Calvary Chapel's 'Big Three' sign letters of intent

DOWNEY - Downey Calvary Chapel hosted a signing day for three softball athletes on Wednesday.Bridget Castro, Sydney Colenzo and Larisa Petakoff have all earned Division I scholarships for their play on the field and for their hard work inside the classroom. Castro maintains a 4.0 grade point average and is the starting shortstop on the Grizzlies softball team. Castro will be attending Utah. Colenzo has a 4.0 grade point average and is the starting catcher on the Grizzlies softball team. Colenzo will be attending Cal State Fullerton. Petakoff also has a 4.0 grade point average and is the dominant starting pitcher every softball team needs. She will attend Colorado State. The Grizzlies "big three" have been playing softball together since they were in tee-ball at Independence Park. "We are so proud of these girls right now. There has been a lot of hard work and sacrifice that has gone into getting these girls where they are today," said Robert Colenzo, Sydney's father. Interestingly, Downey Calvary Chapel has a high school enrollment, grades 9-12, of 241 students. Downey and Warren High Schools have enrollment close to 4,000 students each. For Calvary Chapel to produce athletes at the Division I college level is impressive. The softball community in Downey is certainly tight knit, where kids know kids and parents know parents, and the Downey Calvary Chapel girls have played alongside many Lady Vikings and Lady Bears for several years. Downey Calvary Chapel is looking to compete for another C.I.F. championship in the spring. The Lady Grizzlies were eliminated in the quarterfinal round of the C.I.F. Division VI playoffs last year against Kern Valley after winning the C.I.F. title in 2011. The "big three" were only sophomores then. The Lady Grizzlies finished last season with an overall record of 18-8-1, despite dealing with a slew of injuries in the pre-season, and won the Alpha League championship. For their efforts the last two years, the Lady Grizzlies have been moved to C.I.F. Division V. In addition to the "big three," senior first baseman Jasmyne Lopez, sophomore third baseman Jewell Gerl and senior right fielder Kristina Barron all hope to return the C.I.F. Division V title back to Downey Calvary Chapel.

********** Published: November 15, 2012 - Volume 11 - Issue 31