Bryana Bennett
Both teams showed sportsmanship after Cypress swept Foothill
On April 18th, 2025, Cypress Varsity baseball came out with a smashing win against Foothill, with the score ending as 9-1.
In the first inning, Cypress came out strong by scoring two runs, with Paul Dominguez #42 hitting a deep center RBI and Spencer Kwon #1 hitting a shallow line drive to center, scoring an RBI.
In the second inning, Cypress kept up the momentum by scoring three runs. Noah Johnson #25 hit a line drive RBI, and Paul Dominguez #42 hit a line drive triple to deep right field all the way to the fence, scoring the runner on 2nd base, and with the ball out of play, he advanced to home, scoring himself with an inside-the-park home run.
In the fourth inning, Cypress scored one run with Noah Johnson #25 hitting a short-hop RBI.
In the fifth inning, Cypress scored three runs when Tyler Vladic #21 hit a ball to shortstop, and the shortstop made a throwing error, allowing a runner to score. John Short #7 scored off a tag, and Gary Hennessy #23 hit a groundball to right field, scoring an RBI.
Foothill, at the last moment of the game, scored one run, making the score to 9-1 in the sixth inning. Foothill was unable to score again, making it a staggering win for Cypress, ending 9-1.
Fourth-year Varsity utility player senior Short is considered an unofficial “captain” by his baseball teammates. Since junior year, he’s felt like a leader for the team and believes they have a lot of chemistry. Short described how players look out for each other like brothers, and even when they have problems, they always rise above them. Even with incoming sophomores and juniors, they take them in and “show them the ways,” he said.
There is a strong emphasis on how close the Cypress baseball team is, with a family-like aura. Their coach, John Weber, stresses that he doesn’t care what problems they might have; they need to move on because they are a team, and Short agrees. “We have problems but there’s no need to dwell on them because at the end of the day, every day is a new day and you can’t keep dwelling on the same past because you can’t let the past affect the future. You’ve got to live in the moment,” Short stated.
Cypress also has one of the best environments, according to Short. Cypress is a small, close city, and you can feel that in the way that everyone knows each other. After games, everyone says, “Great job,” or ends up at Joe Schmoe’s all eating together. It’s that feeling of family and closeness that really makes a difference. When people show up to support the team, “You play differently knowing there are people supporting you and having your back,” Short stated.
With Weber being renowned as a great coach, many of the players admire that he’s tough on them because the boys want a coach who will keep them accountable and teach them lessons that will last. One quote that has resonated with Short is “one more, no more,” because when playing championship games, a loss means the season is over.
Eleventh-grade Junior Varsity catcher Mason Martinez looks forward to this season. Despite the constant struggles that come with being a junior and the jam-packed schedules for baseball, he has been able to balance schoolwork and baseball well.
He’s been picked up for Cypress baseball ever since freshman year but has been playing baseball since he was a kid. He thinks highly of his team and coaches, enjoying the company of his friends and the motivation of the coaches. The coaches encourage the mindset of taking one game at a time and bringing them together not just as teammates, but as family. “They’re really nice and really brought us together as a team, helping us with our mistakes as a team and teaching us with good discipline,” said Martinez.
He says he owes it to his biggest supporters, his mom, his dad, and his grandparents, for always being there for him.
A lot of the incoming freshmen who make the baseball team have an adjustment period where they have to get used to the new rigor of high school academics as well as the competitive and time-consuming schedule that sports require. The high pressure comes with a lot of amazing moments, as freshman left fielder Austin Crooks said, “It’s about making memories with my friends.” With the amazing environment that sports can provide with “encouraging teammates that motivate you to be better and coaches that are fun and make you work hard and do better,” said Crooks.
Our baseball team at Cypress High is truly special because they aren’t just a team, but a family. They’re taking their season one game at a time and letting nothing bring them down. With the help of their coaches, teammates, discipline, and ambition, nothing will keep them from winning. At the end of the day, baseball is a game, and games are supposed to be fun, and no team exerts that spirit more than the baseball team here at Cypress High School.