The Valley Chronicle - Valley League Winter roundupng

To all those young readers who aspire towards greatness but have doubts about their talent relative to their age: read this and be inspired. The San Jacinto valley’s six middle schools gave their young athletes the chance to shine in the Valley League’s 2019 Winter sports season. The teams had shined bright on Feb. 14. In Boys Soccer, the Dartmouth Knights went up against the North Mountain Huskies on Knights’ turf. The game would tie 2-all after regulation time, with the Knights besting the Huskies in overtime, 3-2. In Girls Basketball, the Diamond Valley Lady Diamondbacks hosted the Dartmouth Knights, and ended up piercing the Knights’ armor with a score of 48-22. In Boys Basketball, North Mountain took on the Acacia Cougars at Acacia Middle, fought them like cats and dogs, and took the championship 42-32. Valley League athletic director Jim Wiesen was at each game and saw it all go down. “Each game was very competitive. The games had it all, great crowds, a lot of excitement, good sportsmanship and great competition! The boys soccer championship came down to overtime, with Dartmouth winning with penalty kicks. The boys basketball had the huge underdog North Mountain upsetting the undefeated Acacia team. The best was the girls basketball game with undefeated Diamond Valley beating a good Dartmouth team.” North Mountain Athletic Director Jessica Pennington echoed Wiesen’s sentiment: “The Boys Basketball Championship game was a nail-biter as the Acacia Cougars fought hard against the North Mountain Huskies. In the end, it was the Huskies who played their best game of the season and beat Acacia to become the 2019 Valley League Champs. It was a great season for all the teams, but a huge congratulations to North Mountain!” According to Wiesen, all the games had great support with families, friends, teachers, and administration. “One of the great moments was at the end of the girls basketball game; both teams got together and took a group picture. I was very proud of the sportsmanship” he says. Diamond Valley coach Rochelle Reese was equally proud: “I want to thank all the students, parents, administrators, and staff who shared their time and enthusiasm. Thank you for helping make this season special. I am especially proud of my student-athletes for their hard work. They enjoyed big victories as the team went undefeated. The Diamond Valley girls’ basketball team was truly successful and as one of their coaches, I was fortunate to have been a part of it.” So there you have it, boys and girls: you can achieve what you set your mind to. It just takes time, effort, determination and perspiration. Just remember to have a good-smelling deodorant for the perspiration.