The Monte Vista Sophomore Class Initiative

By Dylan Reyes, Sophomore at Monte Vista High School

Basketball is a game of runs. What makes the sport so entertaining to both watch and play is the fact that more talent doesn’t always translate to victory. Good teams maintain their composure when the lights shine the brightest and rather than hiding from big moments, they embrace them. Good teams demonstrate resilience and simply refuse to acknowledge the doubters and naysayers who write them off. This year, Monte Vista’s men’s varsity basketball team has proven to show up when it matters the most. While the team has certainly endured its fair share of crushing defeats, Monte Vista’s remarkable upsets will ultimately be remembered the most. The first major upset this season came against powerhouse De La Salle, anchored by a Sophomore sensation who is a four star recruit. Going into this matchup, the Spartans were heavy favorites to secure the victory over Monte Vista, and justifiably so. After all, in the previous season, the Spartans defeated the Mustangs in a dominant fashion and so, many assumed that this year would be no different. But the Mustangs came to play, and it’s safe to say that they effectively silenced the doubters. In this exciting showdown that came down to the wire, the Mustangs’ efforts were spearheaded by Senior Shooting Guard Jake Fields, who tallied an efficient 24 points. As a spectator of this game, I can vividly remember the crowd’s electrifying reaction after Fields buried a deep, buzzerbeater three to conclude the first quarter. Simply put, throughout the entirety of the game, the energy inside the gym was surreal and I’m sure that the players felt the same. The final score of this matchup was 57-50 and the Mustangs officially cemented themselves as a legitimate threat to win on any given night. The next pivotal victory for Monte Vista came against the conference’s number one ranked team, Dougherty Valley High School. While absent from this matchup was Doughterty’s number one recruit and consensus best player, this Mustang victory was nonetheless impressive. In this upset, the Mustangs shocked the world once again after overthrowing the formidable Wildcats. The final score of this matchup was 64-61. Ultimately, while Monte Vista has experienced its fair share of wins and losses this year, it has been the team’s uncanny ability to step up when it counts that has defined them. Perhaps their billing as perennial underdogs is just the fuel that the players need to motivate themselves. With the EBAL and NCS championships approaching, the entire MV community wishes the basketball team well, as they continue to make our school proud.

Dylan Reyes is a current Sophomore at Monte Vista High School. He is a first time author for the publication who loves creative writing. At Monte Vista, Dylan is an active member within his school community serving as a Sophomore officer in the Leadership class. Furthermore, Dylan is a proud Filipino American who sought to enrich the student body when he founded the first Filipino American Student Union at his school. Dylan’s role in the Danville Youth Council also allows him to stay updated about the latest news within our town. In his free time, Dylan enjoys talking about and playing basketball with his friends, playing fantasy football, and podcasting, a more recent hobby of his. Dylan is excited to pursue this writing opportunity and looks forward to highlighting all of the positive developments at Monte Vista High School and the Blackhawk Community at large.