Understanding the journey from JV to Varsity connects to Redwood because handling pressures and stresses well makes resilience and overcoming adversity. This story matters because it encourages commitment and dedication, and also helps prepare for future challenges and generations.
By: Jonathan Flores
Photo J.Flores/Gigantea
Max Gonzalez, ’26, is a Defensive lineman on the varsity football playerteam. He said that his journey from JV to varsity football helped “influence my personal growth by getting to know my teammates on another level and getting to know the coaches on another level as well.”
Some specific challenges that Gonzalez had to face was “every level of football gets harder and harder every year and just working hard and practicing every day gets me across that barrier.”
What helped Gonzalez get where he is today was the JV cultivation that helped him get the mindset and varsity success was “just like I said before practicing over and over and getting the fundamentals down, and then varsity year knowing how to do everything off the top of my head, that will help a lot with your varsity experience.”
The encouragement Gonzalez would give a JV player to make varsity is “just don’t give up, try your best and once you get it down it’s the easiest thing to do.”
Gonzalez favorite memory from his JV to Varsity journey is, “all the team dinners after games. The team dinners were the best, and Cowhide week was a good feeling to have.”
Photo J.Flores/Gigantea
Graycie Serpa, ’26, is a forward on the varsity girls soccer team. Serpa said her season was “pretty good, and I think I could have improved on my touch.”
and she said her journey from JV to varsity soccer helped “influence her personal growth by the difference between being on JV her freshman year and I feel the the difference is the competitiveness and she feels it made her a better player overall.”
Some specific challenges that Serpa had to face were, “playing time and I just worked hard at practice” also what helped Serpa cultivate the mindset and successful player she is today is “being a leader in JV soccer made me a better player [on] varsity.”
The advice Serpa would give a JV player to make varsity soccer is “too work hard and don’t give up” what Serpa’s favorite memory from her JV to varsity journey is “starting on varsity for my first time.” Serpa’s favorite part of her JV to varsity journey was “growing as a player.”
Jonathan Flores
Tags: rangers, Redwood, redwood gigantea, redwood high school, redwood journalism, redwood jv, redwood JV sports, redwood rangers, redwood sports, redwood varsity, redwood varsity sports, rhs, rhs jv, rhs JV sports, rhs varsity, rhs varsity sports, visalia ca
