There's no ignoring the huge strides Freedom High School athletics madeduring the 2007-08 school year, as the wrestling team captured theschool's first-ever boys BVAL title in any sport, and the baseball andsoftball teams followed suit with league titles of their own.
The year started off on a promising note, as the Falcon football team got out toa 3-0 start and was tabbed by many coaches around the league as theteam to beat heading into BVAL play, with big wins over eventual leaguechampion Pittsburg and NCS playoff-bound Heritage. But the Falcons wenton to lose six straight before wrapping up the season with a win over Liberty in the Bell Game.
The wrestling season saw more than mere promise from the Falcons. Gonzalo Hernandez, who put the team over the top in the points race with his pin over De La Salle's Trevor Harvey in the final championship match at the league meet, was a big factor in the Falcons' first BVAL boys team title.
The Falcon baseball and softball teams came into their seasons with high expectations. The baseball team set its sights high after last year's strong showing, which saw the team get out to its best start ever but falter and fold down the stretch. The softball team had won five of the previous six NCS 3A East Bay championships and had vengeance on its mind after bowing out of last year's playoff tournament in the second round.
The baseball squad not only came out of the gates swinging this year, it stayed hot right through the end of the regular season, edging out perennial powerhouses Clayton Valley and De La Salle to earn its first BVAL crown in the final year before the league's realignment in the fall.
Under first-year head coach Jeff Jonas, the softball team returned to the top of the mountain, winning yet another BVAL crown and making good on its quest for playoff redemption, not only winning its sixth NCS title in seven years, but knocking off California, which eliminated the Falcons last year, to make it all the sweeter.
The success this spring wasn't limited to the baseball and softball diamonds, as Freedom athletes shone on the track, in the pool and on the tennis courts.
Aimee Rodgers led the Falcon effort on the track, winning both the 100- and 300-meter hurdles at the NCS Tri-Valley Meet with times of 14.95 and 45.37, respectively, and senior Hunter Simpson reached 6-6 in the high jump to capture the title and advance once again to the MOC.
Josh Meints and Robert Erickson both captured BVAL swim titles, Meints in the 200-yard individual medley and Erickson in the 100 breaststroke. The doubles tandem of Barry Rose and Bob Harris advanced all the way to the BVAL semifinals.
Freedom Tennis Camp
Freedom High School is offering weeklong tennis camps run by USPTA-certified tennis coach, Steve Amaro in June and July for $35 a week. Session 1 is for grades 4 through 8 and runs from 8:30-10 a.m. Session 2 is for grades 9 through 12 from 10:15 to 11:45 a.m. The camps run June 9 to 12, June 16 to 19, June 23 to 26 and June 30 to July 3.
Freedom Golf Fundraiser
The Freedom Athletics Golf Tournament Fundraiser will be held on June 9 at 9 a.m at Deer Ridge Golf Course. The fee for individual entries is $110; foursomes receive a discounted fee of $400. Entry includes golf, range balls and tri-tip lunch.
Call Steve Amaro at 925-625-5900, ext. 3044 or e-mail amaros@libertyuhsd.k12.ca.us for more information about the Freedom tennis camp or Freedom golf tournament.
Post a Comment