From Long Beach to Modesto ... Can’t wait to tell your sports stories from all angles

Hello,

My name is Julian Lopez and I am the new sports reporter for the Modesto Bee. I am a native of Long Beach and attended Arizona State University, where I majored in Broadcast Journalism with a minor in Political Science.

I have spent the last two years covering high school sports and Long Beach State athletics for the Long Beach Press-Telegram.

Covering high school sports in Southern California was eventful, with different storylines coming out each day. With all of the sports that I covered, nothing compared to the giant that is high school football.

Two of the main schools I covered were Long Beach Poly and St. John Bosco. Both are national powerhouses with a rich history. It was like covering a college football game in a sense because each had a lot of players who were committed to Division I schools. My favorite part about covering high school football in Southern California was interacting with the coaches, parents, and players.

I also covered 30 other high schools in the area — Downey (not Modesto’s, obviously), La Mirada and Mayfair — and each varied when it came to attendance. Some schools had small stadiums where fans were able to stand in the end zone and watch the game while others played at local junior colleges with capacities over a couple thousand. I covered former La Mirada star and current Cal sophomore defensive back Elijah Hicks. In one game I covered during his senior year, Hicks had a 96-yard punt return for a touchdown.

On Friday nights, you’ll see me covering games from the sidelines, and bringing back the stories, the insights and the video highlights.

Besides football and basketball, I spent time covering a lot of soccer, softball, and track and field. I was at Valley Christian High School in Cerritos last June when then-sophomore Kennedy Wesley was named the 2016-17 Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year. Being a huge track and field fan, I covered the last two Southern Section Masters Track and Field Meet. One of my favorite softball stories was about a father who coached his daughter at Gahr High School in Cerritos. She went on to play at UCLA.

There are a lot of great stories to tell away from the football sidelines.

I already have started my research on the upcoming Sac-Joaquin Section football season, which starts Aug. 17. Some of the storylines I am going to keep an eye out include: Beyer, Davis, and Johansen moving to the Western Athletic Conference, Central Catholic and Oakdale battling it out in the Valley Oak League, and the Central California Athletic League, which appears to be wide open.

In my spare time, I enjoy running (I’ve run two half-marathons), listening to music, going to the beach, and hanging out with friends and family. I am also a huge Ferris Bueller’s Day Off fan. I, of course, am a huge sports enthusiast and want to apologize in advance to all of the readers as being from Southern California, I am a life-long Dodgers, Kings, Lakers, Rams, and USC fan.

For me, my favorite stories to write are features. Everybody has a story and I feel that it is my job to tell them. I am looking forward to meeting coaches, fans, parents, and players in the area and already have a countdown to high school football season which begins in 11 days.

If you have any story ideas, you can reach me at jalopez@modbee.com or call me at 209-578-2356. Also, you can DM me on Twitter @juliansdayoff22. If you see me at a game, feel free to stop by and say hello.

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