A Community Comes Together: Trojan Football Home Opener
Trojans past, present, and future gather to celebrate the beginning of another spirited year.
With the sun still shining brightly, fans streamed into Trojan stadium early to catch the junior varsity Trojans take on the formidable Orange Vista Coyotes. JV ended up taking a tough loss in a close game. New players on the JV football and cheer teams shared their first home game experiences:
Sophomore Elaura Lopez said that she is “extremely proud to be cheering for such a strong and dedicated team. I definitely expected to be nervous, but I loved it. Being a cheerleader at the game instead of a spectator is very different.”
“It feels great being on the field,” said sophomore running back Caleb Harvey. “I was confident that our team was going to play well, and we did. There is always room for improvement, and we really need to focus on studying our plays.”
“Our greatest strength was that we never gave up and pushed ourselves as a team.”
Varsity also took a tough loss, bringing their record to 1–1 at this point during a challenging preseason. Varsity running back senior Caleb Robinson said that while the Trojans “came into this game knowing it was a physical team…Our greatest strength was that we never gave up and pushed ourselves as a team.” To improve, Caleb said the team will need to work on “being mentally prepared and focused.”
Varsity kicker senior Holly Gessler added that the team’s best is yet to come: “We could’ve done a lot better. These next games we are really going to push ourselves and strive a lot harder.”
As for varsity cheer, Teyha Salas, a newcomer, also stated her opinion. “It definitely made me nervous cheering in front of people I knew because I’m not used to people watching me, but it made me feel better that I wasn’t the only one, and that my team was with me. I was so proud of my team.”
It takes the work of many to produce the sports programs our school takes so much pride in. From the players, coaches, cheerleaders, color guard and marching band members who shine on the field to all the volunteers who perform small but important jobs, from everyone who helps prepare our facilities to the fans who cheer from the stands, it is truly a community effort. YVHS Activities Director Mr. Rauch summed it up this way: “It’s really incredible when you think of how many people and teams it takes to pull it all off. The most important part of WE ARE YV is the WE.”
This season is going to be great due to the fact that we have amazing teams. Principal Monical had words of encouragement after the game, saying, “The Trojans are strong and ready,” and they’ll be back home September 14 to host Coachella Valley. Don’t miss out!
Sydney Elless is a senior cheerleader. She plans on attending law school after graduation.
Siryn Ramirez is an avid equestrian and musician who performs with multiple local organizations, including the Desert Baroque Consortium.
