48 MAY 2017 ARCAD A NEWS By Rachael Bouley Last December the Arcadia All-Stars Flag Football team showed how to find success by putting integrity, teamwork and sportsmanship first. Led by Coach Oscar Calderon, the team took home the championship of the One Sports Nation Grid Iron tournament for the second year in a row. The determined, yet undersized team had its work cut out for it. “Every team they played against had kids a full head taller than they were,” said Pete TeKampe, a youth flag football coach who supports Calderon and the Arcadia All-Stars. “These kids went out there and nobody gave them a chance, but they just banded together and they won it all, and it was so great to see.” The championship team comprised 10 local kids, ages 11 and 12, who spent a full day on the field, playing five games during which they showcased determination and teamwork. The team’s positive attitudes toward their teammates and competitors, were instilled in them by their leader. “Arcadia has become the paragon of what a flag football team should be like. They really emphasize and stress how it’s all about the kids, and how, at this age, winning takes a backseat to things like developing self-confidence and teamwork,” TeKampe said. “They are competitive, but they compete the right way with sportsmanship and conduct themselves with honor. It makes the victory that much sweeter.” Negativity and unsportsmanlike conduct are not accepted on or off the field. “He teaches these kids about being good athletes and citizens. He doesn’t care how good they are, if they swear, he will sit them,” TeKamp added. “It’s no joke when they play for him, and that’s how kids should be coached.” “I feel proud when I see a kid showing respect after a game, because I teach them to respect their teachers, teammates and opponents,” said Calderon. “You have to push yourself to get to the end zone and get that touchdown, and I’m proud when they do.” The team fought hard for its championship while remaining polite and respectful to its opponents and each other. “I told my boys you have to leave your hearts out there and if you make mistakes you have to fix them,” said Calderon. “They played their hearts out, doing everything they could, and we were so happy and excited. They were jumping up and down and celebrating.” The big win exemplified the life lessons Calderon is trying to teach his players. “Hard work and dedication pays off at the end, and that’s what I tell the boys, to keep fighting for what you want.” Arcadia All-Stars blaze path to second championship The Arcadia flag football team celebrates a second consecutive championship in the One Sports Nation Grid Iron tournament. Coach Oscar Calderon stresses selfless play, honor, respect, teamwork and self-confidence in his 11- and 12-year-old players. By Megan Forrester Luke Gressel is the heart and soul of the Veritas varsity basketball team. The Falcons captain’s 16.5 points, 1.7 assists, 1.4 rebounds, 2.7 steals and 3.4 blocks per game all exceed the national average. When looking at these amazing statistics, one might wonder how this well-rounded student athlete has achieved his success. His love of basketball began when he was in third grade. At the time, Gressel devoted himself to the sport of baseball. However, after his family moved to Canada for a while, he determined winter weather is not well suited for baseball. So, he decided to switch to basketball and never look back. One similarity between baseball and basketball is the team aspect, which was just what Gressel was looking for. “I usually don’t like being alone,” said Gressel. “I usually have pretty bad stage fright and I’m kind of a shy person, but it’s a place where you can excel as a team and look good as a team as opposed to an individual.” His love of the sport also comes from his older brother, who played basketball for his high school. “We used to play against each other all the time,” Gressel said. “He was really good at defense and I always wanted to beat him and I could never do it. It just became a fun thing to do that we both became invested in.” Gressel recently received the honor of being named to AZCentral’s All 2A Conference Second Team due to his hard work on the court. Veritas head coach David Flick called Gressel the most complete player on and off the court that he’s coached in 16 seasons. Gressel has worked extremely hard off the court to maintain that balance between sports and school. “Freshman year was really tough,” said Gressel. “I had to quit playing club basketball that year just because of how tough it was to balance school stuff with extracurriculars. But the last couple of years have been pretty smooth sailing.” In his free time, Gressel enjoys photography, graphic design and photo editing. He was also in choir for a few years. He even occasionally still plays baseball for fun. Gressel plans to enroll at Arizona State University, but doesn’t plan to play basketball for the Sun Devils. He said he might try to walk on to the team, but even if he doesn’t, he plans on giving the team his full support. Veritas basketball star Gressel succeeds on and off the court Luke Gressel

49 MAY 2017 Arc A d A News