We recenlty had our first ever (or at least it has been a long time) mini pep-rally in the CSDR cafeteria at noon. We introduced our MS football team to the entire Middle School. We also took the opportunity to recognize our MS Volleyball players. I introduced our football coaches, Ramy Bustamante III, Steve Biskupiak, Brian Goodloe and John Lawson.

Coach Ramy Bustamante III presented his theme for the year, “TEAMWORK!” He even brought in a wooden board which he painted the words TEAMWORK WINS in red paint. He’s such a creative guy! The team was very inspired by this concept and it got them pumped up for the game!

When the students were dismissed for the day, at 2:30 p.m., you could see the players jumping around and teasing each other all the way to the locker room to prepare for the game. When the players arrived at the locker room area, we saw Moreno Valley Calvary Chapel (MVCC) players. Our boys met and shook hands with them. The coaches were amazed that the players did that without prompting. We were definitely proud of our boys. That small act demonstrated good sportsmanship before even stepping onto the field.

MVCC took the coin toss and returned the ball first. We sent out our amazing defense out and tried to stop their strong offense, but we weren’t able to do it. MVCC scored on their first drive for an 8-0 lead. Our offense did move the ball well, but it was tough to get through the MVCC defense. We have to admit that they defended their territory amazingly well. We continued to keep them in check and held them scoreless. They tried some trick plays to confuse us, but it didn’t work. However, during the 2nd quarter they scored once again and added a 2-point conversion.

On a positive note, on the sidelines we noticed that Superintendent Mal Grossinger attended the game and it inspired both our coaches and players. They were glad to know about the special fans in attendance. The MS volleyball team also cheered us on. They even skipped their practice to show up and share their great spirit. (Actually, they were our “substitute” cheerleaders since we do not have a MS cheerleading squad.)

At halftime the score was CSDR-0 and MVCC-16. During halftime, the coaches tried to instill some inspiration in the boys and they managed to fire them up for the second half.

In the second half, MVCC continued to move the ball well and they did everything such as slants, flag, and post routes for their wide receivers. That confused our cornerbacks. MVCC went on to score in 3rd quarter and they led the game with 22 to 0. During the 4th quarter, MVCC scored again for a commanding 30 to 0 lead. Of course, our boys were unhappy with the score but they tried to keep going.

In the end, MVCC played a great football game. Our players have nothing to be ashamed of, either! Both teams did a good job. Even though, our offense didn’t execute the plays perfectly and they made some errors, it all becomes a learning experience and gives us an idea of where the coaches can focus to improve the team.

At the end of game, our players were reminded by the coaching staff that last year’s game against MVCC was 78 to 0. This year’s game was a lot less, so we are showing a deal of improvement! Our next game will be at Bloomington Christian.

Jeremias Valencia
Sports Coordinator

Note: Special thanks to our High School photography students for their hard work shooting some great pictures