Sports

Justin McBride takes a shot for the Lassen Community College Cougars. McBride was on the 2013 Golden Valley Conference men’s basketball championship team and recently accepted a scholarship to attend and play basketball for Grace University in Omaha, Neb.  Photo submitted

May 22 — Lassen Community College basketball star Justin McBride has accepted a scholarship to attend and play basketball for Grace University in Omaha, Neb.

McBride is a native to Sydney, Australia and has been playing basketball since he was 12 years old. He has enjoyed his stay in Lassen County and said it’s been an amazing experience, albeit very different from Sydney, which has a population close to five million. “Every new experience is a good experience,” McBride said, “it’s been a good change.”

McBride was a starter on the Lassen Community College basketball team and averaged 5.2 points a game while shooting 40 percent from the three-point line.

McBride was contacted by several schools throughout the season looking to make him part of their team, however, he says they were mostly rural schools and he was looking for something in an urban setting. When Grace University offered him a scholarship, McBride was happy to accept.

The Grace University Royals compete in Division II of the NCCAA and finished the 2012-13 season with a 17-17 overall record. 

McBride will major in business with an emphasis in marketing and will live in downtown Omaha while attending Grace University. He says he will go wherever the best opportunity is when he graduates with his degree, whether it be in the U.S. or back in Australia.

According to Lassen Community College head basketball coach, Devin Aye, McBride is the first of an expected four players from the 2013 Golden Valley Conference men’s basketball championship team to accept a scholarship in the coming weeks.

“Congrats to Justin McBride on a great accomplishment and the opportunity to have his degree paid for while playing basketball at the university level,” Aye said.

The Herlong Lady Vikings eighth-grade volleyball team won the championship at the annual Play Day tournament Friday, May 3. The team poses with its championship trophy in the Westwood High School gym.  Photo submitted

May 21 — The Herlong Lady Vikings eighth-grade volleyball team competed in the Play Day tournament Friday, May 3 and came away as champions.

Play Day is an annual tournament for junior high school volleyball teams in the area. This year teams from Westwood, Diamond View, Richmond, Janesville, Johnstonville, Shaffer, Herlong and Greenville schools participated. A different school hosts the tournament each year. Whichever team wins the tournament gets its team name and the year it won engraved on the trophy. This is the first year Herlong has won the championship since the tournament began.

“It was an exciting day for us,” said coach Penny Thiels.

In addition to winning the Play Day championship, the team also had a winning season, losing only one game to Greenville. Thiels was out sick for the game against Greenville and the team attributes the loss to her absence. “They were determined to beat Greenville the next time we met,” Thiels said. The Lady Vikings’ determination paid off, as they beat the Greenville Lady Indians the next time they faced them and again at Play Day.

“I am very proud of my girls … and would like to commend their ability to play as a team.  The main reason for our success is the team's ability to consistently serve at a high level getting multiple serves over with each rotation.  This was an amazing team to coach both in talent and attitude,” said Thiels.

Ryan Sharpe stands ready to get a runner out at first. The Grizzlies won their last game of the regular season against Anderson High School, 15-5.  Photo by Maddie Musante

May 21 — The Lassen High School Grizzlies faced off against the Anderson High School Cubs in a home game Friday, May 3. The game was the last of Lassen’s regular season league games and the third of a three-game series against Anderson. The Grizzlies traveled to Anderson to play the Cubs in a doubleheader earlier in the week and won both games, making them the champions of the Northern Athletic League. Lassen also won Friday’s home game, 15-5.

Spirits were high among Grizzlies fans who were still elated about the team winning the league championship earlier in the week. Prior to the start of the game, the team honored seniors Jarrell Cunningham, Colby Chavez, Nate Freeman, Joey Beck and their parents by giving them flowers and announcing them to the crowd. The boys wrote thank you letters to their families, friends and supporters, which were read to the crowd by the announcer.

Sophomore Daniel Perry dominated at the plate for the Grizzlies, going 4 for 4, hitting a triple, a double and getting four RBIs. Nate Freeman, Jarrell Cunningham and Garrison Collier each had two RBIs for Lassen. Joey Beck had one RBI.

Beck pitched four innings and stuck out 10 batters, walked one and gave up only one hit and no runs. Cunningham pitched .2 innings and Freeman pitched .1.

The Grizzlies ended their regular season with a record of 11-1 and a league championship. They were the number two seed for the Northern Athletic League section playoffs and hosted the first round at Friday, May 10 at Memorial Park.

May 15 — The Lassen High School Football Boosters have come up with several fun and creative ways to raise funds for the renovation of Arnold Field.

The boosters are offering students, athletes, alumni, local businesses and community organizations a way to permanently make their mark at Lassen High School by selling personalized bricks that will be used in the field’s renovation.

The bricks will be used to pave the walkways being put around Arnold Field and are a different color than the usual grey of cement, so they will stand out more.

The bricks are made by a company called That’s My Brick! and offer personalized characters and graphics. The bricks are eight by eight inches and can be customized with up to six lines of 18 characters. Graphics can also be added to the bricks with a three line, 18-character line limit. That’s My Brick! has many graphics to choose from, but businesses or individuals can also provide the company with their own graphic to put on the brick.

According to Don McMullen, president of the football boosters, the bricks are guaranteed for life and have been tested to ensure they can withstand almost anything. The company that makes the bricks can even remove graffiti easily without damaging the brick.

“This would be a great graduation gift … this is something you could bring your children, your grandchildren (to see),” McMullen said.

Lassen High School’s Arnold Field must be renovated because it is not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). A number of improvements must be made by November of 2014 to make the field compliant. The planned renovations will put two wheelchair-accessible viewing stations on the visitor’s side, three wheelchair-accessible viewing stations on the home side, a paved walkway with a railing that will wrap around the pit side of the field, as well as ADA-compliant parking. The Division of the State Architect has already approved the plans, however, the improvements must be completed by November of 2014 or the field could be shut down and the school could be fined.

“This impacts the whole school. If they shut the field down there’s no graduation, there’s no track, there’s no assemblies … that stuff will be gone until they get the thing done. Plus, if we don’t get it done in time there can be fines and all that stuff … it could cost even more. (Making the field ADA compliant) is going to benefit everyone,” said McMullen.

In addition to raising money through the sale of personalized paving bricks, the boosters have also partnered with the Susanville Auto Center to put on a raffle, along with an interactive and entertaining halftime show that will raise money for the program and give participants the chance to win a car.

The name of the game is “Punt, Pass, Kick.” The Lassen High School Football Boosters will sell raffle tickets to football fans, then draw tickets at home football games. The owners of the tickets will be called down to the field at halftime to punt, kick and pass a football to be entered for the chance to win a vehicle.

Participants will stand at one field goal and punt the football as far as they can toward the opposite field goal. They will then pass the football from the exact spot the ball landed on when they punted it. They must then try to kick a field goal from the spot where the ball landed when they passed it. If the participant makes the field goal, he or she will qualify to win a new vehicle from Susanville Auto Center.

Also, from now until the end of August, Susanville Auto Center is donating $75 for every new vehicle purchased and $50 for every used vehicle purchased to the Lassen High School Football Boosters.

Chad Netherly, managing partner at Susanville Auto Center, says he approached the football boosters with the idea and the offer to donate the cars for “Punt, Pass, Kick,” as well as the donations to go along with vehicles purchased between May and the end of August.

“I played high school football, so I personally have an interest in it, but that’s not the only thing. I just think it’s a really good thing for the community,” Netherly said.

The Lassen High School football boosters will decide at which games the contest will be held.

Netherly is looking forward to the upcoming football season and the contest. “It would be cool if somebody won. It would be super exciting,” he said.

According to McMullen, funds donated by Susanville Auto Center with the purchase of cars, as well as funds raised through “Punt, Pass, Kick,” will go toward the renovation of Arnold Field.

All in all, fans of Lassen High School sports have a lot to look forward to in the coming months, especially when it comes to halftime shows and fun ways to support local sports and the high school they love.

For more information on the fundraisers, visit thatsmybrick.com/grizzlypride or email McMullen at donmcmullen@myway.com.