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Thursday, April 8, 2021 • PAGE A-3
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SPORTS
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Kaschewski Leads Eagles to Victory Over Arroyo Grande Kaschewski rushes for 5 touchdowns and 350+ yards By CONNOR ALLEN TEMPLETON — The Templeton Eagles made a statement on Friday night when they dismantled Arroyo Grande to the tune of a 49-12 beating, moving to 3-0 on the season and 1-0 in the Mountain League. Friday night’s victory over Arroyo Grande was Templeton’s first in school history and something that the boys on the team worked hard for, and it showed on the field. “The week [of preparation] was rough,” senior quarterback Tyler Kaschewski said after the game. “We practiced our [butts] off all day and all night and in the mornings just to come out here. Templeton has never beaten AG; it was just an honor to be able to play for coach Crow and to be able to get this win for him.” It is no secret that the Eagles have the best offensive weapon in the county lined up in their backfield, but on Friday, he played like a man possessed, rushing for 372 yards and five touchdowns on 21 carries. The
senior superstar ran for not one but two touchdowns over 80-yards on the night, including the final nail in the coffin where he sped down the visitor’s sideline for a 92-yard house call. Templeton controlled the game from the very first whistle and never looked back. This was the Eagle’s first game in the Mountain League since they were moved up following an undefeated league season last year in the Ocean League. The Eagles were motivated to prove they belong and did so in a major way. “I don’t know about all that [belonging in the Mountain League], but I do know this. The kids played really hard tonight and played really smart football for the most part,” Templeton head coach Don Crow told the Atascadero News. “I am telling you right now. We have some special seniors. If you watched the game tonight, you can tell that we have some special seniors, not only at quarterback and running back but our offensive line and our defense, but our quarterback is special. If we can keep him healthy and upright, we are going to be good.” While Kaschewski certainly had the splash plays and will get most of the atten-
Templeton quarterback Tyler Kaschewski looks for open space on Friday night while facing off with Arroyo Grande. Photo by Mike Brennler
tion from Friday’s game for his incredible rushing numbers, the other seniors made the performance possible. The Templeton offensive and defensive lines controlled the line of scrimmage all night and brought the fight to Arroyo Grande’s big guys, which is something that was unfathomable just a few years ago.
“That is the thing, AG doesn’t play big guys both ways, but we kind of have to because of the size of the school, but our linemen are players. Chase Richards, Anthony Fischer, Mason Barbour and Dominick Mackle, those kids are all seniors,” Crow explained. “They took it upon themselves to really step up, and they worked really hard
in the offseason. Every chance we got to grab a dumbbell or be outside when it’s 28 degrees and workout, they did it, and my hat is off to them because they persevered through all this, and it is really their deal.” The offensive line didn’t only open up holes for Kashchewski but also his running mate Josh Berna who was overshadowed despite running for 161 yards and two touchdowns of his own. Templeton has been completely unstoppable this year, scoring at least 39 points in each of their three games, and has outscored their opponents by a combined 96 points. However, their work is not done as they will play their first road game of the season this Friday when they faceoff with undefeated St. Joseph, which is unquestionably the game of the week in the Central Coast. Friday’s game against St. Joseph will more than likely decide who gets to wear the Mountain League crown this season, and is looking like it will be a game full of fireworks as both teams can score from anywhere on the field. St. Joseph has the ability to pass like no team Templeton has faced this season but was forced to play with a backup quarterback last week as their starter went down with an injury.
TENNIS
AHS Senior Girls Battle On Senior Night Greyhounds end strong season against San Luis Obispo By CONNOR ALLEN
Atascadero’s seniors from L- R Isabella Sanchez, Brynn McKenzie, Haley Long and Micaela Sanchez. Contributed photo
Atascadero’s Isabella Sanchez returns a shot during senior night at Heilman Park. Photo by Connor Allen
ATASCADERO — Atascadero girls tennis ended their regular season on Thursday afternoon in front of a spread-out collection of friends and family and said goodbye to four seniors that have been the heart of the program and led the team through a successful, pandemic-delayed season. The Greyhounds did not win their final match, but it didn’t seem to matter much as the girls were all excited to celebrate their seniors Brynn McKenzie, Haley Long, Isabella Sanchez, and Micaela Sanchez. Following the singles matches against the San Luis Obispo Tigers, the Greyhounds came together to celebrate their four girls before moving on to doubles action. SLO won the match 6-3, but it didn’t put a damper on anyone’s spirits as the Tigers have proved year in and year out that they are the class of the Mountain League. The Greyhounds finished the season with a record of 7-4 in an incredibly competitive season from all the league teams. While SLO finished as the top team, Atascadero, St. Joseph, and Arroyo Grande each had strong seasons of their own. The St. Joseph Knights swept the Hounds in two matches this year but were in turn swept by
Arroyo Grande, who Atascadero swept. “It was really competitive this year. It has been a lot of fun. I just think that a lot of the girls that were out competing, just in general this season— you kind of have to want to be out there,” AHS head coach Lori Bickel told the Atascadero News. “You are not really doing it because it is kind of fun because all the fun parts are gone. We aren’t able to stop for meals on our way home from road trips anymore. We have to play in masks whenever possible; we have to practice in masks, so you know a lot of the really fun stuff is gone so you kind of have to love tennis and I think that was the difference with the team this year was just that it was a group of girls that are dedicated to their game. It was pretty cool, probably never had a team with more heart than they do because of what they have been through and just the difficulties of COVID and school and everything else.” Working hard is something this Greyhounds team did better than anyone else in 2020-2021. Despite not having a court on campus to call home, many of the girls on the team decided to take lessons and focus on their game during the extended offseason, and it showed in their game. Greyhound no. 1 player Brynn McKenzie set a perfect example for everyone on the team this year when she dedicated herself to tennis, wanting to become the team’s top option in her senior season. After months of lessons and hard work,
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McKenzie accomplished her goal and played as Atascadero’s no. 1 player this season, often going toe-to-toe with each team’s best players in the county. While McKenzie was the Hound’s most talented player, their most valuable was another one of their seniors in Bella Sanchez, who played anywhere the team needed her and won more matches than anyone else. “Brynn [McKenzie], at the end of last year, decided to dedicate her game to tennis and started taking lessons and doing everything she could do to up her game and earn the no. 1 spot on our ladder,” Bickel explained. “Isabella [Sanchez] came out, and while she really didn’t have the formal instruction, she had the determination and competitiveness and nerves of steel to go undefeated in some really, really tough matches. If you look back on our scorecards, even in some of the matches we lost overall, often she won in singles and doubles, or one or the other. The seniors really showed everyone the way, and I think the rest of the team has a real love of the game thanks to the leadership of the seniors this year.” It is still unclear if there will be CIF playoffs or a league tournament for the girls this season, but if it were to happen, it might take place following the boys season, which is set to kick off in just a few days. For more information on the girls tennis playoffs, make sure to follow The Atascadero News.
Drew Wade
Paso Robles junior Drew Wade is our Atascadero News and Paso Robles Athlete of the Week for his offensive performance against Santa Maria. Wade went 4-for-5 at the plate including a home run. SCHOOL: Paso Robles High School, Junior SPORT: Baseball
MENTIONS
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STATS: 4-for-5, 1 RBI, 1 HR vs Santa Maria
HONORABLE
EACH WEEK, A LOCAL STUDENT ATHLETE IS CHOSEN BY COACHES OR THE ATASCADERO NEWS/PASO ROBLES PRESS SPORTS STAFF FOR THEIR OUTSTANDING ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE.
Tyler Kaschewski
mia perry
SCHOOL: Templeton High School, Senior SPORT: Football, Quarterback, #25 STATS: 21 CAR 372 YDS 5 TDS 2-for-3 49 YDS passing
SCHOOL: Atascadero High School, Senior SPORT: Softball STATS: 6.0 IP, 2 hits, 0 ER, 11 K’s vs Mission Prep
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