Students who want to be a part of Lancer sports history will once again have a chance to ride a rooter bus to Bakersfield Christian High School stadium, where for the first time ever, the Sunny Hills football team will compete in a state CIF playoff game.
Assistant principal Hilda Arredondo sent a mass email to parents and students Dec. 2 notifying them about the availability of transportation to get to the CIF State Division 3-A SoCal Regional game at 6 p.m.
“Let’s do it again,” according to Arredondo’s email. “Join us next Saturday, December 7th, as Sunny Hills HS takes on Bakersfield Christian HS in the CIF Southern California Regionals at 6 p.m. The first 75 students to sign up and return their permission slips will get to ride our Lancer Student Rooter Bus for $15 (game ticket included). Go to our school website for more information.”
As of Friday, only one bus will be available for the game, Arredondo said.
Students were able to fill up two rooter buses for the rainy CIF-Southern Section Championship game against Santa Barbara at San Marcos High School Nov. 30. Depending on which vehicle they were riding in, students had a chance to watch a movie like Disney’s “Frozen” on the way there and back.
“I was so thrilled that so many people made that trip and so many people got on those rooter busses,” principal Allen Whitten said.
The rooter buses are equipped with comfortable seats and bathrooms.
“It’s an amazing deal,” Whitten said. “Since our football team has been so successful, we’re using some of the proceeds from the gates from the games to help fund our students’ [transportation costs]. It’s all about the kids. We want them there.”
The principal also credits the Lancer Regiment for its presence and support at the games despite its own competitions that it has had to prepare for.
“They’re busy already, and they’re still showing up in a big way to all of these events,” he said.
Since Whitten and Lancer football head coach Peter Karavedas joined Sunny Hills in 2014 and 2015, respectively, the two have shared goals for the campus.
“[Karavedas and I have] been working closely together in a lot of ways, and I think we see a lot of these things very similarly.” Whitten said. “These are school accomplishments.”
Continuing off the last game, students are encouraged to attend, have a good time and support the team as it continues to make history.
“So happy that so many people were able to make the trip up,” head coach Peter Karavedas said. “We don’t want this to just be a Sunny Hills football thing; we want it to be a Sunny Hills High School thing.”
A celebration ceremony was held at break today, Dec. 6, to present the CIF-Southern Section Division 8 championship plaque to the team; players also passed out ice cream and fudgesicles to students in attendance.
Read The Accolade’s recap of the Lancers’ CIF-Southern Section Division 8 championship win here.
