YOUTH SERVICES
DEPARTMENT
V O L .
1 S S U E
5
1
O C T O B E R
2 0 1 4
“If you can believe it,
the mind can achieve
it.”
Ronnie Lott
Joe Namath (1943)
Former American college and
professional football player
who was a cornerback, free
safety, and strong safety in
the National Football
League .
“When you have confidence, you can have a
lot of fun. And when you have fun, you can do
amazing things.”
Joe Namath—Former American Football Quarterback.
and opted for college at his mother’s
request. “It was strange coming out of
high school and having colleges offer me
as much money as my father made in a
year,” Namath once said.
Schedules can be
found on
Maxpreps.com
Joe Namath was born on May 31, 1943,
in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania,. Joe Willie, as his friends called him, grew up in
an area of Beaver Falls known as the
Lower End, a predominantly AfricanAmerican neighborhood. Early in his
life, Joe excelled in baseball and basketball, which were the two dominate
sports in the country at that time. It
was not until the ninth grade that Joe
started playing football. At 5’0” and
115 pounds, his small size earned him
the nickname “Pint-sized quarterback.”
“You couldn’t hardly see him over
center” said Jake Lotz, one of Namath’s
first football teammates.
Namath finished his senior year by
winning the “AA” high school football
title against a highly-favored opponent.
The college offers were pouring in
towards the end of his high school
career. However, six baseball teams
also sought to sign him, with the Chicago Cubs reportedly offering him a
$50,000 bonus. But Namath declined,
Namath decided he wanted to go to the
University of Maryland. However, his
SAT score was 730 and Maryland required a 750 to be admitted. After being
rejected by Maryland, he enrolled at
Alabama to play for coach Bear Bryant.
The legendary Bryant would one day call
his rebellious quarterback “The greatest
athlete I ever coached.” To this day Joe
Namath is the only player to ever ascend the winding staircase into Coach
Bryant’s tower office. Years later, recalling that first day when he invited
Namath up to his tower, Bryant would
say: “I would have carried him up if I’d
known then how good he was.” Although Namath considered Bryant a
father figure, Joe Namath would later
state, “He put the fear of God in me. I
was terrified of him.”
Namath’s first varsity game came during
his sophomore year; Namath’s threw a
perfect 52-yard touchdown pass on the
first play of his college career. Namath
finished with three touchdowns in his
college debut, on September 22, 1962,
before 54,000 fans at Legion Field in
Birmingham. Namath led the Crimson Tide to a 10-1 record and completed 76-of-146 passes for 1,192
yards and 12 touchdowns. At the
end of the season, the hall of fame
coach Al Davis stated that “Namath
is so good he plays like he is going
downhill.”
During his senior year, Namath
experienced his first knee injury in a
game against North Carolina State.
Namath believed the injury was a
price he paid for violating his own
superstition. Joe had always
wrapped his cleats with white tape.
This taping was his ritual before
every game of his college career,
except North Carolina State. Alabama was undefeated during that
season. The injury caused fluid to
form in the knee that needed to be
drained regularly, causing Namath
to undergo knee replacement surgery after his career.
Joe Namath was taken first overall in
the American Football League (AFL)
draft by the New York Jets and 12th
in the National Football League
(NFL) draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.
The two leagues competed for Namath but the Jets won when Na(Continued on Page 4…)
PAGE
2
Arroyo Valley High School (AVHS)
Arroyo Valley football is gearing
up for San Andreas league play,
hosting Indian Springs this Friday for Homecoming. The
Hawks have had a rocky start,
going 0-5 in the pre-season, but
look to turn things around in
league play. Girls’ tennis is attempting to defend their 2013
SAL championship this year, but
face tough competition in newly added Rim of the World high
school. The Scots defeated the
Lady Hawks 16-2 last week in
the first of two meetings this
year.
Arroyo Valley water polo is off to
a good start in league, defeating
Pacific in the only league match
thus far. The Hawks lost the first
two games of the San Gorgonio
tournament, but rebounded
nicely the second day, winning
both games.
they march through a new
league. Darrian Thayer is the top
golfer in the league, posting a
league average more than ten
strokes less that her nearest
competition.
Cross country continues to battle, with one league event in the
The boys are attempting to reach books. Both the girls’ and boys’
teams finished in the middle of
the playoffs again in the always
competitive San Andreas league. the pack during the first San
Andreas league mini-meet. Next
Lady Hawk girls’ golf is running
league meet is scheduled to be
away with the Mountain Valley
at Jurupa Hills high school. Go
league title! The girls have won
every league event except one as Hawks!
Cajon High School (CHS)
“One man practicing
sportsmanship is
far better than
50 preaching it.”
Knute Rockne
American football player
and coach, both at the
University of Notre Dame.
Regarded as one of the
greatest coaches in college
football history
The Cajon Boys Cross Country team
took 2nd place in the second Citrus
Belt League mini meet. The team will
go to the playoffs with another quality showing at League finals. The Boys
recently won the High Desert Classic
in Yucca Valley. The Girls team is
currently in 5th place in league. led
by standout Samantha Poliakon who
is in the top 6 in the league.
ranked Redlands and a good Yucaipa
team.
The Girls Tennis team is currently in
3rd place in the CBL. Behind the #1
The Girls Volleyball team is in a very
tough league competition. They
In Girls Golf Marissa Valencia will
enter the final week of play as the #1
ranked golfer in the CBL. She has a
great chance of being the League
Champion.
recently took 1st place in the Santiago
In Football the Cowboys are currently ( Garden Grove ) tournament. They
4-2 overall and 2-1 in league.
are in 5th place in the CBL.
The Boys’ Water polo team is
currently in 5th place in the CBL.
Indian Springs High School (ISHS)
Indian Springs heads into the new
school year of athletics with their
first senior class of athletes. All
Sports are in their first year of
San Andreas League competition
and intend to be competitive in
each sport. Last year the Coyotes
competed against opponents
utilizing a freelance schedule and
were very competitive in most
sports making the CIF playoffs in
Boys Soccer, Boys Volleyball,
Wrestling, and Softball.
at 7pm vs. Rim of the World and
will be played at San Gorgonio. The last home game of the
year will also be at San Gorgonio
on Friday, November 7th vs. Jurupa Hills High School. That night
Indian Springs will be honoring
their senior Coyote Football players with a pre-game ceremony.
Also on November 7th the Coyote
Pep Squad will be joined by the
Inland Empire 66er's Dance Team
and will be performing throughout the game.
The Coyotes Volleyball team has
been competitive all year in and
out of league play. Their next home
matches are Fridays October 17th,
24th, and on Halloween. They will
also be honoring their senior players at their final home match on
October 31st where they take on
the Spartans of San Gorgonio. The
Coyotes Cross Country Team has
shown promise this year at their
dual meets as well as invitational
meets where they have had several
runners earn medals. They are
hosting the San Andreas League
Finals on Saturday November 1st at
9:00am at Indian Springs High
ISHS Coyotes Football.
Coyotes Football’s next home
game is Thursday, February 23rd
ISHS Cheerleading Squad
ISHS Coyotes Volleyball
SBCUSD
ATHLETICS
NEWSLETTER
School.
Pacific High School (PHS)
VOL
5,
PAGE
3
1SSUE
1
Invitational next week.
The Pacific fall sports' season
has started off well for our
student athletes! With a new
principal, Mr. Hector Vasquez,
and new 7th period sports'
classes, the feeling at Pacific is
one of excitement! Our varsity
football team has started out
with a 3-2 record which is the
best record for the Pirates in
more than 10 years!
With new coach, Mike Aragon,
and new black uniforms, the
Pirates look like they are ready
to put some wins on the
board!
So far in the season, newcomers Detroit Crawford, Derek
Hagans and Raeshwan Roland
join seniors Sevino Ramirez,
Andre Bishop and Jeremy
Brooks are leaders on the
squad.
Our boys' and girls' cross
Boys' water polo, led by senior leading scorer Jose Espinoza and girls'
volleyball, both coached by new
teachers, Christopher Borja and
Lakeisha Barrett, are starting to put
up some impressive wins and are
intent on building their respectable
The Pacific Pirates football team celebrating programs!
their win over Bloomington High School.
The future looks bright for our
country teams did well at the first
sports' teams at Pacific High School.
league mini meet held at Blair Park.
With top returners, Javin Singer,
Elizabeth Palma, Erick Jimenez, and
Kevyn Leon we should make our
mark in the new Mountain Valley
League!
So far, our runners have competed
in the Cool Breeze Invitational,
Rosemead, Woodbridge and will
compete in the prestigious Mt. Sac
Senior Jose Espinoza playing a little
defense in a preseason match against
Eisenhower.
“If you fail to prepare,
you're prepared
to fail.”
Mark Spitz
American former
swimmer, 9–time
Olympic champion, and
former world record
holder.
Top senior cross country runner,
Javin Singer.
San Bernardino High School (SBHS)
San Bernardino High School’s Football
team is currently 4-2 for the first time
over 20 years. They are currently in
the playoff hunt for the first time in
over 10 years. Alex Mattison is one of
our football players and he is leading
the county in rushing this year.
Valley League for playoff spot. SBHS’s
girls volleyball team is currently in a
The Boys Basketball
team is currently getting ready for the upcoming basketball
season. San Bernardino is currently holding
the longest active
league winning streak
in the county at over
24 games.
SBHS Girls Volleyball
SBHS Football Team
Robbie Noble is one of the league
leaders for scoring goals this year. He
is averaging 5 goals a game in league.
The Volleyball team is embattled with
the other teams in the Mountain
position to earn a playoff spot and
our girls tennis team is gearing up for
league tennis finals in two weeks.
The Cross Country team came in third
place in their first ever Mountain
Valley League meet. SBHS’s boys and
girls cross country teams are battling
against Pacific High School for third
place in league.
SBHS Cross Country
SBCUSD
ATHLETICS
NEWSLETTER
PAGE
San Gorgonio High School
4
The San Gorgonio
Spartans are off to a
great start in the fall
of the school’s 50th
year! The Spartans
football team is currently ranked #5 in
both the CIF-SS Inland
Division as well as by
the SB Sun Newspaper
for SB County. The
Spartans are 5-1 over
prepare for CIF-SS Playoffs and have a 9-8
overall record. The Spartans are being
led in scoring by sophomore Jose Barajas
and Junior Christian Nunez with junior
goalkeeper Joshua Ross heading the
defense.
Nathan Meadors, SGHS Football Team
for three more. Six other Spartans scored
TD’s in the 76-3 win including two defensive interceptions returned for touchdowns.
“Without self-discipline,
success is
impossible, period.”
Lou Holtz
Retired American
football player, coach,
and active sportscaster,
author, and motivational
speaker.
SGHS Football Team
all and 1-0 in the San Andreas League
after last week’s homecoming victory vs
Rim of the World in front of a packed San
G crowd. The Spartans were led by QB
Nathan Meadors who ran for three
touchdowns and threw
San G is also running strong in cross country led by seniors Sam Betancourt and
Xochitl Robles. The girls have taken first
place in both of the San Andreas League
mini-meets thus far while the boys have
recorded two second place finishes. The
Spartans are looking to show well at the
SAL Cross Country Finals on November 1
at Indian Springs HS in preparation for
CIF-SS competition. In water polo, SGHS
is currently leading the SAL with a 4-0
record as they are wrapping up the first
round of league play. They played a difficult non-league schedule in order to
At the end of the first round of league
play, both of the girls’ tennis and volleyball teams are currently poised to advance to CIF-SS Playoffs as third place
teams. The girls’ tennis team is led by
senior Judy Nguyen and are 3-3 in the
SAL. The girls’ volleyball team is loaded
with seniors and are led by outside hitter
Oceanana Russell and setter Pahola Angeles. The Spartans are 3-2 in the SAL
and 10-9 overall.
SGHS Football Team
(Joe Namath ...Continued from Page 1)
math signed a pro-football record
three year, $400,000 a year. In 1965,
Joe Willie won the AFL Rookie of the
Year. In 1967, in his third season,
Namath lit up AFL defenses for a
record breaking 4,007 yards and 26
touchdown passes. Joe Willie was a
four time all-star despite having
chronic knee pain that caused him to
have his knee drained during
halftime.
the fact that Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas would have to
miss the game due to injury.
At a Miami Touchdown Club dinner
three days before the game, Namath
answered a heckler who was criticizing the Jets, “We’re going to win
Sunday. I guarantee you.” responded
Namath. This created a huge story in
the media. Namath calmly directed
the Jets on four scoring drives, comIn the 1969 AFL title game, Namath
pleting 17-of-28 passes for 206 yards
threw three touchdown passes to
and was voted the MVP in the victory
lead New York to a 27-23 win over the over the stunned Colts. The Jets were
defending American Football League the first AFL team to win the Super
Champion Oakland Raiders. His perBowl. The win earned him the nickformance in the 1969 season earned name “Broadway Joe.”
him the Hickok Belt as top professional athlete of the year. After defeating In 1969, Commissioner Pete Rozelle
the Raiders, the Jets prepared to play told Namath to sell his share in an
the NFL’s Baltimore Colts in Super
East Side bar, Bachelors III, because
Bowl III. The Colts were considered to gamblers frequented it. If Namath did
be three touchdown favorites despite
not, he would be suspended. In June,
he announced his retirement from
football because of the dispute. However, Namath’s love of the game
prevailed, and a month later, he sold
his share of Bachelors III and returned to the Jets.
Namath finished 12 seasons with the
now AFC New York Jets. He was traded to the St. Louis Rams in 1977 but
retired before the end of the season
due to knee pain. Namath was inducted into the National Football
League Hall of Fame in 1985, despite
being a 50 percent career passer and
throwing 50 more interceptions then
touchdowns. Many say his poor statistics were due to his on-going knee
problems, but Namath regarded both
statistics and his knees the same
way: “You didn’t need either if you
had balls.” Namath was inducted to
Hall of Fame because it is believed
that he was responsible for the NFLAFL merger after his guaranteed
victory in Super Bowl III. His extraordinary play before his knee injuries,
heart, and personality also contributed to his Hall of Fame induction.
(Article condensed from: http://
pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/
bios/Namath__Joe.html)
SBCUSD
ATHLETICS
NEWSLETTER