By Anna Austin

Friday January 29, 2010 marked Winter Court for the students of Butte Valley High school. It started out with spirit week consisting of a sports day, futuristic day, Las Vegas day, Help Haiti day, and maroon and gold day. The best dressed boy and girl each day got a gift certificate for the local coffee shop Moody Brews.

It was a busy week all around for the students and staff of Butte Valley High school. They not only had their winter court games vs. Big Valley on Friday, but they also played Surprise Valley on Tuesday and Dunsmuir on Wednesday.

The Winter Court games started out at 3:30 pm with the Junior Varsity girls’ game between the Big Valley Cardinals and the Butte Valley Bulldogs. After a slow start between the Cardinals and the Bulldogs with the Cardinals taking an early 12 to 1 lead in the first quarter, the pace of the game finally began to pick up. The second half, contrary to the first, got more exciting with the Bulldogs fighting it out to a loss of only two points to the ecstatic Cardinals’ team. The final score of the game was 26 to 24.

The day then progressed onto the JV boys’ game. The game was a well played game from both sides, but the bulldogs with their greater speed and rebounding abilities pulled ahead to win the game 43- 24.

The Varsity girls’ game followed the JV boys’ game. The Bulldogs, with their impenetrable defense and exquisitely executed offense, were able to pull out to an early lead. The Cardinals were able to get the ball down court and make a few points, but they were no match for the undefeated Bulldogs. The game ended in a 59- 22 win for the Lady Bulldogs.

The varsity boys’ game was a battle to the end. The boys were neck and neck the whole game. It was an exciting game that had fans from both sides on their feet cheering. With nine seconds left, Big Valley was fouled and went to the line. With a tie game it was critical for the Cardinals to make their shots. The Cardinals ended up missing their shot and the Bulldogs were then fouled. With all the pressure on the Bulldogs they ended up missing the shot, and the cardinals were fouled one last time. This time the Cardinals were able to make the shot, taking the game in a 65 to 64 win over the Bulldogs.

After the games the fans were asked to stay to witness the crowning of the Winter Court Roayalty. The winter court queen candidates consisted of Niquel Crawford (freshman), Anna Austin (sophomore), Tiffani Yeager (junior), and Bethany Holguin (senior). The king candidates were Caleb Brimmer (freshman), Gustavo Lopez (sophomore), Emanuel Mendoza ( junior), and Arturs Vorobjovs (senior). The Candidates were introduced by Kai Brarren and Gloria Ramirez. The junior candidates, Tiffani Yeager and Emanuel Mendoza, were voted Winter Court King and Queen 2010. They were crowned by the 2009 Winter Court King and Queen, Marcos Tapia and Corrie Levesque.

SiskiyouYouth.com contributor Anna Austin is a sophomore at Butte Valley High School, where she plays volleyball, basketball, and softball.