San Gabriel High School gives its students an exciting opportunity to participate in Advanced Placement courses. Most test takers at this school pass at least some or all of their exams – an encouraging sign for any school!
Students attending this school are well prepared academically for college. They often excel on English/Language Arts state tests.
Matadors Football
The Matadors participated in varsity football from 1962 to 2001, winning three conference championships along the way and appearing once in California’s Junior Rose Bowl as part of an intercollegiate tournament between their state champion and another collegiate team from a different state or country.
Sam Winningham established Valley State’s program in 1963 as its head coach, serving for twenty-two years until 1967. At that time, they competed as part of the Southern California Athletic Conference (SCAC). Many talented Matador players went on to play college ball; among these was quarterback Bruce Lemmerman, who set numerous NCAA records – including having more career touchdown passes and passing yards than anyone else during that era.
Lemmerman was not only a talented player but an exceptional teacher and leader as well. He played an integral part in shaping the development of many of his school’s top athletes while serving as a role model to his players. Lemmerman emphasized the value of disciplined hard work both inside the classroom and on the field while encouraging each of his students to set high personal standards for themselves.
Lemmerman was an exceptional coach who created an environment that fostered academic achievement and community involvement. His players took pride in being Matadors and participated fully in the program he founded; his legacy will live long in memory among those lucky enough to call him their coach.
Even without their regular running back, the Matadors looked impressive in their Lamorinda Bowl victory against Campolindo. Senior wide receiver Sutter Lindberg and junior running back Ryan Anderson each turned in strong performances while their defense held an undefeated opponent to only one point for just the first time in CIF history!
The SGHS Matadors achieved great things this year due to the support from friends, family, alumni, and community members. Alhambra Educational Foundation (AEF) is raising funds so all players and coaches on the team receive CIF Championship rings as soon as possible.
Matadors Soccer
The Matadors come into Big West play with only four wins, but their resume speaks for itself. Starting off September with wins over then-No. 12 San Diego State and UCLA Westwood, then in front of an all-red home crowd against Cal State Fullerton with an exciting back-and-forth goal-fest where they emerged victorious 5-4 is truly impressive.
Forward Sagi Lev-Ari and midfielder Beto Velasquez have both been honored with selection to the All-Big West First Team for scoring 11 goals this year and are tied for second in league scoring, respectively. Lev-Ari recorded two assists against Titans, while Velasquez registered both goals and assists against UC Santa Barbara, a 3-1 win. CSUN also earned midfielder Chris Smith and defender Pol Schonhofer Bartra All-Big West Second Team recognitions, respectively.
After the break, CSUN opened up their attack down the left wing, which resulted in a corner kick. Although cleared initially, possession was quickly gained back and moved back downfield until eventually reaching Ayala, who leaped up and headed in her chance at goal from near post cross.
The Matadors continued their attacks throughout the remainder of the match but were unable to break past Fullerton’s goalkeeper, Joe Zeller. Late in the contest, Ledoux attempted a long-range drive, which was stopped by an outstanding diving save from Zeller before Fullerton won a direct free kick at the top of the penalty arc, and their initial shot struck off of the crossbar before time ran out.
Ledoux collected it and attempted a line drive that would have won, only for it to be saved by Zeller diving off his line and out of bounds. On Saturday, at home against Bakersfield, they will look to replicate their impressive defense that saw off Fullerton.
Matadors Lacrosse
The Matadors made their season debut a triumphant one by taking down Sweetwater Red Devils on Thursday. A 7-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Matthew Barton to Jeremiah Castillo put Mount Miguel ahead quickly before capitalizing on an error by Sweetwater when their punt snap went over their kicker’s head, and Aaron Carter from Mount Miguel recovered it for them.
The game started as an offensive battle until midway through the second quarter, when both defenses started making key stops. At that point, the Matadors managed to create another scoring drive, which eventually reached their red zone with less than two minutes left in halftime. Each team began jostling for a position there before finally running out the clock for their first win of 2018.
In addition to football, the Matadors also boast an outstanding lacrosse program in the Grossmont Valley League. Boasting some of the top players and coaches from around San Diego County, their history of success speaks for itself – they won six straight conference championships over recent years! This season will bring more challenges as the Matadors look for even more success by trying for seven!
Sherdrick Bonner stands out among his peers at CSUN as an exceptional student-athlete by participating in multiple sports at once. As an exemplary junior, he earned letters on three teams – basketball for Matadors as a guard, volleyball as a middle blocker, and track and field as a high jumper. Thanks to coaching from football coach Pat Degnan and basketball coach Pete Cassidy, he became one of the most celebrated multi-sport athletes ever at school.
Bodhi English, who led Granada High to a 13-7 record this past season, has announced his intentions to join the University of Vermont at Lyndonville men’s lacrosse team and study Data Science there. Additionally, he’s an active member of Livermore Phantom and Team NorCal lacrosse clubs in California.
Matadors Volleyball
Kevin Encinas made a shock announcement that he would step down as coach of the Matadors football team in San Gabriel. While some were taken aback, those familiar with him knew he wanted to leave on a high note after leading them to their best season ever in school history and wanting to end his time in that role on top.
The Matadors have just earned themselves an impressive victory against Yavapai in conference play, yet there’s still work left for them to do before making the postseason. Tied with Central Arizona for third place in the Valley, they need to win four more games over their final four weeks to clinch an appearance in postseason play – which should prove straightforward considering they face such an easy schedule over that span.
As part of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, which is required of all eleventh-graders by state law, San Gabriel High students take Smarter Balanced assessments in English/language arts and mathematics as part of CAASPP. These tests measure whether students are prepared to graduate high school and enter college successfully – we examine which percentage score proficient or above in both subjects.
However, disciplinary referrals or arrests are more severe actions that may lead to suspension from school. These types of incidents usually relate to behaviors that place other students or staff members at risk and were reported at San Gabriel High in the 2011-2012 school year alone: four law enforcement referrals and four school arrests occurred there.
On Friday, CSUN will travel to Long Beach State for their second match of October before hosting UC San Diego and traveling for competitions at Long Beach State, UC Irvine, and Cal State Fullerton to close out October. For more information about any upcoming matches, visit our volleyball live score page; additionally, they’ll begin Big West play against Fresno State (September 1) and Hawaii (Sept 29).
