Baseball Season Outlook

by Nick Bell

Orlando Christian Prep has had a very good baseball program in past seasons, posting good records and always showing tremendous improvement... and this season will be no different! Coming off a season with many new and young players, OCP is poised for a breakout year. The Warriors are expecting to compete this year for a district championship, and will take nothing less!

This year's baseball team is lead by seniors Adam Gonzalez and Danny Davis, both of whom offer a veteran presence. They also have a strong junior core in Christian Smith, Nick Bell and Carlos Tavarez. OCP also has some talented younger players such as Jonah Gonzalez, Josue Lopez, Aydan Abalo and many more! 

The Warriors are coached by Coach Cody Hancock, Anthony Deese and Carlos Gonzalez, and they are managed by Michael Schmitt. This strong staff is filled with college and high school baseball experience, as well as years of coaching experience. The OCP coaches strive to put their players in the best position to win and succeed. In addition to coordination and skill, they use the game of baseball as a platform to teach many life lessons, as well. Another goal is to get the players to be able to break things down mentally at high speeds in order to make the correct play.

This season, the Warriors have set high expectations for themselves and the games should be extremely exciting to watch. Baseball games are played on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and sometimes Fridays. Ask a coach or player for a schedule, and stay tuned to the morning announcements, so you can come out and support our team. We wish all our spring sports teams the best luck as their seasons begin!

College Decisions Update, Part 2

by Nick Bell

 At Orlando Christian Prep, our athletics teams strive to be the best, which results in a long list of athletes who will play at the next level.

Continuing our discussion of athletes who have committed to colleges, we have two more students to highlight. Shamar Hill and Jalen Carr two more seniors from our football team headed to college on scholarship. They each are exceptional, both in the classroom and on the field.

Shamar is headed to Norfolk State University to play football, where he will be playing linebacker. Shamar is known for being extremely passionate on the field. He has a high motor that leads to many tackles and big plays, and has instincts for the game that make him a very recruit-worthy athlete. Shamar has attended OCP for two years, where he has developed into quite a player and young man. Beyond sports, Shamar is a diligent learner, securing the GPA needed to be a college-bound athlete and enabling him to make a great impact on his teachers and peers. He is well-liked and respected around the campus. We wish Shamar luck in his future wherever life leads him.

Jalen Carr, or as many know him -- “J Dawg," is a running back who will be attending Illinois State University. Jalen has a work ethic like no other and is considered the hardest worker on the team. He not only trains Monday through Friday, but even on the weekends. He is very fast, running the 40 yard dash at exceptional speeds, and boasts quick reflexes, agile cuts, and consistency. Jalen was a force on the field, and as a result of his hard work received a college scholarship to Illinois State. Jalen boasts a good GPA and works hard in the classroom so he could achieve a goal of his: playing Division I football. Jalen is known as a jokester who loves to have fun, but he knows when to be serious, as is reflected by his grades. He will do great in college and all of us at OCP are cheering him on.

As more seniors decide on their college we will highlight them. Stay tuned for even more highlights of our Warriors' future plans. We at OCP are praying all our seniors to reach their fullest potential and accomplish everything God has planned for them!

OCP Basketball: The Road to States

by Aaron Bass

Our Varsity Basketball Teams, both Girls and Boys, are currently in top-form as they try to reach the State Championship again this year. Our boys are looking to make it a three-peat, having won the FHSAA division 3A boys basketball State Championship for the past two years. 

With new players such as Eric Butler, Christian Rojas and other talented players, the Boys Varsity Team has had a successful season so far, with a record of 18-5. Of those games that are in-district, they are currently undefeated. Coach Treig and his squad will be working hard to get through Regionals and Districts to make it to the RP Funding Center in Lakeland in March!

After having a rough start to the season, the Girls Varsity Team was able to boost their number of wins to 14, winning all five of their in-district games. Our girls continue working hard every day, and have just won districts for the fourth year in a row by defeating Real Life Christian Academy with a score of 66-34! Siarah Brown leads the team and has had an outstanding season with some big performances as she was able to drop 26 points against Rival team Faith Christian and had 22 points in the district final! Siarah is averaging 15 points per game and is definitely someone our opponents are looking out for!

Both the Boys and Girls Varsity Teams will be looking to head to the FHSAA State Championship again this year. The girls have already taken the first step, defeating Bishop McLaughlin in their round one game with a score of 61-18! Our boys are hoping to breeze through their district games, as well, and they they are in great form to do so, having just defeated Atlantic High School.

Be sure to catch a game to support our Varsity Basketball Teams as they journey down another road to States!

Soccer Season Recap

by Aaron Bass

Our Warriors Varsity Soccer Team have just finished up their season after a long 2 months, with a record of 4 wins and 10 losses. First year head coach, Coach Ryan Hopkins, and the players worked hard all season to compete in an extremely competitive district. Help also came from assistant and goalkeeper coach, Coach Poratta, who was able to have a big influence on the Warriors, especially at the end of the season with their big wins. 

The Warriors opened up the season against rivals Faith Christian, where they were missing players such as Aaron Bass, Junior Cesar, and Nick Bell due to eligibility issues and injuries. The game ended in defeat after a hard performance. They then moved on to games against difficult opponents such as Circle Christian and Geneva, where they would narrowly miss out on wins.

After another few unfortunate games where they were unable to come out on the top side of the score, the Warriors had a home game against Osceola Christian, who had been on a winning streak. The game was one sided to the Warriors, and they were able to "mercy rule" Osceola before the 2nd water break, with a final score of 8-0! Two goals each were scored by Danny Davis with brilliant headers, Aaron Bass who found the back of the net from a distance, and Junior Cesar. Additional goals were were a header from Alex Ferrusco and a long shot from Adam Gonzolaz. With five assists, Eldan Lin was one assist away from breaking the district record for the most assists in a single game.

The next game, against Merritt Island Christian, would decide whether the Warriors would be advancing to the district tournament. A goal in the opening 10 seconds of the game from Alex Ferrusco and a hat trick from Eldan Lin allowed the team to qualify for districts two years in a row! Two assists from Aaron Bass and an assist from Danny Davis were crucial in the soccer team's win, with a final score of 4-1!

On Senior Night, our seniors were honored for a great season and for participating this year. This year's seniors were Aaron Bass, Danny Davis, Eldan Lin, Junior Bonfim, Adam Gonzalez and Charles Neiswander! The Warriors played Crooms Academy in an action-packed game, but were unfortunate to lose despite a great performance. Captain Adam Gonzalez commented it was some costly mistakes that kept them from an important win.

The Warriors faced Foundation Academy in the first round of districts, where they were unfortunate to crash out and be knocked out of the playoffs, which was disappointing given the recent wins against Osceola and Merritt Island. 

This year's OCP Soccer Warriors not only learned on the field, but they had learned a lot off of the field, as well. In the end, they were pleased to be able to finish off the season on a high with a couple big performances. Coach Hopkins is delighted with how his players have grown and matured on and off field after all of the challenges they faced this season. Next season, our soccer team hopes to qualify for districts again, but next time finish in a stronger position. Go Warriors!

College Decisions Update

by Nick Bell

Orlando Christian Prep had a very successful football season, and an equally as successful graduating class. Not only were these players exceptional on the field, they were also driven in the classroom, giving many of them the opportunity to continue to play football in college. We'd chose to highlight four of those students today: Connor Edel, Arnell Walker, Monroe Sanderson, and KJ Hodges.

Connor Edel, or as many know him: “the quarterback,” has signed to Ottawa University, which is located in Kansas. He is known as a very quiet leader who is always showing a good example for his teammates. He has attended OCP for two and a half years, playing football for two. Since coming to OCP, he has improved tremendously and left an impact on all those he encountered. Connor will continue to work hard in college and the sky's the limit for him.

Next is Arnell Walker, who signed to the University of Idaho. Arnell is an exceptional athlete who will be playing defensive back at the college level. Unfortunately, his senior season was cut short by an ACL injury, but he will look to come back even stronger as he has already been working hard in physical therapy. Arnell frequently made highlight interceptions, and he struck fear into opposing players. Known around the school as a very respectful student who works hard in the classroom, Arnell has attended and played football for OCP since his freshman year. Arnell is proof that OCP can develop talent at an exceptional level.

Another signee is Monroe Sanderson, who will be attending Mars Hill University to play as a defensive back. Monroe was shifted around through various positions during his time at OCP, but had a breakout year in his senior season, leading the team in interceptions and even having two in the state championship game. Monroe, while at times quiet, is known for being very funny and can really light up a room. He is also a hard worker in the classroom, showing his work ethic. Monroe has worked extremely hard to get to this point, as he did not play much his first two years of high school football, but this work paid off as he has received multiple division II and III scholarship offers. Monroe attended OCP for four years and played football for all of them. We wish Monroe the best of luck in his future!

Finally, we have KJ Hodges, who has committed to attend Fullerton College. KJ is very athletic, being able to play multiple positions on the football field. KJ is also very coachable and picks up on new techniques and systems at an incredible level. KJ has attended OCP for two years and played football for both. He is a hard worker and passionate about his game.

Everyone at OCP is proud of our many exceptional student-athletes, and wishes them the best as they attend their various schools to get an education and one day help change the world. Their college interest shows their solid work ethic was applied to both football training as well as study habits. Let's continue to celebrate our seniors who are planning on going to college, and stay tuned for a follow-up article soon!

OCP's National Honor Society

by Nick Bell

Several students here at Orlando Christian Prep were recently selected for the National Honor Society. This is a major honor for those involved. National Honor Society, or NHS, was created to recognize students beyond just honor roll. It recognizes student who not only are outstanding in the classroom, but also have hearts for service and display good character. The NHS was founded in 1921 to create enthusiasm for scholarship, to stimulate a desire to render service, to promote leadership, and to develop character in the students in upper schools. 

Some of OCP's requirements for NHS are 50 or more community service hours, a 3.0 or better GPA, and no disciplinary referrals. Students who met this criteria then were required to write an essay on why they should be accepted to be in NHS. They also had to obtain three recommendations from teachers. This narrowed down NHS to only those people who were truly deserving and serious about being selected.

This year’s inductees were Jack Wells, Emily Jacobson, Heather Maddux, Erika Baires. Gabe Pizarro, Bryana Miller, Anna Knight, Megan Soucie, Chiana Trabal, Rachel Cameron, Kayla Richard, Eldan Lin, Leo Lin, Nathalie Arango, Jalen Carr, Elizabeth Castro, and Briela Salisbury.

Junior Gabe Pizarro had this to say about what being inducted meant to him, “It meant a lot to me, from my journey as a kid, growing up with a learning disability, repeating a grade, and having doctors say I will be a C student to now proving all of them wrong and being an A/B student.” He also said this about what he plans to do in the future now that he's inducted, “I plan to go to Valencia’s two year program before transferring to UCF to earn a degree in business administration.” He would like to thank God and his family for helping him to overcome various obstacles in life.

Junior Chiana Trabal commented that she was very excited to get in and that it was a real honor to be selected. She wanted to be in NHS to bolster her transcript, as the honor will help her get into college. She plans to attend UCF and attempt to enter their STEM program, for an eventual major in aerospace engineering. She would like to thank Mrs. Millett and anyone else involved in selecting her for this great honor.

Our students were very honored to be selected, as it shows Warrior spirit as well as carries out God’s plan for helping others and being selfless. Next year we hope for even more students to be inducted as it shows what great things are happening here at OCP.

New Teacher Highlight: Mrs. Stefanie Valdes

by Aaron Bass

This week we sat down with one of our new teachers here at Orlando Christian Prep: Mrs. Stefanie Valdes. Mrs. Valdes joined us in November 2018, and is currently teaching a class of 3rd grade students, whom she says she loves to pieces! 

Mrs. Valdes was born in New Jersey but has lived here in Orlando for most of her life. She attended Cypress Creek High School, then Liberty University in Virginia, where she majored in education. Mrs. Valdes felt that God was calling her to be a teacher, and and she has loved every minute of it. She is married and has twin boys who are in the second grade, here at OCP in Mrs. Harrison’s class.

Mrs. Valdes may be new to OCP, but she is definitely not new to teaching. Miss Valdes has been teaching for about thirteen years, having taught at such schools as Pine Castle Christian Academy and Southland Christian School. Be sure to say hi to Mrs. Valdes and welcome her into our Warrior family here at Orlando Christian Prep!