On May 13, the baseball team headed across town to compete with the Warren Bears and won with a score of 12-8, defeating the opposition. The team had several home runs giving them a strong finish. In return, the team became SGVL Champs of 2010 and advanced to CIF.

The game wasn’t all too easy as the team had lost the prior game against Warren: 4-9. They had to make sure that this match was a win for them. If they lost, both Warren and Downey would have shared the honor of a league title, but the Vikings played strong and defeated the Bears.

“We came together and we put our differences aside,” Jared Gibson said, “we stopped the individual feelings and worked as a team.”

Winning this league title gives the team a sense of accomplishment.

“It means everything in the world to us,” Josh Guerra said, “it shows that all the hard work has paid off.”

The final game of the season determined their position in league. The spectators in the stands went crazy but the team kept cheering for one another with optimism.

“It was great to see everyone so pumped up,” Franz Jacinto said, “it gave us more confidence as we played.”

Gaining this league title wasn’t easy. Several players were entirely new to the varsity level, and the addition of new, tougher schools led them through a bumpy road.

“It was really tough this year,” Gibson said, “ These new schools added to league were challenging and many teams improved.”

Overall, the baseball team is proud to have finished their season with a bang. From the tougher competitions, to the new young team, they competed well with self-determination. They worked together, they trained and they all accomplished their goal.

“I am proud of my athletes and of my team,” Coach Wade said. “They did what they had to and they played the game they all love.”

The team soon continued playing in the preceding CIF championships and played well. The first game was a victory against University High School with a score of 9-3. The second round was a challenge for the team as Bonita High School defeated the Vikes 2-1. The baseball team finished their season with a 2-round CIF challenge.

Regardless of their defeats, this year there is one more thing that can be added to the Bell Tower athletics plaque as the Viking baseball team becomes the SGVL champs of 2010.