Cross Country

The Fall season has been a very authentic experience for the Aztecs. The Men’s Cross Country has done an amazing job this season. Manny Aguayo and Payton Farrell are just a couple of runners that have been highlighted for Men’s Cross Country this season. Something that Coach Medellin is excited about during the season is going into CIF, he describes it as “intense” but the guys are prepared for anything that gets thrown at them.  Coach Medellin has high expectations for these runners’ careers, saying, “I hope I have a positive influence on my runners for the rest of their lives. I am hoping they learn to be very strong and endure when life gets tough and to remember they can do anything if they put their minds to it,” which is the kind of mindset Aztecs need to have to be the best they can be.

Football

This year at Esperanza we have a new football coach, JP Presley. Despite being his first year here, he has created lots of chemistry, bonding well with the boys. On the team this season, there are a total of 9 seniors, a small but mighty class. These seniors are: Jesse Duensing, Luke Secoda, Owen Galasso, Jordan Flores, Christian Jimenez, Andrew Diaz, Jeremiah Guerra, Jackson Winters, and Daniel Gonzalez. September 30, 2022, was the homecoming game against Brea Olinda. This was a huge game for the players and the fans. The Aztecs managed to pull off the win 21-14, Jesse Duensing with 237 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns, and Junior Aaron Forsgren also found the end zone on 2 carries with 18 rushing yards. The Aztecs Defense also had an impressive goal line stand before half. Junior Joe Nelson ended the Wildcat’s drive with a tackle for loss on 4th down. 

Waterpolo

The uncertainty going into this year of water polo was increased significantly as soon as the official count came out with Ezsperanza having only one senior and three juniors on the varsity roster. The youth of the team was evident every time they stepped onto a pool deck, yet that never stopped them from competing every single day. The first few games were frustrating and hard to play in, especially the beatdown they took to Troy (twice), but that made their first win against Valencia in the second week all the sweeter. They suffered loss after loss, going through mental tests for over a month before the team got their second close 6-5 win to El Modena. The win was a huge morale booster not only because it was the first win in over a month, but it was a league win, giving them a shot to go to CIF. They would go on that week to crush Beaumont 16-6 leading into a tough matchup against Villa Park, which Esperanza would lose 18-3. With only one league game left against Canyon on senior night, the win was even more important with a shot to go to CIF on the line. Unfortunately, they would lose to Canyon 10-3. Overall, the season was not a waste at all, and the young players only got more experienced and will be a force to be reckoned with in the near future.