Soccer, wrestling, and basketball athletes reveal details about themselves and their team

Dylan Madueña

Positioned on the mats of the wrestling gym, senior Dylan Madueña, captain of the varsity men’s wrestling team, readies his stance and grapples with his opponent. His four years of varsity wrestling at the high school (despite a season-ending injury his junior year) have prepared him for bouts like these. He adjusts his footing on the mat and recalls all of the work he put into bettering his stance.

“Just do what we practiced, don’t try to make anything up,” he reminds himself as the match continues.

It’s February 14, the first match of CIF; performing well means a chance at advancing to Masters, and then onto state. Reaching the state championships means being one of the top 50 wrestlers in California, and Madueña hopes to compete against the state’s most accomplished athletes. His high school career could prove to be his final years of wrestling, as he’s on the fence about continuing the sport in college.

“I’m planning on going to a university, but I’m kind of on the fence on whether I should do wrestling or not. I wanna focus on school more. If I got a scholarship I would definitely think more about it,” Madueña stated.

As team captain, Madueña holds himself accountable for keeping his team disciplined and working hard during training, though he tries to keep practices lighthearted.

“I’m not super serious [during practice] because that will further the connection between me and the team, so I always try to mess around with the guys,” Madueña concluded.

Jillian Root

Cleats firmly pressed against the grass, junior Jillian Root darts across the soccer field. With eleven years of experience under her belt, she has all she needs to face her opponents and score the next goal. Root has been pushing herself to be more aggressive in her games, and she finds progress as she nudges past an opposing player, her eyes fixed on the other team’s goalkeeper.

Root has an extensive athletic resume, with a career including swim, basketball, and tennis; but her dedication to soccer, which she has played since she was five years old, is the strongest. Her favorite part her team is their focus in games and practices.

“In high school, everyone can have drama. My team does a good job in that once we step on the field we let all of that [drama] go and we just play as a team,” Root stated.

Jillian hopes to serve as a constructive yet kind teammate. She feels that striving for improvement without being derogatory is the best aspect of a good teammate.

“You need to be able to help a player out without sounding rude, because sometimes it can come out wrong and make other players not want to listen to you. Also having a positive attitude, trying to bring everybody up and not getting mad at practices is important,” Root stated.

Root plans to attend a four year university after high school, and although she doesn’t plan on joining a collegiate team, she wants soccer to remain an enjoyable part of her life.

“Maybe I’d join a club soccer team in college just for fun, but I haven’t thought enough about it yet. I’m really hoping to go to University of Reno, Nevada, or Sacramento,” Root concluded.

Trevor Mullis

Standing at a towering six feet five inches, senior Trevor Mullis makes quick work of lay-ups and dunks on the court. Being the tallest on the team, an inch taller than junior Braden Waterman, Mullis is most comfortable playing as a center, where he often makes quick moves under the post and scores.

Now team captain alongside junior Payton Ramos, Mullis began playing basketball in the third grade. He has continued to play ever since, despite missing his sophomore year because of a persisting injury.

“I took a break one season because of my knee issues. I have missing cartilage in my knee and, for whatever reason, my tendon is constantly getting damaged. All that wear and tear ends up being pretty painful,” Mullis stated.

Mullis’ injury did not mean quitting basketball forever, though, as he returned to the court his junior year and currently plays as a senior. His practice schedule leaves little time for other sports; Mullis plays basketball year-round, averaging about 12-14 hours of practice a week. Continuing to play in college would mean even more strenuous practice, a challenge that Mullis knows would be complicated by his injury. Though senior year may be his final season of basketball, Mullis maintains a high level of effort on the court to lead the team.

“I know I’d have to ramp up my training to get to [college] level and I don’t think my body can handle that, based on prior experience. As captain I just try to lead by example and put effort into practice and games, so that way I can bring them up,” Mullis stated.

Mullis admires his teammates’ ability to support each other, and believes that being helpful and resilient is a necessary trait for any team’s success.

“As a team I feel like we’re pretty good at celebrating each other’s baskets or just coming together when we do something good. Any good teammate picks you up when you fall over. In basketball, you often hit the floor so you wait for your team to come and get you back in the game,” Mullis concluded.

Mariah Wetherholt

With the ball in hand, junior Mariah Wetherholt maneuvers her body to keep the prying hands of the Pioneer Valley basketball team from stealing her team’s possession. As shooting guard, her team relies on her ability to make shots from beyond the three-point line. She rushes forward, faking out the defender. Then, stepping backward to create space for the shot, she launches the ball into the net, earning three points and a lead for the bearcats.

“At the beginning [of the season] we were kind of losing hope, but we got our first win against Pioneer Valley and that’s where we were really starting to get our hopes up,” Wetherholt recalled.

Wetherholt has been playing basketball since she was six years old, and she made the varsity team her freshman year. Though she has a long history as an athlete, having been a softball player and cheerleader for eight years, Wetherholt has stuck with track and basketball throughout highschool. Beyond highschool, she hopes to continue track and basketball at a college that’s not too far from home.

“ I want to play for Cal Poly. San Francisco is as far as I’m willing to go, but I do want to play basketball and do track in college. Since I made it to CIF my first year last track season, I’ve found I really enjoy it ,” Wetherholt remarked.

In the six days of the week that Wetherholt has practice, she enjoys sharing the court with teammates that help bring up the rest of the group. Additionally, she calls on the leadership of her team captains to keep her informed on practice schedules and workouts.

“As a teammate you really have to be nice and supportive. You help the morale of the team when you’re one of those people that gives high-fives and lets people know when they’ve done a good job. Our team captains are really informative, so a good team captain knows when to say ‘practice is at this time or this day,’ “ Wetherholt concluded.