The Vaquero football team finished off the regular season at 6-4 and 5-2 in the Western States Conference (WSC) Pacific Division. They were ranked No. 15 in Southern California.
Fourteen Glendale players earned individual honors, including Grant Valentine, Ray McDonough and Zack Williams, who were named to various state and All-American teams.
Valentine finished off the year with 93 tackles, 9.5 sacks and was awarded the WSC Pacific Division “Defensive Player of the Year.” Award as well as being named state defensive player of the year and a J.C. Grid-Wire All-American.
Valentine was joined on the All-WSC first team defense by linebacker Jason Barbic and defensive back Ray McDonough. Zack Williams and McDonough were also named to the J.C. Grid-Wire All-American team
Also, the California Community Colleges Football Coaches Association Region named Valentine Defensive Player of the Year. He will also be joined by McDonough and Williams as Region III All-Americans by the CCCFCA.
McDonough, a sophomore defensive back, led the team and the WSC with eight interceptions, including three against Ventura, and finished off the year with 60 tackles. “On the mental level, I wanted to show my opponents I was more prepared than they were,” said McDonough. “I wanted them to know that I was one step ahead of them.”
McDonough’s talents have been noticed by several colleges, such as Kansas State, Idaho State and Syracuse. His ability on the field was accomplished through repetitive work-out routines, and hours of viewing game film that helped him gather information about the opposition. He also has a 3.4 grade point average, which was the highest on the team.
The women’s cross country finished first in the state and was led by All-American and first team All-WSC sophomore runner Tove Berg. Berg’s stamina was a key to her team’s success as she helped the Vaqueros win seven of the eight races she took part in. Berg was awarded Western State Conference “Athlete of the Year” for the second straight year.
“They are probably the best cross country team we’ve had and I’m very proud of them,” said head coach Eddie Lopez. “Going undefeated with all that pressure on them is tough to do.”
Additionally, sophomores Vivien Wadeck, Desiree Ruiz and Zitalic Ley earned first team All-WSC honors. The Lady Vaqueros were undefeated in 10 meets which included winning the WSC title and Southern California Championship.
“My top five runners’ average 8.44 for a 5K, which is outstanding,” said Lopez. “The worst thing that can happen to a team is injuries, but we avoided all of that, so that’s why we became so good.”
The lady Vaqueros soccer team finished the year at 9-6-7 overall and 6-4-5 in WSC. This team fought hard as the season went on and chemistry was a big reason the Vaqueros played with so much intensity. Sophomore defender Claudia Orellena was named to the first team All-WSC and sophomore forwards Jacqueline Cuevas and Tatiana Aguirre were awarded honorable mentions.
The men’s soccer team finished the year at 2-16-4 overall and 2-10-2 in their conference. The season was plagued with inconsistence and inability to score on golden opportunities. However, one reason for the poor performance from the Vaqueros this season was the lack of experience from these players at the community college level.
Regardless, sophomore goalkeeper Edwin Cabrera played well enough to be named to the All-WSC first team.
All season long, the women’s volleyball team has hit several bumps in the road as they finished 6-17 and 0-10 in WSC. Aya Nakano was named to the All-WSC first team and Susie Marco was named to the second team. Isabell Carter and Autumn Gomez both earned Honorable Mentions.
