The Warrior January 2009

Valley Christian High School 100 Skyway Drive, San Jose, CA 95111 www.valleychristian.net

January 23,2009

Vol. 26 No. 6

What Lies Within:

VCHS Communications

Departmenthttp://warrior.valleychristian.nethttp://kvch.valleychristian.nethttp://film.valleychristian.net

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NEWS................1-4A&E..................5-6FEATURES.......7-10SPORTS........11-15

“BE STRONG IN THE LORD AND IN THE STRENGTH OF HIS MIGHT.” EPHESIANS 6:10

History in the MakingBy Alyssa Berding & Liz FlemingEditor-in-Chief & A&E Editor

By four o’clock in the morning on Tuesday, January 20, a crowd had already gathered on Capitol Hill to witness the most anticipated presidential inauguration in history. On the blustery, wind-blown lawn of the National Mall, in the earli-est hours of the day, crowds of hopefuls waited to see President Barack Hussein Obama take his oath of office and officially become the 44th President of the United States of America, and the country’s first African-American president. Neither the 15 degree weather nor the unprecedented level of security could keep the masses from swarming D.C.’s metro stations and closed-off city streets beginning at 3 a.m. In fact, 1.8 million people turned out to witness this historic moment. Two groups of Valley Christian High School students, accompanied by government teacher Mrs. Lindsey Mar-shall, and Journalism teacher, Mrs. Diann Fugate braved the early hour and cold weather to witness history. After catching the subway to D.C.’s Dupont Circle station and then hiking two miles to the Washing-ton Monument, the students trekked across the frozen grass to grab a spot on the lawn, not too far from the Capitol building where the inauguration would commence. They then spent six hours waiting, bundled up in their warmest clothes, huddling together to survive the cold. With a wind chill in single digits, the crowds were desperate to find shelter from the cold, but the tight security perimeter around the mall prohib-ited any possibility for relief. Senior Jor-dan Smallwood described the feeling of many when he said, “I honestly thought I was going to die standing on that mall, but

The Nation’s Capitol, including the Jefferson Memorial is under a deep freeze, with daytime temps in the low 30s.

The World War II Memorial is a recent addition to the National Mall. Each state is represented by a pillar holding a wreath.

Senior Government students Jordan Smallwood, Daniel McCormick, Liz Fleming and Alyssa Berding brave the cold DC weather to celebrate the 2009 Inauguration.

Seniors Liz Fleming and Alyssa Berding tour the DC monuments with Mrs. Marshall’s class.

The Advanced Journalism classes pose on the National Mall, looking forward to the

Inauguration Ceremony.

On January 20, 2009, the Nation’s Capitol hosted the 56th Presidential Inauguration Ceremony for Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States. VCHS students were privileged to attend the historic event.

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after waiting for hours, I got to see and hear Obama’s first speech as President: that’s history.” With crowds watching on the jum-botrons lining the mall, the proceedings be-gan on the Capitol steps at eleven o’clock as heads of state began filing out to take their spots on the stage. Everyone from Be-yonce to P. Diddy, to rival John McCain and Democratic senate leader Harry Reid emerged to participate in Obama’s inaugu-ral ceremony. Following the swearing in of Vice President Joe Biden, President Barack

Obama took the oath of office. Events continued on Tuesday morning with Obama’s first presidential speech. In his address, he rallied Ameri-cans by claiming, “We have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord… Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and be-gin again the work of remaking America.” Amidst a storm of resounding cheers, Pres-ident Obama and the first family exited the Capitol and followed the traditional route to the White House in a celebratory parade.Festivities continued well into the night,

with numerous balls being held through-out the greater D.C. area. The President and his wife made appearances at ten balls throughout the course of the evening. In the end, despite the two hundred people who suffered from hypothermia or injuries sustained from the tightly-packed crowds, the wait was worth the while to witness and hear President Obama’s in-auguration. His words of hope and action seemed to inspire all those in attendance. The Valley Christian students who traveled to the Inauguration were thankful to wit-ness history in the making.

INAUGURATION 2009

2 THE WARRIOR NEWSJanuary 23, 2009

News - Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About President Barack Obama pg. 3 - Chaos Continues to Rage in Hamas on the Gaza Strip pg. 4

A&E - A Look at Tom Cruise’s Latest Box-Office Hit Valkyrie pg. 5 - American Idol: 8th Season Auditions Begin pg. 6

Alyssa BerdingEditor-in-Chief

Jacob RuizAssistant News Editor

Priscilla ShenAssistant News Editor

Liz FlemingA&E Editor

Melody MakhfiJunior A&E EditorJohn-Luke KvapilJunior A&E Editor

Alyssa TomaselloFeatures Editor

Christine ByrneFeatures Editor Tarah Duarte

Junior Features Editor

CJ WryeSports EditorStephen Lam

Assistant Sports EditorRachael Shen

Assistant Sports EditorJon Lampkin

Junior Sports Editor

Erica ParkerPhoto EditorJoyce Chen Photo Editor

Staff Writers

Tyler VerreyClare Lee

Arazue Moghtaderi-ZadehDanny HittlerDarelle Jones

Dominic Taguinod Nathan Farrokhian

Ryan LoweSamantha Varada

Taylor FineMelissa LimKaleb Tuttle

Zayn KirkendollLeanna Borelli

Tom ZellnerChris Tozer

2008-2009Warrior Staff

Want to advertise in The Warrior? Contact

Diann Fugate at [email protected]

for ad sizes and rates.

Note: The Warrior is a nonprofit publication which is published throughout the school year by the associated

student body of Valley Christian High School. Views expressed in The Warrior are those of the writers

and do not necessarily represent the views of the school, staff, or its students.

All type and layouts are created in The Warrior newsroom, room 215. The Warrior is printed at

Fricke-Parks Press, Union City, California.

The Inside Scoop:Features - VC Students Attend the 44th Presidential Inauguration pg. 7-10 - A Journalistic Reflection on the Most Historic Inauguration in American History pg. 10

Sports - A Solid Start for Girls Varsity Basketball pg. 11 - VC Soccer Teams Fight Hard Through League Play pg. 11-13

Students Dare to Be Different OnJanuary9,studentsmayhavewitnessed an obscure change in a selectgroup of students. Perhaps the nicestpeople on campus suddenly turned intoirritable and rude individuals. Or maybethe usually excitable and sociable peopleignoredothersfortheday. Whateverthecase,theLeadershipclass was challenged to take on anotherpersonality for a class project called,“Dare to be Different.” The assignmentwasdesignedtobreakthestudentsoutoftheir routine and see the campus throughdifferent eyes. Not only did the studentsliterally step into another’s shoes, buttheywereable toseewhataneffect theirattitudehadontherestofValley’sstudent

By Samantha L. VaradaStaff Writer

body. Mr. Nathan Smith expressed hisproposeforthisactivityinsaying,“Ihopethe students experience how much of animpacttheymakeonthiscampus,notonlyintheclassroomsbutalsowithintheirpeergroups.” Senior Jennifer Cline learneda lesson about the right way to approachlearningwhenshetookonthepersonalityof an over-confident and self-absorbed person. “It’s all about focus,” Clineexplained. “If you focus on being confident in your classes and actively try to seekanswers,youreallydolearnmore.” Junior Katherine Sanine alsotookonasimilarpersonality,“Itwasreallyhardtokeepuptheactthroughouttheday

and I was really tired by the time the final bellrang.”Nearlyallofthestudentswerefound to be exhausted by the end of theday. “I honestly learned that a littleorganizationisaloteasiertohelpgetmoredoneinyourday.I’malwaysdistractedsowhenIbuckleddowntoeverytask,Igotso much more done,” Nathalie Cheadleexpressed. Cheadle was a “type A”personalityandhypochondriacfortheday. Allinall,manyoftheLeadershipstudents encountered how much of animpact their attitudes make daily attheir school. Mr. Smith looks forward tocontinuing, “Dare toBeDifferent” in thefuture.

Check out more cool pictures of the ‘09 Inaugural trip on

pages 7 & 8.

3THE WARRIORNEWS January 23, 2009

In the excitement of the inaugura-tion of President Barack Obama, much has been forgotten about George W. Bush, the President of the United States for the past eight years. Perhaps America wants to forget they ever elected Bush to the presidency. Perhaps Obama is the shin-ing hope, the white light, while Bush is the failure, the dark spot. Perhaps the Ameri-can people want a blank slate, a chance to start over. If a president is measured by the shape the country is in when he leaves office, Bush has failed abysmally. But is it really as clear-cut as that? In the past eight years, America has been plagued with terrorist attacks, economic woes, and two wars that have gone on far longer than expected. It seems America needed a scapegoat, and it fell to the blank-faced, poor-speaking Bush. In the end, it appears to most people that his administration failed on many levels, but there is one task that he has succeeded in; he kept America alive. Perhaps not in the best shape, but in existence nonetheless. In an era where terrorists all over the world want to blow America to bits, with an in-flux of illegal immigrants flooding over the border, and with countries threatening with nuclear warfare, Bush has survived the most difficult job in the world. Anytime a president makes a de-cision of consequence – or even sometimes of inconsequence – there will always be people who disagree. After the terrorist at-tacks of 9/11, there was no choice. The ter-rorists had to be stopped, and George Bush and his staff made decisions that would be heavily criticized for years to come. At the time of 9/11, and in the subsequent months, George Bush actually polled as the most popular president of all time. Several years later, he polled as one of the least popu-lar presidents of all time. America’s ability to distance themselves from the man they had once supported was shown in nasty articles, cruel political cartoons, and non-stop criticism from just about every source imaginable. The intentions of the Bush ad-

ministration for going into Iraq may never be fully understood. Whether they really believed that there were weapons of mass destruction hiding in Iraq, or whether their intentions were that of something else, is

entirely unknown. But to Bush, even when they discovered that there were, in fact, no weapons of mass destruction to discover, abandoning a people in need was not an op-tion. Though there were many cries from Americans for removal of the troops, Bush was firm in his stance that stability must be reached before America could leave Iraq alone. In the end, Bush’s presidency will be known as a presidency of extremes. He

led the nation from peace to war. He led the nation from economic stability to eco-nomic decline. He went from being the most popular president of all time to one of the least popular. The man even had a

movie made about his past, Oliver Stone’s speculating and bizarre “W.” Despite his well-publicized failures, Bush stood up to some of the toughest challenges the world could throw at him, and did it with courage and resoluteness. Perhaps, one day, his-tory will write a more favorable version of Bush’s presidency. But for now, America is ready to start over, and say goodbye to President George W. Bush.

Saying Goodbye to the President

By Kaleb TuttleStaff Writer Obama Cabinet

RevealedBy Leanna BorelliStaff Writer President Obama has been busy filling all positions in his new cabinet. The nominee for Director of Agriculture is Tom Vilsack, former governor of Iowa; this is considered to be a state with a lot of farmland. “USDA plays an integral role in supporting our agricultural economy and working on behalf of America’s farmers and ranchers. I am confident that Tom Vilsack’s background and experience will help him continue the progress we have made here,” said Ed Shafer, the previous Director of Agriculture. The Director of Commerce is of extreme importance with today’s economy and the nominee for that position was Governor Bill Richardson but he declined the offer as of January 4, 2009. With America at war, the Secretary of Defense is crucial to America and the nominee for this is the current Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates. The Direc-tor of Education will be Arne Duncan, should he accept the nomination. The energy crisis in America has upset many major powers in the world, urging Amer-ica to make crucial changes in the way it uses energy; the nominee to help change that is Steven Chu. He will be the head of the Department of Energy and he’s well suited for the job, winning the Nobel Prize in physics. The nominee for health and human services is Tom Daschle; he was the former governor of South Da-kota. Janet Napolitano was nominated for the position of Director of Homeland Security. She was elected Arizona senator twice, the first women to hold that posi-tion in her state. The Housing and Urban Development Director nominee is Shaun Donovan, who is the current head of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. The De-partment of Interior head nominee is Ken Salazar, who had mixed feelings about taking the job in the first place because he originally wanted Gale Norton for the position. The Department of Justice head will be Eric Holder if he accepts the position. Eric Holder served during Obama’s campaign as a legal advisor. Hilda Solis is the nominee for the Depart-ment of Labor; she is a very big advocate for immigration laws and relaxing rules on illegal immigrants who are contributing to America’s economy. The Department of Transportation head nominee is Ray LaHood, who surprisingly enough is very republican in views. The nominee for the head of treasury is Timothy Geith-ner; he already serves as vice chairman of the Federal Open Market. Finally the Secretary of State is Hilary Clinton, who ran against Obama in the presidential primaries. Recent surveys show that 77% of democrats and a surprising 50% of republicans accept Obama’s cabinet.

With President Barack Obama’s term of office just beginning, many people are still wondering if the rumors they hear surrounding Obama are true: A radical Muslim? Sworn in on the Qur’an? Killed his grandmother to hide the fact that his birth certificate is a forgery? These are just a few of the many rumors that circu-lated around his campaign. While many of these claims were just frivolous attempts to smear his campaign, are there at least any half-truths that made these stories some-what believable? In 2008, Philip Berg filed claims in a U.S. court alleging that Obama’s birth certificate was a forgery and that he was ac-tually born in Kenya, not Hawaii. Howev-er, upon investigation, it was found that on August 13, 1961 a birth announcement for

Obama’s August 4, 1961 birthday was pub-lished in the Honolulu Advertiser. In a 34-page decision, the judge ruled that Berg’s argument “ventured into the unreasonable” and that his claims were “frivolous and not worthy of discussion.” But, you may ask, is Obama a radical Muslim? What about his middle name, isn’t it Hussein? While it is possible we may never know the truth, Obama answers this question himself in his 2006 book titled The Audacity of Hope. In it he says, “During the five years that we would live with my stepfather in Indonesia, I was sent first to a neighborhood Catholic school and then to a predominantly Mus-lim school; in both cases, my mother was less concerned with me learning the cat-echism or puzzling out the meaning of the muezzin’s call to evening prayer than she

was with whether I was properly learning my multiplication tables.” The fact is, just as it is in many countries and even here in the Bay Area, private institutions offer the best education for youths, not public schools. Obama clearly states that he at-tended both Catholic and Muslim schools for educational purposes, not for any radi-cal Muslim ideology. Also, many might be wondering if Obama rejected the Bible when he was elected to the U.S. Senate and chose instead to be sworn in using the Qur’an. This is actually a mistaken refer-ence to Minnesota congressman Keith El-lison and has nothing to do with Obama. The reason many of the claims are so widespread is because Americans asso-ciate his common Muslim middle name, Hussein, with that of the former Sunni dic-tator Saddam Hussein. In reality, Obama’s father was a Muslim from Kenya and that is undeniably a part of Obama’s family his-tory. But, that does not define him or his own beliefs. The little known fact about his father being Muslim is that his father divorced Obama’s mother and moved back to Kenya when he was only two, leaving hardly any influence on his childhood. Fi-nally, Americans can be assured that on January 20, President Obama was sworn in using the Bible, just as he did when he was sworn into the U.S. Senate.

Fact or Fiction: Obama Rumors CirculateBy Tyler VerryStaff Writer

President George W. Bush waves goodbye as he boards Marine 1.

4 THE WARRIOR NEWSJanuary 23, 2009

No End in Sight for Gaza ConflictBy Tarah DuarteJunior Features Editor

Fall From FavorBy John-Luke KvapilJunior A&E Editor

More Than a ManBy Tommy ZellnerStaff Writer

It’s just before dusk and a missile is fired over Gaza Strip. As it sails cork-screw through the Israel night sky, it pushes through the black smoke, remains from the multiple Israeli strikes on Gaza’s main city. The unknown destination of this missile is somewhere in Israel, at the heart of this war. This war doesn’t have a recorded beginning, and the end is most definitely unknown. But the question of many people is just that: when will this continuing conflict end? The casualties continue to grow as hospitals are overwhelmed with ci-vilians; the wounded are being treated in hallways because the beds are full. Mohammed Salmai, a 29-year-old truck driver reported, “The army is there, firing in all directions. All we can do is take clothes to each other to keep ourselves warm and pray to God that if we die, some-one will find our bodies under the rubble.” The International Committee of the Red Cross Head of Operations for Gaza, Pierre Kraehenbuhl, reported on January 6 that life was becoming intolera-ble in Gaza after 10 days of conflict. Krae-henbuhl continued by saying, “After 10 days of uninterrupted military operations in the Gaza Strip, what we’re dealing with is clearly and beyond doubt in my mind, a full-blown and major humanitarian crisis.” “For the people inside Gaza, the situation has become intolerable...” The director of the UN aid agency Unrwa, John Ging, said the

conditions in Gaza were “horrific.” He continued by saying that no-where is safe for civilians in Gaza. They are fleeing their homes, and they are right to do so according to the casualty numbers. “It’s very, very dangerous, and even the 14,000 who have sought refuge in our schools and shelters, they are not safe either.” Ging added that huge military op-erations cannot be conducted in such dense-ly populated places without killing hun-dreds and injuring thousands of civilians. Information about what is happen-ing inside Gaza is quite limited since Israel has kept foreign reporters out of the country. The UN also warned that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza would only deepen as aid is kept from entering the territory. Therefore, the people are fight-ing for themselves with no help or hope of gaining support from the outside world. Aid workers in Gaza are hav-ing trouble distributing existing supplies of fuel and food. Unrwa said it would be unable to bring in 80 lorries (truck loads) of scheduled humanitarian supplies af-ter the head of the company contracted to transport the supplies lost three rela-tives, including one son, in the attacks. Many people in Gaza are now reported to be without run-ning water, fuel or electricity. As for the United States, U.S. State Department spokesman Sean Mc-Cormack stated, “The United States is pushing for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip

that would require Hamas to halt rocket at-tacks into Israel but would also open cross-ings into the isolated enclave.” The ultimate goal for the U.S. is to create a “sustainable, durable ceasefire” that would bring a lasting end to Hamas rocket attacks into southern Israel, which triggered Israel’s military offensive in Gaza a couple of weeks ago. President George Bush said that any ceasefire would have to ensure Hamas does not continue rocket attacks. “All of us, of course, would like to see...violence stop, but not at the expense of an agreement that does not prevent the crisis from happening again,” stated Bush. Over all, the United States regards Hamas as a terrorist organization and refuses to hold any personal contact with the group. Meanwhile, Arab countries were seeking a UN Security Council resolution calling for an end to the fight-ing. The United States has refused to sign any resolution that singles out the Israelis as the culprit in the fighting. Before his inauguration, Presi-dent Barack Obama made the decision to stay out of the former President’s way and said, “It is particularly important to adhere to the principle of one president at a time, because there are delicate negotia-tions taking place right now, and we can’t have two voices coming out of the United States.” Obama’s aides were reported as saying Obama was monitoring the situ-ation before taking office on January 20. Zbigniew Brzezinski, an Obama

supporter and national security advisor under President Jimmy Carter, stated, “By now it should be quite evident that the two parties of the conflict will nev-er reach an agreement on their own.” “The only way, therefore, to move forward is for the international community, led by the United States, to put on the table the framework of an eventual agreement.” Senior advisor David Axel-rod said that Obama is “committed” to achieving peace in the Middle East and continued by hinting how Obama would engage in the peace process. “He is going to work close-ly with the Israelis. They’re a great ally of ours, the most important ally in the region. And that is a fundamen-tal principle from which he’ll work.” “But he will do so in a way that will promote the cause of peace, and work closely with the Israelis and the Pales-tinians on that--toward that objective.” The destination of that corkskew missile is somewhere in Israel, at the heart of this war. This war that doesn’t have a recorded beginning and the end is most definitely unknown. Just when will the missles stop firing and the Israelis live in peace is the commonly asked question. The only definite answer the government can give is they are unsure. As Ameri-cans, all there is to do is pray for peace.

The government is entrusted by the people with the power to rule with integrity; yet scandals in-volving public officials are splashed across televi-sion screens and newspa-per headlines. The latest in this line of scandals focuses on the issue of the validity on Roland Burris’s claim to the Senate, following President Barack Obama’s departure. Appointed by Governor Rod Blagojevich, Burris’s position as sena-tor was questioned due to recent findings regarding the true nature of his appoint-ment. Tapes have been released which display the governor on several occasions violating and abusing the power entrusted to him. “Late last month, Governor Rod

Blagojevich defied crit-ics by naming Mr. Burris to replace President-elect Barack Obama, setting off a fire storm of criticism that the appointment was tainted because the gover-nor already faced criminal allegations that the Sen-ate seat was up for sale in a ‘pay-to-play’ scheme.”

(NYT). Evidence has yet to prove a link between Roland Burris and any law-debauchery; how-ever, the question of al-

lowing criticized, corrupt officials to ap-point others to high government positions remains. “This isn’t about Roland Burris,” said Joe Shoemaker, chief spokesman for Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the number two Democrat in the Senate. “This is about whether the governor of the state, who has been accused of trying to sell the Senate seat, made the appointment in an honest, fair and legal way.” Originally denied the Senate position because of his connection to Blagojevich, Burris was sworn in on January 15. Blagojevich was

impeached January 14, and indict-ment pro-ceedings are c u r r e n t l y c o n t i n u -ing on sev-eral charges a g a i n s t Blagojevich for abusing his power as governor.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was born January 5, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. From very early in his life, he felt the effects of racism. He attended a segregated school until he was fifteen, when he skipped the rest of high school to attend Morehouse College. After college, he went on to semi-nary. He married Coretta Scott in 1953, and then became the pastor of a small Bap-tist church in Georgia. He soon became a part of the Civil Rights Movement. His entire life was spent dedicated to the call for Civil Rights in America. King was as-sassinated for all he stood for on April 4, 1968. His death was felt around the world. Though all Americans know of the great and inspiring things he accom-plished throughout his life, many do not know the deep commitment King had for God and Christianity. He was a great pas-

tor for most of his life, and he had a de-gree in Divinity and Philosophy. King knew that all people were created equal under God, and he felt God calling him to show the rest of the world that all of God’s people should be treated with the same level of fairness and respect.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Senator Roland Burris

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Impeached Governor Rod Blagojevich

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5January 23, 2009A&E Arts andEntertainment

Valley Musicians Jazzin’ it up at FolsomBy Liz FlemingA&E Editor

By Zayn KirkendollStaff Writer

Valkyrie Impresses Audiences with Historic Portrayal

Artist Focus

By Samantha VaradaStaff Writer

This weekend, the Valley Christian Jazz Department traveled to the 20th annual Folsom Jazz Festival. Considered one of the premier jazz festivals on the West Coast, the festival boasts an incredible turnout each year, with roughly 130 jazz bands and vocal groups competing from all over the state, as well as Nevada. Both the high school and junior high school sent representatives to compete at the event. The high school jazz bands, under the direc­tion of Mr. Dave Gregoric, participated four times throughout the festival in the categories of A&AA Bands and Combos A&B. Mr. David Hook led the high school jazz vocal groups for two stellar performances during the weekend. The junior high department also sent a band to compete in the middle school division. The groups had high expectations for the competition where they have received numerous awards in previous years. Following the Folsom Jazz Festival, the Valley Christian Jazz Department will host an extravagant, Valentine’s Day-themed concert on February 5. Their “Grand Finale” event will begin at 6:30p.m. at the Cathedral of Faith. It features a performance, dessert, and a basket drawing. Tickets cost $5 per person. This is a great opportunity to see the Jazz Department at their best!

While in Africa, during World War II, German Colonel Claus von Stauffenburg (Tom Cruise) gets caught in the middle of a bombing and is severely injured. Upon waking up in a hospital back in his home of Nazi Germany, he finds himself without an arm and missing two fingers on the other hand. Meanwhile, Major General Trescow, a Nazi head, plans and attempts to assas-sinate Nazi Leader, Adolf Hitler, by put-ting a bomb in a wine case on Hitler’s pri-vate plane to kill him mid-air; but the plan fails because the bomb fails to explode, thus rendering the attempt unsuccessful. After Stauffenburg is released from the hospital, he joins Trescow and puts together a secret committee dedicated to risking their lives to kill Hitler, in order to make Germany a better place. Stauffen-burg then decides to rewrite Hitler’s Opera-tion Valkyrie, which involves the use of the

Reserve Army to take over the government after successfully assassinating Hitler. But there is only one problem; Hitler’s signa-ture is required to put the plan in effect. With the plan to assassinate Hit-ler and take over in hand, Stauffenburg and his secret committee of rebels set out to make Germany, and most importantly the world, a better place. Can they do it? The film Valkyrie is the actual story of the true events and sequence of a few brave, dedicated men who wanted change and the end of Hitler’s reign. They risked everything that they had for the bet-ter of others, especially those suffering from Hitler’s tight grasp on the world. The story of their courage and willingness to sacrifice themselves for a brighter future, will always be remembered forever, not only in books, but in the hearts of many.

Photo II student, Ian Stephenson, is responsible for this breathtaking photo of a simple, yet stunning rose. Stephenson’s inspiration for the photo was honestly just to be able to use his new Pentax K100D Super camera for the first time. Stephenson used natural overhead lighting on top of his pool table and used mist on the rose to “mimic the morning dew.” “I took probably around 15 or so shots at different exposures but I ended up going with an aperture of f/8 because that’s the sharpest aperture for my 18­55mm lens, or its ‘Sweet Spot’,” Stephenson explained. The shutter speed, Stephenson believes, was 1/30th of a second. “I was using a tripod

to make sure my picture didn’t come out blurred,” he said, “However the tripod was from the 70s and the camera kept on falling forward and that made taking pictures just a bit harder.” Stephenson used an ISO of 200 which is the lowest his camera would go, “So I had minimal noise and the picture was really crisp,” Stephenson clarified. Stephenson expressed that there was a large amount of work that went into just the photograph. As for any Photoshop use, Stephenson slightly touched the levels of the picture to darken the shadows of the picture and lighten the highlights. “I also didn’t like the original color of the rose (it was yellow),” he continued, “So I used

curves and a combination of different values on the red, blue, and yellow channel graphs.” Stephenson added a vignetting effect to increase the focus on the focal point. Finally, he used the Unsharpen Mask filter to increase the sharpness of the picture to make it clearer. “It probably took me all of anywhere between 5­10 minutes to do all that though.” Stephenson has been involved in photography for about two years and hopes to continue his passion in the future through advertising, “maybe like designing commercials and ads; that would be fun,” he concluded.

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Tom Cruise portrays the battle-scarred, valient Colonel Claus von Stauffenburg in his most recent film Valkyrie, which was one of four major movies that opened on Christmas Day.

6 THE WARRIOR A&EJanuary 23, 2009

By Bryan TrieuStaff Writer Have you ever been in the mood for some great barbecue? At Armadillo Willy’s, the best barbecue is served; they guarantee that everything is cooked over an oak wood fire barbecue with no gas or electricity. Armadillo Willy’s is best known for their Texas-style barbecue ribs and sandwiches. The restaurant first began in 1983 and they provide a great Texas environment for all to enjoy their famous barbecue. Armadillo Willy’s has many locations around the area; the closest restaurants are in San Jose and Santa Clara. There are two in San Jose, one on Blossom Hill Road and one on Camden Avenue. The restaurant located in Santa Clara is on Homestead Road. Armadillo Willy’s serves mainly their Texas-style ribs and their specialty sandwiches, but they also have great

Back to the “Idol” StageBy Melody MakhfiJunior Staff Writer The 2009 season of American Idol premiered on Fox on January 13 and 14 at 8/7c with not only a new set of finalists, but also a change to the line up of the judges. No, don’t panic, your favorite judge was still there (whether it’s Paula, Randy or Simon)!

However, there was a fourth person added to the panel, to provide comments, suggestions and feedback to the hopeful auditionees. Kara DioGuardi joined the usual judges as of the 2009 season. Fans will enjoy three weeks of auditions featuring tryouts held in East Rutherford, NJ, Jacksonville, FL, Kansas City, MO, Louisville, KY, Phoenix, AZ, Salt Lake City, UT, San Francisco, CA and San Juan, Puerto Rico. From there the 2009

appetizers such as the Cadillac Nachos and the Famous Fresh-Cut Fries. Their meals also come with tasty sides, like Willy’s Chili Beans, their Famous Spicy Peanut Slaw, or the Texas Fresh Corn Salad. Armadillo Willy’s prices are great and affordable; their portions are huge so you will never leave hungry. There are also many other plates that are served with their barbecue sauce such as their Charbroiled Chicken Sandwich, Tex Mex Fajitas, and Charbroiled Burgers. A junior at Valley Christian, Arman Zadeh, said, “Armadillo Willy’s is great! I love their Texas-style barbecue ribs; my favorite dish to order is the Smokehouse BBQ Melt and I would get their Famous Spicy Peanut Slaw for the side. Their servings are huge and their prices are great. I do recommend everyone to head over to Armadillo Willy’s to try their Texas-style barbecue ribs.”

Idol season will continue as follows: Top 36 Semi-Finalists Revealed Wednesday, February 11. Voting Begins Tuesday, February 17. Top 12 Singers Revealed After Judges’ Wild Card Round Thursday, March 5. Top 12 Finalists Perform for First Time Tuesday, March 10.

Many people waiting for this new season have high expectations for this new season, and junior Mercedes Fernandez stated, “I can’t wait for this new season of Idol, I love the show and watch every season!” On a different note, some are disappointed that Idol has yet another season. Senior Christine Byrne said, “Let’s be honest with ourselves; none of the American Idols have ended up being successful!”

Armadillo Willy’s Texas-Style BBQ

7January 23, 2009FEATURESInaugural Adventures

Day 1: January 18*National Archives

*Smithsonian Institute of American History

*Air & Space Museum*Ice Skating

*Dinner in Alexandria

Day 2: January 19

Day 3: January 20

Day 4: January 21

*Inaugural Events*Inaugural Ball

*Mount Vernon *Arlington National Cemetery

*Touring the Monuments & Memorials:World War II

Viet NamKorea

*Shopping at the Pentagon Mall

*Lincoln Memorial*Sightseeing

around the US Capitol

THE WARRIOR FEATURES8 January 23, 2009

FDRMemorial

SNOW!!!

On the National Mall

Air & Space Smithsonian Museum

Ice Skating at the National Mall

Arlington Cemetery

One of 5,000 port-a-johns!

Mount Vernon

9THE WARRIORFEATURES January 23, 2009

Washington Monument

1.8 million people!

National Archives building

Pennsylvania Avenue

INAUGURATION DAY

Lincoln Memorial

Marine Corps Iwo Jima Memorial

INAUGURATION BALL

Meet Me in Washington D.C. 10 THE WARRIOR FEATURESJanuary 23, 2009

By Alyssa Tomasello and Christine Byrne Features Editors

On January 17, the Advanced Journalism class took a journey across the country to Washington D.C. for the Presi-dential Inauguration. Despite the early morning flight, the eight students were filled with excitement. Accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Fugate, the journalism staff was ready to take Washington D.C. by storm. After a long day of travel the students were greeted by their tour guide Gloria. From the airport the students were transported to their hotel in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The next morning, the students were given the opportunity to tour around the Smithsonian Museums, the National Mall, and the National Archives. After a morning full of touring, the crew was able to gather in a quaint cafe in the middle of the Sculpture Garden. Refreshed after a warm lunch, a few of the students toured the American History Museum while oth-ers ventured onto an ice skating rink. Later that evening there was a free concert held at Lincoln Memorial. Artists such as Beyonce, Jay Z, U2, Aretha Franklin, Will.I,Am., John Mel-lencamp, John Legend, Stevie Wonder, and Usher took the stage. This phenom-enal concert kicked off the Inaugural fes-tivities. Excitement was in the air. The day finished off with a delicious meal at Wa-terfront Gourmet in Alexandria, Virginia. Super early the next morning, the students bared the cold on their trek to Mount Vernon, the home of George Wash-

ington. Here the students witnessed the spectacular home and tomb of the found-ing father of our great nation. From Mount Vernon the group was bused to Arlington National Cemetery where they were greet-

ed by the Swedish tour guide, Miss Susan. Miss Susan led the students on a fast-paced adventure and filled the students minds with knowledge which was later tested in a trivia game. This challenge was won by our very own Stephen Lam. Also on the tour, Susan took the students to many memorials. The group was able to see the Vietnam Me-morial, the Korean War Memorial, and the World War II Memorial. These incredible

monuments were extremely moving and emotional. To close out the day, the students said farewell to Miss Susan and went to the Pentagon Mall for shopping and dinner. Tuesday morning marked the big

day! The group woke at the crack of dawn and were off to D.C. in the early morning hours. The students staked out a place by the Washington Memorial. Although the weather was nearly unbearable, the students fought through the cold to witness history. Just before noon, the ceremony commenced and President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden were sworn into of-fice. Aretha Franklin opened the cere-

mony with a beautiful serenade. Rev. Rick Warren, the pastor of Saddleback Church in California, delivered the opening prayer. Following the swearing in, Obama deliv-ered a profound speech that will surely go down in the history books. It was incredible to bear witness to such a historic occasion. After the Inauguration ended, the group headed back to the hotel to get ready for their Ball. The students put on their best clothes and arrived at the Inau-gural Ball in Maryland later that evening. The dinner-dance was an incredible oc-casion. Although President Obama was not present, life-size cutouts of the Com-mander in Chief were available for pic-tures. The students from VCHS enjoyed the evening dancing and socializing. It was the perfect end to a most special day. Once the student had packed everything up, it was time to see a few more sights. Arriving at Lincoln Memo-rial, the students were able to view the monument dedicated to the 16th president of America. As the students looked out across the National Mall, the memories of the trip were remembered. Junior Melody Makhfi recalled, “This was an incred-ible trip, We witnessed history and are leaving with memories to pass on to our grandchildren. But more importantly, our Journalism class has become a family.” The 2009 Inauguration trip was truly the experience of a lifetime.

Beautiful Washington DC, with views of the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument and the Capital building.

11January 23, 2009SPORTS Varsity Girls Soccer Ties

Top WCAL TeamsBy CJ WryeSports Editor

Spotlight Athlete: Austin

Mansker

Many wonder who Valley Christian’s unsung sports heroes truly are. But only as easily as these same day dreamers wonder, they can just as easily miss the Warriors’ soccer program and star goal keeper Austin Mansker sitting right under their nose. The men’s soccer program is filled with a wealth of talent embodying an excellently led, just over .500 team. “I mean, we have had some really tough games, but through this, we have become even better. I definitely know we are capable of winning,” noted senior Jacob Ruiz. Although their above average record doesn’t fully reflect it, the team has had the chance to bond together and create a close knit group of boys who play with such charisma and passion that many other teams strive for but cannot attain. “I mean, Valley Christian’s soccer teams are not set up just around soccer, but also becoming better people and building friendships,” remarked Mansker. Over the summer Mansker was chosen to represent the nation in an under 17 United States All-Star team. At this he was ecstatic commenting, “It was crazy! I mean, I was really happy. On the spot, they flew me right out to Florida and it was pretty cool.” Through this amazing opportunity, Mansker was bequeathed the opportunity to both develop his well-tuned skill set and also showcase his talents to the coaches and scouts who were present. One of the major goals of these All-Star teams is to not only represent his country and origin with pride, but to also shed light on his talent to recruiters and others interested in the young man’s future. Not many boys the junior standout’s age have opportunities as nearly as good as the one he embarked on traveling across the country. The team is coached by Wilmer Cabrera and has brought Mansker across the nation and back again. While doing all of this, the soccer phenom was required to keep up with his studies and has while still staying disciplined.

The goal of these camps is to produce players who can take part in the residency program in Florida where the players stay in the dorms and go to school and train 24/7. It is an intensive program that is only for the world’s most talented and driven student athletes. Mansker is considered to be the next keeper in line for the program if either of the current excellent goalies have a rough patch or need to leave.

Varsity Girls Basketball Begins League PlayBy Rachael ShenAssistant Sports Editor

By Jon LampkinJunior Sports Editor

Thevarsitygirlssoccerteamhashad their ups and downs this season, butthegirlshavebeenworkinghardtosecureaplaceinCCS.OnJanuary6,theWarriorsplayedPresentationathome.Thegirlshadbeenpreparingmentally for thisgameallweek and there were defiantly butterflies in everyone’s stomach asthestartingwhistleblew.TheWarriors started off pressuringthe Panthers’ defense early on andhadnumerousopportunitiesrightaway.Halfwaythroughthefirst half, sophomore Bernadette Fahmyplayedathroughballtosophomore Raylina Rodriguezin the 6-yard box. Rodriguezhad a hard shot into the cornerto put the Warriors ahead 1-0. The Warriors’ defense held strong through the half to leadtheWarriorsintothesecondhalfahead of the Panthers. Duringthe second half, the Panthersreceiveda freekickoutside theWarriors’ box. The defense stepped up leaving the Panthers’ forward off sides. However,the sidelines refereewasoutofposition andwasunable tomake the callallowingthePanthersgoal tocount. TheWarriors regainedpossessionandworkedthe ball up the field, but were unable to out smart the Panthers’ goalie again and tied 1-1. After a hard fought game thegirls were pretty banged up and luckilyhad a three-day break before taking onNotreDameBelmont.TheWarriorstookthe field against Notre Dame on Saturday,

January 10. The girls started off strongplaying high pressure all over the field. Senior Macie McMillan controlled themiddle andhadmanygood throughballsto the Warriors’ forwards, but they were unable to finish. In the second half Notre

Dame received a free kick outside theWarriors’ 18-yard box. Junior keeper Kendra Gillio made an amazing divingsavetokeeptheWarriorsinthegame.TheWarriors’ defense, seniors CJ Wrye,Sarah Suwanda and junior Dana Gambello,heldtightthewholegameastheWarriorsreceived there fifth tie of the season. OnTuesday,January13,thegirls

soccer team traveled to Mountain Viewto play the famous St. Francis Lancers.The Warriors warmed up slow and withlimited energy, and started the game,unfortunately,thesameway.TheLancerswere able to score early on crossing the

ball weak side where therewas a hole in the Warriors’ defense to put them ahead1-0.Tenminuteslaterinthefirst half the Warriors had another break down on theweaksidetoputtheLancersup2-0goingintothesecondhalf. The Warriors madesome changes at half timeswitching to three forwardsinstead of two, but werestillunable topenetrate theLancers’ defense, losing 3-0. Gillio had an amazinggame, making numerous

saves and stopping fourbreak aways, tackling theforwards to the ground. “It was the best game I have seen her play all season,”saidCoachJolene Fugate“I am so proud of her.”

The girls varsity soccer teamnot only spends time together on thefield, but they are inseparable off the field as well. The girls go everywhere together,fromhavingdinneratHighFivePizza to seeing the midnight premiere ofTwilight. “I love these girls,” said junior Erica Villareal. “My favorite thingabout being on the team is that we allgot each others’ backs no matter what.”

Senior defender Macie McMillian clears the ball down the field.

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Afteralongpreseason,thevarsitygirls basketball team has finally entered leagueplayinthenotoriouslycompetitiveWestCatholicAthleticLeague.Thegirlshavedemonstrateddominanceoverawiderangeofopponentsearlyintheseasonwitha49-35relativelyclosewinoverBransonandablow-outwinof72-29againstGilroy. The varsity squad played in theWalnut Creek Classic on December 18-19. Their first game against Acalanes gave them their first win of the tournament with a score of 59-34. This first win advanced them to play St. Mary’s, and a 55-37 victoryinthissecondgameallowedthemto claim first place in the tournament.OvertheChristmasbreak,thegirlscompetedintheWestCoastJamboreeandkicked off the tournament with a 65-46win over Encinal. The next game of thetournament proved to be a significant one for Valley Christiana as they went on toplay St. Patrick-St. Vincent, their out-of-league rival who ended the Warriors’ last two seasons in NORCAL playoffs justshort of their dreamof going to the statechampionship.ThistimetheLadyWarriorstook no prisoners as they triumphed in a56-38 victory over the Bruins to put them ahead in the tournament. In VC’s final game of the West Coast Jamboree, they

facedPinoleValleyforthechampionship.Thegirlsplayedhardallgameanddidnotletuptheirintensityondefense,especiallyagainst the Spartans’ dominant post player. Unfortunately, the girls were not able tocomeoutontopinacloselossof67-61andtookhomesecondplaceinthetournament. The Lady Warriors’ league opener

against Saint Francis offered a hopefulforeshadowing of their upcoming leagueseason in front of a supportive andenthusiastichomecrowd.VCtookcontrolofthegamefromthebeginningwhentheywon the jump ball to start off the game.Fromthere,itwasallValleyasthetalentedstarting line-up sunk shots from outsideandpressedondefensetoforceturnovers.The score at the end of the first quarter was

25-8 with VC up by a comfortable lead. TherestofthehalfsawmoreofthesameWarriorbasketballwithjuniorpointguardAJ Newtonleadingtheteamwith15pointsbytheendofthegame.TheLancerscamebacksomewhatinthesecondhalftomakethe final score 67-37, giving the varsity team their first league win of the season. On January 9, the varsity girlstraveled to Los Altos Hills to playPinewoodinanon-leaguematch.Losingsenior starting center Amy Griffith to ashoulder injury, the LadyWarriors uppedtheir game with huge contributions fromGriffith’s subs, junior Brenna Holloway.Even though this game did not countfor league, VC did not let up on theirtraditional high intensity and came awaywith a 50-34 victory over the Panthers.Anothermid-weekleaguegamesawtheLadyWarriorsplayPresentationHighSchool. They welcomed back Griffith at the post, who had 9 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks before fouling out in the fourthquarter. The Lady Warriors dominatedearly in thegameandranupthescore to11-1 after a first quarter run. The first half wasallValley,butPresentationattemptedacomebackinthesecondhalfwithsome

Mansker clears the ball away from the goal.

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Jazzmyne Ross dribbles by her opponent.

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See Girls Basketball page 14

12 THE WARRIOR SPORTSJanuary 23, 2009

As the winter sports continue, the JV girls soccer team is persevering through tough practices and difficult losses while celebrating their wins. Recently, Valley Christian’s JV girls have battled challenging teams, including Presentation, Notre Dame, and Saint Francis. Although losing key defensive and offensive players due to injuries and other issues, the JV team stays strong and continues to battle other teams with a winning attitude! On January 1, the girls had a practice to prepare for their game against Leland the following day. “We were all like still on break, but we tried hard to get back into gear for our game!” said sophomore midfielder, Priya Vase. The next day, the girls suffered a loss of 2-0. However as their coach, Dave Fugate, mentioned, the girls left it all on the field and played very well. The following Tuesday, the Valley Christian girls played a tough game against Presentation, an attacking team with a winning reputation. Sophomore Mariah Guiterrez led the team with strong sweeping skills and made Valley’s solid defense. Although they lost 4-0, the JV girls had more opportunities to play offense and surprised the Presentation girls by attacking more than usual. Thus, a good deal of progress could be seen!

JV and Frosh Girls Soccer BattleBy Arazue ZadehStaff Writer

On Saturday, January 10, Valley presented an intimidating threat to the Notre Dame Tigers. Attacking more than ever, Valley’s Lady Warriors stepped up and showed their tough left side as sophomore Lindsey Cole took the ball up the line playing it to strong offensive player, junior Rana Ghaffari. The two succeeded in swerving through Notre Dame’s defense and had a few shots on goal. Three days later, on January 13, the JV team played at home against the Saint Francis Lancers. The Lancer’s strong center mid-fielders and defense challenged the JV girls, however they persisted throughout the sunny game. Halfway through the second half, the Lancers were ahead, but the Lady Warriors had an opportunity to score on a penalty kick. Sophomore Arazue Moghtaderi-Zadeh stepped up and scored the PK. Thus, although they lost, they were not shut-out and the game ended with a score of 6-1.

Despite losing games, the Valley Christian JV girls soccer team continues to battle through every game and they learn more and more each practice. “Even though I’m on the bench because of my head injury, I can still see the girls improving individually and bonding as a team!” said sophomore Ashlee Saenz.

The season for freshmen Lady Warriors basketball has officially begun.

Head Coach Tayala Anderson and Assistant Coach Dustin Watson head up the freshmen team. In the team, there are 11 freshmen players including guards Laraine Chan, Hannah Rosa-Diniz, Kyosun(Melissa) Lim, and Morgan Lira, forwards Maya Davenport, Tessa Gonzalez, Tiyana Rogers, and Taylor Gonzales-Reyes, point guards Mary Hall, and Andrea Harris and at center, Tayler Martinez.

The games for the freshmen girls started with the Milpitas tournament from December 11 - 13. Their first game was against Camp Lindo. Though they lost by 10 points with the 47-37 score, due to the situation of Camp Lindo not being able to come to the next match, the Lady Warriors won the game. The next day, their game was against Irvington, where they suffered a loss of 31-29. The next day, they faced Milpitas where they finally won, 39-16 and placed 3rd overall in the tournament.

There was a game against Gilroy on December 16. It was not a league game, but the Lady Warriors did their best and won by pushing until the end.

During Christmas break the girls

played in the San Jose High Tournament from December 26 through 29. In the first gane with Notre Dame-Belmont, they had to face another challenge with a loss by only 2 points with the score of 31-29. The next day, they won by 58-8 over Leadership. Then the following game with San Jose High School was won by the score of 45-18 and the ladies finished the tournament in 3rd place.

The first league game was against St. Francis on January 7. The team had to go through the loss of 24-23, which was only one point apart. St. Francis shot a 3 pointer and a lay-up in the last few seconds, giving them the win.

Maya Davenport said, “Our season is looking good so far, though we can improve more. I hope that we will not lose another game throughout the season! Also, I wish to win the WCAL league and be the league champion of this year!” The girls still have a lot of time to gain valuable experience on the court and develop their skills as part of the great girls basketball program at Valley. Valley Christian fans wish the best year for the freshmen girls basketball team. Go Lady Warriors!

Frosh Girls Finish Third in TournamentBy Melissa LimStaff Writer

The junior varsity boys soccer team has had a shaky start to the beginning of their league season. During the preseason the JV boys were dominating the competition with a flawless record. Of their four preseason games against Sacred Heart Prep (2-0), Westmont (5-0), Piedmont Hills (5-3), and Santa Teresa (1-0), three were shut-outs and all were victories. However, once the league season started, the other teams seemed to be more weathered. The WCAL proved to be a competitive arena for the boys as they fell to the league’s top teams. Hungry for a win, the junior varsity squad had a great game against Sacred Heart Cathedral, where they dominated and shut-out the Fightin’ Irish in a huge 5-0 win. The JV Warriors started to fall behind and began losing games, but they were determined and persevered. Their reward was an enthusiastic 5-2 win over Riordan at Skyline College. The boys go on to face the next leg in their league season.

JV & Varsity Wrestling Travels to TournamentsBy Christopher TozerStaff Writer The junior varsity has very little experience and time on the wrestling mat, but they have a ton of heart and fight hard in all of their matches. Yutaka Rodriquez fought hard at the Ruppel Junior Varsity wrestling tournament but was unable to win a match against the very tough Junior Var-sity wrestlers at the Ruppel junior varsity tournament at Cupertino High School. The day after the Ruppel wrestling tournament took place, the Bianchini Varsity wrestling tournament took place at Cupertino High School. Senior Christopher Tozer was the only varsity wrestler who was able to attend the Bianchini Memorial tournament for Valley Christian. Tozer was able to beat an

opponent from Lincoln high school, whom he pinned in the beginning of the second round. Then Tozer wrestled an opponent from Rodriquez High School and was able to pin him also in the second round. Next, he wrestled an opponent from Monta Vista High School. Although Tozer took him down countless times out of bounds, he was only able to win the match 6-4. This was good enough to put Tozer in the finals, where he faced an opponent from Gilroy High School, one of the best wrestling pro-grams in the state. Tozer placed 2nd at the Bianchini memorial-wrestling tournament. The team is very excited about the sea-son and believe they will be a success.

By Nathan FarrokhianStaff Writer

JV Hangs Tough

The junior varsity Lady Warriors fight for possession of the ball in a game against the Mitty Monarchs.

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Varsity Soccer Battling Tough in League13THE WARRIORSPORTS January 23, 2009

Sophomore Justin Cordero heads the ball.

By Erica ParkerJunior Staff Editor

JV Girls Train for Varsity Level

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Gloria Nazaloo dribbles toward the basket.

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By Danny Hittler Staff Writer The varsity boys soccer team has had a disappointing transition to the WCAL from their impressive non-league start to the season. Unfortunately the team has been battling for league wins but they feel that they should return to their winning ways in the near future. With so many great individual players, the Warriors should be able to compete with the other West Catholic teams. With a current record of 7-8-1, it is evident Coach John Basanese’s team is working hard to pull it together. According to Coach Basanese, “We have played some teams very well and deserved to win, but got a little unlucky.” He also added, “If we work hard and play as a team, we are good enough to beat any team in WCAL or in CCS.” The VC team demonstrated this hard work during their hard-fought battle against Bellarmine. In a unique circumstance, the Bellarmine coach was asked to move the game to January 7 at Santa Clara University instead of January 6 at Bellarmine. On the night of January 7, the boys were pumped up to play and were prepared to take on the Bells. College scouts and hundreds of fans arrived to watch the epic battle. The Warriors struck first in the26th minute; Alex de Leon scored on a rebound off a shot by Joseph Rosa-Diniz. The Bells struck next on a shot that just

squeezed past goalie Austin Masker. The Warriors were two minutes away from going into half-time with a 1-0 league game score. During the second half, the Warriors and Bells played evenly, both having decent scoring opportunities. With ten minutes left in the game, the Warriors turned the ball over near mid-field, andBellarmine went down on a counter attack, flawlessly capitalizing on the opportunityand making it 2-1. The game ended with the Warriors being defeated by one goal, but they showed that they could compete with the best teams in the WCAL. After a five game losing streak,the Warriors capitalized on the 0-8 Riordan squad, beating them 8-3 in an embarrassing match for the San Francisco team. The half time score was 7-0, so Coach Basanese, a coach of great class, ordered his team to discontinue scoring. “We are a team of class. I want the other West Catholic League coaches to see in the paper tommorow 7-0 firsthalfand0-0secondhalf.” In the second half, forward Spencer Ramsey put away one more, not knowing what else to do when the play landed him with the ball and a wide open net in front of him. The bench players got a lot of playing time in this game, and even Mansker, donning a field jersey, playedforward for about 15 minutes, and was

definitely able tohave some fun. In order to make CCS, the boys must win four out of their last eight games. This is a very achievable goal if they work hard and maybe get a few bounces going in their favor. There is also a tournament at the end of the season that, if the Warriors do well in, they could get into CCS. Hopefully the dominating win against Riordan serves as a turning point for the rest of the Warriors’ season. Be sure to check out highlights, player interviews, game schedules, and rosters at www.vcsoccer.com.

Five, four, three, two, one--buzzer! The junior varsity girls basketball team tipped off their season with seven wins and only four losses in non-league competition. The girls have been working extremely hard, and though many have experienced unpleasant injuries, they still continue to dominate the competition in their games. A committed team, the JV girls are focused and ready to win, preparing for next years’ chance to play varsity basketball. Enjoyingherfirstyearontheteam,Gloria Nazaloo said, “I love how we have become friends. Being on the team gives me a great feeling of accomplishment, and it is an awesome way to make friends, as well as

grow in Christ with others who believe.” In league play, the girls opened up with a game against St. Francis on January 7. The Lady Warriors ended up losing though they played hard all night. Then on January 14, the girls traveled to Presentation to play the Panthers. Again, they put up a commendable performance but came out just short of the win. Next, the Lady Warriors visited Sacred Heart Cathedral on January 16 in another tough WCAL contest. Sacred Heart has a top-notch, nationally ranked girls’ basketball program, and the Fightin’ Irish proved a tough match for the JV girls. VC hosted St. Ignatius on January 17. The

girls played hard and proved to be stiff competition for the Wildcats. In the end, however, St. Ignatius went away victorious. Although the junior varsity squad has already played many games, achieved impressive accomplishments, and displayed incredible talent, the girls still have seven more games to compete and be successful in. Look for the junior varsity Lady Warriors in upcoming contests against Notre Dame on January 24, St. Francis on January 27, and Presentation on February 3.

14 THE WARRIOR SPORTSJanuary 23, 2009

Road to Superbowl XLIIIBy Ryan LoweStaff Writer

2009 BCS

By Darelle JonesStaff Writer

Frosh HoopsBy Joyce ChenPhoto Editor

Varsity Girls BasketballContinued from page 11

In a strange twist of history, home field advantage was a curse in the countdown to the Super Bowl. Only Pittsburgh took advantage of friendly fans on their path to the conference championship. Baltimore, Philadelphia and Arizona went into enemy territory and walked off with the victory; thus proving if you are hot at the end of the season, then regular season records really are not that important as the teams with the best records are now watching the games at home with the rest of us. Below is a season recap of the teams fortunate enough to participate in the Super Bowl.

Arizona Cardinals (9-7): The Arizona Cardinals began the season by handing over the offensive keys to former USC star Matt Leinart in hopes that he could drive this team to the postseason. Since Leinart was unable to impress the coaching staff, he was replaced by

veteran Kurt Warner for the quarterback assignment. Warner returned to the form of his glory days in St Louis and was assisted by the best receiver core in all of football, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. This tandem played a big part in contributing to Warner’s pass rating of 96.9 and to his 4th Pro Bowl bid in ten years. Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt led this team to a 9-7 record, which was good enough to win the worst division in football and bring Arizona the division title for the first time in franchise history. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4): The Pittsburgh Steelers resurrected their dominant defensive style of the ‘70s when the Steel Curtain won 4 Super Bowls. Playing great defense and good enough offense, the Steelers won their division, beating such teams as the Ravens, Redskins, Chargers, Patriots and Cowboys

along the way. Their 12-4 season was assisted by the play of James Harrison, an undrafted player out of Kent State who was named the AP Defensive of player of the year. Harrison was rewarded for his cleverness at linebacker and for recording 28.5 sacks and 309 tackles. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had a nice fifth year by throwing over 3,000 yards while dealing with multiple injuries. The Steelers pushed their way through a tough regular season schedule in one of the best divisions of the league to win the AFC North. On February 1, 2009, Tampa Bay will be the site for the exciting Super Bowl XLIII. The veteran quarterback for Arizona will face off against the Super Bowl XL champion quarterback. This year’s championship game will pit the Super Bowl veteran Pittsburgh Steelers against the new kids on the block, the Arizona Cardinals.

He shoots; he scores! The freshmen boys basketball team is excelling as they reach mid-season. The season started December 4 with a win against Woodside. On December 16, Valley played an away game against Oceana and won easily with a score of 51-35. Their next game was on Saturday, December 20 at Sacred Heart High School. Yet again, the boys pulled off a win with a similar score as the one before, this time it was 54-34. Three days later, they played a home game against Santa Teresa and won with almost a 20 point lead over the opposing team and a score of 49-30. The next game was against St. Francis, but unfortunately the boys suffered a tough loss with a score of 66-48. The freshmen team went on to play Riordan but came away with a disappointing loss in a close 51-54 game. Next up, they played Bellarmine in an exciting game at home. With the score close throughout the game, the boys pulled out a last-second victory with a score of 33-32. Coach David Nees is training the freshmen boys this season as his second year in a row of coaching. Nees is very excited for the boys’ season with and stated, “I am enjoying coaching this team of boys, and as of right now, they are learning the value of hard work.”

This year’s BCS National Championship was all but a run-of-the-mill game. Many teams competed to get the chance to claim the title. The top teams such as, USC, Utah, Georgia and Texas, did not make the top bowl but won their respective ones. Winning their second title in three years, the Florida Gators pulled out a surprising win over the Oklahoma Sooners. The first quarter remained scoreless, but the defense on both teams held down the opposing offense. One jaw-dropping play in the first quarter was that of Oklahoma cornerback, Michael Hayes. The crushing hit on the sideline caught the immediate attention of everyone in the stadium and, most of all, the running back who attempted the catch. In the second quarter, things began to heat up. The game became more fast-paced as the players on the field got used to the intensity. Tim Tebow of Florida drove his team down the field for a 20 yard pass to Louis Murphy. Three minutes later, Oklahoma would strike back with a 6 yard pass from Sam Bradford to Jermaine Gresham. The running game also stepped up when Percy Harvin got into the rhythm of the game again. Coming back from a potential career-ending ankle injury, Harvin had nine rushes for 171 yards, the longest being 54 yards, and one touchdown. The rest of the game seemed to belong to the Gators, as they scored three more times and finally sealed the deal with three minutes left in the game and a final score of 24-14. The key stat that seemed to determine the game was total yards and 3rd down conversions. Florida rushed and passed for 249 and 231 yards respectively with a total of 480 yards, as opposed to Oklahoma’s 363 total yards. During the game, Tebow pulled through with many tough 3rd down conversions that seemed to be the deciding factor of the game. With Florida being 12 for 17 on conversions, the Gators kept their drive alive and ran down the field to win the game. With the inclusion of the championship, Oklahoma has lost five straight BCS games. Next year, many of the Florida starters plan to return, including Tebow and Harvin. As for next year, Heisman Trophy winner, Sam Bradford, will be returning for Oklahoma.

Steelers safety Troy Polamalu brings down Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco.

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Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald had a huge game against Philadelphia.

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help from calls by the referees. In Valley’s second league game, the varsity squad claimed a 59-41 victory over Presentation. Newton and senior guard Kelsey Byrd each had 15 points, and sophomore Jazmine Davis had 10 points of her own. Friday, January 16 marked the competitive match-up against the notorious Sacred Heart Cathedral Fightin’ Irish. SHC has topped the WCAL rankings but the Lady Warriors were out for an upset. Looking to best the top-seeded team in their league, the girls were on the right track as they made 6-of-8 three pointers in the first half. VC was hot almost the whole night and forced the talented Fightin’ Irish tandem of Ki-ki Moore and Tierra Rogers to step up their game in order to keep up. The varsity squad was dropping shots from all over the court throughout the first half, which ended with VC only down by one point. Their fast-paced give-and-go strategy opened up outside shots and lanes to the basket for the guards, including senior Jazzmyne Ross who had an impressive 15 points. Fellow senior guard Kiley McDermott, Newton, and Davis sunk some three-pointers to boost the Warriors’ scoring. Only down by four points with only a few minutes left in the fourth quarter, Valley was forced to start fouling and fell just short

of their goal to beat SHC in a 63-72 loss. Without a day to rest, the girls were back to work on the court Saturday night at home against the St. Ignatius Wildcats. The Wildcats had given Sacred Heart Cathedral a close game the previous week, so VC was ready for a fight to the finish. These two teams have repeatedly battled for second-place behind SHC and are both looking to be the first to overtake the Fightin’ Irish. Although playing back-to-back tough league games, the Warriors continued their hot-shooting streak late into the game. With just over two minutes to play, Davis collapsed and had to be taken off the court on a stretcher. The incident shook up the closely knit Lady Warriors team and everyone watching from the stands. St. Ignatius agreed to suspend the game with only 2:51 left on the game clock. When the WCAL match-up will resume is still to be determined. With prayers from coaches, teammates, family, and friends, Davis was released from the hospital after a few hours. She returned to practice just two days later. On playing St. Ignatius, Griffith, one of this month’s Athletes of the Month, says, “Our goal is to beat them every time we meet up with them. So far we are on the right track to beat them each time, with a seven point lead to end the fourth quarter.”

Florida took down Oklahoma to win their second national championship in the last three years.

Photo from Google Images

15THE WARRIORSPORTS January 23, 2009

Varsity Basketball Battles through WCALBy Priscilla ShenAssistant News Editor

JV Boys Up and ComingBy Priscilla ShenAssitant News Editor

Two days after Christmas, on December 27, the guys played their first game of the Elsie Allen Lobo Christmas Classic. VC won this contest against Santa Rosa with an approximately twenty-point cushion. Next on the schedule was Washington of Fremont on December 29 in the second round of the Christmas Classic. Although the Warriors played a tough game, the Huskies escaped the hill with the victory. The varsity team faced off against Windsor in their last game of the Classic and their last game of the year on December 30. The year ended on a high note as the Warriors overcame the Windsor Jaguars and finished the pre-season with an 8-2 record. The guys took a well-earned weeklong break from competition after not having gone more than five days without a game, and prepared for their regular WCAL season. The men’s basketball program visited St. Francis on January 6 in both teams’ league opener. The Lancers came into the contest with an impressive 10-0 pre-season record. Both teams were eager to make a statement in the opening of league play, and the Warriors and Lancers fought hard up and down the court. As the game clock ticked down, however, the Warriors slipped behind the Lancers and were forced to take the loss.

The guys hosted Riordan on January 9 in the Warriors’ first home league game. Itching to show what they were capable of and to shake off the hard loss to St. Francis, VC took on the Crusaders in a good match-up. The Crusaders put up a good first half, but the Warriors came back in the second half, even beating the Crusaders in the

fourth quarter. Despite this rallying effort, VC could not completely make up for the early deficit, so Riordan dodged defeat.

Bellarmine was next to visit the hill in a January 13 face-off. The Bells had beaten Mitty and lost to Sacred Heart Cathedral in two close league games. The Warriors came to play and put up a good first quarter, keeping stride with the boys from Bell. However, VC had a tough time penetrating the paint and reaching a rhythm in the second and third quarters. The guys got a good tempo going in the fourth, pulling together and sinking several impressive shots, but this momentum was not able to overcome the rough patches earlier in the game. It was especially difficult for the guys to surmount the absence of point guard senior Travis Jonson, who left the game due to a sprained ankle in the second half. The varsity men’s basketball team traveled to Sacred Heart Cathedral January 15. The Fightin’ Irish were coming off an impressive display at St. Ignatius and had home-court advantage. The Warriors entered the gym at SHC with three difficult, hard-fought battles behind them. The Irish capitalized on opportunities on both ends of the court, and despite the Warriors’ best efforts, SHC stayed perfect in league. On January 17, VC hosted St. Ignatius as both teams looked for a coveted league win. Senior captain Tim Harris was back on the court after missing several games due to a sprained ankle. The Warriors hit the boards, sunk jumpers, dished dimes, and picked passes all game, yet the Wildcats squeezed out the win at the end of the night. University came to Skyway to play the varsity guys on January 19. The entire contest was a tight battle between the Red Devils and the Warriors. It came down to the wire and the game was not decided until the final seconds; when the buzzer rang, the scoreboard named University as the winner by only three points. Returning to league play, VC hosted Mitty on January 20. With a barely winning league record, the Monarchs took the court hopeful of securing themselves in the WCAL. On the other side of the mid-court line, the Warriors anticipated a good competition against the Monarchs. Harris led the Warriors with twenty-six points on the night, and junior Max Hooper also contributed with shots from the line and from far out. Junior forward Matt Schmidt also put points on the board for VC. Harris, Hooper, and freshman Cameron Stewart entertained the crowd with huge blocks on the defensive end of the court. Also working the defensive side, freshman Byron Marshall pulled down many rebounds and utilized his speed to

Joe Garcia and Zayn Kirkendoll warm-up before a home game.

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cover fast breaks and prevent easy lay-ups by the Monarchs. Sophomore guard Zayn Kirkendoll crashed the boards and put up

several key rebounds for his team. Junior guard Andrew Robbins supplied some impressive assists for the Warriors. Mitty stole a good number of points from the VC defense, and the varsity guys came into the second half determined to get them all back and suffocate Mitty’s offense. Harris worked the clock, displayed some fancy footwork, and drew several fouls during the second half, including a beautiful hook shot with five minutes left in the third. During the fourth quarter, the Warriors regained their heat with a streak of unanswered points that forced the Monarchs to call a timeout. Energy filled the gym as the Warriors built up their momentum and hacked away at the Monarch lead. The guys fought nonstop until the game time expired, when the Monarchs listened to the buzzer with relief. The Warrior comeback put the Monarch lead in jeopardy, yet Mitty managed to limp away with the win. Next, the varsity men’s basketball team will compete against Junipero Serra tonight, January 23, against a winless Padres squad. Then the guys are slated for a rematch against St. Francis, this time on home court. Be sure to come out and support your Warriors as they contend in the last leg of their season.

Senior Tim Harris at the line for the Warriors.

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With three solid wins under their belt, the JV guys were on a hot streak as they played the Comets at James Lick on December 10. This local contest also ended in favor of the Warriors who beat their opponents by over forty points. The very next day, December 11, VC hosted Branham in another local showdown. Once more, the junior varsity players showed what they are made of and defeated the Bruins by a margin of greater than twenty. On December 16, the VC Warriors faced their greatest challenge in the McClymonds Warriors of Oakland. The McClymonds men’s basketball team has a rich legacy; it has professional players and coaches amongst its alumni as well as a varsity squad that won the CIF-State Division 1 boys’ basketball crown last season. The JV guys fought hard against stiff competition, but fell just short of victory. Eager to get back on top, the guys faced off against Gunderson on December 18. This time, they did succeed and left the home of the Grizzlies with a resounding, fifty-plus-point win. The boys tipped off league play with a match-up at St. Francis on January 6 and played a tough game against a strong Lancer squad. Continuing their season with a contest against Riordan, the Warriors hosted the Crusaders on January 9. On January 13 the junior varsity boys’ basketball team hosted the Bellarmine Bells. Throughout the entire game, the boys fought hard and were neck-and-neck with the Bells. Sophomores Jonny Parker and Brandon Hecke contributed big plays on both ends of the court, working hard to the rim and posting huge blocks and steals. The Warriors battled all night, staying just within the lead until the fourth quarter when

sophomore Jonathon Pereira put his team ahead of the Bells by sinking two hard-earned free throws. The boys continued to work until the buzzer sounded; junior Tyler Morrone sunk a three-pointer just as game time expired. However, the Bells edged the Warriors out by just three points. The JV guys pressed on through aggressive WCAL competition with games against the Sacred Heart Cathedral Fightin’ Irish on January 15, the St. Ignatius Wildcats on January 17, and the Mitty Monarchs on January 20. Tonight, January 23, the guys travel to Serra to face the Padres. Also look for them on the home court January 28 in a rematch against St. Francis.

16“I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you

have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors...” ~President Obama (Inaugural Address)

God bless the United States of America

Inauguration Firs tsIn 1789, George Washington pronounced the words, “So help me God” after taking the oath; other presidents have followed this example.

In 1793, George Washington gave the shortest inaugural address: 135 words.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, in 1937, was the first president to be inaugurated on the January 20th date.

Harry S. Truman’s 1949 inauguration was the first inauguration to be televised.

In 1961, John F. Kennedy was the last president to wear the traditional stovepipe hat to the inauguration.

In 1977, Jimmy Carter walked from the Capital to the White House with his family after ceremony.

Ronald Reagan’s 1981 inaugural was the first to be held on the West Terrace of the Capital.

In 1985, Reagan’s swearing-in ceremony was moved to the Capitol Rotunda due to freezing weather.

Clinton’s 1997 inauguration was the first ceremony to be broadcast live on the Internet.

In 2009, Barack Obama became the first African-American to be inaugurated as President of the United States of America.

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The new First Couple shares a dance at one of the many Inaugural balls.