For most athletes, Friday, Jan. 9 felt like stepping back in time. As hundreds of elementary and junior high students filled the stands for Future Lancer Night — a free event that invited junior high students to attend games and join the student section — prospective Sunny Hills students got the opportunity to experience different sports programs, athletic director Paul Jones said.

“Because we have a great school and we want everybody to see it, we decided to put together a little event for Future Lancer Night to invite elementary junior high students to come [and] check out our gym [and] facilities at Sunny Hills,” Jones said. 

Future Lancer Night, organized by the athletic department, was designed to bridge the gap between middle school students and high school students, girls basketball head coach Jae Byun said.

“We invited junior high kids that will hopefully be prospective students here,” Byun said. “And so it allows them to kind of get excited about playing high school sports and just the environment that they’re going to play in; we’re trying to bridge the gap between young athletes and wanting them to see a vision of what they could be.”

The evening, which included boys basketball, boys soccer, girls basketball and food vendors, was a continuation of a campus tour earlier that day created to show younger students how life is at Sunny Hills, boys basketball coach Joe Ok said. 

“Earlier that day on campus, we had the Parks Junior High School [PJHS] preview, and so students came to do a tour of the campus,” Ok said. “We kind of piggybacked off that and made it into a Future Lancers Night.”

For boys basketball, small and power forward sophomore James Arada said the event packed the gym, giving him a stronger sense of purpose as he played in front of students who will soon take his place. 

“It was louder, so I was a little more nervous, but I think it gave us the ability to play harder [and] for a bigger crowd,” Arada said. “I was expecting a big crowd, and when I was warming up, I was more nervous than usual.”

Arada said the atmosphere helped him remember what it felt like to be in the stands as a young athlete looking forward to playing on a high school team. 

“I played basketball all my life, and there were a lot of moments that gave me inspiration to keep on playing in high school,” the sophomore said. “[I hope younger students will remember] to take in the memories and experiences and have fun with it because when they’re older, these are the moments they’re going to look back at.”

Shooting guard junior Ezra Lee, who also plays for boys basketball, said the night reminded the players that their impact extends beyond the scoreboard. 

Lee said the younger students motivated the team to play even harder.

“It means a lot because the junior high [kids] look up to you when you play and it means a lot to show out for them,” Ezra said. “That we play really hard and we never give up.”

Byun said building a relationship with athletes before they arrive on campus is a key part of building a strong program.

“Just being able to see them earlier than just meeting them as freshmen, it’s always helpful,” Byun said. “We’ve gotten to see them as seventh and eighth graders; so it’s just part of the process of watching them grow up and being a part of our community.”

Lee said the younger audience also pushed the team to compete with more intensity.

“We were more motivated to play [because] it means more that we play for someone or we play for some

thing and having junior high kids helped with that,” Lee said. “We want to show how Sunny Hills is because our student section is one of the best in OC and we wanted to show the kids why they should come [to Sunny Hills].”

The event extended beyond sports games, with food vendors that donated a percentage of the

ir proceeds back to the school — a way to make this event more exciting, athletic director Paul Jones said. 

“We had B & C burgers, who provided tacos and food that night [as well as] Ubatuba Acai, who came out and gave away acai bowls,” Jones said. “They donated a portion of the proceeds of the money that they collected [and] donated it back to Sunny Hills.”

Center back senior Anthony Fiorini, who plays for boys soccer, said events like Future Lancer Night are still meaningful because younger students can picture themselves in the program, even if they are not yet in the stands.

Fiorini said that earlier that day, he spoke with junior high students during the Parks Junior High School [PJHS] campus preview and got to answer questions about high school athletics.

“You kind of just get to see the team, you get to talk to them a little bit, which really helps,” Fioroni said. “I had a bunch of soccer players talking to me, asking about the program.”

Although no junior high students attended the team’s 3 p.m. game that day, Fiorini said he hopes they attend future events as they serve as a way to experience what the program has to offer.

“Although there were no junior high kids in attendance at the game, I hope they come out next year because it would be fun to have future students at the games,” Fiorini said. “It would get them excited for what the future holds for them, and it motivates the team to play better because we know they’re watching us.”

Boys soccer head coach Jordan Brinkley said building connections with future students is still an essential part of building a strong program, even when turnout varies.

“To build a strong, competitive program year in and year out, it is important to have strong connections within the community,” Brinkley said. “Events such as Open House, Youth Soccer Summer Camp and Future Lancer Night help bring players into our school and into our soccer program.”

The soccer head coach added that the program’s long-term success is rooted in consistency and effort.

“We believe in developing quality soccer players and strong individuals,” he said. “We also believe in being part of something greater than oneself.”

Power forward senior Ariana Holguin, who plays for girls basketball, said the event allowed younger students to understand what to expect when they join a high school program.

“Being able to connect with the players and getting to know them as well as the coaches helps ease that intimidating part,” Holguin said. “[It helps] you know what you’re getting into before it actually happens.” 

Holguin said the experience not only is meaningful for future players, but also for current athletes as well.

“It just kind of pushes you to be better,” she said. “It’s crazy to think that you were once that kid who was looking up to them, and now they’re looking up to you.”

Jones said events like Future Lancer Night play a key role in building participation, school pride and long-term athletic success.

“We want all the kids in the area to come to Sunny Hills; that’s the next generation of Sunny Hills athletes,” Jones said. “We want them to come check out our campus and meet our coaches and kids.”

Byun said the ultimate goal was to build a program rooted in consistency, effort and community.

“If you build it, the kids will come,” Byun said. “We’re just trying to build a healthy program that competes and does things the right way — not so much like the results, but what we’re doing on a day-to day-basis.”