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sports Panther Prowler • Sept. 20, 2019
The new girl takes on the boys Sarena Kabir News Editor Alyssa Ramirez, freshman and running back, is currently the only girl on the frosh-soph football team, and has the responsibility to take down the boys. Ramirez decided to join the football team at Future Panther Night, after seeing that it was co-ed, but she had been fond of the game from a young age. “Since I was little, my mom has always watched football, and then I started getting into it and then I wanted to start to play,” Ramirez said. Alyssa’s brother, Robert Ramirez, senior, has supported Alyssa and her journey on the football team. “Everyone loves the fact that she is doing this, (and) a portion of that is because it is football but most of it is simply because we love her and would support her with any sport she may have chosen,” Robert said. At first, the Ramirez family was worried about the violence in the fame, but their family wants to support her in her games. “As her older brother, I worry a tad about injury, but otherwise, I am very excited. I’m always really happy whenever I get to see her play, and honestly, it’s one of the best things ever,” Robert said. At practices, Alyssa has to go through a series of drills. “For my position, we do stuff for handoffs and we’ll do this one thing and they are called cheeseburgers and we get held back and we have to run and we do cutbacks and stuff for swings,” Alyssa said. Even though Alyssa is a running back, she is open to trying other positions on the team, too. “The only other position I
would wanna play is a receiver, but I like running back better,” Alyssa said. Trejo Kimball, freshman and starting linebacker, is on the frosh-soph team with Alyssa, and says the team treats her just like any other player. “During practice, we go to the same amount of aggressiveness to her as every other teammate. We don’t go softer or harder,” Kimball said. Tyson Grimes, freshman and defensive back, says that Alyssa has been very helpful in all aspects of the game. “She knows the plays as well as anyone on the team, and even when she isn’t playing, she helps us to understand our schemes,” Grimes said. Many of the players, including Alyssa, feel that the team is one big family, and are excited for the rest of the season. “I speak for myself and my teammates when I say that we are all pretty close,” Grimes said,“ There’s just a camaraderie from being on this team that you can’t really find anywhere else.” On the field, Alyssa has been playing quite a bit. “I have been playing the second half on defense as a linebacker and a little bit of offense as a running back,” Alyssa said. She’s the one- Alyssa Ramirez, freshman, poses in her football gear as she gets ready for a game. “Since I was little, my mom has always watched football, and then I started getting into it and then I wanted to start to play,” Ramirez said. She is currently the only female on the frosh-soph football team and holds the linebacker position. With Permission/Alyssa Ramirez
Girls’ tennis starts new season with new coaches Rahul D’Souza Chief Photographer Going into the first Marmonte League games this season, the girls’ tennis team has added two new coaches to their staff, after the last coach stepped down. Head coach Meg Hammer and assistant coach Karrie Markrud have brought new perspectives to the team’s game, as well as different coaching styles. “The new coaches have begun implementing more drills that have helped the team gain new skills. We have also begun using different plays to use against a wide variety of opponents,” Ellie Evans, senior and captain, said. The coaches are focusing more on specific techniques and skills this year. Hammer has the players work on strategies for doubles, work on shots down the line, and making clear and strong volleys. They also go over point strategies and placement of the ball to hit clear winners. “This year has been more competitive as returning players have had to prove their skills to a new coach. The increase in competitiveness has allowed for the team to achieve one of the main goals of this season, to always come out playing your best,” Evans said. Many of the players say they have improved their game during the summer off-season practices, using the new coaches to add to their game. “Coach Hammer is really focusing this year on getting us to be in top physical shape,” Nina Almaoui, sophomore, said. The players will do sit-ups, run lines, sprints, and drills to strengthen their foot work.
With conditioning at practice everyday, the players have been building their strength, endurance and game strategy. In addition, they practice drills on skills like volleying at the net, serves and shots in different places on the court. “At every practice, we work on serving wide or down the middle...having a solid serve is a huge part of the game,” Hammer said. By working on every part of the game, Hammer hopes to get the players to a higher level. She says she believes that the skills and conditioning that the players work on during practice will help ensure that they can close out tie-breaking games and sets, even after hours of playing. “The girls are all here to compete and win and it feels good that they are up to train hard for practice,” Hammer said. Ace- New head coach, Megan Hammer, talks to assistant coach, Karrie Markrud about the strengths and weaknesses from the last matches. Beyond just forehands and backhands, “The strength of the tennis team is that they are having fun and building friendships that go beyond the tennis court,” Hammer said. The team had their first league game on Thursday after a rocky start during preseason, but they are looking forward to winning more sets this year and doing their best. With Permission/ Sarah Wang
