DOWNEY – The Warren High School girls’ basketball team has had a busy summer. Coach Palmer and her team continue to work out in the Warren High Gym in the afternoon and play in previously scheduled summer league games and tournaments. 

The Lady Bears did some traveling this summer and recently returned from Oregon where they competed against some of the best basketball talent on the west coast. The Lady Bears played well, learned alot and had fun in their trip to the north. 

Warren will be wrapping up their summer basketball program the last part of July and will observe their C.I.F. mandated “dead period” in August before school starts for all student-athletes on Wednesday, August 17.

First year junior varsity coach Franny Vaaulu continues to hold workouts in the morning for her players. Vaaulu, a former basketball standout at Warren and recent Utah State graduate, is enjoying her time this summer coaching at her alma mater. 

Vaaulu graduated with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from USU and looks to pursue a Master’s Degree shortly. Franny is looking forward to coaching and all the fun and challenges that this will bring. 

Coach Palmer, her staff and players are all looking forward to the start of the 2016-17 school year and winter basketball season.

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The Downey High School girls’ basketball program has had a busy summer playing in and hosting tournaments. 

The varsity team has played in summer leagues at Downey High as well as Westminster High. The Lady Vikings also played in weekend tournaments at Citrus College, North High and two local Best in the West tournaments. 

The Lady Vikings finished the Citrus College Tournament with a 3-1 record, the North High Tournament with a 3-1 record and the local Best in the West Tournaments with records of 3-1 and 4-0, respectively. This past weekend Downey defeated St. Joseph’s of Santa Maria in the championship game of the Best in the West Tournament despite being shorthanded. 

Coach Harris sees the summer basketball schedule as an opportunity for student-athletes to gain experience in game situations as they are practicing their skills and having fun. Many of the Lady Viking players also play on travel teams that play in tournaments in the southern California area as well as across the country. 

When these players are playing with their travel teams it gives other players in the Downey program an opportunity to step up and get valuable game time experience.

Downey will return several key players this season. Sophomore Surie Camacho, seniors Lynette Garcia and Danise Herrington all return with more experience and skill. Other key returners include senior Naelene Garcia and junior Priscilla Arenciba. Top newcomers include sophomore Alyssa Nevarez and freshman Ilani Avila.

Coach Harris sees this team as being very deep and likes the talent in the lower level programs as well. Harris will focus on conditioning and skill development in the fall as they prepare for the winter basketball season. Coach Harris, his staff and players are all looking forward to the start of the 2016-17 basketball season.  

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The Downey High School wrestling program has had two significant changes from a year ago. 

This year practices have been moved to the Columbus High School gym due to the construction taking place at Downey High and to the wrestling room. Second, the girls’ wrestling program has began their first season of competition and 25 girls have regularly attended practices.

The returning wrestlers have been practicing from 9-11 a.m. The girls have been practicing from 12-2 p.m. and the incoming boys have been practicing from 2-4 p.m. 

The returning wrestlers started their summer camp on Monday, June 13 and the upstart girls and freshmen boys started their camps on June 20. All three wrestling groups ended their summer programs yesterday.

The varsity wrestlers participated in the Clovis scrimmage Friday and Saturday June 24-25. Some of the best wrestlers in the state were in attendance. Downey also traveled to Atwater, in northern California. The Atwater team camp was in mid July and also featured some of the state’s best competition. Instruction was given by an Olympic silver medalist as well as three NCAA champions. 

Downey wrestlers Dilan Ajtun, Roland Dominguez and Armando Padilla wrestled in the Atwater all-star summer dual where they each won their respective matches.  

The Downey wrestling program will now start their C.I.F. mandated “dead period.” There will be no formal practices for the rest of the summer. All Downey High wrestlers will begin their fall semester on Wednesday, August 17. 

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The Warren High School boys’ tennis team has been working out this summer in preparation for their 2016-17 season. 

Warren earned a C.I.F. championship in 2015 and are currently rebuilding to get back to that level of play. The Bears will be led this season by juniors Edson Pinzon and Alex Gutierrez. Both players have improved since last season and will anchor a young Bear team.

The Bears had three weeks of practices this summer where they worked out twice a week. Warren held practices on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Warren tennis courts. Additional workouts were also held on Fridays and many players continue to practice and work out on their own at local tennis courts. 

Coach Scot Homer is pleased with the progress his team has made and really hopes to spark a tennis interest in incoming athletes who have never played competitive tennis before. 

The Warren boys’ tennis program is currently in their C.I.F. mandated “dead period” and will not have any more team workouts before the fall semester begins for all student-athletes on Wednesday, August 17. 

The 2016-17 pre-season will begin the last week in February and S.G.V.L. matches will begin in March. Cross-town rival Downey is the 2016 league champion and Gahr has the best individual player returning from a year ago. 

Coach Homer sees Downey and Gahr as the league teams to beat. Homer, his staff and players are looking forward to the upcoming year and competing for a S.G.V.L. championship.