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Tag: Cristian Angulo

  • San Juan High School celebrates Senior Night as basketball season wraps up

    San Juan Spartans senior basketball players class of 2020, left to right: Alejandra Perez, Trinity Dudley, Cristian Angulo, Wyatt Winalski, Romeo Bryant, Elijah Vernon. // Marcus Smith

    *Local sports coverage on The Sentinel is made possible by generous support from Stones Gambling Hall.

    By Marcus D. Smith–
    It was a true battle back and forth as San Juan High School girls and boys varsity teams battle-tested the Golden Sierra Grizzlies during the Spartans’ Senior Night on Friday.

    The Spartans basketball program honored six seniors total, two from the girls team and four from the boys team. Trinity Dudley and Alejandra Perez represented the San Juan girls varsity basketball team, while Cristian Angulo, Romeo Bryant, Elijah Vernon, and Wyatt Winalski represented the boys varsity team.

    The players were honored inbetween the girls and boys basketball game with flowers, chocolates, and mini basketballs that showcased their 2020 varsity basketball season.

    The San Juan High School coaches and faculty put on a ceremony that highlighted the players and some of their greatest moments throughout their tenure as a Spartan leading up to their special evening.

    “I got the privilege to play with these boys and especially with the young talent that’s on the team and I couldn’t be thankful enough for them, for a great season, and I’m just ready for baseball,” said boys varsity senior Wyatt Winalski.

    Winalski will be playing baseball, which is his main sport. Winalski also played quarterback for the San Juan Spartans varsity football team.

    As basketball comes to the end of the road for many of the students, most have plans to attend college after high school. Whether a two-year or a four-year college, the aspiration for higher education hasn’t decreased.

    There is a certain empty feeling you get when there’s no more practices to attend, no more obligation to act for someone other than yourself. The end of high school sports can be a bittersweet reality to a lot of futures.

    “It’s been an amazing three years for me, for my home girl (Alejandra Perez) it’s been an amazing four years for her,” said girls varsity senior Trinity Dudley of her teammate that she battled with. “Being able to be with that team is just amazing.”

    Dudley plans to attend Sacramento City College to study for nursing school.

    The bonds will forever hold value as the camaraderie that was created through the blood, sweat and tears that were shed fighting on the hardwood together will forever hold its core.

    For the last four months, the seniors were able to set the bar for the next class of athletes, as they carry on the tradition of San Juan High School and continue to build on the culture that was established this past season.

    “I think what I’m going to miss most is the connection that I created with all my teammates,” said girls varsity senior Alejandra Perez. “Being here for four years, that bond really gets strengthened (with the team) and with my coach who’s helped me tremendously over the last four years.”

    Perez hopes to attend UC Berkley or UCLA next year.

    She and her fellow teammates helped create a culture of hard work, dedication and passion, not only for the game but also for one another. The chemistry of the athletes translated on to the court because of the trust that was gained off the court.

    The respect that was mounted was transcendent into the way the team interacted with each other. Through each win, loss, or hard battle, the Spartans retained a tight bond and could come to the defense of their fellow soldier when the time came about.

    “They mean a lot, you know, making friends,” said boys varsity senior forward Cristian Angulo. “We’re a brotherhood now. It goes on for life and it feels good to have these memories.”

    Angulo is looking to attend Sierra College or American River College, with hopes to walk-on and play sports.

    San Juan Spartans Cheerleaders preparing for the senior night ceremony. // Marcus Smith

    Both the girls and boys lost against the Golden Sierras Grizzlies. The boys lost by one point, 58-57, while the girls lost by seven, 37-30. San Juan High School basketball programs will not qualify for the playoffs. The outcome of the scoreboard and their playoff hopes was overshadowed by the meaningfulness of the evening and the ceremony that was put on for the kids.

    “Tonight it was just about them, right?” said San Juan High School boys varsity head coach Fred Bryant, on the students’ Senior Night despite the losses. “[It] was about the seniors, for them it being their last home game of the year. How do they want to go out? Have fun, compete, everybody just have high energy.”

    “I didn’t put a lot of emphasis on the game, but on the night and what that meant for them and their families,” said Bryant.

    The season will officially conclude Tuesday, when the Spartans travel to Vacaville Christian to conclude the season.

    Marcus D. Smith
    Marcus D. Smith

    Follow local sports with a subscription to The Sentinel for just $4/mo: click here to subscribe.

    Sports Reporter Marcus D. Smith covers high school sports in Citrus Heights. Smith is a Sacramento-area native and earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism in 2017.

  • Boys Basketball: San Juan Spartans suffer narrow loss to Vacaville Christian

    Cristian Angulo looks to make a pass during a game against Vacaville Christian on Jan. 24, 2020. // Marcus D. Smith

    By Marcus D. Smith–
    Energetic to start the game is how you could describe the San Juan Spartans when they began their game against Vacaville Christian on January 24. It was a track meet out there as the boys played at a fast tempo all throughout the first quarter.

    Through the first eight minutes, the Spartans led by four, 19-15.

    As the second quarter began, Vacaville Christian struck quick with a 9-3 in the opening two minutes of the quarter. San Juan would go on a cold streak, only scoring seven points in the second. 

    Vacaville Christian would go on to score 20 points in the second quarter and took control of the game going into the break, 35-36.

    In the third quarter, coming back from the break the Spartans brought back the same energy they had in the first. They cut the lead to two points, 45-43, going into the fourth quarter.

    The Falcons answered in the fourth quarter with back-to-back buckets and took momentum of the game. With 2:49 remaining in the game, they were up by as many as 15 points, 64-49, before the Spartans tried to make one last push.

    It was a 10-point deficit with two minutes left after the junior guard, Matt Colter, was fouled going to the basket on a layup. Colter made the layup, and the free throw awarded after, 64-54.

    Cristian Angulo and Matt Colter focus on the next play, while facing the Vacaville Christian Falcons on Jan. 24, 2020.

    Sophomore guard, Nanik Tagore, cut the score to a single-digit game after he connected for a deep three pointer with a minute and 20 seconds. It was 64-57.

    The next possession was big as Colter went to the line with 55.8 remaining, after getting fouled. He missed both free throws.

    After the Spartans got a stop on defense, Tagore stepped up and stepped back for a mid-range jump shot that cut the lead to five, 64-59, with 30.8 seconds left in the game.

    Vacaville Christian would go down on the opposite and pass the pass to attempt to run the clock out. A flagrant foul was called on Colter when he made contact with a Falcons player making a jump pass made with 17.7 seconds left. This gave them two free throws and the ball back, practically sealing the deal.

    Vacaville Christian would make both free throws, going up by seven. San Juan would lose by five, 66-61, after a last-second field goal was made with 1.5 seconds in the game.

    At the midway point of league the Spartans are 2-3 and look forward to the second half as they face Highlands in their second meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 28.

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    Marcus D. Smith
    Marcus D. Smith

    Sports Reporter Marcus D. Smith covers high school sports in Citrus Heights. Smith is a Sacramento-area native and earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism in 2017.

  • San Juan HS spoils Mira Loma’s homecoming with shutout win, 30-0

    San Juan HS spoils Mira Loma’s homecoming with shutout win, 30-0

    San Juan High School varsity football celebrates their victory against Mira Loma, 30-0. // Marcus D. Smith

    Publisher’s Note: The Sentinel’s coverage of local sports is experimental and will rely on the direct support of our readers to continue after this season. We are looking for 100 new subscribers to join The Sentinel for just $4/mo. before the end of the season. Want to be 1 of the 100 who make local sports coverage possible? Click here to subscribe today.

    By Marcus D. Smith–
    Entering the halfway point into the season it was a jubilant, breezy Friday evening and San Juan High School was looking to end a losing streak of back-to-back games when they faced the Mira Loma Matadors in a non-conference matchup at El Camino High School’s Abbott Field.

    Coming off their own homecoming loss against Mesa Verde in the Citrus Height Bowl, the Spartans looked to play spoiler to Mira Loma High School who were not just looking for a homecoming win, but also their first victory of the season.

    Spartans would makeup their woes from last week nabbing their second win of the season in a shutout, 30-0, improving their overall record to (2-3).

    “The guys lost their homecoming last week, so this was a big win for us,” said San Juan High School varsity football head coach, Andy Villegas. “The guys put in the work this week. Hard practice on Monday to make up for it, and then Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday… everybody showed up and put the work in. Going into league, we knew we had to come back.”

    The Spartans struggled to find the end zone early in the game. Their first score of the game would come with 9:03 remaining in the second quarter off a dump off for Romeo Bryant that turned into a 20-yard touchdown.

    The Spartans went into halftime with just a 10-0 lead after a 34-yard made field goal by Cristian Angulo.

    In the second half is where the Spartans began to explode behind the Wyatt Winalski-Matt Colter connection began to unfold. Winalski threw three touchdowns in the second half alone to Colter, as the Matadors had no answer for the tandem.

    https://www.facebook.com/CitrusHeightsSentinel/videos/583340962204175

    Coach Villegas called Colter, his junior wide receiver, “one of my up and comers,” noting he played varsity as a sophomore last year. “The kid’s looking great. Phenomenal hands. Good speed. Good speaker. Good leader.”

    Villegas has currently has 15 graduating seniors and 10 juniors, including Colter.

    “Looking forward to having him again next year, thankfully,” said Villegas. “I graduate a lot of seniors, so it’s really good to know that I’ll have some talent coming back next year.”

    The Spartans will need him to replicate this performance and then some next week when Sierra Delta League play begins with San Juan High School going on the road to visit the Vacaville Christian Falcons on Oct. 4 at 7 p.m.

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    The Spartans will have their work cut out for them as the Falcons currently sit at a 4-1 overall record on the season. League play is the chance to change the course of the season by excelling throughout the league games.

    “They’re a good team, we had a hard time against them last year,” said Coach Villegas, looking forward to next week’s matchup with Vacaville Christian. “I’m looking forward to having my boys, who are pretty athletic, go up against theirs.”

    Vacaville Christian will be coming off their first loss of the season, 28-26, courtesy of Woodland Christian High School. The 26 points is the lowest of their season so far, as the Falcons average 40 points per game. Defensively, they only allow 16 points per game.

    The two-point spread is also the closest game they have had thus far in the early part of the season.

    San Juan High School will enter the game coming off of an avenging, euphoric, 48-minute contest. They will have to find a way to keep that momentum and score points against the Vacaville Christian team who like to play shootout style football.

    The Spartans come into the game scoring an average of 19.4 points per game, and allowing 18.6 points per game. This past week was their best overall performance as a team, on both sides of the ball. The team’s 30 points was a season-high for the Spartans, topping their 23-point output against Foresthill on Sept. 13.

    Defensively, they were no slouch. En route to their shutout, the Falcons were able to stifle their opponent as they were able to force fumbles and deflect passes all night. They capped off a perfect defensive performance with a late-game interception by Justin Mattson with 1:30 remaining in the game.

    Mattson, recently-cleared transfer, played his first game for San Juan High School on Friday night.

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    With a goal to defeat Vacaville Christian, defense will be the main focal point and performances such as this one will be the critical to the success of the San Juan Spartans.

    Despite a great performance, there were defensive miscues that can be worked on heading into next week. The team still missed out on plenty of opportunities to take advantage of interceptions, and coach Villegas discussed how they would clean this up in the upcoming days in practice.

    “We’ve been working on a lot of pass defense. They’re a passing team and [we’re] knowing it’s going to be difficult,” Villegas said.

    The Spartans look to begin league play with a win and get their overall record back to .500.

    To continue The Sentinel’s local sports coverage, we’re looking for 100 new subscribers to sign up before the end of the season, for just $4/mo. Want to be 1 of the 100 who make local sports coverage possible? Click here to subscribe today.

    Marcus D. Smith
    Marcus D. Smith

    The Sentinel is pleased to introduce sports reporter Marcus D. Smith, who will be covering high school sports in Citrus Heights. Smith is a Sacramento-area native and earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism in 2017.