The Barons basketball team defeated the Marina Vikings 77-43 on Friday, February 3rd.

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The first quarter, Edison came out strong with a string of 3 point baskets and solid defense, but as the first half came to a close, the Barons were able to go into the locker room with a one point lead. The rest of the game was a tug of war as neither team lead by more than 5 points in the fourth quarter.

With one minute left in the game and the Barons down by 2, Zack Richartz (’12) nailed a 3 point shot on the left wing to give the Barons a one point edge. Fountain Valley had a foul to give and forced a bad shot from the Chargers and were sent to the line with the opportunity to extend the lead to 3. The Barons had problems converting at the charity stripe the entire game and the struggles continued as Sean Meyers (’12) split a pair of free throws. With the last possession of the game, neither Dreon Barlett nor Corey Foster, the star players of Edison, attemped the last shot.

Fountain Valley double teamed Foster at half court leaving a wide open lane for a layup, but Nathan Moss (’12) helped the weak side and blocked a potential game tying layup. Sean Finley (’13) recovered the ball and was sent to the line with another opportunity for a commanding 4 point lead, but again free throws haunted the barons as he missed the free throw and the Chargers recovered the ball. With 0.9 seconds in the game, the spirit of Tim Donaghy took over the baseline referee’s body and Finley was called for a personal foul in which virtually no contact took place. It was a bonus 1 and 1 situation for the Chargers and the entire loud crowd of Fountain Valley (coming in more numbers than Edison) charged to the other side of the court to heckle and distract the free throw shooter. It worked. The Chargers missed the free throw and the Barons recovered the ball and as time expired Fountain Valley fans stormed the court to congratulate their players. Fountain Valley swept Edison this season and now has a Sunset League record of 4-3. Their next game is against Marina at home on Friday at 7 p.m.

Photographed By: Tyler Rose Ratzlaff

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Photographed By: Tyler Rose Ratzlaff

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Barons: 23-67

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As an article on NBA.com talked about how Lowry and Parker in a battle for the last spot on the West for the 2012 All-Star game, I’m going to add a third guard in the mix because I want to address a problem. We’re starting to overrate Ricky Rubio. Yes he is amazing (for a rookie) and yes he is top 5 in the league in assists in his rookie year. But he stayed in Spain remember? To gain more experience and a better feel for the game of basketball.

A lot of people forget that he didn’t go to play in Spain just to fart around and try to avoid the Timberwolves and the awesome Minnesota weather, he went there to escape and get better in the process. Okay I’m not saying that if every player goes to Europe and plays for a couple of years he will have the success Rubio has had, but when he was drafted he was already a rookie sensation without even playing in a game. So can we really say we didn’t see this coming?

Ricky Rubio is an amazing talent and I’m glad he is helping rebuild this forsaken franchise known as the Timberwolves following the KG aftermath. But he is just performing on par to what we expect. Now Rubio is averaging 11 PPG which is a good rookie average and his 8.7 APG is fifth in the league, but what’s more remarkable is his 2.6 SPG. The critics were right about his shooting though, even though his 3 point shooting is .350, his overall field goal is barely above that at only .373. He is still limited on the offensive side of the ball. What makes Rubio so deadly is the transition game and his trump card, the pick and roll. This is how Rubio either gets his assist or his layup, maybe a spot up 3 pointer.

Watching Rubio run the pick and roll with either Love, Beasley, or Williams is nostalgic of the old Suns with Stoudemire. But in Texas there are two guards running the show even better, but are less hyped. Tony Parker, who has been on fire since Ginobili went down and Kyle Lowry who is leading a misfit Houston team to hopefully its first playoff berth since the Ming dynasty. Between the two it’s a toss up as to who deserves the All-Star nod, but statistically Lowry dominates all guards in the west with the exception of Bryant and Westbrook. You can also argue that he is surrounded with less talent than both Rubio and Parker and as a Rockets fan I’m siding with Lowry. If you side with Parker then it’s understandable. If you side with Rubio, you need to actually watch a Timberwolves game instead of SportsCenter’s top 10. Rubio is a fantastic talent and has a promising future, but let’s not overhype his skills and impact on his team just yet. Which is what they’ve already done to poor Eli, brace for Brady impact Giants.

Adding the best point guard in the league and a legitimate wing scorer after picking up a proven champion, the Clippers are now a sure shot to take over L.A. fans and sports stations everywhere are hyping them up, even the players, “Lob City” “Lob Angeles” are just two names that I’m getting sick of hearing.

While the Clippers go through the season proving that they are a real contender in the west, the Lakers have been struggling to get by and crack the top 8. As Clipper fans will claim that L.A. now belongs to them, Laker fans continue their “We have championships and Kobe” argument. The question of which team owns L.A still hasn’t been answered clearly and it won’t be until the playoffs.

As Kobe said, “Please, we’ve got five championships. . . . Rival come from the playoffs.” Kobe’s got a point. It’s the regular condensed season. Who cares who wins between the Lakers and Clippers? Well, it matters because each win will help provide a playoff berth, but everything should be taken with a grain of salt in the regular season; especially this one.

What matters is what happens in the playoffs. As exciting as the Clippers are, the Lakers still have three quarters of the regular season to get things straight before heading into the postseason which they won’t miss. However, what Kobe is also saying is, hey, we’re the Lakers and they’re the Clippers, come on, let’s be real. Sorry Kobe, but the truth of the matter is that there’s no doubt that the team of the future is the Clippers (if they can keep everything intact, you know those Clippers love messing things up!)

But it’s a tough pill for Kobe to swallow, so he had to defend himself and his team with the only thing they have, the past. Which is exactly what Laker fans have to let go in this Clippers-Lakers argument. I know, it’s hard to forget about those glory days with Smush running the backcourt, throwing halfcourt lobs to NBA sensation Kwame (he was their version of Blake for those young freshman who don’t know who Kwame is, and Smush was the Laker’s version of CP3), but it’s time to watch the present and be faced with the truth.

The Laker’s offense is crap. Sure Kobe leads the league in scoring, but asides from him they can’t get any consistent play from their bench and role players. And before we get into any discussion about not giving it to the post enough, the Lakers lead the league in post usage. It’s what the bigs are doing with the ball that counts, not how many times they get the ball. I’m not going to go in-depth about the Lakers offense, as I’m sure Mike Brown will fix that in the upcoming months by watching game tape, because Mike Brown’s specialty is game tapes. I know, sounds exhilarating right? Boy the Lakers sure did make a great hire, getting  game tape master and sending their candyman Odom away for free! This is going off on a wild tangent, but the main point is this, L.A belongs to no single team.

It is shared by a proven champion and an up and coming contender. The answer to who is going to rule by the end of spring will be discovered then, but as of now, the future looks bleak in L.A. but on the other side, the sun has just began to rise (is this an implication that I think Nash is coming from the Suns to the Lakers? Yes, yes it is, and the Lakers won’t be in the playoffs? Yes, I do think so.)

Joseph Solimon ('13) looks to brings the ball down with an Oiler on his back.

With the academic semester drawing to a close on Friday, the Barons’ boys varsity soccer team took on the Huntington Beach Oilers last Friday, the 27th. The Barons were looking to put away the last place Oilers and keep their record pristine in the second half of season. The boys scored early in both halves and came away with a 2-0 victory to give the Barons momentum going into Edison next week.

With the cushion of the goal the Barons were more free to play their game and the Oilers known for their tenacity, were somewhat depleted in energy. Although the game proved to be a tough defensive battle all over the pitch, the Baron midfield and defense held strong and allowed no shots on goal during the first half.

Ethan Morrow ('12) stretches out to make a tackle against an Oiler defender.

Going into the second half still at 1-0 the Barons were much closer than they would like to be, “this team will not go away until you really put them under, we have to distance ourselves or else they stick around,” commented Smith at halftime. The Barons were able to achieve that goal early on in the half. After some offensive pressure by the Barons forced a corner kick, the cross from the set piece bobbled out to the top of the box. Garret Stiffler-Greasby (’13) pounced on the ball with a one-time shot that ricocheted off an Oiler defender and fooled the goalie who was diving the other way, as the ball bounced into the net.

With another early goal within the first 5 minutes of the half the Barons were again in a position to finish out the half with a small cushion, which had grown even larger. The game stayed more evenly played the rest of the half. Both sides saw chances but none were very threatening on either side. In the last 5 minutes the Barons withstood a more aggressive Oiler attack, but after some strong clearances and poor composure on HB’s part the Barons came away with a strong 2-0 victory.

Other results in Sunset did not help the Barons much, Marina made up for their stunning loss to HB last week with a 1-0 victory over Los Alamitos, and Edison is trying to make a last ditch effort to salvage their season beating Newport Harbour 2-1.

The Barons still sit atop the Sunset league, with the two lowest teams out of the way for the Barons, its all business now. With a remaining schedule of Edison away, Marina home, and Los Al away, the Barons will play 3 desperate and very competitive teams all looking to knock off FV. The road won’t be easy, but it never is for a Sunset League team.

The Barons next game is Wednesday the 1st at Edison, a true test for the Barons.

Wade Sias ('12) stands up a Sailor attack.

After a disappointing loss to Marina, the Barons had a lot to prove this week. The boys varsity soccer team played a very strong third week of the Sunset League with victories over Los Alamitos and Newport Harbor.

The Barons played a pivotal game against Los Alamitos Wednesday. The Griffins were tied for first and the Barons found themselves alone in 3rd trailing by one win. The Barons overtook the Griffins in the Sunset league and won 3-0.

Coach Jason Smith commented on the match-up before the game “We always match well against Los Al, their coach knows it too.”

Smith’s words rang true as the Barons pulled a decisive 3-0 victory over a tough Los Al opponent. The Barons started off the game in a mostly defensive posture. Los Al tested the Baron defense with its quick and skillful attack early on in the game, but the boys held strong through a few dangerous moments.

Halfway through the first half Eric Shearer (’12) scored off a thrown in from Kenji Louer (’13). The goal gave the Barons a huge load of confidence and they started to take the upper hand of possession the rest of the half.

Joey Aquino ('13) breaks away from a Griffin defender.

Some defensive adjustments at the start of the second half put leading goal scorer Ethan Morrow on defense for the rest of the game. The tactical move played out well, and the Baron defense continued to shut out the Griffins for the entire game.

The two goals in the second half for the Barons were both scored by Joseph Solimon (’13) off very similar plays. In the 50’ and later in the 70’ minute Solimon picked the Griffin right back of the ball and dribbled in from the side of the box all alone to score. The goals put the Barons well ahead and allowed the boys to cruise to a comfortable 3-0 victory. Hard work out of the back and hard work up top won the game for the Barons.

“It’s not how you start this league, its how you finish” commented Smith on the first half of the season in which the Barons went 4-1-0 and held first place for a majority of the time.

The boys will be happy with the first half of season, but there is still a long road ahead; beginning with an important match-up with Newport Harbor that came on Friday.

On Friday, the Barons played a different looking Sailor team which had returned a star player who had not played in the previous two games between the two sides. The Barons struggled a bit in the first half against the Sailors. Possession was mostly dominated by Newport and the Barons were losing battles all over the field. The Barons were also missing play-maker Isaac Garcia (’15) and the offense had trouble moving the ball between them early on. The first half saw some chances for both sides but both teams were kept quiet and the game continued on tied at zeroes.

Garret Stiffler ('13) moves the ball forward for a Baron attack.

In the second half the Barons came out much stronger and were rejuvenated. The midfield was dominated by Garret Stiffler-Greasby (’13) and the Baron defense shut down the Newport attack for the early portion of the second half. The Baron offense came alive and created some chances but to no success. The long throw in of Aran Reeve (’12) was a continuous threat for the Barons and created chaos in the Newport box on many occasions.

Toward the end of the scoreless half both teams became desperate for a game winner and traded chances. The Sailors got behind the Baron defense later in the half and were pushed just wide enough on the angle by a diving Ryan Brown (’13) to miss wide. The Barons saw their own chances including one in the final minute of the game that was skied over the goal from just outside the six yard box. And so the game went into over time.

The first bout of extra time was even matched and the ball sea-sawed back and fourth between the teams. The two teams did not see much in the way of scoring chances.

In the second over time, the Barons put up a little more offensive pressure, most of it coming from long throws and ensuing corners. On one of those long-throws mid way through the frame the Barons battled inside the Sailor box and Solimon found the ball and brought it to the touchline on the side of the goal and passed it across the goal mouth to a wide open Wade Sias (’12) who easily tapped in his 5th of the year for the game winner. The Barons were electric after the goal and held the Sailors water-tight to win the game in double OT 1-0.

News would come later in the day that Marina lost to 0-5 Huntington Beach, which placed the Barons back atop the Sunset League poised for a possible Sunset League Championship. The Barons have destiny in their hands and can place first in league with a spotless record in the second half of season. But as coach Smith drills into his players heads, “There is no easy game in the Sunset League” the boys have a lot on their plate in the upcoming weeks. Fortunately the Barons get the addition of Oscar Garcia (’13) to the team in the new semester, he will add a much appreciated spark and depth to the offense.

ASB held an “Alice’s Winterland” sports assembly on the 20th of January (even though the students’ planners state the assembly is in December). It featured all of FVHS’s winter sports team, the ASB committee, color-guard, dance team, and the cheer team.

ASB set the mood with something different, staging black lights and making student’s white clothes and smiles glow in the dark.

In my opinion, everything seemed to go smoothly until the pep rally. I felt that the pep rally was poorly executed, disorganized, and low in energy. There was some feedback from students saying that that assembly was exciting until it had which the pep rally, where they found it to be a bit confusing. Although it was a “sports’ pep rally,” ASB didn’t showcase the sports as other rallies have done.

It’s disappointing that there was little interaction with the teams. To be frank, the team cheers didn’t do much to help with the crowd intensity, previous years held the sports teams in competitions. Maybe it would have been better for the teams to dance instead of  ASB? The teams ran through a poster, huddled in a circle, and ran off the stage.  Andres Batta (’12) and Mason Clevenger (’12) closed the assembly with a cheer, but it seemed like it wasn’t enough to get the whole crowd pumped up.

During the first assembly, Mr. Fraser stepped in towards the end of the pep rally to get the crowd more involved. However, during the second assembly, there was a lack of energy and enthusiasm.  A failed t-shirt cannon stunt also didn’t help the overall success of the rally. After that, it was hard to get the crowd up and running when MC’s Batta and Clevenger tried to get the crowd energized.  Minh Le (’12), Assembly Director, stated that “The first assembly was a lot better than the second one. Mr. Fraser came in with the T-shirt cannon and got the crowded pumped up during the pep rally.”

Other parts of the assembly were actually very interesting. They had implemented a new lighting system with strobe lights  that added more flavor to the design of the play with the glow- in- the- dark after effects. In addition, Clevenger and Julie Ruck (’12) played their roles as Alice and the Mad Hatter to the point.

So on this note, ASB had just conducted a student survey earlier this week, asking the student body themselves what ASB can improve on for the next assemblies to come. After seeing this assembly and taking the student survey, the question that stands now is that ASB has an idea of what the students are looking for. Yet, are they going to accommodate those suggestions or will they continue to do what they like to see in the assemblies/rallies?

After an incredible game against the Los Alamitos Griffins on Wednesday, January 18th, the boys soccer team once again defeat the Newport Beach Sailors with a score of 1-0. Next game will be on January 27th against Huntington Beach at FVHS.

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