Seniors Share a Piece of their Last Season here at Redwood

As the season comes to an end, senior football players and cheerleaders share one quote-a collection of memories, gratitude, and pride from the class of 2025.

By: Ariana Lopez Salguero and Adriana Soria-Rosales

Aeris Barnes, ‘26, shares the memorable times as she looks back remembering “being on the sidelines and creating so many memories with friends, from team dinners to away games.” She says, “I’ll miss all our funny moments and having friends to lean on.”

Jacqueline Schneider, ‘26, shared that what she will remember most about cheerleading is “Definitely Cowhide Week, it’s a great time for football and cheer to all come together.”

Ava Skoglund, ‘26, said that she will “definitely miss being on the sidelines during football games.” She hopes younger cheerleaders “have fun with everything they do and don’t get discouraged if they mess up.”

Skylar Crisanto, ‘26, “I’ll miss cheering on the sidelines with my friends during football games and Friday nights,” Crisanto shared. “It’s always fun.”

Chelsea Vela, ‘26, “It feels kind of sad going into our last Cowhide,” Vela said. “I’ve cheered with these girls since freshman year; it’s been a tradition that kept going every year.”

Jenna Tafoya, ‘26, hopes that the younger girls will learn the importance of team bonding. “There is really no team if you can’t get along; that’s just a really important part.”

Skylyn Coppola, ‘26, says, “Cheerleading taught me what commitment is; it’s also taught me how to be a member of the Redwood community.”

April Morales, ‘26, feels very excited yet sad that it’s her last year. Morales says, “I’m happy to end with this group of girls and keep the tradition strong.”

Daniel Bellito, ‘26, shares his favorite football memory from this season, saying, “beating Golden West was a really big win. The whole team was excited, it was intense and fun.” He added that this season taught him discipline and the importance of showing up, even when it’s hard.

Matt Soto, ‘26, says “This season I learned that even when things get hard, it always helps to stick with it and not give up.” One of his favorite memories was beating Centennial, a historic win two decades in the making.

Max Gonzalez, ‘26, shared that his proudest moment was “keeping my teammates in check and helping them with what they needed.” Gonzalez said, “Beating Golden West was also special, it’s my home school, so that win meant a lot.”

Jack Volchko, ‘26, says that one thing he will take away from this season is “all the hard work that goes into football, not everything’s glamorous. You have to put in the effort before you see the reward.”

Jordan Anaya, ‘26, shares that the one thing he will take away from football is “learning how to be a part of a team, it taught me how to work with others and be friendly.”

Parker Oneal, ‘26, encourages next year’s seniors to “keep pushing through things that are hard and keep growing as a team,” Oneal said. “The friends and teammates you make now will stay with you.”

Jimmie Burk, ‘26, recalls his favorite memory of the season being the game against El D, where he “broke the single-game rushing record.”

Michael White, ‘26, shared that what he learned about himself from this season was, “That I could keep pushing through because last season wasn’t really my greatest season.” White also shared, “I was on the bench last year, but now I’m a starting linebacker.”

Luke Sanchez, ‘26, says as he moves on to the next chapter of his life, he will carry forward “Overcoming adversities and the hard work that plays into it, and the determination. Because early morning workouts aren’t the easiest, so it’s just the consistency.”

Mark Saesee, ‘26, shares that his proudest moment came not from a game, but from what happened off the field: “My proudest moment was definitely off the field, being in the film room with the offensive guys, just going over stuff.”

Damian Avila, ‘26, shared that his favorite memory from the football season was, “When I got the sack against Golden West, and I did my dance.”

Marcus Medrano, ‘26, shared his favorite memory from the football season: “My favorite memory was beating Golden West. I know Mt. Whitney is our rival, but that game against Golden West was a lot more emotional and personal.”

Ramon Flores, ‘26, shared that as he moves into the next chapter in his life, he will take away, “Is the learning experience of always being disciplined and knowing that there’s always going to be challenges.”

Matthew Ramos, ‘26, would like to share with next year’s seniors, “Don’t take any moment for granted, never stop working, and never stop pushing, because this is your last year, and the season goes by very fast.”

Jordan Arreola, ‘26, would like to say to next year’s seniors, “Don’t take it for granted and enjoy every moment of it.”

Andres Sanchez, ‘26, shared what his favorite memory from the season was: “Definitely beating Golden West, energy was through the roof, and there was definitely a lot of competition during that game.”

Brody Preisendorf, ‘26, wanted to share with next year’s seniors, “Don’t take this season lightly because as a senior your season will go by fast, and you’ve got to take every second you get to play ball.”

Antonio Sanchez, ‘26, says what he will take away from football as he moves on in life, “It definitely makes you work harder for stuff, and it’s always just given me a strive for excellence kind of mindset.”

Balam Sanchez, ‘26, shared what his favorite memory from his senior season was: “Playing against Golden West, it was a very fun game, and the energy was intense.”

Antonio Sanchez, ‘26, says what he will take away from football as he moves on in life, “It definitely makes you work harder for stuff, and it’s always just given me a strive for excellence kind of mindset.”

Nathan Wallace, ‘26, shared his favorite memory from football season: “The team dinners and bonding with teammates, I made a lot of friends that I didn’t have before.”

Ryan Powers, ‘26, shares what his favorite memory from the season was: “Definitely the improvement from last year, with everything, especially being the offensive line and showing that we can compete at a high level.”

Sebastien Rodriguez, ‘26, shared that he definitely learned from Coach Allen and him being the new coach that, “It’s more than just football, and we gotta commit to the team, not just in football, but outside of football as well.”

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