2016 Year in Review 2017
KJ Maduike Male athlete of the year (As selected by the school)
Maduike believed for a long time that his would be the class to turn GV football around. As it turns out, the senior running back propelled the Grizzlies toward that goal in 2016. He ran for 1,412 yards and 13 TDs, and Golden Valley made a CIF semifinal in its firstever playoff berth.
Kiara Gunn Female athlete of the year (As selected by the school)
It’d be hard to argue this senior forward didn’t have the best single game of any student-athlete at Golden Valley this year. On Nov. 28, in a non-league game against Highland of Palmdale, Gunn scored all six Grizzly goals in a 6-2 win. She finished with 11 scores, and also made an impact on the track.
It was one of the brightest storylines in all of Santa Clarita Valley sports this year, so it only seemed right to begin a review of Golden Valley with the school’s football team.
The Grizzlies made the playoffs for the first time in program history this year. That, in and of itself, would have been a feat to remember.
Then, of course, Golden Valley narrowly got by Ayala of Chino Hills in the first round. Again, that would have been a nice ending to the year. But, the Grizzlies weren’t done. Golden Valley stomped El Segundo, 28-7, to advance to the CIF-Southern Section Division 7 semifinals, where, frankly, the Grizzlies slammed eventual-champion San Gorgonio of San Bernardino up against the ropes.
But, CIF title or no CIF title (the Grizzlies lost 39-35 in the semis), Golden Valley football sent good vibes throughout a school that’s too often been unfairly judged. Here’s to those vibes reverberating for years to come. While no other sports team from the school made a playoff appearance this year, there were certainly other highlights.
The softball team featured two of the Foothill League’s best players in junior Cassidy Cangemi and sophomore Sophia Medellin.
Cangemi gave Golden Valley a chance in every game with her pitching, both Cangemi’s and Medellin’s bat put fear into opposing pitchers.
Shyann Franklin remained among the league’s best throwers with her work in discus and shot put. She finished first at league finals in the latter, and will be a factor at the league and CIF level for the next two years.
On the boys side, Gabriel Coronado advanced to state in the discus.
The basketball team looked headed for its first Foothill League title since 2010. The team sprinted to a 3-0 start in the Foothill League behind talented players like sophomore Richard Kawakami and seniors Milan Taylor and Josh Jehnings. However, the Grizzlies lost six of their last seven league games to miss the postseason.
The baseball team missed the playoffs, too. But the season had a different feel than in years past. Rival Foothill League coaches said it before league play began: The Grizzlies were not to be taken lightly.
Coach Steve Lombardi resigned after the season, so it will be important that the team’s next coach build on this season’s momentum, a commodity the Grizzlies seem to have a lot of these days.