“It’s in my blood,” said Emma Svoboda. She’s not kidding… both of Emma Svoboda’s parents played Division I basketball. Now, she’s carrying on the tradition. “Yeah, it’s nice being tall, but in the end, at the end of the day, just having a strong work ethic is going to separate you from other people,” she
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“As a pitcher, man, I control the game,” said valley baseball standout Grant Kelly. For Grant Kelly, high school baseball is just the beginning. “He doesn’t lack confidence. That’s for sure,” said David Shaw, Rancho Mirage head baseball coach. “What stands out to me is he’s a fierce competitor,” said Darol Salazar, Palm Desert head
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“I was like, ‘Wow, who is this kid?’ He was just head and shoulders above everyone, I mean, it was like, everybody was watching him. He was that good,” La Quinta High School’s Track & Field Coach Brian Ansley said. That kid was Trevor Plott. La Quinta High School’s Track & Field Coach Brian Ansley
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INDIO GIRLS VOLLEYBALL “I love these girls!” Martha Montejano said. Martha Montejano is a big sister at home… and on the court to the entire Indio girls volleyball team. “I feel like that wanting to be better is like what motivates me and keeps me on track to like lift up our team energy most
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Xavier Prep Cross-Country, Track and Field Many cross country and track athletes pick up the sport in high school. Not Molly May. “Since my whole family is a family of runners, I’ve been running since probably third grade,” said May, a senior at Xavier Prep. “She came in pretty much as a ready-made package,” said
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Mitchell Ryan’s love for sports started at home. “I really can’t imagine living life without playing these sports my whole life and it’s just been such a part of everything we’ve done as a family,” said Mitchell Ryan, a senior at PDHS. Ryan plays football, basketball and tennis at Palm Desert High School. He values
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Brandon Ulin is a natural-born leader. “I am the United Student Body President, so that’s student government at Desert Hot Springs High School, I’m part of the swim team, I’m also part of the marching band, and I’m also part of the Wind Ensemble, and I’m also this year’s second year term student board representative
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In order to understand the kind of person Wilson Pinkstaff is, you should hear this story… “We have an 86-year-old assistant coach, Larry Bennett, who is one of the nicest human beings on the planet, and Wilson went over and took Coach Bennett out to lunch for his 86th birthday,” said Rancho Mirage boys basketball
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It all started at First Tee for Shadow Hills golf captain Trinity Hernandez. Now, she’s looking ahead to college golf. “Having a new challenge every day is what really keeps me going because, with golf, one thing could be going really well, but then the next day it’s not working at all, so you always
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Dean Trombino absolutely loves football. “Even before game days, when you’re standing on the field, the feeling in your stomach, and that’s how I feel whenever I watch it, I get excited,” said Trombino, a Palm Desert senior linebacker. His love of the game started by watching and then ultimately playing. “I grew up watching
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Xavier Prep Volleyball Taylor Schein is a true student-athlete, encompassing all three requirements as an athlete on the volleyball court, strong student in the classroom and leader in her community. “I’ve always been a leader, in a way that I push people to be the best they can, whether or not I’m labeled a leader.
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Sebastian Camarena is known for his role on the Coachella Valley football team, playing on varsity since his freshman year… But this year, while rehabbing an injury, he picked up golf. “It was hard at first, but once I got good at it, I was like, I’m going to keep doing it and doing it,
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The heart of Henry Lopez’s success starts with his family. “They give me a lot of support. They’re always behind me and they’re always cheering for me at games. They’re very protective also,” Lopez said. His family even extends onto the football field, with Coach Dockery and his wife being Henry’s godparents. “Henry does a
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Her coach calls her sunshine. “It doesn’t matter where we go, when she walks into a tournament, when we’re walking out, when we’re walking into a huddle, Jackie has a smile on her face. She just has this ability to, kind of, brighten everybody up around her,” said Becca Brown, head volleyball coach at Palm
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Palm Springs high school senior swim standout Cody Meyer is headed to Cal Baptist University. He was one of the top swimmers in the valley throughout his high school career, which included a DEL championship his junior year with the Indians. Meyer is the last local student-athlete to be featured in the Senior Spotlight segment,
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Tuesday featured a two-for-one special for the senior spotlight segment with a pair of boys representing the city of Indio, Christian Robledo and Matthew Cruz. The Senior Spotlight showcases local senior student-athletes who lost their final season due to the coronavirus pandemic. If you’d like to nominate a senior to be featured in the Senior Spotlight segment,
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The Senior Spotlight showcases local senior student-athletes who lost their final season due to the coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately, CIF has made the difficult, yet appropriate decision, to cancel the remainder of the 2020 spring sports season. Obviously, the health and safety of everyone is the priority but this is still devastating and heartbreaking for our
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Juan Alberto Rodriguez is a senior at Desert Mirage high school. He participates in track and field, focusing on the shot put. Rodriguez is autistic but it hasn’t stopped him from living out his everyday life and staying true to who he is as a person. The SENIOR SPOTLIGHT is now sponsored! This segment will
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Track and field jumper, CIF Champion basketball player, 3.6 student, and possibly the most popular kid at Shadow Hills High School. That’s right, I’m talking about Deonta Strange. “I like talking to people, talking to everybody. I like getting to know people,” Strange said. “He’s a very funny guy, he’s a very funny guy. He’s
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“I just love the adrenaline rush,” said Karina Ojeda. “You run and everyone is cheering for you.” Karina Ojeda is the reigning league champion in hurdles. Her only sport — track and field — is one she started in elementary school, on a team she created. “And it was just me on the track team,”
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