When Jaslene Massey smiles, it’s contagious. You need to return the smile. She has a effervescent persona that encourages observe and subject followers to cheer for her to succeed.
Within the shotput, she has developed into the favourite to win a state championship. She gained the Orange County championships with a mark of fifty ft, 7 inches. She’s the primary California highschool woman to surpass 50 ft since 2016.
Final week she gained the Arcadia Invitational. On Saturday, she gained on the Mt. SAC Relays. She completed second final 12 months within the Southern Part Masters Meet at 46 ft and third within the state championship after being a excessive jumper as a freshman.
“It’s definitely come as a shock to me,” stated Massey, a junior who has a 4.4 grade-point common. “Last year I thought I was going to go 47 feet. Now I want to keep working.”
She deserves to be thought-about the most effective feminine athletes in Southern California, as a result of she’s additionally a standout volleyball participant and was a youth determine skater. Her athleticism has been put to good use within the shotput, one thing she had not performed till highschool.
“She’s so strong and explosive,” her membership coach, Mike O’Dell, stated.
O’Dell first noticed her at a meet and went to her mother and father to supply help. “I saw her throw a shotput like it was a three-pointer,” he stated.
She’s 5 ft 9 with lengthy arms, making her a superb match for the occasion.
“Being long really helps,” stated Sherman Oaks Notre Dame throwing coach Nick Garcia.
O’Dell helped revise Massey’s coaching, together with within the weight room.
“The way I weightlifted completely changed,” she stated. “I was doing it on my own freshman and sophomore year. I think my explosive ability from volleyball really helps. He’s been able to build me up.”
NFL draft
This coming week will probably be a giant week for followers of Servite Excessive soccer, as a result of two former Friars, defensive lineman Mason Graham and receiver Tetairoa McMillan, are anticipated to be chosen on Thursday in the course of the opening night time of the NFL draft.
Servite’s Mason Graham has 10 sacks.
They have been teammates on Servite’s 2021 workforce that misplaced to Mater Dei within the Southern Part Division 1 championship sport earlier than shifting on to Michigan and Arizona, respectively.
Former Servite coach Troy Thomas, on the invitation of Graham, will attend the draft in Inexperienced Bay.
There’s a number of distinctive issues to love about each on this time of change within the sports activities world. For one, they have been each four-year gamers at Servite and multiple-sport athletes. Graham additionally performed rugby and wrestled. McMillan performed basketball and volleyball. “They check every box. High character, durable,” Thomas stated.
Servite receiver Tetairoa McMillan had 15 receptions towards Mater Dei in 2021.
(Dylan Stewart 1550)
Each endured the pandemic of 2020-21. It affected Graham’s recruiting. He didn’t change into a prime recruit till late in his senior season. “Every year, he got better and kept growing,” stated Thomas, who remembers him as a 6-1, 200-pound freshman. “He was 265 junior year and 285 senior. He played like a linebacker on the defensive line.”
McMillan was the most effective athletes at Servite. His intelligence and toughness got here by means of in practices and video games. “His control in the air has been a big factor,” Thomas stated. “He does so many things well. It seems effortless and seems easy when you watch him. He’s very competitive and very tough.”
One other participant who ought to be taken taken within the first two rounds is former Oaks Christian and UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger. He began out as a walk-on for the Bruins and likewise had his recruiting affected by the pandemic much more, graduating in 2021 after a short spring season of soccer. His story will probably be advised time and again about an adolescent looking for an opportunity and trusting the method.
