Stockton- With the beginning of school upon us, it is that time of the year for our thrilling fall sports. From the months of August to October, sports such as football, water polo, women’s flag football, dance, volleyball, women’s tennis, cheer, women’s golf, and cross country are being played. Our students have worked hard to prepare for the upcoming season and are ready to give it all they have got!
Football
Starting off strong is our Varsity Football team, which finished the 2023 fall season with a record of 6-5. Our junior varsity and freshman teams both had substantial years with good turnouts. This year their team is being led by Senior Jordin Thomas, who is one of their four captains and is the 2023-2024 season rushing yards leader, as well as their sophomore starting quarterback Julian Perez. While every year the most anticipated game of the season is against home town rivals St. Mary’s, Perez said he was most excited to play Edison as he is hoping to give them a game they are not expecting. When asked his mindset for the upcoming season, he stated, “My mindset going into this season is to prove everyone wrong.” It is time to put the Trojans’ hard work to use. They played their first home game on August 23rd against Downey and lost in a heartbreaker, 34-28. However, they are ready to bounce back and face the challenges ahead and are hoping for the support of fans who will pack the bleachers full with their support!
Dance
Another highly competitive team at our school is our dance team. This squad contains 13 girls who dance at all of Lincoln High School football and basketball games. Along with school functions, they also compete in competitions as well as participate in camps. This past summer, the team took part in a camp called the “USA Dance Program,” which holds camps and competitions all over the West Coast. At the end of their three-day program, two of Lincoln’s very own dancers, Marissa Yu and Kylynn Burkum, were named All-American dancers for the program. These girls have worked hard to prepare for the upcoming season and are ready to showcase their talent. Be sure to watch out for these high-level dancers at one of our home football games this season.
Water Polo
Next up are our boys and girls water polo teams. Both teams had a solid performance from both boys and girls of all levels. This year they started their season off with all levels playing Oakdale on the 29th of August. Natalie Gregory, a returning junior who is playing on Varsity this year, spoke about her experiences and what she is looking forward to for the upcoming season. She claimed she was very excited for the upcoming season and getting to reunite with her teammates again. When asked how she felt about fans coming out to watch games, her remarks were, “I always love the support. My favorite is when friends come out; it is super fun to have a good support system.” With a tough schedule ahead, they will continue to put in the work needed. Make sure to go check out our wonderful teams this upcoming fall season!
Girls’ Golf
With a good start to their season so far, our girls’ golf team has had wonderful success on the fairway! While women’s golf begins a little later than other sports, this has not stopped them from preparing for their upcoming events with lots of dedication and diligence. They have a record of 2 wins and 1 loss, with their most recent win being against crosstown rivals St. Mary’s, the overall score being 242-261. For this game, Kellen Waters, a junior at Lincoln was picked as the Lincoln Player of the Match. Be sure to check out some of their tournaments, which are held at Brookside Country Club in Stockton.
Girls’ Tennis
Another girls’ sport for the fall season is our varsity tennis team. This year the team will be led by Ela Gil and Reece Asuncion. Last year the girls had a wonderful season with an overall record of 15-1. This year, Tatyana Wong, one of the group’s main singles players, is ready to have an exciting season as she is in her last year of playing since she is a senior. She said she was very determined to play Tracy High’s number 1 singles, as she is a tough opponent and a great friend. In the upcoming weeks, be sure to check out Tatyana and all the talented players the Lincoln girls tennis team has to offer.
Cheer
Along with all of our amazing teams this year, we have our spirited squad of cheerleaders. Ranging from all three levels, just like the dance team, they cheer at football and basketball games, as well as compete in several competitions throughout the year. This past summer, Lincoln’s cheerleaders put in lots of work by participating in two different camps. One was the Universal Cheerleaders Association, which helped them sharpen their stunts. They next went to a camp at University Cheer Force, where they learned and rehearsed new routines for the upcoming season. At one of our many football home games this season, make sure to stick around at halftime and watch your Trojan cheerleaders!
Girls Volleyball
This fall our girls volleyball are setting into the new season and ready to give it all they got. These girls compete at all three levels and have been practicing since summer conditioning to get ready for what’s ahead. The Varsity girls had their first tournament on the 24th of August at Edison High School where they got 4th place and played extremely hard. All levels had their first game on the 4th of September at East Union where they put up great fights and played with all they had. Speaking about her time on Varsity as a junior and now heading into senior year is hitter Ruby Height. She claimed she was very excited because it is her last season and she has been looking forward to it since she first started playing volleyball. Height also stated, “This season I’m looking forward to my senior night. I’m excited because it will be very special!” Senior Night will be on October 22nd against St. Mary’s. Make sure to stay tuned for the schedule of when game days are, and come support our volleyball girls this season.
Flag Football
Our newest sport at Lincoln High School is Girl’s Flag Football. This will be their second year of play, and they are looking forward to a good year. They will be led by Head Coach Kai Garcia and Captains Monet “Mo” Dunham, Mariana “Bella” Henderson, and Alicia Delgado. To speak about the upcoming season is Varsity Player Jayla Buzo. Her remarks on the topic of her mindset for the upcoming season were, “My mindset for the upcoming season is to have fun and to expand my athleticism. I joined the Girls Flag Football team because I wanted to get back in shape and be more involved with my school.” With the excitement of a new sport on campus, the girls went into their game ready to compete in their first event, which was the 24th of August at the Manteca High Tournament where they lost a close game against Manteca High School 31-26. Lookout for upcoming home games, and be sure to go and support our newest sport on campus.
Cross Country
Our final sport of the fall season had an amazing finish to their year last year, with boys and girls of both Junior Varsity and varsity levels placing in the top three for TCAL’s and three out of the four receiving first place! This would have to be our extremely fast and talented cross-country team. These athletes are led by Head Coach Colin Hohn, who helps them develop skills to complete long-distance races. Many of our athletes from last year had the chance to attend the Section Championships, some even breaking school records from previous years. This squad of runners is competing in their first meet on the 24th of August, with both boys and girls attending. If you are interested in watching your fellow peers compete this season, be sure to check out Lincoln High School’s athletic website for more information on meets.
All our athletes competing in fall sports have shown true sportsmanship and are ready to put all of their dedication and effort to work with their upcoming games, tournaments, and many events. We are very proud of all they have accomplished and will do by the end of the season. Be sure to check out some of these sports and go show support to our fellow Trojan athletes!
