By Robert Balajadia
A good old fashion run game, hardy defense and a real grind-it-out style has been the recipe behind coach Jimmy Naholowaa’s Sanchez Sharks football team. After going back-to-back with titles in 2012 and 2013, the team hasn’t quite found that same success since.
Sanchez has been affected by a drought in numbers over recent years which gives them a lack of depth with their most important players forced to almost never leave the field.
Even still, the team has produced some of the best talents in the league and are highly regarded as one the best blocking teams in the run game. Returning for their last year are the Toves twins in Kameron and Kameo, but quarterback Jayton Penaflor and new talents like Aiden Lumba breathe some new life to the thinly depth roster.
KEY PLAYERS
Linemen Joshua Relativo and Gavin Bejerana were All Star selections in 2018 and their presence on both sides of the line will give one of the teams newest running backs in Lumba plenty of room to succeed.
Lumba was a standout ball carrier for the Steelers in the GNYFF and he officially makes his high school debut as a sophomore.
Senior captain Joshua Sablan might not look like an offensive linemen, but his versatility to go to war in the trenches and drop back in coverage as a safety make him an irreplaceable piece to the team. Sablan sat down for an interview to highlight the season and how important this season is for the senior dominated bunch.
PHOTO GALLERY BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
Basketball
GUAM MEN’S HOOPS JUMPS TO #73 IN THE WORLD
MMA/Boxing
VIDEO: REMEMBERING KID YAMAMOTO
Running/Track
GECKOS, ISLANDERS SPLIT THURSDAY MEET
Football
FRIARS AIR OUT WIN OVER SHARKS
Volleyball
ROYALS PUSHED TO FIVE SETS IN COUGAR’S DEN
Fitness
KUNG FU SHIFU HAS MALESSO ROOTS
Football
GECKOS PICK UP SECOND STRAIGHT WIN
Football
PANTHERS TAKE OUT ISLANDERS
DID U KNOW?
Kein Artero has a list of who’s who of Artero uncles who’ve starred in Guam’s gridiron: Andre Artero UOG Tritons & Hals Angels OL, Bubba Artero UOG Tritons & Hals Angels OL, Kenny Artero SSHS DB/Baseball Pitcher, Jesse Sablan FD & Hals Angels FB, Roland San Nicolas FD & Hals Angels OL, Chuck Ada SSHS & Hals Angels DB, Ed “Rock” Artero SSHS & Hals Angels MLB, “Wild” Bill Ada FD & Hals Angels ML, Jared Ada FD & Hals Angels WR/Utility
QUICK HITS
Dana Holmes is the new UOG men’s head basketball coach. In the last two years, he was a coach at FBLG Middle School and most recently a PE teacher at GW.
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Pro triathlete Mieko Carey finished third in XTERRA Japan on Sunday in a time of 3:43:02. Her career was on hiatus for a couple of years raising her twin children. It’s safe to say the 40-year-old is back in top form. Congratulations Mieko san!
