Big Red Fall 2019

“WE THOUGHT IT WAS ONCE IN A LIFETIME, BUT THEN WE DID IT AGAIN, AND AGAIN.”

VOLUME XIII FALL 2019

THREE-PEAT BEHIND THE SCENES OF AN UNPRECEDENTED WINNING STREAK

BY LUCAS LEE / / P. 14

INSIDE

FANTASY FOOTBALL FANATICS A LOOK INTO THE LAPTOPS OF THE SCHOOL’S FANTASY FOOTBALL COMMISSIONERS

BY JAIDEV PANT AND LUCAS LEE / / P. 20

BIG RED FALL 2019 • VOLUME XIII • NO.1

thePLAYBOOK

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PHOTO SPREAD

PHOTO SPREAD

The Staff

The Staff

A glimpse into the dominant season of CIF champion boys’ water polo.

Swinging clubs and rackets with girls’ golf and girls’ tennis players.

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COACHING CULTURE

WATCH THE THRONE

Kyle Reims

Lucas Lee and Jaidev Pant

Coaching has proven to impact a team’s success. Here’s why.

The rise of fantasy football and its impact on students at school.

Letter from The Editors

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PAID IN FULL

PHOTO SPREAD

Alex Amster and Ethan Lachman

The Staff

Should college athletes be paid? A point counter-point argument.

Cheerleading, football and cross country athletes captured in action.

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26

PHOTO SPREAD

CLUBS AND DUBS

The Staff

Jaidev Pant

Two sophomore standouts from field hockey and girls’ volleyball.

Teams affiliated with outside of school club organizations find more success.

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DAWN OF A DYNASTY

DOUBLE TROUBLE

Lucas Lee

Charlie Wang

57-0: the story of the unprecedented field hockey winning streak.

Profiling two of the field hockey team’s stars, twins Ella and Bella Ganocy.

theSTAFF Print Managing Editors Zack Schwartz, Eugene Wyman Editors-in-Chief Luke Casola, Will Mallory, Keila McCabe, William Seymour

Presentations Managing Editor Jay Lassiter Photo Editor Kyle Reims

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Assistant Editors Alex Amster, Ethan Lachman, Lucas Lee, Lee Nichols, Jaidev Pant, Charlie Wang Adviser Jim Burns

Big Red Editors-in-Chief Luke Casola, Will Mallory, Keila McCabe and William Seymour discuss the goals for Volume 13 and the contents of this issue.

As we kick off a new volume of Big Red, our staff is excited to erase the stigma around the “unlucky number 13.” We are committed to four dynamic issues, each with a fresh batch of stories and photographs from the 24 athletic programs at our school.

Last year, we produced four issues, set off a fire alarm and created a family like no other. We were blessed with outstanding mentorship from our editors who inspired us to push the limits of our creativity.

But with a new year comes changes. This layout, we decided to redesign our cover, adjust our spreads and pump our own sense of originality into the publication. Every staff member came to work, and we can’t wait to produce three more issues. A special thanks to David Moriarty for his fantastic photos of our threetime champion field hockey team.

While we strive to cement our culture of excellence we also understand the importance of having a good time. Each page is crafted with a Pitbull or Black Eyed Peas song behind it, and an incredible amount of time is spent on our lyrically-based photo captions. Whether we are jamming to throwback albums or feeding our new fish, Swimmi and BLT, we make sure to live it up. As Mr. Worldwide said himself, “Have me a good time / Before my time is up.” We hope you enjoy.

BIG RED is a publication of the Harvard-Westlake Chronicle, the upper school newspaper at Harvard-Westlake School, 3700 Coldwater Canyon, Studio City, CA 91604. The school has 1,200 students in grades 9-12. For any questions, please contact us at chronicle@hw.com. Copies of BIG RED are distributed free on campus, and are mailed by subscription at $15 per year. Letters to the editor can be sent to Luke Casola (1casola1@hwemail.com), Will Mallory (wmallory1@ hwemail.com), Keila McCabe (kmccabe1@hwemail.com) and William Seymour (wseymour1@hwemail.com). BIG RED is an interest magazine about athletic teams and individual pursuits of students and faculty, as well as fitness topics. For coverage of Wolverine teams, see The Chronicle or www.hwchronicle.com.

Cover images by David Moriarty and Kyle Reims

theSTAFF

popCULTURE

Josue Martin ’20 Football

Shay Gillearn ’21 boys’ water polo

Kate Konvitz ’20

girls’ tennis

Sophia Lindus ’22 Girls’ volleyball

w

Favorite athlete

Best superpower

Favorite movie

Favorite drink

Celebrity Crush

Canelo Alvarez

Time Control

Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse

Chocolate Milk

Selena Gomez

Kobe Bryant

Flying

Lego Movie

Coca-Cola

Charli D’amelio

Rafael Nadal

Telepathy

Titanic

Vietnamese Coffee

Sam Claflin

Kerri Walsh Jennings

Super Smarts

Parental Guidance

Green Tea

Shawn Mendes BIG RED FALL 2019 • 3

EVERYTHING’S LITTY I LOVE WHEN IT’S MOT Mot Stothart ’20 looks to pass to teammate Ethan Shipman ’20 in an 11-9 loss to Newport Harbor High School on Oct. 12. The squad later defeated the Sailors 6-4 to win its second consecutive CIF Championship.

4 • BIG RED FALL 2019

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Lucas Lee Big Red

BIG RED FALL 2019 • 5

COACHING CULTURE Consistent coaching helped lead Field Hockey to three straight titles.

With three coaches in three years, Football couldn’t come close.

By Kyle Reims

Photo by

Kyle Reims Big Red

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t’s 7:45 a.m. Monday, Aug. 5, the first day of “Hell Week” for the football team. There arguably isn’t any time more important for the team, as this is the week when, as one player put it, “you get your shit together.” This day, however, was more important than the team anticipated.

That morning, the team was told by program head Michael Burnett to arrive early before giving the team shocking news.

“Burnett called a meeting fifteen minutes before practice, and everyone thought it was just going to be a normal talk,” defensive lineman Julian Kay ’21 said.

“But then he comes in, and right away you can tell the mood’s different.”

During this meeting, Burnett announced he was stepping down from his position as program head after just one year, mere weeks before the first game of the season.

“Everyone was kind of shocked, we just didn’t know what we were going to do,” Kay said.

The constant turnover of coaches is a problem that has affected the football program over the last few years. The saga began in 2017, when previous program head Scot Ruggles resigned in his sixth season with the team.

Despite an 8-3 record that year, the squad lost in the first round of the CIF playoffs in Ruggles’ final game. The Wolverines looked to be in a good position to head into its next season, before, Ruggles surprisingly stepped down, linebacker Evan Roderick ’21 said.

“At first we were thinking about why he would ever step down, and then we came to the conclusion he probably didn’t

‘step down,’” Roderick said. Lambert and Burnett are very able and accept what’s happen“None of it really made sense. different,” Kay said. “The way ing and all of sudden it’s turned We went from losing a really we started, it felt the same, but to a blank slate. You can’t do close game in the playoffs to los- once we got to the actual sea- anything to prepare, and change ing our head coach. That was a son, in pads, the practices were is kind of inevitable at that really hard day for the football shorter and the effort just wasn’t point.” program. We were coming off the same. It didn’t feel the same In a sport like football, a super successful season, so at all. With that energy and in- where a team’s scheme is so immore than anything there was tensity, I just didn’t know how portant to its success, constant a bunch of confusion about the we were going to win like that.” change can significantly hinder situation.”

Now that the season is over, the growth of a team Kay said, After Ruggles stepped down, the Athletic Department is cur- explaining how that can affect a the Athletic Department hired rently looking for a new head team’s development.

Burnett, who joined the pro- coach. That brings the tally up “If you have a player from gram after a dominant freshman year, that’s run at Tuscarora High playing JV, that’s deSchool in Virginia, veloping with the where he went 77-24 same coaching staff, in eight years as head they’re going to be coach. Coming to brought up to fit California, however, what type of offense Burnett implemented or defense that team a run style of offense is running,” Kay said. that didn’t mesh well “But if you’re conwith the team. stantly changing COACH COACHES “It was a slow trancoaches, like I’ve had sition,” Roderick said. three new coaches TOTAL WINS TOTAL WINS “We’d been running my entire high school the same offensive and football career, every TOTAL LOSSES TOTAL LOSSES defensive scheme for single year it’s a new so long, so we were one, it’s very differPLAYOFF WINS PLAYOFF WINS introduced to someent styles. It’s all very thing entirely new and different, I think that PLAYOFF LOSSES PLAYOFF LOSSES foreign, even to the the ability to be a state of California. It great football projust felt like one coach gram comes from beCHAMPIONSHIPS CHAMPIONSHIPS knew our scheme and ing able to build up what was better for the team.” to three coaches in three years, as a team and develop players.

After a 6-5 campaign that with the search already on for When you’re switching to very saw multiple starters transfer, a fourth. Roderick explained different coaches every year, it’s Burnett stepped down, citing how this kind of rapid turnover very hard, because there’s no the stress of the job as a major rarely improves the fortune of space or time.” factor in his decision. Assistant the team.

While football is an example coach Ramsey Lambert was “A constant coaching change of too much change in leadthen promoted to interim pro- is never positive for anyone,” ership, the field hockey team, gram head, leading to another Roderick said. “You never get perhaps the Wolverines’ most offseason, albeit a short one, used to [the constant change]. successful team, is quite the of transition. Kay said that the The second you start getting opposite. Since her promotion most noticeable change was in used to something, it changes. to program head in 2006, Erin the effort of the team.

It’s terrible for the morale of the Creznic has led the field hockey “The practice styles between team. You start getting comfort- team on a run of dominance

FIELD HOCKEY FOOTBALL

IN LAST 3 YEARS IN LAST 3 YEARS 1 3 57 14 0 18 9 0 0 2 3 0

BIG RED FALL 2019 • 7

never seen before. The team won championships in 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2019. Incredibly, the team is 57-0 since 2016. This means that the football team will likely have gone through four different head coaches since the most recent field hockey loss.

A team will nearly always perform better with one coach for a long period of time, and players on the field hockey team credit some of its unprecedented success to this consistency.

“I think that having one coach has benefited us significantly throughout our seasons because she knows us as individuals so well,” goalkeeper Caroline Sturgeon ’20 said. “She has been playing with most of us since seventh grade, and is able to assess our strengths and weaknesses and help us improve as players because of this.”

Midfielder and captain Rachel Brown ’20 said the same, explaining how helpful having one coach has been.

“Just the fact that I’ve had the same head coach for four years, with the same assistant coach Taylor Swezey, has made me

grow,” Brown said. “It’s built a culture. Any big thing, we know we can come to her. It’s helped facilitate our team traditions, and, since nothing changes, we can grow upon ourselves. A lot is based on that system. I think because we’ve had one coach who’s really allowed us to know our boundaries and know where we can have fun, it’s allowed us to grow as a team.”

Comparing the paths of these two programs, it’s easy to see where they diverge. Some players on the field hockey team feel if they had coaching changes on the level of football, their program would not be as successful. “[Playing with so much coaching change] would have been a lot harder because it would have felt [like] a restart every year,” Brown said. “Like t h r e e years ago, we lost eleven seniors, and if we had also swapped out the coach, it would have felt like a whole new

team, whole new culture, whole new everything. The constant has been great.”

Goalkeeper Caitlyn Dovel ’21 agreed, saying that despite the team’s talent, losing a coach who knows the players so well would hurt the team.

“I think we would’ve done well skill-wise, but we wouldn’t have had the support that we needed to play tough games where other teams would get in our heads or games where there was high stress,” Dovel said.

“The support we got from our coach, because she had been there for so long and knew us really well, enabled her to know how to approach us to fix problems that we were having or certain errors we needed to correct on the field.”

If the football team had more consistent coaching, lineman Vito Ameen ’20 said he thinks it would be more successful.

“I feel like as a team we could have been more competitive because we’d already be used to the system and coaching in practice,” Ameen said. “Having a new coach right before the start of the season makes it tough to adjust to the new play calling and culture. When a coach

Photo by

Kyle Reims Big Red

8 • BIG RED FALL 2019

steps down unexpectedly it puts the players in a position to keep the culture that is already there or change it.”

Head of Athletics Terry Barnum said he feels coaching turnover can harm a team, and it is something the Athletic Department tries to avoid.

“Obviously we want to have consistent coaches, and in our programs that have been the most successful that is something we’ve had,” Barnum said. “We’ve had coaches who have been there for a period of time and have been able to build a program and set expectations so that everyone understands them and can see how it works over their time in the program. Anytime we have coaching turnover and change it requires adjustment, and adjustment means that it’s going to be harder to have the kind of results that you would want. We want coaches to be able to be there, and have some consistency in our coaching staff.”

Simply put, swapping out head coaches does more than changing who is on the sideline during games, as it affects player morale and the team’s performance on the field, players on both the football and field hockey teams said.

Although it can be easy to focus on a team’s players and overlook its coaching, it is just as important. A steady presence, somebody who knows the team and can bring players up as a part of the team’s system, is always going to be a positive. In this case, at least, the results speak for themselves.

Photo by

Lucas Lee Big Red

BIG RED FALL 2019 • 9

More Money, More Problems?

OPINION: College athletes should be paid as they produce a premium product on the field.

By Alex Amster

E

very year, more than 460,000 student-athletes compete in 24 different sports. None of these athletes are paid a dime for their contributions to a university. Statistics show that 90 percent of these athletes report some type of sports-related injury and 54 percent admit to playing while injured according to AtYourOwnRisk. It is despicable that a greedy organization like the NCAA would not only prohibit players from earning a salary, but also punish them for receiving money.

The truth is that there are some sad realities for college players. Less than two percent of college athletes go into a professional league according to the NCAA. For many student-athletes on scholarship, athletics are their only path to success.

All it takes is one hit, one misstep to end someone’s career in a high risk sport like football. There is no insurance, nothing to guarantee an athlete is protected if their playing career goes awry. And for those who think that players have time to do well academically, you are mistaken.

A student-athlete’s schedule is hectic to say the least. The NCAA has a loosely enforced rule stating that student-athletes can not spend more than 20 hours a week on athletic activities. In 2015, University of North Carolina football players were reportedly practicing more than 40 hours a week, which is obviously against the NCAA’s rule. This rule has been violated by almost every program in the country, as many reports have surfaced over the past decade about programs practicing for an unfathomable amounts of hours. With early lifts and late night film studies, these athletes legitimately have little to no time to focus on academics.

To also add to the issue: these athletes make millions of dollars in revenue for their universities. A huge part of a team’s business is compromised of jersey sales.

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But, if players decide to make money off their name or likeness, they will be deemed ineligible by the NCAA. Many of these players put out a product that attracts millions of views, yet they don’t gain any financial benefit from it. Former Duke University basketball player and one of the most polarizing basketball prospects of the last decade, Zion Williamson, had companies producing and selling his jersey starting in high school. Williamson, like many other perennial stars in college athletics, missed out on millions of dollars throughout his college career, while risking his health to make it to the next level.

In a match against their rival, the University North Carolina, Williamson’s Nike shoe exploded and he injured his knee.

After viewing the injury, Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell expressed his displeasure with the NCAA by reminding fans how much money was made off the game and the fact that the players didn’t earn anything off of it. The average ticket for the game was selling for $3,296 according to Seat Geek. Even former president Barack Obama attended the game. This was part of the Zion Williamson effect, as ticket prices rose for every game he played, and he attracted numerous famous figures. Williamson was arguably one of the most hyped basketball prospects ever, yet he could not cash in on his success until he became the first pick in the NBA draft.

The country is starting to realize how critical this issue is, and states are starting to take action. Governor Gavin Newsom of California ruled that NCAA athletes could strike endorsement deals and hire agents, beginning in 2023. Lebron James reflected on what would have happened if he went to college.

“Pretty much that No. 23 jersey would’ve got sold all over the place without my name on the back and everybody

would’ve known the likeness,” James said, per the Washington Post’s Ben Golliver.

“Coming from — me and my mom didn’t have anything, we wouldn’t have been able to benefit at all from it. I understand what those kids are going through, I feel for those kids that have been going through it for so long.”

Overall, college athletes provide a similar level of product on the field as professionals, and arguably, their games are more entertaining.

They clearly have the right to be paid, and America agrees. With the bill recently being passed by Gavin Newsom, there is hope that college athletes will indeed live in a future where they are getting paid.

OPINION: The Fair Pay to Play Act will do more harm than good, as collegiate athletes should not be paid.

By Ethan Lachman

A

s California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Fair Pay to Play Act on Sept.

30, it seemed people rejoiced as the symbol of colle-

giate repression had been lifted. According to Business Insider, the NCAA makes approximately $1 billion annually, but until now, players received nothing.

Instead of solely blaming a cruel, unjust world for this reality, it is important to recognize that with such glaring disparity, there must be a reason why.

According to Forbes, the new bill will be implemented in 2023, but as humanity continues to lose sight of what is really worth striving for, emotional satisfaction

and a sense of purpose (this is, of course, debatable), this law will only exacerbate such unawareness. In an age of insincerity and disconnect, the further commercialization of these student-athletes will do more harm than good because not only will it teach them that school is not a priority, but it will also help them lose sight of why they chose to devote their lives to such a sport and instead shift their focus to money.

According to the Harvard University Study of Adult Development, people who are most fulfilled by the end of their lives owe it to their relationships. Sports are a form of human interaction and personal discovery, and allow people to make priceless memories and form relationships. Money may be one of these external relationships, but it is certainly not a beneficial one and if overly-emphasized, can lead to a loss of passion and sight of what is truly satisfying.

People often forget that the prominent student-athletes demanding monetary compensation choose to go to their schools on full scholarship. According to the NCAA recruiting Fact Sheet last updated in March 2018, 59 percent of student-athletes receive some form of financial aid due to their sport. These student-athletes are given the opportunity to prepare themselves for life outside of their sport, network and create ever-lasting bonds without having to pay.

If student-athletes do not want to be students, they should choose to not attend college and instead become a professional as a stepping stone to their ultimate goal.

For example, high school basketball star RJ Hampton, who ranked number 5 in the ESPN 100 for the 2019 class, decided he wanted to devote all of his attention and skipped college to instead sign with the New Zealand Breakers of the National

Basketball League in Australia in order to prepare for his journey to the National Basketball Association. College athletes should thus realize that they have the opportunities to forego college and immediately become a professional, and if they do choose to pursue a higher education, realize that the immense amount of resources at their disposal are enough.

In day-to-day life, athletes should not be able to receive endorsements because during the developmental and volatile late-teens and early-twenties, people are not able to bear the mental strain of business, school and sports, nor the economic responsibilities it entails. In professional sports, there are countless cases of young athletes who after their large pay day, lost a large sum of their money, such as Allen Iverson and Evander Holyfield. Moreover, these wildly successful athletes who lost hundreds of millions of dollars show that bringing money into the equation when young adults are not ready for it can lead to bad decisions.

It is true that many college athletes work tirelessly only to have their names used by colleges to make millions of dollars. The Fair Pay to Play Act certainly continued the conversation around the NCAA’s corruption, and how to more adequately define the relationship between the NCAA and the most important part of the system, the players.

For that, the law is certainly beneficial, but there is no reason to go further and actually pay college athletes for their play.

Although reforms must be made, studentathletes should not be compensated for their play and the Fair Pay to Play Act should be the last of laws intended to do so. There is a time for kids to be kids and for professionals to be professionals. It seems that melding the two would almost certainly end in disaster.

BIG RED FALL 2019 • 11

QUEEN FIENE Midfielder Fiene Oerlemans ’22 sends the ball towards center field in a 7-0 win against Westlake High School on Oct. 23.

Photo by

Lucas Lee 12 • BIG RED FALL 2019

Big Red

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Lucas Lee Big Red

ONE HAND IN THE AIR Outside hitter Sophia Lindus ’22 serves the ball in a 3-0 win against The Buckley School on Oct. 12.

BIG RED FALL 2019 • 13

How the field hockey team became one of the most dominant teams in school history.

DAWN OF A

By Lucas Lee

1414 • •BIGBIGRED FALL 2019 RED FALL 2019

Dy

Photo by

David Moriarty

Dynasty

BIGRED REDFALL FALL2019 2019• •1515 BIG

A

s the buzzer went off, captain and forward Astor Wu ’20 realized that the LAFHA Championship game was over. Looking up from her stance, she locked eyes with captain and midfielder Rachel Brown ’20 and the feeling of victory finally sank in.

“Within a split second, I just remember sprinting into a cluster of girls where everyone was screaming and hugging, jumping up and down in excitement,” Wu said. “All we could do was laugh and hug each other. Having had gone through so much with

[Brown] by my side, this was such a pure, bittersweet moment.”

The field hockey team made history, winning three consecutive championships with a record of 57-0. This past season, the squad finished 18-0, building upon its 20-0 record last year.

Brown said she was elated to see the Wolverines’ hard work come to fruition after the 57-0 record and third title.

“To win three consecutive league champions is a dream come true,” Brown said. “I cannot believe I am lucky enough to be on a team that can excel in any

scenario. We work hard, we play hard and it shows.”

Brown said the team’s lively traditions create a common bond between the current team and alumni to the program. This bond between Wolverines from the past and present is another reason for the team’s continued success, Brown said.

“Our strong alumni base is the reason we are where we are today,” Brown said. “We still continue their pregame hype from before and often talk fondly of our previous times. The

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5 4. Captain and midfielder Rachel Brown ’20 drives to the goal on Senior Night.

5. Midfielder Fiene Oerlemans ’22 charges down field against Chaminade High School in a 2-0 win.

All photos by Lucas Lee/ Big Red.

Harvard-Westlake field hockey team is more than just our current players. It feels like a full community.”

Going into the season after winning two consecutive LAFHA Championships and completing two undefeated seasons, there were high expectations for the season, Brown said.

“When looking at the amount of wins and undefeated seasons from an outside perspective, it can seem harrowing to continue the trend.” Brown said. “But inside, the team k n e w

what we were building this year and [that we] had the ability to continue to win.”

While the team has an expectation to continue winning championships, the 57-0 game win streak adds more pressure to every regular and preseason game.

“I was surprised, to be honest, with this season,” forward and captain Sam Yeh ’20 said. “I hoped to win the championship again, but I wasn’t sure that we could keep our win streak the entire season.”

Despite being familiar with

the pressure of playoffs, the players were able to overcome their nerves, Brown said.

“While we were nervous for the playoffs, the team always believed that we would be able to win,” Brown said. “This cautious optimism allowed us to play our best in every game aware that we may lose our long streak.”

Over the past three years, the team has made winning a tradition, Yeh said.

“Both this year and last we definitely weren’t sure that we would be able to keep the streak

3

1. Captain and forward Astor Wu ’20 manuevers past Great Oak High School’s Madison Gonzales ’20 in an 8-0 victory in the first round of LAFHA Playoffs.

2. The team huddles at halftime with a 3-0 lead against the Great Oak Wolves.

3. Defender Natalie Barnouw ’21 charges upfield against Chaminade High School in a 2-1 win.

4

going or win again,” Yeh said. “I think that there’s always going to be a little doubt of whether the team can live up to expectations just because the bar was set so high two years ago. We thought it was a once in a lifetime season, but then somehow we did it again and then again this year.”

The team’s success came from its emphasis on chemistry, Brown said.

“The team unity was essential to our wins,” Brown said. “From pregame hype to pep talks when we walked onto the field, we knew we were a strong team.”

The trust between the players culminated in their ability to work as a cohesive unit, midfielder Sarina Smolev ’22 said.

“Some key factors in this year’s success were our communication and positive team dynamic as well as starting each game with high intensity,” Smolev said.

The leadership of alumni has left the team with a strong system for developing players and continuing its streak, Brown said.

“I only see the field hockey team continuing to excel from here.” Brown said. “We have great underclassmen that bring joy and the ability to play to our team. Just as the previous alumni have left a strong foundation for us, I hope that we leave a strong foundation for the future in order to continue the legacy.”

The team’s success cannot be acknowledged without the contributions of head coach and program head Erin Creznic, who has led the team to a 24-0 record in league and three championships in the last three years.

“We would not have our success without Coach Creznic,” Brown said. “When we had won our championship, I was extremely happy until I realized this was my last time playing with Creznic. Creznic gave us the room to be leaders in an environment in which we know she has our back. The confidence she builds in her players is essential on and off the field. She is more

than just a coach she is an excellent all-around mentor.”

The experience of winning back to back to back championships has been nothing short of incredible, Yeh said.

“It’s very very exciting and especially as a senior it was a really special way to end my high school career,” Yeh said. “We’re now 57-0, and it still amazes me whenever I think about it.”

After winning its third consecutive title, the team is beginning to prepare for next season with offseason training. The squad has confidence in the junior class to step up as leaders, Yeh said.

“I’m excited for what the team will continue to do next season and I have complete faith in the current junior class to lead a strong season next year,” Yeh said.

Compared to last season, this year’s defense has less game time experience forward Penny Juarez ’21 said.

“I think that our defense improved over the season, but we have a young defensive squad, so the defense was not as experienced as the 2018 team,” Juarez said. “That being said, they were very strong over the whole season including our championship game.”

While the defense’s productivity decreased, the team’s offense compensated with 92 goals in the 2019 season, an improvement from 89 goals in the 2018 season Juarez said. The defense let up 0.56 goals per game in 2019 versus 0.37 goals per game in 2018.

Because seven players are graduating this year, the underclassmen will have to step up, Smolev said.

“It’s really exciting to have won three championships, and it made all of our hard work throughout the season worth it,” Smolev said. “Also, as our program gains more recognition with each undefeated championship, our team will continue to perform better and better.”

EYE OF THE TIGRYSE Marine Degryse ’22 tees off in the 217-190 loss to Notre Dame High School on Sept.

26. This was the squad’s only loss on the season.

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Kyle Reims Big Red

18 • BIG RED FALL 2019

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Kyle Reims Big Red

DUPEE FREESTYLE Maddy Dupee ’20 returns a high serve in the 13-5 win over Marymount High School on Senior Night.

BIG RED FALL 2019 • 19

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WATCH THE THRONE Fantasy sports are taking over the world one laptop at a time.

From weekly punishments to Sunday watch parties, explore the traditions that make each league unique.

By Lucas Lee and Jaidev Pant

BIG RED FALL 2019 • 21

I

t was Sunday morning and his 9:45 a.m. alarm went off. Alec Reece ’20 walked into his closet, threw on his Indianapolis Colts jersey, and immediately checked Twitter for fantasy football updates. For the “Joe Momma” Fantasy Football League consisting of solely Harvard-Westlake seniors, buzzing off your hair, dying it, eating ghost peppers and eating ipecac are just a few of the possible end of the year punishments, according to several league members, including Reece.

“At the end of the season, whoever finishes last will roll a die,” Reece said.

If you roll a four, for example, you have to spin our wheel of punishments four times.”

This abundant list of final and weekly punishments can be seen as normal in the world of fantasy football for many fantasy league managers. The creation of fantasy football can be traced back all the way to 1962, where it was created by a partner in the Oakland Raiders organization. The game slowly grew in popularity, eventually spreading to colleges and high schools over the years.

However, the game truly took off when CBS created the first publicly available fantasy football website, which led to the development of fantasy football platforms by other sports media sites.

Along with the creation of the “The League,” a popular television program about fantasy football that aired from 2009-2015, and the general promotion by the NFL, fantasy football has taken off in the last few years. Today, it is estimated that 59.3 million people play fantasy football, with each player spending roughly $556 per year, according to The Washington Post.

Fantasy Football is a game with participants drafting and managing a team made up of players all around the NFL. As owners of this team, they can trade, release and bench players on their roster. The scoring is based off of their players’ performance in the actual games of the NFL regular season.

As fantasy sports continue to grow, for many NFL fans, their experience watching the game has altered as a result. To Matthew Paul ’21, the rise of fantasy football changed his interest in professional football because he’s invested in keeping up with every team.

22 • BIG RED FALL 2019

“Fantasy has significantly altered the way I watch games,” Paul said. “At times I’ll be watching the 1-6 [New York Jets] vs the 0-7 [Miami Dolphins] and my dad will ask why I’m watching this meaningless game, and I tell him it’s because I have Le’Veon Bell [on my fantasy team]. I’m also a [Pittsburgh Steelers] fan and during commercials I switch to games that have my fantasy players. It has made Sundays a lot more entertaining and enjoyable beyond just watching my team’s game.”

For Marshall Howe ’21, fantasy football has made him watch the regular season, despite not even supporting a NFL team, highlighting its appeal to neutral fans.

“I’m not a big fan of any NFL team so fantasy gives me a reason to watch and care throughout the regular season,” Howe said.

A culture has grown around fantasy football that allows fans to follow the NFL in a whole new way, according to Brendan Kang ’20.

Kang said that having players from multiple

the league. Punishments can range from embarrassing costumes to having to shave one’s legs, according to Reece.

“Every week the person who scores the lowest amount of points must take on a punishment that’s chosen by the commissioner, but we normally take a vote,” Reece said. “If it’s something we don’t want to do I’ll say no and veto it.

If you don’t want to do it, you can also buy out for 35 [dollars]. So far, out of 10 weeks, two people have bought out. One of them was to run a mile after eating a cheeseburger and milkshake.”

If you don’t follow the NFL closely, you can find yourself losing games because of poor management, Jason Thompson ’22 said.

“I’m not doing so well because I’m having an off season and we have two weeks left before the playoffs,” Thompson said. “This season, injuries were

teams keeps fans invested in almost every game and glued to the TV on Sundays.

“My friends and I use fantasy football as a fun and exciting way to follow NFL games and to root for our favorite players,” Kang said. “I know for some people, they devote weekends and school nights to perfect lineups. I believe at our school, many [students] casually set lineups the night before and hope for the best.”

In most leagues, participants compete for a pool of money, which is given to the top finishers at the end of the season. Recently, leagues have introduced weekly and seasonal punishments as a prize for those who don’t finish last in

really bad and I got screwed by not checking players’ injury statuses prior to games. Sometimes, I would start players who were questionable and forget to take them out of the lineup if they were ruled inactive.”

Players who manage their time prove that it is possible to be successful in fantasy football and stay on top of their grade, Howe said.

“Fantasy [football] is something fun for my friends and I to play and talk about together, which we do inside of school as well as out,” Howe said.

“It doesn’t have a huge impact on my school work.”

It is easy to get discouraged if you do not start the season off strong which can

result in complex alliances, AJ Holmes ’22 said.

“I am 2-8 because I had good players and because there are two stacked teams in the league,” Holmes said. “I traded away [Todd Gurley], [Patrick Mahomes II], and another guy so I can get $10 out of the $50 pot. I play in an eight person league. I was off to a bad start and I was 0-2. I also don’t care so much about fantasy so I figured I’d rather win $10 than win in fantasy,” Holmes said.

In addition, fantasy football participants say that the commissioner plays an integral role in the league’s level of enjoyment.

“It’s very important to have a commissioner that can manage the problems in a league because otherwise there will be a lot of arguments among the players and that will not make the league fun,” Bennett Markinson ’21 said. “I once

had a commissioner who vetoed every single trade, which made that year not as fun.”

Despite fantasy football engaging players throughout the season, the key to winning championships is dominating the draft, according to Alex Mogollon ’22. These take place before the NFL regular season starts and are conducted in a similar manner to the NFL Draft.

While most leagues draft online via their platform’s website such as ESPN, others at school believe in more complex drafts that are offline with everyone together in the same place. Spencer Felix ’21 discussed why he prefers to draft in person rather than online.

“While it does take more time, I pre-

fer drafting in person because of the real “It’s difficult to remain objective when time in person reactions everyone has you have a favorite team.” to each other’s picks,” Felix said. “I enjoy Over time, as fantasy football has hearing what my league members think increased in popularity, and the way about my picks and when others doubt in which it is played has also changed my team and my decision making, so I in many ways. Recently, Daily Fantasy can prove them Sports (DFS), a wrong.” type of fantasy For some football where leagues, it is difplayers change ficult to orgaweek to week nize a live draft rather than so they conduct every season, an online draft has become using a webmore popular. site like ESPN, Websites also Thompson said. have gam“During our bling features -Marshall Howe ’21 which make it draft, a lot of people were doan easy way to ing homework because we did it when win money for one’s football IQ. Daily school started, but as soon as a contro- fantasy sports player Jaesan Emeret ’21 versial pick was made, everyone started describes why he chooses to play this spamming the chat,” Thompson type of game instead of the traditional said. “It was a lot of fun to seasonal fantasy football. hop in that chat.”

“DFS sites like DraftKings are betA lot of strat- ter than a traditional fantasy league as egy goes into you are able to redraft your team after the draft, es- every night, or after every week,” Emep e c i a l l y ret said. “In a regular league, an injury w h e n or two could end your season in only a few weeks , whereas [in] DFS an injury might only ruin your chances for one week. I like this because injuries are a Photos by byproduct of professional sports that fantasy players are not able to control.”

Keila McCabe Big Red Although many people at HarvardWestlake enjoy fantasy football, Matthew Lee ’21 describes why he chooses not to play this game. choosing which players to pick early and “I don’t like to play fantasy football who to acquire later, Thompson said. because it takes a lot of time and I would “This year we did a snake draft and prefer to watch my favorite team and exI had the number one pick,” Thompson citing games instead of just rooting for said. “I think it’s crucial because I got specific players that have good stats,” the first and last pick. I took [Alvin Ka- Lee said. mara] with the first pick and he was out Despite the rise of Daily Fantasy for one-third of the season.”

Sports and the many problems that a Fans of particular NFL teams may league may face, Mogollon said that tend to draft players who may not be fantasy football is a great overall social objectively the best pick, Thompson experience. said.

“Normally you follow your favorite “It was a pretty easy first pick be- team, but by following fantasy football, cause it came down between [Alvin you are able to watch more games on Kamara] and [Saquon Barkley] and I Sunday,” Mogollon said. “Fantasy footknew I would watch all the [New Or- ball makes [the NFL] fun for everyone leans Saints] games, so I would be more by engaging people with sports, espeinvolved in the games,” Thompson said. cially with football.”

“

I’m not a big of any NFL team so fantasy [football] gives me a reason to watch and care throughout the regular season.”

BIG RED FALL 2019 • 23

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Crystal Baik Big Red

WIGGLE WITH IT Cheerleaders Sophia Nunez ’20, Allison Park ’21 and Keira Cook ’22 perform during the Homecoming football halftime show Oct. 12.

FULL STEAM AHEAD Wallace Hastings ’23 sprints through the finish line during the Eagle Cross Invitational on Sept. 14.

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24 • BIG RED FALL 2019

Eagle Cross Invitational

PAVAN TAUH/BIG RED

MONEY MOVES Runningback A.J. Holmes ’22 splits the gap into open field in a 27-21 win against St. Genevieve High School on Homecoming.

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BIG RED FALL 2019 • 25

CLUBS AN

AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE CLUB PROGRAMS THAT CONTRIBUT

By Jaidev Pa

26 • BIG RED FALL 2019

ILLUSTRATIONS BY SYDNEY FENER

AND DUBS

ONTRIBUTE TO THE SUCCESS OF MULTIPLE TEAMS AT THE SCHOOL.

Jaidev Pant

BIG RED FALL 2019 • 27

IN DA CLUB: THE BOYS’ WATER POLO TEAM POSES FOR A PICTURE AFTER

Printed with permission of Jonathon Joei

BEATING NEWPORT HIGH SCHOOL 6-4 IN THE 2019 CIF CHAMPIONSHIP GAME.

T

he CIF Championship is a game that few high school athletes compete in, however, for the boys’ water polo program, CIF Championships have become a common occurrence, attacker Shay Gillearn ’21 said. In 2018 and 2019, the boys’ water polo team won the CIF Championship in two of the biggest games of the players’ lives, but they remained calm like it was the regular season, Gillearn said.

“It was basically no different,” Gillearn said. “We were all ready. It was just like a normal day in the office.”

The composure of the squad is a result of the school-affiliated club team, Los Angeles Premier Water Polo Club, several members of both the club team and the school team said including Gillearn.

Los Angeles Premier is one of the best water polo programs in Southern California, winning three Junior Olympic gold medals and consistently finishing as one of the top four club water polo teams in the tournament, goalkeeper Asher Schwartz ’21 said. One benefit of having a program like Los Angeles Premier is that it attracts potential water polo players to the school, Gillearn said.

However, the relationship between the club and players is mutual and Gillearn spoke about playing for Los Angeles Premier and how it impacted his choice of school.

“One of the main reasons I am [at Harvard-Westlake] is because of Premier,” Gil-

28 • BIG RED FALL 2019

learn said.

While practicing beyond the school season can be a large commitment, Schwartz described the benefits of playing water polo throughout the year.

“Playing with club definitely helps because it doesn’t feel like there is a difference,” Schwartz said. “It’s the same team, same coaches throughout the whole year, so when it is actual varsity it doesn’t feel that different. It’s just another game.”

In 2019, the boys’ water polo team won its second consecutive CIF Division I Southern Section title. Schwartz discussed the contribution the club team made to the successful season. “[The club] was definitely a big factor of our victories,” Schwartz said. “We come in at the beginning of spring and go through the entire summer together and so once it is season, we pretty much have our team established. We don’t need to play a lot of actual varsity games in order to figure out where our team is at because we have been doing it for months already.”

Los Angeles Premier recently expanded its program and in the spring of 2016, the club started a high school girls’ water polo team. The Wolverines reached the CIF Division III finals in the 2017-2018 season and finished the year 27-3, proof that the creation of the new club girls’ water polo team led to success and better team chemistry, center defender Abby Wiesenthal ’20 said.

Wiesenthal described how playing on a unified club team in the offseason helped the Wolverines improve in the 20172018 season.

“I think that playing Premier was really important to our success,” Wiesenthal said. “Our Premier team was basically our Harvard-Westlake team so we were able to practice eleven months a year together.

I think that made the team very close and made us a more cohesive unit. What we have is very special because most high school teams don’t have a club team that is identical to their school team; rather, they all play on different clubs and only play together during their school season. By playing together all year round, we were able to become super disciplined in our game and really know each other as teammates.”

Other than the boys’ and girls’ water polo teams, the baseball program has affiliated club team Pacific Baseball Academy, also known as PBA, with Harvard-Westlake baseball program head Jared Halpert and Athletic Director Matt Lacour both serving as coaches for the team.

Unlike Los Angeles Premier, PBA is spread throughout Los Angeles, containing teams from Encino, West Los Angeles and the Pacific Palisades.

Varsity catcher Bennett Markinson ’21 described how playing for PBA allowed him to assimilate into the school baseball program. “[Playing PBA] helped a lot because I

CLUB GOIN’ UP: THE LOS ANGELES PREMIER WATER POLO CLUB CEL-

Printed with permission of Cristian Pang

EBRATES ITS WIN IN THE FUTURES SUPER FINALS TOURNAMENT ON JUNE 30. got close with the coaches and the way the program was run,” Markinson said.

For infielder and pitcher Noah Yun ’21, PBA allowed him to quickly adapt to the schematics of the baseball program. “[PBA] definitely helps you get adjusted faster to the [school] system in terms of little details and plays we do,” Yun said.

The Harvard-Westlake baseball program has had several years of success, finishing the 2013 season as the best high school baseball team in the nation according to MaxPreps and reaching the CIF Division I Southern Section finals in 2016.

Not only has the team played at a high level, but several players continue to play through college. Since 2014, 21 Wolverine baseball players have gone on to play college baseball.

This movement of school-affiliated club teams has shifted over to other HarvardWestlake programs in recent years. In 2015, assistant girls’ field hockey coach Taylor Swezey founded West Coast Riptide, a field hockey club team based out of Los Angeles. The team competes nationwide, playing tournaments in Los Angeles and Orlando.

Ten players in the school field hockey program play for the club, defender Iris Huang ’21 said.

Since the club’s founding in 2015, the Wolverines have won three Los Angeles Field Hockey Association Championships and are undefeated since 2016. Huang described how the club program has allowed

the team to overcome the loss of seniors every year.

“The club was very beneficial to the school season because we got to play with incoming freshmen and middle schoolers,” Huang said.

Although club sports can be beneficial to a sports program, it can sometimes be too much of a burden for some players in the offseason, former junior varsity soccer player Faramarz Nia ’21 said. Nia, who was cut due to his lack of interest in playing club soccer, discussed the negative aspects of having a continuous season. “[Club soccer] eats up a lot of your time, in terms of academic things,” Nia said. “You can’t spend as much time doing school work, especially on days where you have to double up in a certain sport, it is unreasonable. Also, it’s not like it is cheap, it is expensive, so it is an investment.”

However, Nia also admitted that his choice to not play club soccer would change if there was a school affiliated team he could play with fellow peers.

“I think I would [play Harvard-Westlake club soccer] because there is a certain level of community you get from that which is very enjoyable,” Nia said.

The boys’ basketball team reached the semi-finals of the CIF Division I Southern Section tournament and qualified for state playoffs last year, without an established club program in the years before.

However, the success of the baseball,

water polo and field hockey programs have impacted the shape of the boys’ basketball program at Harvard-Westlake. During the 2018 season, boys’ basketball program head David Rebibo founded a youth club team, Los Angeles Basketball Club. Rebibo described his motivation to start this club program.

“We started LABC to provide everyone and anyone an opportunity to develop and grow as a basketball player,” Rebibo said.

“We want the best for all players and felt that this would help provide that.”

Rebibo described the other HarvardWestlake sports programs as an influence to start LABC. “I was inspired by other programs of course,” Rebibo said. “The idea of development was a major factor for us. Another major factor or inspiration was the lack of understanding of basic basketball principles and fundamentals, things that are essential to being successful as a basketball player and member of a team.”

The ultimate goals of these programs are to develop team chemistry and talent in the offseason, in hopes of being able to sustain them all year long. Schwartz believes that despite the time commitment, club sports are necessary to be a great program.

“If teams want to have reliable and consistent team chemistry, as well as continuous development and success throughout the year then [teams should have club programs],” Schwartz said.

BIG RED FALL 2019 • 29

#10 ELLA 26 Goals 13 Assists

Double 2 x

By Charlie Wang Ella Ganocy ’22 and Bella Ganocy ’22 look to take the reigns of the Wolverines’ field hockey dynasty.

Z

Photo by

Lucas Lee Big Red

30 • BIG RED FALL 2019

ero losses, 37 games, 2,220 minutes. It’s fair to say that midfielder Sophia “Bella” Ganocy ’22 and forward Alexa “Ella” Ganocy ’22 have had outstanding starts to their high school field hockey careers. The twins, who both arrived at Harvard-Westlake in the fall of 2018, have been major factors in maintaining the Wolverine’s field hockey dynasty. With all the talent around them, each of the twins has found a way to make a name for themselves.

Both Ganocys started for the Wolverines as freshman and made an immediate impact, defender Natalie Barnouw ’21 said. “[Ella and Bella] have had a huge impact on our team,” Barnouw said.

“Their offensive work in creating chances and scoring goals has been amazing these past few years. Especially in the playoff games, we could always count on one or both of them scoring a big goal for us.”

Barnouw mentioned the 2018 Los Angeles Field Hockey Association Championship. Trailing 1-0 in the second-half against Huntington Beach High School, Ella scored two consecutive goals to propel the team to its second straight championship. The game-clinching goal was scored late in the second half with less than 10 minutes remaining after Ella tied the game minutes before.

While Ella was the hero in the 2018 playoffs,

Bella was a dominant force during the regular season and in league play, finishing the season with eight goals and 10 assists, while Ella finished with 15 goals and three assists.

Outside of their physical appearance, it’s clear that the twins have a connection on the pitch. Each twin said that their chemistry gives them an advantage on the field.

“It’s a very special experience,” Bella said. “Most people wouldn’t understand it, but we have some sort of connection that allows us to almost understand each other’s mind. It’s almost like we understand where the other twin is gonna be or what they’re gonna do without talking about it. I wouldn’t call it mind reading though, as many people think of it as. I think it just comes from us being raised the same way and thinking in very similar ways.”

Ella, unsurprisingly, said she shares a similar belief as her sister, but also can’t quite describe their bond.

“We just work really well as a team and understand each other as players,” Ella said. “I can’t even describe the bond between us. We just know where the other twin is practically.”

Even though both twins are already ranked in the top 100 for the class of 2022 according to Maxfieldhockey, the 2019 season only marked the third full season that the Ganocys have played field hockey. While soccer was originally the girls’ main sport, a friend introduced them to field hockey late in seventh grade, and the rest is history.

While soccer has taken a backseatfor the their athletic careers, their background in soccer has been a huge part in how the twins are so special.

2 x Trouble “Probably because of soccer, I really, really like running, and I think that offball movement and transitions are vital to a field hockey team’s success,” Bella said. “I love playing fast, competitive field hockey.”

The girls received their first taste of the game when they played for the Team USA Field Hockey Futures program in Moorpark under current Harvard-Westlake assistant coach Taylor Swezey.

While the switch from soccer to field hockey was difficult, the Ganocys said they were really enticed by the camaraderie of the sport.

“We were really drawn to field hockey because of the amazing community of people there,” Bella said.

During field hockey season, the twins not only participated in the school team’s demanding practice schedule during the week, but also practiced with the Ventura County Red Devils club team on the weekends.

They also practice as much as they can at home, where they do drills together in their backyard, each twin said.

To stay in shape for the field hockey season, both twins also play on the girls’ soccer team and run for the girls’ track team.

While their influence on the field has been undeniably large, the twins’ energy is also felt off the field by their teammates.

“When they joined the team two years ago, they immediately brought a positive light,” midfielder and captain Rachel Brown ’20 said. “Their spirits are contagious and I’m truly lucky to have played with them.”

With a senior class filled with key contributors such as Brown, forward and captain Samantha Yeh ’20 and midfielder and captain Astor Wu ’20, the team will look for new leaders and underclassmen to step up.

However, as one member of the team put it, the field hockey program,

as they’ve shown in the last few years, doesn’t rebuild, it reloads.

In each of the last three seasons, the team has had to deal with the losses of many key seniors, yet, the team has not lost a game in the last three seasons and next year’s team will consist of players without a single loss in their field hockey careers.

Brown said she has confidence in the twins and believes they will continue to build a dynasty.

“I absolutely believe that they will continue the trend [of success],” Brown said. “They are talented and gave a great team spirit to continue to build team unity.

There are a lot of seniors leaving but the underclassmen can easily excel.”

In the long run, both twins aspire to play NCAA Division I field hockey and make the Junior Olympic team this summer. They also are looking to represent team USA in the near future on a global stage.

“My long term goals are to get committed to a [NCAA Division I] college and then hopefully, from the junior national team, make the USA national team and play in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles,” Bella said.

Looking to next season, the twins’ goals will be aimed at continuing the unprecedented win streak, and bringing home a fourth consecutive LAFHA Championship.

#5 #5 BELLA BELLA 27 Goals Goals 27 23 Assists Assists 23

Photo by

David Moriarty BIG RED FALL 2019 • 31