EOTT
Eye of the Tiger // Bonanza High School
new year brings new opportunities
Issue 44 // Volume 2
Table of Contents
Eye of the Tiger 6665 W. Del Rey Ave. Las Vegas, NV 89146 (702) 799-4000 eyeofthetigerbhs@gmail.com Editor in Chief Danny Leonard
News Pg.3
Set your goal to get a better future
Feature Pg. 4-7
Your key to a happy life Full of traditions and cheer Blast into the future
Opinion Pg. 8-10
Editorial: New year, better me Lessons are to be learned from the past Don’t repeat your dating mistakes
A&E Pg. 11-12
Milky Chance: The Germans are resurfacing Last-minute gifts
Sports Pg. 13-16
Going for gold New year, new team Another strike for the bowling team A wrestle to glory
Section Editors
Jonas Castaneda Camiro Kimberly Hernandez Martinez Alma Sierra
Staff Writers Cristopherson Bongolan Brook Buckley Johnstone Bianney Castillo Thomas Childress Maylan Diaz Sheyenne Harner Kalea Manner Ella Massey Samantha McAllister Cassandra McCoy
Esmeralda Morales Leslie Munoz Jorge Oseguera Andrew Pagan Elliott Prehm Jasmin Ramirez Kayla Torres Gracia Vargas Alijah West
Eye of the Tiger is a public forum for the students of Bonanza High School. The staff will publish news, features, editorials, entertainment and sports stories in an unbiased and professional manner. Editorials are the official opinion of Eye of the Tiger, and in no way reflect the official policy of Bonanza High School, nor the opinions of the administration, faculty or adviser. All content decisions are made by student editors. Business advertisements are accepted in Eye of the Tiger. However, the news publication reserves the right to deny any ad. Those interested in running advertisements can call (702) 799-4000 ext. 4002. Letters to the editors and inquiries may be emailed to hubbab2@nv.ccsd.net and must be signed. Identities for those who submit questions will remain anonymous. The staff reserves the right to edit letters to conform to style and policy. Letters to the editor will be published at the discretion of the staff. Eye of the Tiger is the official student publication that publishes six to eight issues throughout the year.
Set Your Goal To Get A Better Fututre By: Yhajaiar Garcia Most kids and teens have goals for the future such as getting good grades, becoming a teacher, going to college or even becoming famous. As they grow up, sometimes their goals change and sometimes they don’t. Some people have a bucket that list things that they want to do by the end of the year. Others don’t complete it or they’ll get lazy and not do it and many forget about it. A kid’s goal for the future could be like being a teacher or becoming the president. As they grow up, their career choices can change and they would want to be something different. Kids have a lot of imagination and they may want to be something crazy. Since almost every child watches shows and listens to music, they would want to be just like their favorite superhero or idol. “I wanted to be a vet when I grew up,” junior Brea Bowden said.“ it changed to acting.” Sometimes they have goals to join a sport or become actors. They could have a career in reading or writing if they like doing that.
People accomplish their goals by working hard they practice, study, and do things over and over until they get it right. Some students try and work hard to accomplish their goals while others don’t try. Accomplishing goals could be difficult and stressful but at the end you do it because you like it. Some kids in high school want to be have a high gpa and want to get good grades. “A 3.0 gpa because that’s something I’m working on now,” sophomore Denisse Garcia said. Getting to your goals can be hard that’s why people find what they like to do and learn more about it and it gets easer to do. People look for something they like to do so that they could make it as a career and they would be doing something they like and would not bored them. Instead of doing something they don’t want to do and not wanting to do it and so they should try and find a career they would enjoy doing. “Do something with art or music, like a teacher,” junior Elyanah Schoeb said. You also have to make good choices and not bad that can ruin what you want to do. “Make the right choice, pay attention and listen to others, have good grades good
attendance,” junior Elyanah Schoeb said. Most teens by now are proud of at least one thing that they have done. Such as getting into a sports team or becoming good at something you wanted to be good at and they probably would not change it. “I’m proud for becoming a band member, I would not change doing band for five years,” Bowden said. Accomplishing your goals makes you happy because you are glad of accomplishing something that requires hard work and maybe thought you could not do. Going to college is what most people want to do they want to pursue their dream career. Sometime you want to do something but you’re to scared to even try, like joining a sport or a club, and you end up not doing it, and when you get older you might regret it and you wont be able to do it anymore. Your future goals is something you should work hard on, if its on your career or getting better grades even if its something small like getting good attendance. Future goals is like a bucket list but instead of having one year you have a bit longer depending on what you want to accomplish.
Your key to a happy life By: Alma Sierra Lozano Imagine if happiness is just a few steps away, how different would your life be? Happiness is a very common topic. Everyone in the world is in search for true happiness. Whether it be with a spouse, academically or to be happy with who they are. It can be difficult for some people because they don’t know how to find it. What is happiness? The concept of happiness can be explained in many different ways. Although, it always comes down to the same point; the feeling of being complete. “Happiness is being at peace with yourself,” English teacher Bridgette Perrault said. A way to find happiness is to accept the fact that you aren’t. That is one of the first steps. It takes courage to accept when you aren’t because when you do, that is the start of becoming happy. “I was afraid that if I accepted that I was afraid, it’d be true and something would have to go wrong,” junior Daniela Ubaldo said. Ask yourself, what made you happy once before? That feeling of fulfillment you once had, you should be able to find it in the place where you once felt it. Although, that happiness can be a rocky road to travel if
you’ve lost all motivation. “You have to change your state of mind if you really want to be happy,” junior Andrei Rueda said. Once you’ve changed your state of mind and understanding of what happiness sums
“You have to change your state of mind if you really want to be happy.” - Andrei Rueda up to, it’s time to take action. Whether you’re a boy or a girl, young or old, having goals is a way to find happiness. The fulfillment and pride you feel when you have reached a goal is like no other. However, according to Mrs. Perrault, happiness is “the goal in life.” From men to women, there will always be a reason to push themselves to find the
Alma Sierra // EOTT
piece that completes them. “A traumatic experience is what moved me,” Mrs.Perault said. Although being an adult can look like your life is well put together, it isn’t always. “My best friend has helped me get back on my feet,” senior Nikol Merezko said. This young woman relied her melancholy on a close friend. Friends and family can play a huge role in the happiness you desire. In spite of women being more open about their feelings, men themselves need a break from this cruel world. Whether they’re young or old. “I rely myself on my girlfriend because she has helped me a lot since I moved to Las Vegas from Georgia,” Rueda said. This young man leaned on his girlfriend to help him endure the fact that he lives in a new city and has to get accustomed to the one now. Even if you seek prosperity in love, family or friends, it will always take time. One can’t expect to wake up and be a changed person. You might get discouraged for how slow the process may be. However, it will all be worth the wait. That feeling of contentment and joviality will have you feeling like you’re on cloud nine.
Full of traditions and cheer
EOTT// Mayan Diaz
By: Maylan Diaz
Have you ever wondered what others do during the holidays? All around the world people celebrate Christmas in their own different ways. Some in religions ways and some in traditional ways. Families have their unique traditions for Christmas and that’s what makes each year so special to them. Not everyone has creative traditions like others, some don’t even celebrate Christmas. “My family and I do not have any Christmas traditions,” junior Mireya Rincon said. Sometimes families don’t create traditions for certain reasons or just because it was never something they did. “Ever since I was born my family and I have had the tradition to all get together each year and make dinner together on Christmas Eve,” junior Katelyn Davis said. Many of these traditions are common even if they have their own special twist to it. On the other hand there are families that create their own special and unique traditions that not most people participate in.
“Each year my family and I make hot chocolate and give it out to the homeless on Christmas Day,” sophomore Fran Carlos
“Traditions are a part of who we are and become a part of our lives”Sophmore Damaris Delgado said. On Christmas day people usually give each other gifts but some like to give out to others in need. The gesture of giving to others brings joy and happiness to others. All Christmas traditions are special in their own way. Some of these traditions are created from decades before. They could have been created when u were born or even before. Some of these traditions could of recently been made not too long ago. Families create traditions throughout the holidays because it is a way of representing
their culture, religion or beliefs. It’s the type of things that is meaningful to people in their own special way. Traditions could be something you have with your whole family or maybe just a couple of people. Sometimes they are created without you even noticing and without even realizing it. Reasons why people are born into these traditions can be because of a religion or because they have been around for a long time. “My parents and I have recently began a tradition and it is going to be a second year of it,” junior Jazmin Cervantes said. It doesn’t matter when or how your tradition was created what matters is what it means to you and your family and how it feels to be part of that tradition with the ones you love. Sometimes traditions aren’t only things you create with your family, they can be something you create with yourself or even your friends. Traditions can become a big part of your life over time especially if they are meaningful to you. So maybe this year you can create a tradition of your own.
Blast into the
Kimberly Hernandez-Martinez// EOTT
F UT
TURE
What do students expect from the impending new decade?
By: Kimberly Hernandez-Martinez The 2020’s. There’s so much to look forward to and there’s so much to wonder. What really is there to come in the new year? What really is in store for the future this coming decade? What kind of life will we live? These answers will remain unanswered for quite some time, but it doesn’t mean they can’t be wondered. “Some things that will change would be less jobs for people and the advancement of AI,” senior Adolfo De Leon said. Since the beginning of technology the replacement of human workers with AI has always been a major topic of controversy. Although many have speculated that AI would overrun the world, humans tend to always knock it back a bit. According to AI expert Kai-Fu Lee, “AI is going to change the world more than anything in the history of mankind.” With tech advancements such as man-made skin cells to prosthetic limbs, this technological future is a lot closer than we expect. Tech in society is already a big deal, telephones such as iPhone and Samsung have overtaken traditional phones, making smart phones a huge part of day-to-day life. Companies such as Google, Samsung and Apple continue to further their tech with upgraded telephones that hold different features, different helping assistants on the phones such as Siri and Alexa. “This coming decade there are so many new things that we used to not have,” senior Danna Chagolla said. “New technology and programs in school help increase the percentage of people who graduate.” Tech has also become a huge part of the daily lives of students. Many classes tend to go digital with their assignments, quizzes and classes, in college and some high schools. Technology has been able to bring classes together at
the swipe of a finger or tap of a button. Students have been able to learn a lot quicker and have been able to connect with their teachers online using websites such as Canvas or Google Classroom.
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” -Eleanor Roosevelt Many classes use tech as a way to teach in class, iPads becoming a daily staple of classrooms, as well as using Kahoot to review or computers to get research done. In the future, what can be expected of all this tech? How will it continue to further? Will it all be in a way that can help
students or will it only causes a downfall in normal studies, such as learning face to face communication and making a real human connection with ones peers? “The 2020’s is something scary to think about. We went through a lot in the past decade,” senior Jonathan Chay said. “Who knows what is to come in this next generation. Kids? Marriage?” The outlandish future is something that has long been speculated. With fears of the world ending rising, examples being climate change and global warming, there is so much to think about in the future. It’s surreal to think about how in the next coming decade everyone’s life will change. Who knows how life will treat people one knows today. The future is unpredictable and full of mysteries. Life will just simply be a mystery. No one knows how life will work, but there is always hope for a good and bright future. With the 20’s around the corner, there is so much to wonder. The big question is, what does life have in store?
New year, better me
EOTT// Jonas Castaneda Camiro
Looking into the past for the future By: Jonas Castaneda Camiro Imagine there was a button that you could press in order to reset your whole year, would you press it? If time was to reset right now. Ask yourself what would I change in my past life? No matter what your answer to this question is. Whether it would be to change a lot or only a little. It can never happen. Unless, hypothetically a time machine is built you are stuck with the past that you have created. The present time is a gift that you should be grateful for. The fact that your in the present means you have control of both your past and future. This is a power that people usually take for granted. By complaining about what their state of life is instead of doing something about. Even taking small steps towards your end goal gets you closer than not doing anything at all. Everything sounds so good until it comes to the work part.
When I talk about resetting the clock, I don’t mean to throw away the past and have a complete fresh start. What I mean is to look at your past and build off of it in order to create a better version of yourself. Becoming a better version of yourself comes with mistakes and failures. This process of changing who you are can take a long time. That is why the new years are notorious for having the presumption attitude of “New Year, new me” almost every year, giving everyone the excitement of trying new things and traveling to different places. This, in turn, creates the hype of the New Year. For most people this hype usually carries on until the next year, which is why the saying “new year new me” is said by most people pretty much every year. At times this can almost be seen as an excuse people use in order to show a positive attitude when in reality most goals aren’t accomplished. If everyone
actually did what he or she was going to do this year then this saying wouldn’t be so prevalent. However, I’m not saying that this whole “new year new me” attitude is a bad thing to have, as there is plenty of reasons why this attitude can be a good thing. Such as having a positive mindset if your year wasn’t great, then there’s room for improvement. There’s also the feeling of being apart of a cultural excitement that changes people’s lives. Also, looking forward to making new friends is also apart of the new years resolution. As your friends can be a good help to you when you are going through troubled times. The year 2020 is the beginning of a new decade. I advise you to take a self-reflection test and see how much you grew and how many new traits, hobbies and experiences you have gotten throughout the decade. Self-reflection can make you proud of yourself
Lessons are to be learned from the past
Gracia Vargas//EOTT
By:Gracia Vargas Letting go of the past has a lot of steps that lead to happiness. It just takes time to leave the past behind and move forward. A lot of things are involved in one’s life and unexpected things can happen. It’s better to move forward or you could regret not letting go of the past. It’s important not to hold back or hold some kind of grudge, it’s just better to forgive and forget. You have to be able to strive for things and want to live a happy and peaceful life because if you’re not living life to the fullest then you’re holding back from having a great life. Things from your past don’t just disappear, they go away when you have overcome them and made amends of some sort in order to move forward. Express all your feelings and actually feel what you’re feeling, that way you can resolve what’s holding you back from moving forward. Don’t blame others from letting you move forward and letting go of the past because that all happens within yourself. It’s good to focus on the present and future rather than the past. Forgiving the person who isn’t allowing
“Some of the best lessons are learned from past mistakes. The error of the past is the wisdom of the future.” -Dale Turner your mind to move on is a big step towards letting go and or forgiving yourself is a good way to move forward. Letting go of the past has all sorts of steps that help let go and move forward towards the future. There are many reasons to move forward and not be stuck in the past. There’s a sense of relief so that you can have a good life. In my life I have had many bumps in the road, good and bad but what makes my life move on is by going on to the future. Letting go of the past has made me feel better as a person because it makes me feel
like I don’t have any bad blood with anyone and I can just live my life to the fullest. Things with my mom have been very rocky throughout the years so I did what I thought was best and blocked her from my life because that’s what I needed to live a happy life. I was too upset and stressed over her and I didn’t want to live a life where I would live an angry and unhappy life. Sometimes it’s just better to let go of things even if they’re not resolved. If you want to move forward in life you have to forgive and forget, it will make you feel better as a person and make you happier. Letting go of the past but not the lessons learned are important. The lessons stick by a person as long as they don’t make the same mistakes in the future. The best lessons are learned from the past regardless because they teach us more about what not to do anymore. It keeps us away from the terible mistakes we’ve made. Learning from the past , prepares for the future. The future is when a person applies whatver they learned from the past in the future. it’s important to not be defined by on’es past because it was just a liessons not something that will be with a person for the rest of their life.
Don’t repeat your dating mistakes By: Bianney Castillo Do you remember your middle school years? Your life before high school? If you don’t, it could be a good or bad thing. But I definitely remember my middle school years. When I think about middle school, the first thought that comes to mind is seventh grade; the year that I might never forget. Maybe I won’t think about it all the time, but I’ll never forget it. I was about twelve years old when I was in seventh grade, so you likely wont believe someone at that age has already fallen in love. But someone already had, and that’s me. His name was Gabriel and long story short, he was the first person I actually felt true love with. Or maybe it wasn’t, I was twelve. I didn’t really know what true love was like or what it even meant. All I knew at that time was that I had strong feelings for him, even if he didn’t really feel the same way about me. The first time he asked me out, I was beyond excited because I had a huge crush on him, and after a while he finally noticed me. He had asked me out through a little note, which today I find cute, but at that time I kind of thought it was immature. But I was still excited
After all this happened, I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t let any guy use me for their own benefit. he even asked me out, so I looked past that. I wrote ‘yes’ on the little note and passed it back to him. If I knew that with a simple word like ‘yes’ would change everything, I would’ve just thrown away the note, which didn’t happen. After class, he came up to me and smiled. I instantly felt myself blush and I was too shy to even speak, so I just smiled back. He asked if he could walk me to my next class, and me being the shy girl I was back then, I nodded and he walked me to class. The whole way to my next class we didn’t say anything, but I remember he kept staring at me with a smile on his face. Me still being shy, I looked down and blushed even more. Now I don’t remember
how long this relationship lasted, but I just know that this is the first out of three. A couple of weeks later I got a text from him saying that he wanted to break up with me. Obviously I was ‘heartbroken’ but surprisingly I recovered from it fast, and soon after that I found out that he only used me to make this other girl jealous. At first I didn’t care, but then I also found out that the girl he wanted to make jealous was one of my closest friends. So not only did I end up losing someone I started to love, but I also lost a very close friend. You’d think that after a relationship like this you would learn your lesson and not date anyone who only wants to use you. But this happened two more times, with the same guy. After the second time we dated, I actually thought about it, and back then I had thought he changed, but in reality he didn’t. He ended up breaking up with me again, over text, on the last day of seventh grade. After all this happened, I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t let any guy use me for their own benefit. I didn’t think I would have to go through this in order to learn something I should’ve learned the easy way instead of the hard way.
The Germans are resurfacing
Photo courtesy of Lichtdicht Records // EOTT
By: Cristopherson Bongolan The German duos are back and they are back with some heat with their new album Mind The Moon. In addition the band are hoping to make it to the top 100 chart with this album. Milky Chance is getting ready to release his third album Mind the Moon. The Tracks encompasses the band’s signature mix of reggae and elector-pop. The songs are described as “That feeling of not knowing how to mange your relentlessly changing life” said vocalist/ guitarist Clemens Rehbein and bassist/ percussionist Philipp Dausch. In addition the album gives a very chilled out vibe and you can listen to it with anyone around you, and have a really good time. Milky Chance is a German folk group originating from Kassel, Germany. Clemens Rehbein and Philipp Dausch met at JacobGrimm-Schule in Kassel, Germany in 2012. Both were in a jazz quintet called Flown Tones, but the group broke up because of their drummer leaving the group. However Dausch and Rehbein continued to collaborate to make more good songs. They combined electronic production with acoustic guitar and their own
“One moment you’re building something you’re at peace with, and then with one change, the stability is all gone,” - Milky Chance vocals and lyrics. Clemens wrote most of the songs at home, then uploaded the songs to either on YouTube or sound-cloud where they were noticed by the public. Sadnecessary is the first studio album by the group, released in Germany on Oct. 1, 2013. The album includes the songs “Stolen Dance” and “Down by the River”. The album received a lot of positive reviews from the press in North American and helped them gain publicity. The band was nominated for best group at Echo Awards at Germany. The band released their second album Blossom on March 17, 2017. Blossom was inspired by the experience Clemens and Philipp had in the past two years and the two different worlds they’ve jumped into, which were touring and being home with family and friends. Now with their third album coming out this year they are
hoping to make it back into the billboards. “The Game” is their best track on their album so far. The track consists of a nice blend of reggae and rock blend. This track has a really good melody and beat. The track also has a really deep meaning behind it. The band explains “The Game” as “One moment you’re building something you’re at peace with, and then with one change, the stability is all gone. It’s probably easier to learn to swim than build your own island. The worst track is “Rush” Because it lacks a very bad beat and is very hard to understand what they are saying in the song. Overall this album is a very good album to listen to if your are looking for a very reggae and elector-pop and chilled out vibe. For upcoming arists, this album has a lot of potential.
Last-minute gifts By: Leslie Munoz Procrastination is something that happens to everyone. Meaning that you may leave everything towards the end and it’ll leave you feeling stressed. But this shouldn’t cause you to not be able to give someone a gift for the holidays. Whether it’s bought already ready-made or if you made it yourself. So, here are some last-minute DIY gifts, because gifts don’t always have to be expensive, it’s the thought that counts. A basket full of scrunchies and goodies. Scrunchies are a trend right now, so this would be a great gift for someone. The scrunchies could be bought already made or you can make them yourself. Making them yourself is difficult, but with the help of YouTube, you’d be able to accomplish it. Along with the scrunchies, you can add
Photp courtesy of Lanna & Co
other stuff like candy or chocolate. Maybe the person you are gifting this to likes candles, so you can also add candles. You can add anything that suits the person that’s
Leslie Munoz// EOTT
going to receive this gift. Another last-minute DIY gift could be a personalized mug filled with chocolates and a letter written to whoever will receive the gift. This gift takes time and creativity. To make this, you’ll need a white mug, paint and chocolates, this stuff can be found at the dollar store (because it’s the thought that counts not the price). You can paint any design on the mug, simple or over the top, it’s up to you. Once you’ve painted your design then let it dry overnight. In the meantime, begin writing you letter. When everything is finished, all you need to do is fill the mug with chocolates, the letter and give it to the person you want. The mug doesn’t just need to contain chocolates, you can add different things. One more last minute gift could be “personalized flower letters.” This is basically the first letter of the name of the person you want to make this gift for. It’s aesthetic décor that can be hung on the wall. This DIY also takes time. The
materials needed are: cardboard, a hot glue gun, fake flowers, scissors, ribbon and paint (optional). Step 1, trace the letter on the cardboard and cut it out. Step 2, arrange the flowers on the letter the way you want them, then take a picture of it so you’ll remember the placement of the flowers. Step 3, individually glue the flowers onto the letter. Last step, cut a piece of ribbon and glue both ends to the back of the letter, so they’ll be able to hang it. This is all it takes to create this DIY gift for someone. Last minute gifts don’t have to be expensive and they also don’t need to be DIY. You can buy anything, throw it together and call it a gift as long you feel right when giving it to someone. [DIY or buy already made]. The person who receives your gift(s) will love the idea that you went out of your way to make the gifts yourself. Don’t let procrastination or laziness be the cause of you not giving someone a gift.
Leslie Munoz// EOTT
Going for gold
Sheyenne Harner//EOTT
The 2020 Summer Olympics will take place in Tokyo, Japan By: Danny Leonard It’s the first-ever Olympic Games taking place in Athens Greece in 1896. The United States has just taken home 11 gold medals, but where do we go from there? Nearly 124 years later, and the United States have accumulated 1,022 gold medals as of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The 2020 Summer Olympics is taking place in Tokyo, Japan and it’s just around the corner, athletes and fans all around the world wait in awe to see what upcoming human feats are possible to achieve. Will there be new world records set? Will there be new and younger athletes that shock the world with their talent? What if a famous athlete such as Michael Phelps or Usain Bolt decides to retire from their designated sport? With so many questions to ask and the Olympics just around the corner, debuting from July 24-August 9, 2020, Will the world be ready to see what these athletes have in store for them? And with so many events, where do we start? “I’m hoping to watch the shot put and discus this summer,” senior Armando Rivera
said. “Hopefully someone can set some new standards.” With so many events and so many athletes, some records have been set and stood alone as unbreakable throughout the years. The longest standing Olympic record is the women’s shot put set back at the 1980 Summer Olympic Games in Moscow, Russia. Ilona Slupianek, of Germany, set the still standing record at 22.41m (73’6.28”) on July 24, 1980. Switching to the other side of the spectrum, there has been a trend of younger athletes taking the world stage by storm. Athletes like Matthew Boling; the 18 year old from Houston, Texas who ran a wind assisted 100m dash in just 9.98 seconds in high school has his sights set high as he trains for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Ariana Washington was just 19 when she raced the world in the 2016 Rio Olympics, running the 100m, 200m and 4x100m. There is so much young talent in the world, most coming from high school and collegiate athletes. Is there any hope for Bonanza students? “I think there are some students at Bonanza that could make it to the Olympics one day,”
junior River Adams said. “Izzy Diaz, Alisha Candler or maybe Daniel Leonard. If they train hard enough.” With so much new talent coming to the scene, the Olympic committee has decided to add a couple new sports to the games. With the 306 total events in 28 sports in the 2016 summer games in Rio, this years Olympic Games have even more events and sports to watch, including five new sports making their Olympic debut. With the addition of surfing, skateboarding, karate, sport climbing and baseball/softball, the Olympic Games have a new total of 33 total sports with an astonishing 339 events for athletes to compete in. “I wonder if the Olympic committee will keep adding sports as time goes on, or if they’ll just cut it off at some point,” senior Santiago Sanchez said. With so many events, so many new athletes and so many fans to watch, The 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan are going to be a spectacle of athletic performance. Can a new Olympic record be broken? Only time will tell when these athletes go for the gold.
New year, new team
Flag football line-up wiped clean By: Sheyenne Harner Stimulate. State. Success. Bonanza Bengals’ flag football team shoots for the state championship again this season. The flag football girls have a lot of confidence in their team this season. They’re ready to work hard with head coach Merrel and assistant coach Gordon. “It’s a state win or bust at this point,” senior Maelani Torres said. “We were one point away from bringing that state title home, so now we’re hungry.” The team lost to the Green Valley Gators, who were ranked number two in the state and claimed the state title. In the last season, the flag football team was 17-7, ranked third in their conference and fourth in state. However, since then the team lost their coach, many seniors and their quarterback. Seventeen seniors graduated and left the team, leaving the other three to achieve their goal. There is only one returning player this season, senior Charley Beck, who played a starter all four years on varsity. Beck had 3,518 career rushing yards and 2,074 all time season rushing yards from last flag season. The seniors weren’t the only ones that left, as the star quarterback, junior Cindylou Rasiang, is not playing this season. Rasiang was ranked number one in the state as of last season for flag football after breaking two state records and having high records overall. She had 10,506 career passing yards and the most passing yards in a season at 6,362. Her state records include most passing touchdowns in a season at 77 and the most passing yards in a game at 402. This year’s tryouts were November 16, where 27 girls were accepted onto the team. Some have been brought up from junior varsity and the B-team, while some girls are new to Bonanza’s flag program. Sophomore Malia Hernandez-Silva has been declared the new quarterback for the team after moving up from B-team. “My motivation to play is just the happiness it gives both me and the girls,” Hernandez-Silva said. “Everyday we come
Sheyenne Harner//EOTT
“We were one point away from bringing that state title home, so now we’re hungry.” -Maelani Torres out and stay positive and we laugh and learn from our mistakes. We are all just supportive of one another and I think that is what keeps us going in the long run.” With her goals personally and for her
team, Hernandez-Silva made one of them to keep the season going until they win state. “I believe being an athlete in school and in general, you go through all kinds of things mentally, physically, spiritually, etcetera,” junior Winara Bounino said. “When you’re a true athlete it’s more than just practice and games, it’s actually the grind, the strive, the hunger, the unsatisfaction, the need for more and more because of the love and determination that you’ve set yourself into with that sport.” Practice began for the winter season to prepare for the first game. The Bengals are getting a fresh start, players and coaches together.
Another strike for the bowling king
Photos by Danny Leonard//EOTT
By: Danny Leonard “It took a lot of tears, time and pain to get where I am,” senior Devyn Patalina said. Senior Devyn Patalina is at the top of his game when it comes to bowling. While taking second in state as a junior and scoring multiple perfect games with scores of 300, Patalina is on a roll. With all the hype that comes with being an athlete who’s made it to the state finals, those who haven’t made it there have to wonder, how did they do it? It takes a lot out of a person to pour their heart into a sport, both physically and mentally. “It took a lot of dedication and support from family and friends to help me get to where I am now,” Patalina said. When you become the best, people start to know your name. “Yeah, I’ve never really met Devyn, but I know he’s the captain of the bowling team and he’s really good.” sophomore Hannah Roberts said. Alongside the student population recognizing Patalina for his accomplishments, multiple colleges and professional teams have made conversations with the senior. Offering college deals, semi professional contracts and the opportunity to bowl for the USA Trials. Not only is Patalina a player on the team,
he is the captain and a leader to those who bowl with him. “He’s an inspiration to everyone he talks to,” senior Lilli Lee said. “He’s always happy and cracking jokes with everyone to bring up their mood.” Patalina is always someone who his teammates count on. With his amazing personality and grit, that’s what makes Patalina a leader. Alongside his personality and grit, his determination to become better everyday in the lanes and as a person, is what leads him to be such a likeable and loveable person. You have to wonder, is bowling all that Patalina will amount to? What other aspirations does the bowling king have in life? “I’ve always wanted to go professional for bowling, but not many people know that I also want to pursue physical therapy,” Patalina said. “I want to help people more than anything, so maybe bowling can be a side job if I become a physical therapist.” But there can be some gutter balls in
Patalina’s life. What about the pressure he faces at school with all of the hype around him? “Yeah, honestly there is a lot of pressure, having this title and notoriety of bowling king only adds to what people except from me,” Patalina said. “Everyone has their own expectations, first place at state this year, and possibly go to nationals.” While Patalina is an incredible bowler, he is still human. It is possible for him to have a game where he scores a total of zero points. But he doesn’t let the pleasure or fear of failure bring him down. With support from his friends, family and friends, Devyn Patalina keeps his head held high while he stares down the lane at his next strike.
A wrestle to glory Wrestling season has begun and Bonanza’s bengals are ready
Photo courtesy by Thomas Mitchell//EOTT
By: Alma Sierra Lozano
Training. Discipline. Accomplishment. The wrestling season has officially started and the Bonanza Bengals are very exhilarated. This season you can expect to see improved skills and many awards. Bonanza’s wrestling team have been training hard and have their eyes on the prize. The wrestling team continue to motivate each other to reach their goal. “My teammates help me a lot by encouraging me to be the best,” junior Gabriel Garcia said. The first tournament of the season was three to one. These bengals put up a good fight and no one can be prouder of them than the people who they are representing. Despite the possibility that not every match is a win, learning to lose and learn from the mistakes is what truly makes you a winner. That is one of the first things you should know if you decide on joining thw wrestling team. Only you can decide how you propel yourself after every match. “I listen to music because it helps me keep my head in the game,” senior Giovanni Mitchell said. Although your teammates and coach can inspire you to do better, many have other reasons as to why wrestling is part of their life. In many cases it can be a girlfriend, friend or a family member. “My brother wanted me to try it out and surprisingly I liked it,” Mitchell said.
Despite the possibility that not every match is a win, learning to lose and learn from the mistakes is what truly makes you a winner. Granted that not everybody likes wrestling, but those who have joined have had a great experience while on the team. “I wish I had joined earlier because now I don’t have enough time to enjoy it,” sophomore Natalie Sepulveda said. Wrestling is an amazing way to take off stress as well. It gets your mind off your problems because in every second that you are wrestling with your opponent, all your mind in concentrated on is the next step and how to defeat your rival. It is not the time to be thinking about anything else. The dedication and responsibility you have when trying control your mind and not get distracted is what wrestlers have to constantly keep in mind when they are practicing on the mat. Although it may not always be easy. The wrestlers may have outside situations going on in their lives that can be a burden to their performance. “It’s hard when you want to focus on one thing when all your mind focused on another,” Garcia said. The wrestling team has been improving throughout the years. Every year they come
back stronger and with the will to fight and come out victorious. But that doesn’t mean they don’t continue to be their best. “I expect myself to gain more confidence in my matches and my techniques to get better,” Sepulveda said. Wrestling is a great way to be disciplined and helps you mentally. Although you aren’t physically in wrestling, you still have to deal with life and its obstacles. You have to wrestle with yourself when it comes to making complicated decisions, but when you choose the right one you feel accomplished. And even though you might not made the correct decision all the time, you still learn from your mistakes. “I’ve learned to be disciplined not only in wrestling, but in life itself too,” Garcia said. Bonanza’s wrestling team have already started their season. They are bringing honor to the school by representing it. They bring pride everytime they take a win. Cheer for your team and shower them with love. They are the perfect example of discipline and loyalty. Thwy will continue to do great.