Tehachapi Warriors Booster Club allocates over $18,000 to winter sports

Following successful membership and corporate sponsorship efforts which raised over $50,000 for local student-athletes, the Tehachapi Warriors Booster Club would like to announce two of the latest purchases to assist teams at Tehachapi High School.

At their general membership meeting on Sept. 11, the board of directors unanimously approved an agreement with Net World Sports Ltd. of Wrexham, Wales for the $14,000 purchase of two team shelters for the Tehachapi High School boys and girls soccer programs which will provide shelter and bench seating during the harsh winter soccer season.

The Forza-Alu60 shelters provide 12 seats on the sidelines complete with polycarbonate panels and customized Tehachapi Warriors colors. The shelters are portable and will be removed and stored following the soccer season. The shelters will revolutionize the playing experience for home and visiting players, providing some protection from the chilly evening soccer matches played at THS.

"This purchase aims to both help the players and coaches with a little more comfort during the matches while also legitimizing the transition of Coy Burnett Stadium from a football field to a soccer pitch during the winter months," said Warrior Booster Club President Corey Costelloe. "Soccer continues to be a fast-growing sport, as seen by the record number of local players in our AYSO Region 479 here in Tehachapi, we want to invest in that sport at the high school level to ensure when those players reach this level they are embraced with a great student-athlete experience.

"Net World Sports and Forza provide an excellent product, and it is fitting that they are in Wrexham, which has set the soccer world on fire with the critically acclaimed 'Welcome to Wrexham' series on Hulu, which chronicles their journey to soccer supremacy from small humble roots, we hope some of that magic will lead to similar stories here in Tehachapi."

In addition to the growth of soccer, Tehachapi High School girl's wrestling continues to grow in popularity with over 25 student-athletes expected to compete this season following the team's inaugural campaign which included a league championship and representation at the CIF State Championships. To not only meet the demands of a growing sport, but to also ensure the Lady Warriors represent the community to the best of their ability, Warrior Boosters agreed to purchase over $4,000 of wrestling singlets, uniforms, warm up gear and shirts to assist the team.

The singlets are customized with both Tehachapi Warrior marks, and unique pink striping, which helps differentiate the boy's and girl's teams while also reminding wrestlers and fans the importance of the ongoing battle against breast cancer as both team members and coaches having experienced the impact of the disease on loved ones.

"The 2024 B Varsity 'Coach of the Year' Curtis Nelson, his assistants and his team have been very involved as has the wrestling program as a whole in many Booster initiatives, we are excited to support the growth of wrestling for young women and outfitting them properly is a major part of that," Costelloe said.

The Tehachapi Warriors Booster Club Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works with the Tehachapi Unified School District for fundraising efforts to assist all sports at Tehachapi High School. Monthly meetings are held the second Wednesday of each month at the Village Collective Studio in Downtown Tehachapi.