The last season game, before CIF, for the boys’ basketball team was played at El Toro High School on Feb. 12. The Stallions pulled a quick lead, but after halftime both teams were continuously tying up the score.

After El Toro scored a three pointer in the last minute, the Stallions had possession of the ball. In the last five seconds of the game, Kyle Luna (12) scored a two pointer that won the Stallions the game: 61-60. This win pushed the Stallions into CIF.

Since he has been at San Juan, Anthony Trujillo (12) remembers qualifying for CIF twice.

When asked about his coaches Trujillo, with a laugh mentions that Coach Park broke a clipboard during a game and recalls a quote from Coach Hambrick during the season “Adversity is an opportunity to be better”; apparently one of his classics.

The first CIF game was played at home on Feb. 20 against Temescal Canyon Titans. San Juan Hills Stallions felt prepared and were more than eager to step onto the court.

At 7 PM on Friday night waves of students decked out in navy blue, shimmery gold, and “SJH” tattoos on their faces piled into the Stables Center with an almost tangible excitement. The center was filled with colorful, homemade signs for the team, and free navy blue bucket hats were awarded to the first 50 students in attendance.

Captain Vincent McFadden (12) won the tip off at the beginning of the game assisting in the first basket of the night scored by Anthony Trujillo (12); firing the fans up even further.

Emotions were kept high throughout half time and Sanjan Kumar (12), ASB President, lead the rollercoaster with an unbeatable spirit. The cheerleaders flipped, the band played, and the Stallion fans screamed. Principal Tom Ressler and Athletic Director Armando Gonzalez stared at the student section with pride amusement shining in their eyes.  A perfect night.

The Stallion team had been watching film of Temescal for a week, and were expecting a zone type of play, and were surprised by the man plays. Adjusting well though, the team put everything they had into the game.

“Thank you to the seniors for having a great year and beating Capo on TV”,  Spencer Vann(11) gratefully replies when asked for last words on the season. His favorite games were defeating Capo Valley High School, twice. He is pumped for the next season, and hopes to qualify for CIF again.

Unfortunately, we lost to Temescal 66-42.It is an honor to play in CIF, and Stallion fans could not have been more proud of the boys’ basketball team. The players fought hard for entry into the second round of CIF, and their fans were never quiet.