Fleck Named 2^nd Team Under Armour All-American

Chatsworth, Calif – Senior libero Zoe Fleck of Sierra Canyon High School has been named as a 2^nd Team Under Armour All-American for the 2017 season. Fleck becomes the first volleyball player in Sierra Canyon history to receive such a distinguished honor and becomes the fifth All-American at the school in just the past two years.

“I am in complete shock right now,” said Fleck. “Never in my wildest dreams did I expect this. It is a huge accomplishment to be recognized by the national selection committee. Without my coaches and teammates this would never have happened.”

Senior Captain Fleck is the all-time leader at Sierra Canyon with 1,474 career digs and 172 aces. In her four years as a starter, Sierra Canyon has won a CIF-SS Championship, three consecutive Gold Coast League Championships and is looking to win a second CIF Championship in the coming weeks.

Head Coach Stefanie Wigfall is very proud of her lone senior. “What an honor for Zoe to finish out her senior year with such a great recognition,” Wigfall said. “Zoe has elevated our program each of the four years she has been here. She works hard in practice and in matches and it rubs off on her other teammates. We are forever grateful for the example she has set for all of these young women.”

Next year, Fleck will play volleyball for the Gauchos at UC Santa Barbara. Before Fleck heads north for college, she and the Trailblazers have more work to be done this season as they begin their playoff quest for back-to-back CIF Championships. Sierra Canyon opens the playoffs tomorrow night at 6 pm at home.

“We are not finished here at Sierra Canyon,” Fleck said. “I have a lot of expectations for my team as we head into the playoffs. I want my senior year to end just like my junior year, holding a championship trophy and celebrating with my teammates.”

Trailblazers Go “Back to the Future” in Lopsided Win Over Campbell Hall

The Next Generation of Trailblazers from the JV Team Play Strong Second Half

By:     Chloe LaBelle, SCSN Staff Writer

October 20, 2017

In the first Gold Coast Conference game of the season, the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers (7-1) rolled over the Campbell Hall Vikings (6-3) on a perfect night for football at Pierce College. The final score was 51-7, but as lopsided as this score was, it could have been much, much worse for the Vikings.

Chayden Peery, Sierra Canyon’s star freshman quarterback, only played the first quarter, with back-up quarterback Johnny Hawkins taking snaps during the second quarter. The fun part of the night was watching the future Trailblazers in action as some members of the JV team got to play in the second half.

Aaron Gutierrez, the Trailblazers’ third string quarterback, was efficient and the young receivers were ready to play when their opportunity came after half-time.

The Trailblazer’s again got off to a great start in the first half scoring four touchdowns in less than 15 minutes of play.

Sophomore running back Hunter Williams rushed for a 33-yard touchdown to put the Trailblazers on the scoreboard and senior running back Michael Myrick scampered for a 14-yard touchdown on Sierra Canyon’s next possession, making the score 14-0 after just a few minutes of play.

“I think I played well even though they pulled the starters so fast,” said Myrick. “This week was all about focusing on speeding up the offense and making sure that the offense stayed in rhythm at a faster pace.”

The Trailblazers did play fast and it was clear that they were using this game as an opportunity to iron out some wrinkles in the offense to prepare for some of the bigger games coming up on their schedule and in the playoffs.

The touchdowns continued to light-up the score board when Hawkins caught a touchdown pass from Peery and sophomore Dylan Devito caught a 30-yard touchdown from Hawkins to close out the scoring in the first half with the Trailblazers leading 28-0.

In the second half, many young players stood out, including freshman receiver Q. Sumlin, who caught four passes for more than 20 yards and a touchdown, sophomore running back Jacob Huddleston, who rushed for 40 yards on four carries, and freshman receiver Donovan Williams, who caught a 25-yard pass from Gutierrez.

The defense dominated the Vikings’ offense in all areas as well, limiting their quarterback to only eight completions on 28 attempts while holding their running backs to only 49 yards rushing. The Trailblazer’s also recorded three interceptions, including a pick-six by freshman DJ Harvey.

The Vikings fielded a small number of players that were completely over-matched by the Trailblazers’ size and athleticism. The game was over before it started, which allowed several Sierra Canyon players to get some needed rest as they head into the final stretch of the season and another trip to the playoffs.

Sierra Canyon has improved each week and as they enter the last part of their regular season schedule, they look like a complete team.

“We like to think we prepare the same way every week,” said Coach Jon Ellinghouse. “We found some things that we wanted to work on this week and we had a good week of preparation.”

“There are some big games ahead of us and we will have to be ready when we get there,” Ellinghouse continued.

Coach Ellinghouse certainly understands where his team is at this point of the season as the Gold Coast Conference championship is on the line this coming Friday when the Trailblazers visit the undefeated Brentwood Eagles (7-0-1).

Offensive Stars of the Game:  Hunter Williams, RB, So. #21 (44 YDS and 1 TD); Jacob Huddleston, RB, So. #34 (40 YDS); and Johnny Hawkins, QB/ WR, Jr. #15 (34 YDs and 2 TDs).

Defensive Stars of the Game: DJ Harvey, DB, Fr. #13 (interception resulting in a touchdown); Andrew Berg, DB, Fr. # 2 (interception); Daniel Kamulali, DB, Sr., #23 (interception).

 

 

Give a cheer for school spirit:  Cheer team welcomes improvements

Ava Calderon, Staff Writer, The Standard

It’s just another Friday night. The football team striving for that next touchdown, the fans cheering in the stands, and dead center: the cheerleaders. Though they still wear the same uniform, and bear the blue and white pompoms, you can’t help notice there’s something different about them this year. Why is this, you ask?

This year the cheer team underwent a complete renovation. A new head coach, assistant coach, and captain were put into place, all of whom share major experience, and a passion for the sport.

“It’s just a good vibe every practice, it’s my happy place. I love coming here […] I’m really excited for everything that’s going on,” assistant coach Solene Flores said.

New head coach Rachel Kay has a background in professional dance and choreography as well as cheer, and is incorporating much more dance into the team’s routines. Kay, Flores, and Captain Liza Gill (’19) have many new goals for this season.

“My main goal is to clean up the reputation of the cheer team in general, and definitely make it an activity people want to participate in. Squad goals would be to be as clean and as sharp as possible, to be as flexible as possible, and to get really good jumps,” Kay said.

The coaches have brought in new resources, including boxes, rainbow pompoms, practice apparel, a new practice schedule, and performance material.

“The atmosphere is wonderful, the vibe is great, I look forward to coming to practice. I am so incredibly happy here it makes me a little emotional,” Kay said.

Aside from new equipment, there are many new girls on the team. More gymnasts, dancers, and experienced cheerleaders have joined the team, introducing a whole new level of quality. Though no experience is needed to join the team, these new additions bring forth much anticipation.

“Honestly it’s so fun. You can tell if you ever come to games or practice, we’re just having a ball. We’re always laughing and smiling. There’s never a boring moment,” Gill said.

Tennis makes major improvements

Flannery Branham-Kamp- Staff Writer, The Standard

The varsity girls tennis team has seen many improvements this season, which they hope will move the team towards greater accomplishments despite a current 3-4 record. It still being early in the season, the team is ambitious about coming games.

“We have already won many matches and have played really well as a team,” player Samantha Perry (‘19) said.

Changes are being implemented to build individual athletic ability, team relationships, and enthusiasm. Lily Tucker (‘20) has been moved to singles, and two seniors, Lily Kahane (‘18) and Avery Aviv (‘18), have been paired up to improve the interrelationships and leadership within the team.

“I’m excited for this new strategy the coach has, because it could potentially lead to a winning record in playoffs,” player Jessica Fitzwilliam (‘19) said.

New coach Ron Frankel is already helping the team improve a great deal. By moving players around and matching up new partners, Frankel is trying out a new approach and new strategies to guide the team to triumph.

While victory is always on the team’s mind, they are also concerned with team chemistry and having fun. A major aspect of being part of the team is setting goals. The team is mostly focusing on improving every time they step off the court, through playing together.

“Our team goals [are] to just get better every game we play and always have a positive mindset when playing,” Fitzwilliam said.

Cross Country steps towards league finals

Shenba Vairavan- Freelancer, The Standardd

Aidan Jones (‘20) runs miles on dirt four days every week, without panting at all. In fact, the Sierra Canyon Cross Country Team runs miles without getting tired, the result of dedicated practice since July 5th.

“Over the summer we set up a season of endurance training. This ideally would [make] you capable of running for 90 minutes nonstop,” cross country coach Troy Samuels said.

According to Samuels, during the school year, the team focuses on variable training.

“One day they may only run for twenty minutes, but the next day their warmup will only be twenty minutes but they will practice for much longer. By the end of the season, [the runners] should be able to run three miles as fast as they can,” Samuels said.

The team’s first meet was on Sept. 27, where they placed 4th overall. Brooke Golik (‘18) placed 2nd in the girls run. The team’s next meet is on Oct. 11 against Paraclete.

“Cross country is a new way for me to experience competition and get the chance to push myself to my best capabilities,” Golik said.

Running requires extensive stamina and persistence, which is a key characteristic of Trailblazers. The distance gives athletes physical and mental strength, which will help them beyond cross country meets. “I like [running] because it mentally toughens me, as running long distance is more mind [than] body,” Jake Dalton (‘19) said.

Trailblazers Tame Coyotes in Landmark Victory

Role of Underdog Motivates Sierra Canyon

By:     Chloe LaBelle, SCSN Staff Writer

October 13, 2017

The visiting Sierra Canyon Trailblazers (6-1) showed energy, passion and an ever-growing maturity in their upset win over the Calabasas Coyotes (6-1) on a beautiful Friday evening in front of a hostile home crowd. Playing on Friday the 13^th and on Calabasas’ Senior Night couldn’t even curse the Trailblazers performance, which was nearly flawless in their 26-14 victory

It was apparent that Sierra Canyon was prepared and ready to play from the opening snap, as they clicked on offense, defense and special teams while jumping out to a 20-0 first-half lead.

Strong opening-half performances have become a staple fort his Trailblazer team during the past several weeks. Against the Coyotes, it only took three plays for the Trailblazers’ defense to come up with a key fumble caused by JD Hernandez and recovered by Ronald Kamulali.

The fumble sparked the Trailblazers momentum and led to their first score, which came off the first pass of the game by Chayden Peery to Corey Jones for a 54 yard touchdown.

“It was amazing getting on the board that early in the game,” said Corey Jones. “It gave our team some momentum and confidence moving forward.”

Two more interceptions by the Trailblazers’ defense led to another 10 points by the offense and set an aggressive tone for the rest of the game that shell-shocked the Coyotes.

Freshman quarterback Chayden Peery did a great job leading the offense in the victory as he completed 21 of 37 passes for 231 yards, three touchdowns, and no turnovers. He truly stepped up when he needed to in the biggest game of his young career.

Corey Jones also had a great game on both sides of the ball. On offense, he ran for a total of 56 yards and he had more than 130 yards receiving. On defense, Jones had great coverage on Calabasas’ wide-receivers all evening, including an interception.

The special teams also looked impressive with momentum-changing plays. Joshua Reiter blocked a punt and the punt team downed the ball on the Coyote’s one yard-line later in the game, trapping the Calabasas offense near their goal line.

“Playing teams that are high-level competition makes it feel like we are growing up,” said Coach Jon Ellinghouse. “Everybody had us as an underdog, but we didn’t believe that.”

Indeed, the Trailblazers played like they belonged among the elite high school football teams in Southern California on Friday night, shedding the title of underdog.

The night got even better after the game when Sierra Canyon’s head coach Jon Ellinghouse was presented with the LA Rams coach of the week award.

 

Offensive Stars of the Game:  Chayden Peery, QB, Fr. #8 (21 for 37, 231 YDSs and 3 TDs); Corey Jones, WR, Jr. #5 (187 total YDS and 1 TDs); and JJ Hernandez, WR, Jr. #3 (46 YDs and 1 TD).

Defensive Stars of the Game: Corey Jones, DB, Jr. #5 (interception); JJ Hernandez, DB, Jr. # 3 (interception); JD Hernandez, LB, So. #20 (caused fumble); Ronald Kamulali, DB, Sr., #1 (fumble recovery).

 

 

Trailblazer’s Use Strong First Half to Coast to Easy Victory

Quarterback Peery Continues to Impress in Lopsided Win

By:     Chloe LaBelle, SCSN Staff Writer

October 3, 2017

The Sierra Canyon Trailblazer’s (5-1) crushed the Paso Robles Bearcats (1-4) 41-3 on a beautiful fall evening at Granada Hills Charter High School. Similar to the prior week’s big win against Redondo Union (2-3), Sierra Canyon jumped out to a first half lead and never looked back. The unusual Saturday night game didn’t impact the team or the strong showing of Sierra Canyon fans who attended the game.

Sophomore running back Hunter Williams continued his dominance near the goal line, carrying the ball three yards into the end zone for the game’s first score. Shortly after, senior wide receiver Vincent Lightner caught a 10-yard pass from freshman quarterback Chayden Peery, extending the lead to 14-0.

As the first quarter came to a close, freshman quarterback Chayden Peery showed off his speed and agility during a dazzling 10-yard run for the Trailblazer’s third touchdown as his receivers were covered and he was forced to improvise on the move. This was only the beginning of a magnificent night for the young quarterback as the first quarter closed with the score 21-0 and the Trailblazers comfortably in the lead.

Chayden Peery finished with an almost perfect game, helped by the amazing blocking of his offensive line and the talented offensive weapons at his disposal. He finished the night hitting on 12 of 14 passes for 240 yards and 2 touchdowns. He added another 12 yards rushing, racking up another two scores.

This was by far the best game of Peery’s young career, where he showed off his ability to throw long passes and bring all-around versatility to the quarterback position. He completed a long pass play to Lightner for a 79 yard touchdown and also completed a pass to senior wide receiver Daniel Kamulali for an additional 53 yards during the game.

“I thought I played well”, said Peery. “But those incompletions could’ve been completions.”

The defense continued its steady play, sacking the Paso Robles quarterback three times and recording three turnovers. The Bearcats completed less than 50 percent of their pass attempts and the Trailblazers’ stingy defense only allowed 100 yards rushing on more than 25 carries.

The coaches were very happy with the way the team played again this week. They thought every position did their job and viewed it as a complete team win.

“I thought we played a good all-around game.” said coach Jon Ellinghouse. “We came out and we played physical, we played solid defense, and those opportunities led to scores by the offense.”

The only downside from Friday night’s game seemed to be the amount of injuries suffered by the Trailblazers. They will need to take advantage of this week’s bye to heal and prepare to face Calabasas, possibly the toughest opponent of the year.

Offensive Stars of the Game:  Chayden Peery, QB, Fr. #8 (12 for 14, 252 YDSs and 4 TDs); Vincent Lightner; WR, Sr. #9 (98 YRDs and 2 TDs); and Daniel Kamulali, WR, Sr. #23 (68 YDs).

Defensive Stars of the Game: Victor Sykes, DB, Jr. #1 (interception); JJ Hernandez, DB, Jr. # 3 (fumble recovery); and DJ Harvey, DB, Fr. #13 (fumble recovery).

 

 

Sierra Canyon Turns Out the Lights on the Toreadors

Offense and Defense Shine in Win

By:     Chloe LaBelle, SCSN Staff Writer

September 15, 2017

As the third quarter came to an end with Sierra Canyon (3-1) leading the Taft Toreadors (1-3) 53-0, the Taft stadium lights decided that they had seen enough and turned off without powering back on, ending the game early in a blowout win for the Trailblazers.

Starting with the opening kick-off, Sierra Canyon dominated in all phases of the game, capping off a perfect first quarter by scoring 39 unanswered points with sophomore running back Hunter Williams accounting for four rushing touchdowns during the first 12 minutes.

“It was a great feeling,” said Williams on his four scores. “But it wasn’t just me, it was a complete team effort. I just had the opportunity to carry the ball into the end zone for the team.”

Freshman Chayden Peery continued where he left off against Grace Brethren last week, starting fast and impressing again at the quarterback position. In his first career start for Sierra Canyon, he completed 8 of 12 passes for 196 yards. Peery looked settled and showed poise and confidence leading the offense in the victory.

“Last week I found out that I could play and compete at the varsity level and make an impact,” said Peery. “I watched a ton of film and came prepared.”

Peery completed another pair of spectacular, long passes against the Toreadors, including a 64 yarder to Corey Jones to start off the game followed by a 49 yard pass to JJ Hernandez in the second half.

The Trailblazers’ defense had another big week as it held the Taft offense to less than 40 rushing yards and put constant pressure on quarterback Ryan Heath, which resulted in bad throws and a completion percentage that was well under 50 percent.

Ronald Kamulali intercepted a pass from Heath and returned it for an 82 yard touchdown and the front seven lived in the Toreadors’ backfield all night, recording multiple sacks and tackles for losses that resulted in two fumble recoveries.

Coach Ellinghouse was pleased with the way the team played and executed on both sides of the ball.

“We came out and we played well,” said Ellinghouse. “I thought we executed at a high level on offense and played great defense.”

This week’s game will likely provide a stiffer challenge for the Trailblazers as they visit Redondo Union on Friday night, playing against the team they eliminated in last year’s playoff quarterfinals in triple overtime.

Offensive Stars of the Game:  Chayden Peery, QB, Fr. #8 (8 for 12, 196 YDSs and 2 TD); Hunter Williams, RB, So. #21 (rushed 5 times for 33 YDS and 4 TDs); Corey Jones, RB, Jr. #5 (64 YD reception); and Johnny Hawkins, WR, Jr. #15 (3 receptions for 38 YDS).

Defensive Stars of the Game: Ronald Kamulali, FS, Sr. #1 (interception, returned for 82 YDS and a TD); JD Hernandez, LB, So. # 20 (interception); and Chris Cannon, DE, Sr. #52 (recorded 2 sacks).