Looking back on the past few months, Grossmont High School Foothillers have much to celebrate, symbolized by “Dancing through the Decades 1950s-2000s”, an ASB sponsored dance at UCSD Price Center on Dec. 3, with an enthusiastic crowd enjoying every minute.

During the first semester, the students and staff of GHS have welcomed the return to a sense of normalcy.

NJROTC

Senior Naval Science Instructor CWO3 Velasquez, USN (Ret), proudly shares, “The Unarmed Exhibition Drill team placed third place at the USS Midway Museum Exhibition Drill competition, which is an exhibition drill competition with the teams performing a six to eight minute length drill routine. The routines involve intricacies that display the team’s level of difficulty. Competing against 12 other schools from Area 11, our drill team won third place in the Unarmed Exhibition Drill Event with a routine they had only learned two weeks prior to the Midway. Quite the accomplishment!”

The drill team also placed third in the Overall Athletics category at the Pacifica High School Field Meet event, in which our team competed against 15 other NJROTC units from Area 11, with teams from Southern California and Arizona. Their trophy recognized their achievements in two races, the 16×100 Shuttle Race and the 8×220 1 mile relay. With the combined scores of those two races and other athletic events, the team took home the 3rd place Overall Athletics Event trophy.”

Girls tennis

Girls varsity tennis player Ashley Smith recently finished an illustrious career at GHS. Smith is a four-year varsity tennis player who remarkably qualified for CIF all four years, qualifying in singles, doubles, mixed doubles.

As Coach Hillary Park shares, “It’s very rare to do that.” This year Smith won two rounds of CIF individual singles.

All four years Smith was named to First Team All-League for the Hills League. In 2021 she was awarded the Sportsmanship Award for the Hills League. This year, Smith won the Hills League tournament in singles and was named the League’s MVP.

Smith’s 2022 teammates honored her with the Players’ Award, given to the player who best represented positive qualities in a teammate: leadership, support, sportsmanship, responsibility, dependability, someone they felt they could count on. At their banquet, Smith was also given the $500 Girls Tennis Scholarship, which honors past player Stacey Kent, and which is the most prestigious award given at their banquet.

Coaches Park and Wayne Eddington share, “On a more personal note, as coaches we knew that Ashley would always represent our school in a positive manner.” She will be missed.

Girls golf

Congratulations to Grossmont Girls Golf Team and Coach Jim Earley for winning the Valley League, with a league record of 5-1.

GHS student athlete Annabell Van Cotthem was selected Valley League Golf MVP, and teammate Erica Freeman was the Grossmont Conference Golf Tournament Champion. Freeman’s name now appears on the GUHSD perpetual plaque hanging in the GHS office lobby, a plaque which also honored her sister as the conference MVP in 2021. Quite a family golf tradition.

Girls volleyball

According to first-year coach Grace Campbell, “This year’s team adapted to new changes and a new coaching style as they entered the 2022 season. The 2022 season was a success; we won a Valley League championship. Two players, Isabel Curtin and Auvia Washington, made 1st team All-League.” Campbell was selected Grossmont Valley Coach of the Year, leading the team to Grossmont HS’s 12th League Girls Volleyball Championship.

Boys cross country

The year’s team had another historic season. The varsity team competed in the Sweepstakes Race at the Woodbridge Invitational and the Mt. SAC Invitational, two of the most prestigious invitationals in the country, which include the top teams from California and some from around the country.

The boys team won the HOKA Postal Nationals Southern California Region Race, a unique race that is a two-mile race on a track and is towards the end of the season when everyone is in shape.

The team was undefeated in Grossmont League dual meets, winning back to back Hills League titles. Ian Rosen was Hills League Champion. Russel Blakely, Mason Coyle, and Josh Edwards were selected All-League.

Finally, the team won the 2022 San Diego CIF Division II championship with Russel Blakely named 1st team All-CIF; Ian Rosen, 2nd team All-CIF; Josh Edwards and Mason Coyle were CIF Medalists. Amazingly, the team recorded their second CIF Division II Championship, having also won also in 2021.

These extra-curricular experiences and achievements enrich Grossmont’s students’ and staffs’ lives and contribute to the great pride Foothillers feel for their school and its tradition of excellence.

For information about Foothiller history and the GHS Museum, email Connie and Lynn at [email protected] or leave a message at (619) 668-6140. Enjoy learning more about Foothillers, past and present, on our website: foothillermuseum.com.

– Connie and Lynn Baer write on behalf of the Grossmont High School Museum.