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.)

Baron Basketball looks to be 3-0 on Friday at La Quinta

The boys basketball team began its preseason by outplaying (they didn\’t keep score, but the Barons dominated) Woodbridge in a scrimmage. Then continued into the regular season with an impressive 30 point win at Rancho to advance to the second round in the La Quinta tournament.

San Clemente would present the Baron\’s first real challenge of the season. It was a roller coaster game with seven lead changes and the Barons got off to a quick start with an eleven point lead in the first quarter, however the Tritons came back and took a seven point lead by halftime.

The Barons switched to a zone defense in the second half and regained the lead in the third quarter. Sean Myers (’12) sparked the offense for the Barons, creating plays for teammates and knocking down momentum changing three pointers while Nathan Moss (’12) and Sean Finely (’12) both made key plays around the rim to keep the Barons in the game. When the Tritons started to find a way to score on the Barons\’ zone, Coach Holmes had the team revert back to the man defense which kept San Clemente in check for the game\’s last possessions.

Down by one with 10 seconds left, the Barons had a chance to take the lead with two wide open tip-ins, but failed to convert on both and the ball rolled out of bounds. Luckily the ball went to the Barons. On the inbounds play, Myers was fouled with 3.6 seconds left and Fountain Valley called time out to draw out the final play of the game. With the final possession and the team down by 1, Zack Richartz (’12) received the ball and drilled a 3 point shot as time expired sending Fountain Valley into a frenzy and the Tritons to the consolation game.

Fountain Valley will be playing in the semifinals of the La Quinta tournament and look to advance to a record of 3-0 at La Quinta, Friday at 6:30.

All of our winter sports closed with successful seasons, many of which made it to CIF.

Boys’ Soccer ended their season with a league score of 4 wins, 6 losses, and 0 ties. The first round CIF game played against Bell Gardens High School ended in a FVHS victory (2-1), with goals made by seniors Christian Rodriguez and Steven Ryan. They advanced to prelims where they played Ventura High School and lost (2-3). This game was the end to the boys’ memorable season.

Girls’ Soccer was not as fortunate as the boys’ season. The team didn’t get a chance to experience CIF this year. They ended their league season with 1 win, 7 losses, and 2 ties.

Senior Courtney Garrity and Captain of Girl’s Soccer expressed, “We played every second with passion and determination. More importantly, we played for each other as a team. I consider that a win everyday, and I’m proud of my team.”

Boys’ Basketball, usually not known for being the best in the league, pulled an excitingly unexpected league score of 4 wins, 6 losses, and 0 ties. The boys won the first round CIF game against California High school (51-30) with leading scorers being junior, Sean Myers (15 points), senior Zach Matar (8 points), and sophomore Taner Trounce (8 points). The following game played didn’t end quite as well. The boys battled Downey High and lost (33-44). This season will go down in FVHS history for being the only basketball season to ever reach the 2nd round of CIF playoffs.

Team Manager Danny Huynh comments, “The Boys ended up ranking 4th in league which was suprising. They played their hardest in CIF, and I’m proud. They leave this season with great memories, friendships, and a heightened league reputation.”

Girl’s Basketball ended their league season with 1 win (against Newport Harbor), 10 losses, and 0 ties. The girls got a chance at the first round game of CIF and played Rancho Cucamonga High School. The game ended with a loss of (74-27).

Girls’ Waterpolo ended their season with a league standing of 2 wins, 3 losses, and 0 ties. The girls won their CIF wildcard game against Esperanza (9-4) with four goals shot by senior, Marisa Young. The girls advanced to the first round but lost to Corona del Mar (6-12). This was the second consecutive year that the FVHS girls’ water polo team has been to CIF. Keep it up next year, girls!

FVHS Wrestling has always been infamous for its unstoppable wrestlers and stunning records. This year, five boys advanced to CIF, seniors Courtland Drummond and Vincent tran, juniors Dean O’Bourke and Edgar De La Torre, and sophomore Steele Escobedo. Three of the boys even went beyond CIF and made it to Masters. The talented few were Vincent Tran, Dean O’Bourke, and Steele Escobedo.

Vincent Tran comments on his last season, “I felt like we worked really hard this year. We’d push each other in practices harder than I’ve ever remembered. You have to constantly stay focused before your match. Most of the sport is mental, and we’ve really conquered that.”

All winter sports ended impressive 2010-2011 seasons. Best of luck to wrestlers Vincent, Dean, and Steele at the Masters, which is taking place Friday Jan. 25th and Saturday Jan 26th in Temecula Valley. An update will be posted by Sunday, Jan 27th.

Photo By Tharadet Man and Perry Meas

If you haven’t gone to a Baron’s basketball game before, now would be a good time to start. The Boys are lead by a new head coach, Coach Holmes. Coach Holmes teaches at Valley Vista High School but is an alumni of FVHS. Infact, A picture of Coach Holmes can be found on the Baron Hall of Fame in the gym. He was on the last Baron’s basketball team to win CIF in the past.

Coach Holmes brings a high scoring strategy to the court this year. By relying on 6’5” Zachary Matar (‘12), who lead the Barons twenty points during a January 7th game against Edison with twenty, they were able to get players open outside. Using this inside-out offense against Edisonkept them close in the first half, but Dylan Garrity and the Chargers pulled away in the second, unfortunately winning 52 – 75.

Two of our players that really caught my eye are Judd Chamaa (‘12) and Sean Meyers (‘11). As the teams starting point guard, Sean leads the team with an average of 5.9 assists and has incredible ball handling skills. During a game on January 10th, the Westminster Lions decided to press Sean in the back court. He calmly pushed the ball up court, protected it and weaved between defenders without missing a step.

Judd Chamaa is playing his second year on varsity and leads the team in points (14.6 ppg). As one of the captains, he has a very accurate three point shot. In fact, while I was observing one of their practices, he was able to drain three’s well over five feet beyond the ark, even with a hand in his face.

Although it’s too early to tell, the Barons are projected to well in league this season and are more than able to finish with a strong winning record.

On May 15, 2010, FVHS American Heart Association (AHA) hosted the final Hoops for Heart of this school year. Participants met at Masuda Middle School at 9:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning for the three-hour basketball tournament.

AHA hosts Hoops for Heart twice every school year at Masuda Middle School. Students in the club, as well as other FVHS student volunteers, organize and promote this tournament.

Hoops for Heart was a huge success and had a record-high number of participants – twenty-one teams with 6 people on each team. “It was a great turnout, it\’s a great activity to be active in, and at the same time, help fundraise money for American Heart Association,” says club president Tiffany Chu (\’11).

All the proceeds made at the event will be donated to help find treatment and medicine for those with heart disease, the number one killer in America. The event is nationwide, and millions of participants from around the nation play basketball for a good cause.

Volunteers came early to set up a table, chairs, snacks, and drinks. Many were scorekeepers, making sure everything went smoothly. “Knowing that I\’m helping the millions out there through my volunteer work really makes me feel good. Plus it was a fun activity,” says club member Lauren Nguyen.

All the teams played their hardest to try to win the prizes. The first place team won a $50 gift card to spend on a team celebration; the second place team, a $30 gift card; and the third place team, a $15 gift card.

Although only 3 of the 21 teams won actual prizes, all got good exercise and raised money for heart disease prevention.

By Angelica Yaghoubi & Sarah Kari, Staff Writers

NBA Basketball season is coming to a close, playoffs must take place before the season is over.. This determines who is the NBA league champion. Top teams such as Magic, Cavaliers, Lakers, and more are a few of the 16 teams that is in the running to win.

With Lakers dominating the league last year, we want to know which team you think will win this year?

Through the dunks, shots, rebounds, blocks, and fouls, basketball isn’t much of an easy sport. The season may not have ended the way the Barons would have liked it, but the effort that was
shown in all the games was tremendous.

“I loved my team and I am going to miss all the seniors. I just wish we could have made CIF. Still, it was one of the most fun times I’ve ever had,” says Judd Chamaa (’11).

Coming in halfway into league at 0-4, they had an outstanding win over Esperanza which
put them 1-4, bringing in more spirit and hopes. Yet, they did not qualify for the CIF playoffs.

Senior Nam Pham comforts junior Brandon Moss on the bench, while senior Adam Renth lovingly stares.

“As the season came to a close, the varsity team ended the season with a bang. The Barons,
1 and 8 were determined to win this game. Both Nam and Robbie had stellar games,” says
Michael Perri (’12).

Although the season wasn’t as they wanted it to turn out, it only leaves room for improvement. FVHS has high hopes for next year’s team, considering the many talented underclassmen varsity such as juniors Judd Chamaa, Brandon Moss, and sophomore Nathan Moss.

Their games were fun for everyone and the Baron spirit was there to help the boys.

Friday, January 22, was a great day– not only for the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat, but also for our Varsity Boys Basketball team who played Esperanza.

The boys were down by one when there were only four minutes left. Luckily, they stepped up their game to bring it up by one with only 50 seconds left.

The boys were worried when they entered the game because the Junior Varsity team had previously lost by 25 against the Aztecs. However, throughout the match, they continued to hold about the same points as Esperanza, slightly lagging behind. With 6 seconds remaining on the clock, two free throws put the Barons up by 2 and led to a victory against the Aztecs.

“Although they came into this game 0-4 in league, Varsity pulled through to win an exciting game against Esperanza 47-45,” says Michael Perri (\’12), who plays on the JV team.

“The crowd was on the edge of their seats as the game progressed; seconds went by like hours. The game was very emotional for both sides and extremely tense,” continued Perri. “These are the games I want to see; the Barons deserve every victory with their hard work!”

Now with a record of 1-4 in the season, the team hopes to enter a winning streak.

Adam Renth concluded, “We came out strong by setting the tone early and Ardalan came through in the clutch. This was a great win in a hostile environment. It was a true Nam Pham Friday!”