.

“I honestly feel pretty confident in my brothers that we can get the job done, because losing the game against Jserra was a big blow and it was a tough lesson to learn. I feel we have learnt it and we never want to feel that way again, so I feel really confident that we will take it to whoever we play. Just one game at a time,” said senior Marco Kenz 

The JSerra loss seemed to be a huge blow to the Braves, as any playoff loss should, but all they can focus on now is the next game, staying confident and being resilient. 

“Personally, I feel like we have something to prove. I don’t think many people believe we can win this, but our team does. So, we are excited to play,” said sophomore guard Jack Turner.

Fortunately, the Braves did not have to end their season in that fashion because that is not how they want to be defined as a team. The Braves were very resilient throughout their whole season, as they dealt with COVID as well as other adversities, including injuries. 

“We have had a lot of adversity with guys getting injured, and I had to sit out for transfer rules. It took a while for us to finally get in a rhythm together,” said Jack Turner.

These adversities may have benefited the Braves, as it made them play more as a team and play with more toughness, while giving everyone on the team an important role to fill. 

“We need our bench guys to play well. Different guys have stepped up at different times, but Marco Kenz and Christian Lizarraga have been very important,” said Coach Dunn. 

The Braves have many key players that fill their role, such as Jack Turner, Christian Estrada and D.J. Henry. Jack transferred in and became the leading scorer, as well a great defender. Christian is the force in the paint and the leader in both rebounds and blocks per game. D.J. is the leader in both assists per game and steals per game, as well as the senior voice, along with guard Ray King.

The Braves will need to lock in and focus during this game against La Costa Canyon, because they may not score on as much of a high level. The Mavericks have players who can score well, including their leading scorer, junior Christian Brown who is a 6’5″ wing.

The game takes place tonight at 6:00 P.M. at La Costa Canyon High School in Carlsbad, California.