TORRANCE TRIBUNE December 31, 2015 Page 3 Up and Adam SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7 JOIN US FOR THE SUPER SUNDAY BIG BOWL GAME! FUN STARTS AT NOON (Bowl Game Kickoff at 3:30pm) LOTS OF TVs SO YOU’LL ALWAYS HAVE A GOOD SEAT! FOOD AND DRINK SPECIALS! TO BOOK YOUR EVENT OR FOR MORE INFORMATION Please call Rick or Charlotte at 310.326-5120 or charlotte@pvbowl.com 26600 CRENSHAW BLVD., TORRANCE, CA 90505 The Moments That Mattered: 2015 By Adam Serrao Sports, as we know them, are athletic events that we all watch to cheer on our favorite teams, our favorite people, or quite simply, our favorite organizations. Not all of sports is about just that, though. Sports is about the moments that last in our memories. The moments that make us cheer. The one’s that make us laugh, scream at the television, or even cry to ourselves at night. It’s incredible the toll that sports can take on us. A simple game can trigger emotions inside of us that “A simple game can trigger emotions inside of us that will have our significant others looking at us like we’re crazy or that will scare the house pet right out of the room.” will have our significant others looking at us like we’re crazy or that will scare the house pet right out of the room. Yes, without sports, this world would certainly be a different place. With that being said, let’s take a look back at the moments in sports this year that mattered to all of us the most. Above all else, this year in sports was a year where women excelled in practically every arena; even on the worlds stage. There was no better testament to that than when the United States women’s national soccer team conquered the world and the World Cup in 2015. Everyone remembers the time when Brandi Chastain sunk in the winning goal as the U.S. won their last World Cup in 1999. Fast forward more than 15 years later and this time, it was Carli Lloyd as the hero. After surviving a punishing semifinal matchup with Germany, Lloyd came to the rescue against Japan in the finals and scored. Then she scored again. Then she scored again! It took the U.S. hero just three minutes to find her first goal en-route to what would be a 5-2 demolishment of their opponents and a World Cup championship. Yes, the U.S. women had truly conquered the world. Another female who conquered the world in 2015 was Serena Williams. For a while there, it seemed like the 33 year-old was simply unbeatable. Williams has proven herself to be one of the greatest women’s tennis players of all time and proved as much by winning the Australian Open, French Open, and subsequently Wimbeldon putting her on the doorstep of capturing a “Grand Slam” title for the first time for a female tennis player since Steffi Graf did it in 1988. Unfortunately for Williams, Roberta Vinci came out of nowhere to take the title away in the semifinals of the US Open. Despite her loss, however, Williams not only went on to win the Sports Illustrated’s 2015 Sportsperson of the Year award, but also exemplified the greatness and the strength that female athletes contain not only in America, but also all across the world. While Serena put up a good fight in her chase for a Grand Slam, there remained one fight that must have been in the making for years and years before it finally happened. Hopefully you didn’t pay to see it, though. Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao finally got together last May to fight, but instead, danced around the ring for 12-rounds to earn nearly $200 million and $120 million, respectively. Nothing of substance happened in a bout that looked like a money-grab from the start, but Mayweather won to remain undefeated and eventually re-proclaim himself as the greatest boxer of all time. Just don’t pay to see the inevitable rematch. Ronda Rousey, who hasn’t been shy about letting her hatred for Mayweather become known, was involved in a few fights of her own this past year. Most notably was her recent bout with kick-boxing world champ, Holly Holm. Rousey dominated the sport of MMA and won her first 12 fights - most of them within literal seconds of the start of the match. In all, her first 12 matches averaged out to just one minute and 18 seconds of actual fight time apiece. That is, until she met Holm. Not only did Holm last the entire first round against Rousey, but she dominated it. So much so that in the second round she had Rousey right where she wanted her. One kick to Rousey’s face not only ended the fight, but also ended Rousey’s reign on top of the sport. There has already been a rematch discussed, but first Rousey needs to pick herself back up from off the mat, both literally and figuratively. A trio of championships, including one that was extremely unexpected, round out the most memorable moments of 2015. The Golden State Warriors brought home an NBA championship to California by defeating LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers. Steph Curry took the nation by storm and is now one of America’s favorite, most respected athletes. The Warriors finished with the most wins in the league last year (67) and are already off to the best start in the game this season. By beating the Lakers, the Warriors also set a record for most consecutive wins to start a season (16). Who could forget the Seahawks in the Super Bowl? All the talk of “Deflategate” was upstaged when Pete Carroll decided to take the ball out of Marshawn Lynch’s hands at the 1-yard line. Russell Wilson threw an interception to New England’s Malcolm Butler and in one of the strangest turn of events ever seen in a championship game, Tom Brady and the Patriots won Super Bowl XLIX by a final score of 28-24 and in dramatic fashion, to say the least. Speaking of dramatic, American Pharaoh did something that hadn’t been done in almost 37 years by capturing the Triple Crown. Affirmed was the last horse to win the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes all in the same year. That happened way back in 1978. 11 horses have had the opportunity to accomplish the feat before American Pharaoh by winning both the Derby and the Preakness, but all failed to take home the last leg of the Crown. Pharaoh put on his lucky horseshoes and made history by galloping past the finish line and right into the hearts of America with a historic victory. One that may not be seen again for another 38 years - or longer. Jordan Spieth won the US Open, the Kansas City Royals won the World Series, Ohio State won college football’s first ever playoff to become champions, Wisconsin and Frank Kaminsky upset Kentucky in college basketball’s National Championship game, and Kobe Bryant finally said goodbye to the sport that he loves. Naturally, there are many, many more storylines from the year that has passed that were incredible, memorable and emotional, all the same. Unfortunately, not all can fit into just one article, but another great thing about sports is that we all experience the memories in our own unique way. What memory may stand out to you, may not stand out to another, but that’s what makes sports and the moments that they create so great. Here’s to another year of making memories and best of luck to all those that you scream, cheer, laugh, and cry for. Asixlion@earthlink.net • The High School Moments That Were By Adam Serrao The memories created in one year of High School sports are less for the fans or the school that the players play for, but more for the players. High School sports are built for young men and woman to learn sportsmanship, compete against one another, and hone skills that will hopefully serve them for the rest of their lives. That’s exactly what happened with the young athletes from around the city of Torrance that competed in 2015 for Torrance High, West High, North High and South High, alike. Whether it was football, basketball, baseball or soccer, athletes from these schools competed their hardest and even in some cases, brought home championships to their city and their respective schools. Let’s take a look back at some of the brightest moments of ‘15 for the athletes and their schools’ alike. It’s almost too hard to remember now, but the 2014-15 basketball season that ended last February was full of memories on both the boys and girls sides alike. In this case, I’m sorry to say it guys, but the girls may have just tied their laces a little tighter and outshined you in this sport. The North High Lady Saxons led the way with a remarkable season, finishing with only three losses on the year (29-3, 10-0), going undefeated in league play while capturing the Pioneer League championship. Not only did North experience success in the regular season, but they went all the way to the CIF Division 3AA championship game, where in thrilling fashion they finished off El Dorado by a final score of 51-50 to take home the CIF crown. Brittany McPherson led the way for the team and earned Division Player of the Year, while Daylene Taualii made the all- Division 3AA team. Both players return to North this season, where the girls are already out to a 4-2 start. Not to be upstaged, the Lady Warriors of West High (25-8, 8-2) may have finished second in the standings to North, but they went on a little rampage of their own. Three straight league-play wins to end the season led the way to a remarkable run in the playoffs. The Lady Warriors eventually knocked off Troy by a final score of 52-41 to also capture a CIF championship, but for them in Division 1A. Hayley Tanabe and Kayla Sato shared Co-MVP honors of the Bay League while Jasmine Jones and Kylie Fujioka made All-First Team. All four players will be back for a stacked West High team this year that has started at 5-3. Sorry guys, the girls won this round. This year in football is perhaps the freshest thing on most of our minds. When mentioning football, you have to mention the name Mique Juarez of the North High Saxons. Juarez has yet to make up his mind on a college to attend next year, but he certainly went out with a bang in his senior season. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound senior racked up 22 touchdowns on offense while combining for 107 tackles, 8.5 sacks, six forced fumbles and three interceptions in a year that saw his team win the Pioneer League title outright and make it to the second round of the playoffs. The West High Warriors also experienced a successful football season, making it to the playoffs where they lost in the first round to Redondo. The Warriors (6-5, 4-1) experienced great seasons from quarterback Drake Peabody and running backs Michael Timmerman and EJ Hatter. Baseball season was all about the South High Spartans (24-9, 9-1). The Spartans not only captured the Pioneer League title, but also made it to the CIF Southern Section Division 4 championship game for the second season in a row. Unfortunately, just like two years ago, the Spartans came up short in the final game once again. That didn’t stop Drake Pingel and Nick Beardsley from combining to form one of the best one-two punches in all of southland baseball. Seniors Kawika Hubbell (First-Team), Josh Rotuna, and Dylan Plunkett all enjoyed nice seasons for their team. Unfortunately for the guys, however, they were again outplayed by the girls. Instead of just making the playoffs, the lady Torrance Tartars went all the way. A Pioneer League title wasn’t enough for the Lady Tartars (27-9, 9-1), they also got on a roll and took the CIF Division 4 championship by beating Highland 1-0. Pitcher Marissa Moreno was simply unbeatable all season long. She went 17-6 with a 1.34 ERA and 264 strikeouts on the season on her way to a Santa Monica Breeze Player of the Year award and trip to San Diego State to attend college. The North High Saxons finished behind Torrance in the standings and made it to the second round of the playoffs. West also lost in the second round. The Tartars boys (24-7, 10-0) took home a Pioneer League title in volleyball, but lost in the second round of the playoffs. The Lady Spartans (31-10, 10-0) tore things up in the Pioneer League, not only capturing their own volleyball league title, but also destroyed See Up and Adam, page 10
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