#hsinsider

[charteroakhighschool]

Charter Oak wrestling represented at state

The Charter Oak High School wrestling team definitely has had its ups and downs. The program has usually found great success during league, however they rarely produce wrestlers who go deep into the tournaments. Junior Adriana Oliva has played a part in going above and beyond by reaching the state tournament for the second year in a row.

Oliva has been wrestling since she was 11 years old, and cites her two older brothers, as her reason for doing it.

“I started wrestling when I was in the sixth grade, and my sister was always at my practices and she wanted to join because she thought she would like it,” her brother Jesus, 12, said. “Our dad originally wouldn't let her, but he changed his mind later on.”

Fast forward to this year. Oliva had made it past CIF and Masters, and was headed to the state tournament for the second straight year. Her last time at state wasn't a triumphant one, with her being eliminated in the first day, so she was determined to perform better this time.

Adriana won her first match, however she lost her second. She still qualified to wrestle the next day. In order to qualify for the third day, Oliva would need to win all her matches in the second day since she had lost in the previous day. Once again, she won in the first round, but lost in the second round, eliminating her from state.

“It was a fun experience but it's become a regular thing for me now,” Oliva said. “I think the way it ended this year is really motivating me to do well for next year.”

As her brother said: “I think she expects more from herself than we do.”

The wrestlers competing at state aren't just the best in California, some of them are top-ranked nationally, which Oliva says has made her a better wrestler by going at it with them.Oliva’s goal for next season is to not only make it to state again, but to win it. She is open to wrestling at the college level, however she said it depends on which schools show interest in her.

-- Andres Soto

[charteroakhighschool]

#21 Club: Anthony Ortega battling cancer

Dec. 5, 2014, is the date that changed Charter Oak senior Anthony Ortega’s life forever. Anthony was going through what was a normal day until he was in his second period Economics class.

“I was in second period, and my friend Ryan Hansen pointed out that I had a ball on my neck,” Ortega said. “I felt it and realized it was about the size of my palm.” 

“We were in class and it was about to end, and I saw this lump on his neck. He told me that it was from getting hit in basketball a few days before, but I told him to get it checked out,” said Hansen, a senior classmate and friend of Ortega.

Ortega then went to his basketball coach, Randy Thatcher, and told him about the lump on his neck. “I was one of the first ones who saw him and knew something was wrong; I was worried for him and told him to go to a doctor immediately,” said Coach Thatcher. 

Ortega went to the doctor, and they ran tests on his lump all throughout December. He had a biopsy done during the last week of school before winter break, and on Christmas Day, Ortega was told that he had Stage 1 Hodgkin’s lymphoma. “I was shocked, I couldn’t believe it,” said Ortega on receiving the news.

Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a form of cancer that develops from white blood cells also known as lymphocytes. It is characterized by the orderly spread of the disease from one group of lymph nodes to another and, in later stages, fever, night sweats, and weight loss. Hodgkin’s lymphoma, especially when found in the early stages, is treatable with either chemotherapy or radiation therapy and has a survival rate of 85%. 

Ortega was told he had to begin chemotherapy on Jan. 9. He was told he could no longer play basketball and it was recommended that he be homeschooled for the remainder of the year. However, Ortega did not want to miss his final semester of high school. He wanted to graduate from Charter Oak, so he decided to stay in school. “I wanted to participate in all my senior activities,” said Ortega on his reasoning for not leaving. 

“I thought that was a very interesting decision on his part,” said Coach Thatcher. “Lots of students would love to suddenly miss school, but Anthony wanted to be with his fellow students. He has to be tough and he puts on a tough front, but he doesn't always show that he's really hurting to everyone. I'm happy for him, if he had stayed home, I think he would be thinking on the bad instead of the support that everyone has given him here.” 

Ortega played his last basketball game on Jan. 7 in a home game against Nogales High. It was a back and forth affair the whole night, and the score was dead even at 48 with 10 seconds left. Charter Oak guard Amier Thomas took the ball down the court, and he set up a pick-and-roll which left Ortega with a wide open lane to the basket. He made the easy layup for the win in his final game. “It was a good moment. It was something I won’t ever forget in my four years of playing basketball here,” said Ortega. “It was a great feeling.” 

“First I was really happy for the team because it was a great team win,” said Coach Thatcher. “I was also really happy for Anthony. He's an emotional guy, so it meant a lot for him to do something for his teammates. There was a lot of joy and a lot of tears.” 

After the Nogales game, it became known to the entire school that Ortega had cancer. What followed was an outpouring of support throughout the school. Students have not only given emotional support, but some have even donated to Ortega’s fundraiser to help his family pay the medical bill, started by head basketball Coach Brandon Cunningham. The team has also begun selling T-shirts in support, and all the proceeds will be donated to the Ortega family.

“I think support is more important than anything else for him, there's nothing else we can do but pray and think good thoughts,” said Coach Thatcher. “I think he needs as much of it as possible and it will help him. The battle is far from over, he’ll be fighting for at least six more months.” 

“Everyone’s been very supportive of me and telling me that everything is going to be alright, and that I’ll be back to normal in a few months,” said Ortega. “It really means a lot.” 

The basketball team is planning to honor Ortega during Senior Night on Feb. 13, and is encouraging as many of his classmates and friends as possible to show up in support of him during the pregame ceremony. Ortega’s shirts are being sold for $12 at all the basketball games and can also be purchased through Coach Thatcher. The fundraiser for the Ortega family can be found at http://www.gofundme.com/21club. 

-Andres Soto

[charteroakhighschool]

Chargers basketball escapes Nogales

The Charter Oak boys' basketball team was looking to recover from a rocky showing at the Whittier Holiday Tournament, and tonight was a step in the right direction. The Chargers hosted the Nobles of Nogales High School in their first home game of the season. While they have to fight to earn everything they have earned so far, the Chargers would truly have to grind this one out as it would come down to the wire. They would be able to pull of the narrow victory and come away with a 50-48 win.

Charter Oak would get the hot start and momentum to start the game, as they found themselves with a 12-3 lead in the early stages of the game. For the rest of the first quarter they were able to keep the Nobles at bay and would end it with a 16-10 lead.

The Chargers offense exploded in the second quarter. They got the job done on defense as well, keeping their momentum going and demoralizing the Nogales players. Charter Oak would go into halftime with a comfortable 31-23 lead.

The tides started to turn in the third quarter however, as the Nobles came out of halftime fired up and ready to grind out a comeback victory. It was a defensive battle to start the second half, as the Chargers were held to just six points in the third, and Nogales was right on their heels once again. Going into the fourth quarter, Charter Oak was clinging onto a 4 point lead, 37-33.

The Chargers were not going to let this game slip through their fingertips, and they came out of the gates firing on all cylinders. With just a few minutes left in the game, Charter Oak had their biggest lead of the night, 44-33.  Nogales would just refuse to go down. They would come right back to make this game close again. In the final minute of the game, Charter Oak had the upper hand going up, 48-45. Nogales would soon cut that lead town to 48-47 with about 20 seconds left, and while the Chargers had the ball a controversial foul was called on them, which resulted in free throws for Nogales. They made the first one to tie the game at 48; however, they would miss the second free throw. Senior shooting guard Amier Thomas then took it down the court and hit senior Anthony Ortega on a pick and roll to sink the game-winning layup in with five seconds left in the game. After a missed desperation shot by the Nobles, the Chargers celebrated their hard fought victory.

With this win, Charter Oak was able to end their preseason on a positive note. On January 14, they begin league play by visiting a tough Diamond Ranch team. 

— Andres Soto

[charteroakhighschool]

Player vs fan: how the game is seen from two sides

The game of football is one of the most watched and most played sports in the country. Unsurprisingly, many fans are current and former players themselves. However, many fans have never played, but they enjoy watching the game just as much. For Charter Oak’s second round CIF game at San Marino, The Bolt Live decided to recognize the sport from both views. I suited up for the game as I usually do, and my colleague Jessica Carreon watched it from the stands.

Andres Soto: For me, the game started hours before kickoff. As soon my last class ended, I was in the locker room with my teammates and coaches getting mentally ready for San Marino. By 4 p.m. we were dressed, taped, and in pre-game meetings going through the game plan one last time. The time flew by, and it was time to board the bus. We usually take school buses, but since we were in the playoffs, we traveled on a nice charter bus. Most of the team fell asleep, but I couldn’t. With music blasting in my earphones, my mind was too active to rest. Time fast forwarded because suddenly were pulling up to San Marino’s campus. Warm-ups flew by, too, and then just minutes later the game began.

Jessica Carreon: Going to football games has been one of my favorite high school Friday night pastimes. But with this game, it was different: the vibe of excitement was heightened. Starting from the time my friend and I climbed in the car to the game, all we could talk about was our football team. After arriving, we hurried up to the bleachers to take seats, and only one thing crossed my mind: so many people had high hopes for the team.

The first half was a blur for me. I was nervous at first because our offense had a three-and-out, and San Marino scored a field goal right away. But all that went away when we started scoring. Once we got the ball moving, we could not be stopped, and next thing I knew, it was halftime: score 28-10.

During the first half, the points on the scoreboard showed that the opposing team did not have a chance. Charter Oak showed no sign of stopping, and the Charger fans were buzzing with excitement. Our cheers and claps of support were loud enough to make a person lose her hearing for a few days.

 At halftime, I took everything in as the coaches told us to keep our foot on the pedal and not let up. We made adjustments and headed out to finish the game and San Marino’s season.

When it was halftime, we all burst into conversations about the game and food. In a large crowd, we made our way to the concession stand, trying to hurry back to our seats. We all had huge grins, obviously happy with the way the game was going. Finally it was time to get back to the game, and we refocused our attention to the players. Worried, we could see some players lying on the sidelines while athletic trainers worked with them. This caused some unease in the crowd, but gratefully, the players were soon up and determined to get back on the field.

The second half was a lot more vivid. I felt frustrated when San Marino came within four points in the third, but we just kept fighting on and never looked back. A few key players started cramping, but after fighting through through the pain, they made it back onto the field. Then we got our momentum back and scored a few more times.

Faces shifted: looks of hope, happiness, anxiety and, at one point, fear. It was the middle of the third quarter, and the score was 35-31. Frustration and fear radiated through the crowd. Some men behind me cursed and spit seeds to relieve their tension. Others murmured among themselves, discussing plays the team should use. The fear did not last long; CO pulled together and pulled ahead.

Our defense shut SM down in the fourth quarter. The clock ran out, and I felt ecstatic. All my years of high school, we had never advanced past the second round, but tonight, my senior season, we did it. We beat San Marino, and we were advancing to the semis. It felt as if a huge weight was lifted off our shoulders.

Final score: 49-31. The crowd cheered and hugged. The relief was tangible: the win was ours. People were animated and recapped the game, praising the team. Walking out of the stadium, we had a spring of excitement in our step. On the way home, the car was filled with conversation about the game. Happiness filled the air as we bounced in our seats; not once did our smiles show any signs of leaving our faces.

So many people told us we could not do it: we are too small, we are not physical enough, we are not the same team we were two years ago. None of that mattered anymore because we finally did it. All obstacles of the past four years vanished, and the best part—we are not done yet! I never had a sweeter bus ride home, and I cannot wait to do it all over again next week in the semi-finals.

  — Andres Soto and Jessica Carreon

Julian Castro / COHS