Photo: Kris George

Northwood Varsity Boys Basketball came back from a large deficit on Monday to defeat Woodbridge 51-46 after scoring 40 points in the second half.  

The Timberwolves were down by 17 at halftime but made a 15-0 run to open the third quarter and eventually came away with a win.

“It was awesome to beat them on Senior Night, and a great way to go out,” said senior Nick Cope.

Cope led the team with 15 points, followed by seniors Steve Annunziata and Michael Mohammadi with nine points each.  Although there was a lot of ball movement and solid offense from Woodbridge in the first half, the Warriors struggled to keep up the pace in the second half, allowing Northwood’s offense to dominate.

“Nick Cope is who I aspire to be.  Everyday I base all of my decisions on what Nick would do,” said junior Brian Clyde, a fellow teammate.

This win ended the 8-0 losing streak against Woodbridge and avenged the 29-43 loss to them earlier in the season.

“This was the best Northwood game in recent history,” said junior Alex Danilychev.  “After being down by so much during the half, it was great seeing Northwood come back.”

Photo: Kris George

Photo Credit: South Coast Photographic

Sophomore Marisa Purcell was chosen as one of the Athletes of the Month for her excellence in Cross Country. She had a great season, broke school records and went to State with the rest of the team.

How long have you been running?
I’ve been running track since fifth grade, but I started track last year.

How did you start?
Actually, my brother was on the track team and I was already sort of fast so I just…

What achievement are you most proud of?
Probably the team making it to State both of the years I’ve been here. It’s really fun.

How do you train?
Some days we do distance runs, so we run a lot of miles. Other days, we do faster stuff, which is really hard.

Do you plan to keep on running after high school?
Probably. Right now I think I’m going to because it will probably help me get into college.

How do you balance it with school and outside stuff?
Pretty much after practice every day I just have time to go home and do my homework, but it’s really hard to manage it.

What’s your main event?
Well, in cross country we all run three miles, but in track it’s probably the long distance.

Which do you prefer, track or cross country?
Cross country.

What will you be doing now that the season is over?
Well, right now I’m just staying in shape for track season and I’m just hoping that I’ll be more successful in track than I was last year.

Photo Credit: Shazib Haq

Junior Ricky Bautista was chosen as another one of the Athletes of the Month for his prowess on the football field. As quarterback, he has led our team to multiple victories and eventually to the CIF Semifinals.

How long have you been playing football? How did you start?
I’ve been playing football since I was six years old, so I guess that’s about 12 years now.
I started playing football when my dad was like, “Ricky you need a sport,” and I was like, “Okay well let’s just do football,” so I started in flag, and ever since then I just worked my way up.

What achievement are you most proud of?
The achievement I’m most proud of is this last season when we went to the semifinals. That’s probably the biggest achievement I’ve ever had.

How do you train?
I train with my coach, Coach Zorn. I’ve known him forever – since I was six, when I started playing football, and he’s trained me ever since. He’s just had me always do these workouts and always just go and train, and I just do these quarterback drills and all these drills and that just make me better each day

Do you have plans for football after high school?
Yeah, my plans are that I want to go play some college football. One way or another, I’m gonna go play.

How do you balance football with school and outside stuff?
I even it out through the day. I do my homework after practice and then on the weekends I’ll just do my homework and then I go to camps and then all these different things I have to do for football and then school comes after that.

What do you like most about football?
I just like the game and how it’s played. I just like being out there with my friends and teammates, and I like just playing and having fun, throwing touchdowns and winning.

What will you be doing now that the season is over?
Now that the season’s over I’ll be training for next year with Ryan Doyle. We have lots prepared for next season because it’s going to be my last season. It’s going to be a good year.

Photo: indyposted.com

Dec. 10- Denver Nuggets coach George Karl becomes the 7th coach in NBA history to win 1000 regular season games.

Dec. 10- Los Angeles Laker guard Kobe Bryant passes John Havlicek to move to 11th all time on the NBA scoring list.

Dec. 15- New York Knicks lose to the Denver Nuggets, ending an eight game winning streak. Forward Amar’e Stoudemire sets the Knick record for most consecutive thirty point games (9).

Dec. 15- Three team trade, with guard Sasha Vujačić, heading to the New Jersey Nets, forward Terrence Williams, heading to the Houston Rockets, and forward Joe Smith, heading to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Dec. 18- Another three team trade, with Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat and Mickaël Piétrus going to the Phoenix Suns, Hedo Turkoglu, Earl Clark, Jason Richardson, and Gilbert Arenas going to the Orlando Magic, and Rashard Lewis going to the Washington Wizards.

Dec. 22- Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan wins his 1,211th game, surpassing Pat Riley and moving to third all-time in coaching wins.

Dec. 25 – The Miami Heat defeat the Los Angeles Lakers, 96-80. Forward Lebron James, has a triple-double in win.

Northwood dominated Tesoro in the Boys Varsity Soccer game on Wednesday afternoon, cruising to a 4-1 victory behind stellar performances by seniors Jorge Salas and Jake Murray. The game lifted Northwood’s record to 2-1-2.

Team captain Murray and Salas both played exceptional games, leading the team with two goals apiece.

“Both those guys were really something today. It was exciting to watch,” said senior defender Harry Lee.

Murray and Salas applied the pressure early, with three shots on the goal within the first 10 minutes of the game. Salas then scored, and Murray to redirected a throw-in for a goal only a few minutes later.

The defense held their own, not allowing a score until the last five minutes of the game. Northwood kept the Titans at bay, even after star defender Lee went down early in the 2nd half with a knee injury.

“I went down hard and couldn’t keep playing, but my guys pulled it out for me. They really stepped it up today,” said Lee.

Northwood’s next opponent will be La Quinta at Hicks Field at 4:15 p.m. on Friday. Lee believes that this momentum will carry the team to victory.

“[The Tesoro] game is going to propel us a long way this season. We’re going all the way.”

The 2011 NBA season is underway, with some unexpected stories; players are having surprising seasons, while some teams are not living up to their potentials.

Michael Beasley – Over 11 games, Beasley has averaged 21.2 ppg and 5.2 rpg, while shooting 50% from three-point range.  He seems to be fulfilling his potential as the number-two pick of the 2008 NBA draft.

Luis Scola – Scola is averaging 22 points and 11 rebounds in the absence of center Yao Ming. He hopes to lead the Rockets to another playoff run.

Blake Griffin – Griffin is averaging 16 points and 10 rebounds per game. Despite missing the 2010 season because of micro fracture surgery, Griffin is already making his mark on the Clippers.

J.J. Hickson – Hickson is averaging 16 ppg following the absence of Lebron James. He is establishing himself as a focal point of the post-James Cavaliers.

Kevin Love – Love is averaging a league-leading 14.3 rpg. He recently posted the first 30-point, 30-rebound game in 28 years.

New Orleans Hornets – The Hornets are at a surprising 8-1 following a disappointing 2009-2010 season.

Miami Heat – The Heat have been the story of the season so far. The Heat are at a disappointing 6-4 record.  Bosh, James and Wade are having trouble adjusting. Through ten games, Bosh is averaging a career low in points (14.5) and rebounds (6.0).

November has been full of stories and surprises. Stay tuned for more NBA updates and information.

Northwood blew out cross-town rivals Woodbridge 42-14 Friday night, taking them one step closer to the CIF playoffs. Quarterback Ricky Bautista threw for 211 yards and four touchdowns, two to tight end Alex King.

The Timberwolves complemented this dominant passing attack with a strong ground game, as running backs Shane Boukorras and Justin Gisch rushed for 157 and 65 yards, respectively.

“The offensive line was amazing,” said Bautista. “The receivers executed, and the defense was outstanding in the red zone.” 

In addition to securing the team’s first playoff berth since 2005, the Timberwolves are also fighting for the league title, which they will claim if they beat University on Thursday, and Beckman defeats Corona del Mar next week.

“Under our outstanding coaches Rick Curtis and Dean Toohey, the cocoon that was Northwood football has blossomed into a beautiful football-playing butterfly,” said linebacker Austin Hwang after the game. 

 Northwood fans came out in full force, wearing white shirts and face paint to support their team.\

“Ricky was on fire, and I thought we did a great job containing [Woodbridge running back] Jalen Craver,” said junior Alex Danilychev. “Hopefully, this type of success can translate to the CIF playoffs.”

Photos: Shazib Haq

Northwood stepped up and performed on Friday, Oct. 22 at one of the season’s most rigorous and nationally-renowned cross-country races, the Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) Invitational in Walnut, California, with strong showings at all levels of competition.

Photo Credit: Rebecca Tuttle

Northwood’s Girls' Golf at the Oak Creek Golf Course on Oct. 13. Left to right: Stephanie Luchetta (10), Rachel Kim (11), Ally Chen (10) Alvinnie Kwok, (12) Victoria Asciuto, (9) Christy Kim, (12) Hanna Kim (11), Euna Pak (9).

Last Tuesday at the Strawberry Farms Golf Course, Northwood’s very own Girls’ Golf defeated University High’s team with a score of 185, smashing the previous school record for overall team score.
          
According to Coach Zach Halop, Northwood beat University High by a solid 30 points.  Captain Hanna Tracey Kim and co-captain Rachel Kim, both juniors, each shot one under par. Senior Alvinnie Kwok hit a score of 40, while sophomore Allison Chen scored 38. Freshman Euna Pak shot a 37.
              
Despite the less than ideal golf conditions—soggy, impressionable ground and gray skies—the golf team was “on fire,” says Halop.

Thus far, the team has won six league championships in a row, and it’s “all about CIF because we expect to do well in league,” Halop explains. “We always have a higher goal in mind … we’re not content with just one win.”
              
Captain Hanna Kim echoes Halop’s pride and expectations for the team, saying that although “this is the smallest team we’ve ever had, we have a lot of solid players this year.”  

“We push ourselves to be great,” said Halop.

Photo: Hanna Kim

After two slim losses against Laguna Hills (28-25) and El Modena (21-14), Northwood came up big with their second win of the season against Estancia High School on Thursday, at Irvine Stadium.

Early in the game, the Timberwolves were able to secure an early 3-0 lead by kicking a field goal at the 30-yard line.  Unfortunately, disappointment came across Northwood students’ faces as Estancia returned the kickoff to take the lead 7-3. However, Northwood quickly came back, as junior Shane Boukorras first had a 57-yard and then a 9-yard touchdown rush to complete the first quarter.  Nearing halftime, junior quarterback Ricky Bautista completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to junior Alex King.