VC track & field teams solid against Escondido and at Sundevil Invite

Kaylee Hudson set a new school record in the 3,200 at the Sundevil Invite.

Valley Center’s varsity track and field teams put together another group of outstanding individual performances this week in a dual meet against Escondido on Thursday, followed by the Sundevil Invite at Mt. Carmel on Saturday.
The Jaguars hosted Escondido on Thursday, and after winning a total of 15 events in both the boys and girls events, ended up splitting the meet with the Cougars.
Valley Center won the girls meet 71–64 behind phenomenal performances from triple-winner Sidney Reilly and four more first-place finishes for the team.
Reilly won the 100 hurdles (16.39), the 300 hurdles (47.92) and the long jump (16-feet-3) to lead the Lady Jags, while also taking second in the triple jump after tying the top mark but coming up just short on her second-best attempt.
Sidney Reilly was a triple-winner for the Lady Jags against Escondido.

Meanwhile, Leina Villemez was the winner in the 100 (13.29), Caty Alvarez won the 200 (28.03), Kaylee Hudson won the 400 (1:02.77) and Lauren Gilster took first in the discus (106-0 3/4). The Lady Jaguars also won both the 400 relay (52.62) and the 1,600 relay (4:24.57) in the meet.
Gilster also took second in the shot put, while Vinessa Perryman took second in both the 100 and 300 hurdles. In the sprints, Alvarez and Villemez finished one-two in both the 100 and 200, while Hudson ran strong in the distance events to also take second in the 800.
The boys team, however, lost their meet 75–51 despite wins in six of the 15 events.
Jean-Marc Brierre dominated the throwing events, winning both the shot put (42-6) and the discus (133-6), while Ronnie Bourguignon won the 200 (23.07) and took second in the 400, Logan Fiddler won the 3,200 (10:13.65), Armando Diaz won the triple jump (39-0) and Nick Villemez won the pole vault (10-0).
The Jaguars also posted five top-ten individual finishes in the Sundevil Invite on Saturday, including two top-five overall finshes.
Reilly won her heat in the 300 hurdles (46.37), which gave her fourth place overall in Division II, while Hudson finished third in her heat in the 3,200 (11:20.49), good for third place overall in the division and a new school record.
Also for the Lady Jaguars, Gilster took second place in the discus (100-6) and eighth place in the shot put (32-1), while for the Jaguars, Nicasio Westlund took fourth in his heat in the 800 (2:01.69).
Both Jaguars teams will be back in action on Thursday at 3:15 p.m. at Del Norte to open league competition.

Fast, physical play has Jags’ lacrosse team thrilling the home crowd

Damian Stehly (in white) puts pressure on a St. Augustine attacker.

Valley Center’s JV boys lacrosse team has played a pair of thrilling games in the past two weeks, as the Jaguars rolled to a big win over St. Augustine on March 16 then came back from a two-goal deficit late in the game to register a tie against Rancho Bernardo on Friday.
The Jags jumped out to a big lead early in the game against St. Augustine and never looked back, as they cruised to a 6–3 victory.
Conner Macfarlane scored just two minutes into the game to get things started for the Jaguars, then Jason Blasius added a goal three minutes later and Sullivan Shimer closed out the first period with a goal that came 12 seconds before the whistle.
Leading by three after the first quarter, the Jags scored less than 30 seconds into the second period when Nick Sharp curled in front for the score. St. Augustine forced its way back into the game with two goals in less than 30 seconds to make the score 4–2 at halftime.
The teams traded goals in the third quarter, as Shimer scored his second of the game with just over two minutes left in the period. The Saints answered with only 19 seconds left in the quarter after a turnover in the Valley Center zone led directly to a goal.
As time wound down, the Jaguars got the insurance goal they were looking for when Macfarlane finished off a series of scintillating passes on the fast break with the score that sealed the win.
Friday’s game against Rancho Bernardo was a much more physical contest, and as both teams absorbed big hit after big hit, the Jaguars steadily clawed their way back into the game to make it a 5–5 tie.
The game might have turned out much differently had the first shot of the game, an absolute laser from Garrett Fiehler, found its way into the net instead of clanking off the post and finally coming to rest about 30 yards out of bounds.
But Fiehler wasn’t to be denied, as he took the ball from behind his own net, outran the defense and bounced a shot past the goalie to score the first goal of the game less than three minutes in.
Rancho Bernardo answered in the second quarter, scoring a goal on a shot to the top shelf just 48 seconds into the period to tie the game. The Broncos took the lead just over a minute later on a spinning shot that found its way home. The first half wound down as the physicality of the game heightened, punctuated by a big hit from Fiehler that earned him a penalty for unnecessary roughness.
Fiehler atoned for the penalty early in the second half, as he once again took the ball coast-to-coast and slung a sidearm shot past the goalie to tie the game up once again.
But the Broncos scored two quick goals as the third quarter came to an end, the first a bouncing shot with just over a minute on the clock and the second a Valley Center turnover that wound up in the back of the net with 43 seconds left in the third period.
The Jags came back with a goal from Blasius just over a minute into the fourth, but Rancho Bernardo pulled ahead by two with five minutes left in the game, using consistent pressure in the offensive zone to wear down the Valley Center defense.
Blasius scored another big goal a minute later, as he faked out his defender in the corner and found a sliver of open net for the score. As he put the shot home, one of the Bronco defenders delivered a crushing hit that temporarily knocked Blasius out of the game. The Broncos took an unnecessary roughness penalty for the hit, which led to a one-man advantage for the Jags.
Fiehler took advantage of the open space, as he casually drifted toward the zone and unleashed another sidearm shot from about 20 yards away that may have left a vapor trail.
As the final three minutes of the game ticked away, Fiehler had another shot ring off the post, then the Jaguar crowd leapt to its feet when defender Damian Stehly took off on a long run and let fly with a huge shot that just went wide as time expired.
Valley Center’s next game is at Scripps Ranch at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, then the Jaguars return home to face Serra at 6:30 p.m. on Monday.

Offense key for Lady Jags in big win, but untimely errors lead to tough loss

Jasmine Contreras smashes a home run against Westview.

A powerful offense has been the hallmark of the Valley Center varsity softball team so far this season, and the Lady Jaguars took advantage of their big bats in taking a big win over Holtville last week. But Wednesday’s home loss against Westview has the Lady Jags focusing on defense and fundamentals heading into the Jaguar Classic Tournament this week.
The Lady Jaguars hosted Holtville on March 18 and exploded for seven runs in the first inning en route to a dominating 12–2 victory.
After the big first inning, Valley Center added another run in the fourth before Holtville pushed two runs across in the top of the fifth. But the Lady Jaguars put the seal on the win with four runs in the bottom of the fifth to end the game.
Leadoff hitter Jasmine Contreras came up big with a home run and a double, with two RBIs and two runs scored, while Stephanie Koishor smashed a two-run home run in the game. Alex Scoles added a double and a single, with two runs scored and a stolen base, while Emma Sloman had two hits, two RBIs and two runs, Andrea Torres had a hit, two RBIs and two runs, Raelyn Rodriguez had a hit, an RBI and a run, Ashley Nuñez had a hit, a run and a stolen base, Anna Luna scored a run and Mindy Faber stole a base.
Anna Luna rips this pitch for a hit.

Sloman pitched an excellent game to get the win, giving up two runs on four hits, with two walks and six strikeouts, in five innings of work.
The Lady Jaguars couldn’t get in rhythm offensively at home on Wednesday against Westview, and a number of errors doomed them to a 9–2 loss.
Valley Center committed five errors in the game, and they came at the most inopportune times. The Lady Jags had three errors in the third inning and the Lady Wolverines scored four runs, then Valley Center made two errors in the fifth, allowing Westview to bring four more runs across to put the game out of reach.
The Lady Jaguars had another good start on offense, as Contreras blasted a solo home run to lead off the first inning. But they couldn’t bring another run in until the fourth, when Rodriguez drove in Luna from second base with an RBI single to right field.
Contreras led the offense with a home run, an RBI and a run, while Rodriguez had a hit and an RBI, Luna had a hit and a run, Koishor had two hits and Scoles had a hit.
Jill Johnson took the loss, pitching five innings and allowing nine runs on seven hits, with seven walks and two strikeouts.
The Lady Jaguars are 7–3 so far this season, with the Jaguar Classic Tournament beginning this week. Valley Center will play at La Jolla on Wednesday at 4 p.m. before returning home to host Kearney on Friday at 4 p.m. The Lady Jags also play a non-league game at San Pasqual on Saturday at 9 a.m.

Jaguars beat Fallbrook, but fall to San Marcos in volleyball

Taylor Oshinski keeps his eye on this serve.

It was an up-and-down week for the Valley Center varsity boys volleyball team, as the Jaguars rolled to a big win over Fallbrook to start the week, but came home to face San Marcos and suffered a tough loss as the week came to an end.
The Jags had everything working for them against Fallbrook last Monday, and they had no trouble finishing off a 3–0 win, with game scores of 25–15, 25–18, 25–20.
Taylor Oshinski was all over the court, registering eight kills and seven digs, while Beau Reilly had ten assists and six aces, Mitchell Rush had nine kills and Anthony Cozzi had ten assists.
Valley Center’s home game against San Marcos on Wednesday turned out much differently for the Jaguars, even though they fought hard until the end in a 3–0 loss, with game scores of 15–25, 18–25, 25–27.
After falling in the first game, the Jags battled for every point in the second game, never letting the Knights get ahead by more than four. After appearing to tie the score at 24 late in the second game, Valley Center was ruled to have been under the net on the point that would have kept them alive in the game.
Game three was another back-and-forth nail-biter, as San Marcos would pull ahead by three or four points, then the Jags would fight back and pull within one. The Knights had a chance to put the game away at 24–22, but two consecutive kills by Reilly pulled the Jags back even. San Marcos eventually held on for the win, but not without a valiant effort from Valley Center.
Oshinski once again led the way with 12 kills, while Reilly had five kills and five blocks and Rush had six kills.
The Jaguars are now 2–3 overall and 0–1 in Valley League play, with the next match coming at home on Thursday against San Dieguito Academy at 4:45 p.m.

Pitch, Hit & Run competition comes to VC Little League

Valley Center Little League will lead off the local level of the Aquafina Major League Baseball Pitch, Hit & Run Competition on Friday April 8, 2011.
Pitch, Hit & Run is the official skills competition of Major League Baseball. It is designed to provide young people with an opportunity to compete, free of charge, in a competition that recognizes individual excellence in core baseball and softball skills.
The Valley Center competition will take place at Valley Center Little League Majors Field on Friday, April 8 beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Competitors will be divided into four age groups: 7-8 years, 9-10, 11-12 and 13-14. Both boys and girls are encouraged to participate and will compete separately in baseball and softball, respectively.
Participants will have the chance to advance through four levels of competition, including Team Championships at Major League ballparks and the national finals at the 2011 MLB All-Star Game.
The participants in each age group with the highest score in the following categories will receive awards and will advance to the sectional competition: all-around champion, pitching champion, hitting champion and running champion. Sectional competitions will be held in the San Diego area at a later date.
“The Pitch, Hit and Run Competition gives kids a chance to shine all the way up to the national level as part of this Major League Baseball event,” said Bill Layne, president, VCLL board. “Valley Center sent several kids to Petco Park who came away winners last year, so we would love to see our local stars come out and give their best shot at this great, free competition.”
All participants must bring a copy of their birth certificate and fill out a registration and waiver form before the start of competition. For more information, contact Pitch, Hit, and Run Coordinator, Anita Baranowski at 619-987-0709.

VCHS set to host drumline competition April 9

In less than two weeks, 43 schools from throughout Southern California will travel to Valley Center High School to vie for top honors in a high energy, percussion battle of musical skills.
This is the first time in its 29-year history that the American Drum Line Assn. (ADLA) has selected Valley Center as a show host.
Students will begin arriving in the early morning on April 9 with the competition beginning at 9 a.m. in the high school gym. It will conclude at about 9 p.m.
According to Diane Conaway, president of Valley Center/Pauma Music Boosters, “Drumline combines the high energy of percussion instruments with a theatrical flair as seen in the popular movie, Drumline.”
Drumlines range from 15 students to 50, grouped according to size and skill level. Students represent middle schools, high schools and colleges. Award presentations will take place throughout the day.
Students may also choose to compete for solo awards with individual instruments such as snare drum and marimba. Competition for solo awards will be in the Maxine Theater in the afternoon. The final schedule will be posted several days prior to the event at www.vcpmusicboosters.org/
Each group has nine minutes to set up its show, perform musical selections and leave the stage.
Drumlines typically have a theme, costumes and props to convey a musical message. Scores are tabulated based upon music and the visual effect of the show.
Chris Doolittle is an accomplished percussionist and instructor of more than 15 years. Under his direction, Valley Center’s Drumline scored a first place win at Mission Hill High School’s drumline competition in the Scholastic C division. Due to their excellent performance and high scores, they were promoted to the Scholastic B division for the remainder of the competition season. Valley Center’s performance is entitled “Skin Deep.”
Valley Center Drumline will perform about 1 p.m., although final performance times won’t be available until three days prior. You should arrive by noon to ensure that you get a seat. Attendees are not allowed to enter the gym during each group’s nine minute performance.
Tickets cost $10 for adults, $5 for students with ID and kids 6–12, and free for children 5 and under. Admission is good for the day.
Proceeds benefit music programs in local schools. Valley Center/Pauma Music Boosters will offer breakfast, lunch and dinner. Freshly grilled meals include a cheeseburger, chips and a drink for $6. Hot dog meals cost $5. Baked potatoes, nachos and other foods will also be for sale.
Mrs. Conaway added, “We want to encourage our friends and neighbors to come out and see this exciting musical show! This is a great family event that is fun for all ages. We hope you will come spend part of your day with us. Our drumline students have been putting in long hours practicing and they want you to see their award winning show.”
If you can volunteer a few hours the day of the show, help is needed with parking, ticket and program sales, hospitality and guides. Call Michelle Quiroz at 760-703-0861 or email Michelle@TakingCareOfYourBusiness.com.
If you can’t attend, but want to support music programs in our schools, make tax deductible donations to VCP Music Boosters, POB 841, Valley Center, CA 92082.
Check the Web site for the latest including the final schedule at www.VCPMusicBoosters.org/

Jaguars come close, but can't find elusive first win

Austin Bernard makes the tag on a Mustang runner at second base.


Valley Center’s varsity baseball team continues to search for its first win of the season, as the Jaguars came up just short in another close game, falling 3–2 to Otay Ranch on Thursday.
The Jags played outstanding defense and got stellar pitching performances out of starter Conrad Murphy and reliever Dan Henderson in the tight game, but couldn’t overcome mental errors on the base paths late in the game.
Otay Ranch scored all three of its runs in the top of the third inning, when a leadoff walk was followed by a base hit, another walk and another base hit off of Murphy, who left the game in the middle of the inning and received attention from the trainer on his right arm.
Henderson came on in relief and retired the next two hitters, then went on to strand eight runners in the final three innings of the game, thanks in part to great location on his pitches and excellent defense behind him.
On offense, the Jaguars took a few innings to figure out the hard-throwing Mustang pitcher and couldn’t string together any scoring chances until the third inning. In the third, Zach Dewey got on first after an error by the third baseman, but even with a total of four base runners in the inning, a pair of fielder’s choice outs prevented any runs from crossing the plate.
The Jaguars stranded two more runners in the fourth before scoring their first run in the fifth, when Austin Bernard doubled with one out and came in to score on a two-out RBI double by Steven Coe. The second run came across in the sixth, when Valley Center loaded the bases with two outs and got a run in on an RBI single by Bernard. The inning could have turned out to be even bigger, but on the run-scoring hit, John Watkins was caught between second and third base and tagged out to end the inning.
The Jags got one runner on base in the bottom of the seventh, when Ryan Bracken was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game, but they couldn’t bring him home.
“It’s a tough one, but it’s good to see these guys battle, and to see that they’ve got a pulse,” manager Cliff Bernard said after the game. “They believe that they can win every game, and that’s a good team, ranked number seven in the county, and we can play with them. But it was good to see that, even though we got down, we came back. We’ve got guys who want to compete, who don’t go out easy, who respect the game and end up with a dirty uniform. As a coach, those are the guys you want on your team.”
Bernard led the Jaguars with a double, a single, an RBI and a run scored, while Coe had a double and a single with an RBI, Watkins, Ricky Eldridge and Tommy Aguilar each had a hit, and Eric Brothers scored a run.
Murphy was saddled with the loss after giving up three earned runs on three hits, with four walks and two strikeouts, in two and a third innings pitched. Henderson finished the final four and two thirds with out allowing a run, while giving up four hits and three walks.
The loss drops Valley Center to 0–5 on the season so far, with the next game coming on Saturday at Mira Mesa at 11 a.m.

Outstanding individual scores have Jags' golf team off to a solid start

The Valley Center varsity boys golf team has posted a trio of outstanding team scores behind excellent individual play so far this season, as the Jaguars have won two of their first three matches to start the year.
All three matches so far have been on the par-35 course at the Pauma Valley Country Club, and the Jags started out the season there by beating Canyon Crest Academy, 212 – 214.
Kevin Murphy fired a 41 to lead the Jaguars, while Paul Calac and Jeremy Halligan each shot a 42, Kamron Zarrabi shot a 43 and Stephen Magnani shot a 44.
The Jaguars suffered a setback in their second match, falling to San Marcos 219 – 228.
Murphy, Calac and Zarrabi each shot a 43 to lead the team, while Cole Kline shot a 45, Halligan shot a 54 and Danny Miller shot a 56.
This week, the Jaguars hosted Escondido on Thursday and rolled to a 214–223 win.
Calac shot a four-over-par 39 for the best score of the season so far, while Zarrabi shot a 42, Kline shot a 43, Murphy and Magnani each shot a 45 and Carlos Casteel shot a 52.
Valley Center is now 2–1 overall with the City Cup Tournament coming up at the Escondido Country Club on Monday.

Another win has Lady Jaguars off to hot start in lacrosse

Valley Center’s varsity girls lacrosse team is off to an electrifying start this season, as the Lady Jaguars have won ten of their first 12 games, including a pair of hard-fought wins this week.
The Lady Jags hosted Del Norte on Friday night, and after falling behind early in the game, came back to take a 13–7 win.
Del Norte scored three quick goals to take an early lead, but Valley Center got the offense on track and pulled to within one, 5–4, at halftime.
In the second half, the Lady Jaguars applied consistent pressure and locked down the defense to outscore Del Norte 9–2 after halftime to put the cap on the thrilling win.
Cassidy Nowak led the offense with five goals, while Haley Stone added three goals and three interceptions. On defense, Morgan Marcon made six key blocks, while Kelly Hagadorn frustrated the Del Norte attackers on chance after chance in the Valley Center zone. In goal, Danielle Moran made 13 saves to spur the comeback and earn the victory.
“It was a fantastic game,” head coach Ally Faulkner said after the game. “The girls adjusted their game to come back and take the win.”
The Lady Jags played at Poway on Saturday, and after a rough first half, suffered a 17–5 loss.
The Lady Titans racked up 15 goals in the first half, putting Valley Center in a grim situation at halftime. But the Lady Jaguars never gave up and played solid defense in the second half, limiting Poway to only two goals while scoring four of their own.
Melina Heredia led the way with two goals, while Tylee Landavazo, Kelly Bergquist and Kelly Hagadorn each added one. Hayley Helms led the defense with three blocks, while Hagadorn caused a pair of turnovers.
Valley Center hosted Ramona on Monday in an up-and-down kind of game, with the Lady Jaguars taking an early lead, the Lady Bulldogs coming back, but Valley Center squashing any comeback attempts late in the game for a 12–8 victory.
The Lady Jags concentrated on controlling the ball and playing a patient game on offense, and the strategy helped them take a 6–3 lead at halftime.
Ramona came back early in the second half with three goals, but Valley Center kept the lead with two goals for an 8–6 advantage midway through the second half. From that point on, the Lady Jaguars added four more goals and held Ramona to just two more to seal the win.
Marcon led the offense with four goals, while Landavazo had two goals and an assist, Becca Vizcara had two goals, Kelsey Gaylor had a goal and two assists, Bergquist had a goal and an assist and Stone had a goal.
Now 10–2 overall, the Lady Jags play again on Wednesday at Del Norte.

Lady Jags fall to San Marcos in softball

Valley Center’s thrilling run to open the varsity softball season suffered a setback this week, as the Lady Jaguars traveled to San Marcos on Wednesday and suffered a 9–0 loss.
The Lady Knights did most of their damage in the first inning, scoring six runs right out of the gate to put the pressure on Valley Center. The Lady Jaguars struggled on offense throughout the game, finally breaking up the no-hitter with a double by Ana Luna in the fifth inning.
San Marcos, meanwhile, pushed three more runs across in the bottom of the fourth to seal the win in a game shortened to five innings due to the mercy rule.
Luna also took the loss, pitching four innings and allowing eight earned runs on ten hits, with five walks and a strikeout.
With the loss, the Lady Jaguars are now 6–2 overall and play again on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. at home against Westview.

VCHS varsity cheer team wins San Diego competition

The Valley Center High School varsity cheer squad has three big reasons to shout! The Jaguars won three first-place finishes at the Sharp International Cheer Competition at the San Diego Convention Center on Feb. 26.
VCHS varsity cheer made all of their supporters proud as they took the floor and executed a perfect, high-octane routine. They hit all of their stunts and every tumbling pass while keeping the volume turned up! They then carried themselves through the day with spirit and true support of one another and their competitors.
At awards time, the first place finish in the Varsity Large Division was only the start for the Jaguars. They also took first place in showmanship, and the biggest award of the day, first place overall, of all varsity divisions competing. In addition to team awards, senior Sarah Mitchell took a third place award in individual toe touch.
Led by coach Carli Morasco and captains Kate Richards, Tatianna Batalla and Ashley Hildebrand, the VCHS varsity cheer squad has had a very successful and eventful 2010–2011 season. These talented ladies not only choreographed the winning competition routine, they led their squad all year as they cheered the varsity football team all the way to the CIF finals at Qualcomm Stadium. There they also performed an outstanding, high energy, halftime show.
This was the first competition for VCHS varsity cheer in many years. When Coach Morasco came to her varsity squad with the idea of competing, they were all for it! With many veteran cheerleaders, dancers, and choreographers on the squad, they were eager to develop a winning routine.
“Every cheerleader gave a hundred and ten percent, even practicing every day of the President’s Day week right up to the competition,” said cheer supporter Deena Mullay. “It’s so great to see all of their hard work pay off!”
What’s up next for VCHS cheer? They have been invited to the Sharp International Competition in Las Vegas in April. Yet another chance for VCHS Varsity Cheer to Rock the house!

After 25 years with the VCPUSD, Gary Pay heads off into retirement

Gary Pay plays the mandolin with The Ash Street Ramblers at Bates Nut Farm in 2009.

BY: DAN KIDDER

After 25 years anywhere, you’re going to end up with some stories to tell.
But it’s not every day that you’d get to talking about your week and end up explaining how you and a coworker chased a snake through a parking lot with a trash can.
Such is, or rather has been, the life of Gary Pay for the past quarter century as the head of maintenance and operations for the Valley Center/Pauma Unified School District (VCPUSD). But this summer, Pay will ride off into the sunset of retirement.
“This is the best school district in California,” he says. “I couldn’t imagine spending twenty-five years working anywhere but here.”
The result of simply answering a “help wanted” ad in a newsletter, Pay drove down from Lone Pine to Valley Center for his interview, and knew he’d end up staying.
“When I drove into the area and saw the schools, it really seemed like this was my kind of place,” he says.
Since then, Pay says he has come to appreciate the community’s commitment to the school district, especially shown in the consistency of the school board.
“This community is fortunate to have had such a stable school board all these years,” he says. “I’ve worked with Henry Van Wyk my whole career here, Barb Rohrer has been here fifteen years, and all of the four superintendents I’ve worked under have been such a stable influence. It’s been very consistent, which is nice.”
Pay has in turn become a valued contributor to our community, from serving as the president of the Valley Center Lions Club to getting “talked into” filling the same post in the Valley Center Girls Softball League (VCGSL).
“Pat Tousley has a way of talking you into helping out, one way or another,” he says with a laugh about one of our town’s staunchest supporters of girls softball. “But that’s what I love about our community—those connections. It’s a great community for that.”
Those connections become especially important in times of crisis, as our town has experienced time and time again.
“I’ve worked with Tony Lopresti from the water district for a long time, and we’ve worked together through five disasters here,” Pay says. “In the fires of 2007, I stayed here the whole time, transporting food to the high school, getting lights set up, and taking care of the logistics that need to be taken care of when you have a thousand people staying in your facility for a week. In times like that, you see the same people you see every day, people in the community, working together to help each other get back on their feet.”
When the school year ends and he finally begins his retirement, Pay admits that he won’t miss some things.
“It’ll be nice not to get those phone calls at two or three in the morning,” he says with a smile. “I’ve been on call, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, for the past twenty-five years. That’s OK, it’s what I signed up for. But when you work toward a goal like this, it seems so far away, but when you get close, it doesn’t sink in right away that you’re almost there.”
As for his plans in retirement, Pay says that one of his favorite hobbies will get to fill a more central role in his life.
“I’m going to get more exercise, and I’m going to play more music,” he says, referring to his spot in the local bluegrass band, The Ash Street Ramblers. “We’ve got a fiddle player who is a teacher from the Escondido School District, an artist from LA and a bass player who works for NASA working on the next Mars rover—it’s quite a mix of people.”
Pay, who plays the mandolin, first met the group’s guitar player, Ken Simon, who retired from the Valley Center Municipal Water District, when they used to get together in Simon’s office to practice. From those humble beginnings came a band that played in the Millpond Music Festival, the Julian Bluegrass Festival, the Tea Party at Grape Day Park, the Bluegrass On The Greengrass at Skyline Ranch, and a number of shows at Bates Nut Farm, where they will be playing again in October and November. Be sure to check out The Ash Street Ramblers on their Web site at www.ashstreetramblers.net for more information.
But no matter where retired life takes him, Pay says that the memories of his time with the school district will pile as thick as the green spiral notebooks filled with his work projects that he still has covering his desk.
And when the new head of maintenance and operations takes over next year, he or she will be able to look up the proper way to catch a gopher snake in a parking lot with a trash can.

Jaguars win first ever boys lacrosse game in school history

Click here for a photo gallery of the Jaguars' first game!

BY: DAN KIDDER

After years of planning, preparation and hard work, it took only 16 seconds for Valley Center’s high school boys lacrosse program to make its mark.
The inaugural season for the Jaguar boys officially began Monday night with a home game against Temecula Valley, and after a pair of lightning-fast scores to open the game, the Jags went on to take an 8–2 victory.
“Seeing it all come together tonight, I’m just ecstatic,” said head coach Robert Talley. “The guys were getting really excited all week, and they were pumped to get out on the field tonight. They played a great game.”
Valley Center Pauma Unified School District (VCPUSD) Superintendent Dr. Lou Obermeyer threw out the honorary first ball, and it wasn’t long after that the Jaguars were celebrating their first goal in school history. The program is only fielding a junior varsity team this season, but plans to move up to the varsity level next year.
Midfielder Garrett Fiehler took the opening draw, scooped up the ball, fired it to attacker Sullivan Shimer, who wheeled into the middle of the field, ran straight to the goal and fired the first shot of the game past the Temecula Valley goaltender as the home crowd went wild.
“It felt really good to score the first goal,” Shimer said after the game. “I owe it all to my team. We were so excited for our first game. We worked hard in practice and we knew we needed a win to help pump up our sport. Our offense really moved the ball well tonight with some great passes, and our defense really shut them down.”
Fiehler followed up the swift score with another one just 13 seconds later. Once again, he won the midfield draw and scooped up the ball, but this time he took off down the center of the field himself and slung the ball past the bewildered keeper to give the Jags a two-goal lead just 29 seconds into the game.
“It was awesome to come out and see what we had,” Fiehler said. “I’m really proud of our guys, especially how the new kids have stepped up and become leaders.”
The game settled down after the furious flurry to open the contest, and despite a couple of near misses by both teams, the score remained 2–0 at the conclusion of the first ten minutes.
Early in the second quarter, Temecula Valley was called for back-to-back penalties, which gave the Jaguars a two-man advantage for nearly a minute. They cashed in before the second player returned from the penalty box, as Shimer unleashed a cannonade of a shot that gave the Jags a 3–0 lead less than a minute into the second period.
Another penalty on the Golden Bears nearly a minute later led to another goal for Valley Center, this time on another run down the middle by Fiehler, who bounced his shot off the turf in front of the goalie and into the back of the net.
Temecula Valley got its first goal midway through the period on a good run up the middle and a bouncing shot that found its way past the keeper.
But as the final seconds of the first half wound down, Fiehler took matters into his own hands once again, splitting the defenders, bouncing back and forth off of body checks and scoring on a perfectly-placed low shot that gave the Jaguars a 5–1 lead at halftime.
The Jags opened the second half much the same way the opened the first half, with a faceoff win by Fiehler, a great pass on the run to Shimer, and another goal on a pinpoint shot to the top corner of the net.
Valley Center extended the lead with another power play goal midway through the quarter, as Jason Blasius ripped a low shot past the goalie to put the Jags out in front 7–1.
Temecula Valley answered with a goal less than a minute later after a Jaguar turnover that led to a long run and a cleverly maneuvered shot to beat the keeper.
Leading 7–2 heading into the fourth quarter, the Jaguar defense stifled the Golden Bears’ attack again and again. Fiehler found one more way to electrify the home crowd with just under six minutes left in the game. With one of the Golden Bears flying down the hashmarks near the home sideline, Fiehler dropped his shoulder and delivered an absolutely obliterating hit to the ball carrier, flattening him in his tracks with a textbook body check. The collision knocked loose, among other things, the ball, which Fiehler alertly scooped up, carried nearly 60 yards and fired past the Temecula Valley goaltender to put the cap on the thrilling win.
“I just saw the guy coming down into our zone, and I didn’t want to let him get past me,” Fiehler said of the thunderous hit. “We’ve got a lot of guys from the football team out here, and I think that being aggressive on the football field transfers to lacrosse really well. And having played with those guys really helps our team unity.”
Fiehler led the scoring with four goals and a pair of assists, while Shimer added three goals and Blasius scored once. In goal, Kyle Stroud stymied the Golden Bears’ offense again and again to earn the victory.
“We had tryouts two weeks ago, so we only had one full week of practice to prepare for this game, so to get a win like that is solid,” Talley added. “This was a dream start to our season.”
All the hard work put in by so many parents, coaches and administrators finally came to fruition for the boys lacrosse program, but the start of the season was nearly derailed by an issue with the field.
“The game almost didn’t happen because the lines for boys lacrosse are different than they are for the girls,” Talley said. “But [VCHS Athletic Director] Mike Cummings came out here in the rain yesterday to paint the new lines so we could play.”
The Jaguars have a pair of away games next on the schedule—at Maranatha Christian at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday and at San Marcos at 5 p.m. on Monday—before they return home next Wednesday for a 6:30 p.m. game against St. Augustine.
“Come out and support the team, it’s a lot of fun to watch,” Talley said. “If you come out once, I know you’ll be back.”

VC Little League celebrates opening day with American traditions

Click here to check out a gallery of photos from VCLL Opening Night 2011!

BY: DAN KIDDER

Nothing stirs the blood of a young athlete quite like an umpire calling, “Play ball!”
For more than 400 Valley Center ballplayers, Friday night marked the beginning of what is sure to be an exciting baseball season, as the Valley Center Little League (VCLL) celebrated Opening Night 2011.
And it should come as no surprise that the community helped the young players celebrate the night with an impressive turnout.
“We have more than four hundred kids playing this year, so with parents, other family members and friends, I’d say that there are easily over a thousand people here tonight,” VCLL president Bill Layne said with more than a hint of pride.
The enthusiastic crowd got to start the night off with a mouth-watering selection of culinary delights, courtesy of Gina Puentes and her Delish crew. Along with ballpark standards such as hot dogs and popcorn, the menu also offered a barbecue beef sandwich, complete with potato salad, baked beans and a soda to take care of any dietary distractions before the game got underway.
The rock band Not For Hire provided live music, including favorites such as “All Star” by Smash Mouth and a rocking version of “Take Me Out To The Ballgame.” Players for the Rattlers in the Caps Division recognized their coach, Chaz Rhinehart, on guitar and lead vocals.
Many of the parents no doubt felt a little bit like kids again when they saw some of the classic cars on hand, courtesy of some of Valley Center’s many collectors. The classic Chevrolets included a pair of yellow Stingray Corvettes, a souped-up Camaro, some old hot rods and even a tricked-out motorcycle.
The kids even got to play in an inflatable jump house before the opening ceremonies got started.
With a field full of players in uniform, the night began with a traditional blessing by seven “bird singers” from the Rincon tribe in Pauma Valley.
To honor our country, Jodi Villarreal sang the national anthem, then Pastor Bill Trok of Ridgeview Church said a prayer for the season. After some thanks to the volunteers and sponsors, team manager Terry Ryan threw out the first pitch to open the season. Layne told a brief story about receiving a box full of VCLL plaques from Wallace Hardware when it closed. One plaque, from 1994, showed Ryan as the coach of his son’s team. In recognition of his years of dedication to the league, Ryan was honored with the first pitch of the 2011 season.
The players and their families had some more time to enjoy the festivities of the night before the first game of the new season began.
That game, from the Minor A Division, featured the Jaxx and the Hot Rods to kick off the year.
Both teams played well in the first game, showing good positioning and solid fundamentals. The fans got into the game as well, cheering on their team with each good play. Of course, there were a few moments that highlight the joys of youth sports, including a brief timeout for a player to run to the bathroom, and the occasional good-natured reminder from a coach to an outfielder to “stop spinning around and pay attention to the game!” But the fans were also treated to a game of real baseball, with traditional rules and strategy, that showcased the league’s commitment to teaching kids the fundamentals of the game in a safe, positive environment.
The Jaxx scored a pair of runs early in the game, but the Hot Rods came back with a run in the bottom of the third to pull back within one.
The Jaxx pulled ahead with two more runs in the fourth, then added one in the fifth and one more in the sixth to build a big lead. But the Hot Rods made a big play on defense in the top of the sixth, throwing out a runner at home on an attempted double steal, then added a run a beautifully-hit double to right field before the game was over. The Jaxx picked up a 6–2 win in a great game to start of the year.
Layne and the board of directors also took a moment to thank the many volunteers who help make Little League baseball run smoothly every single year. That list included vice president Lance Klem, player agent Roy Stevenson, secretary Christina Marenholz, chief umpire John Tompkins, treasurer Dean Gittleson, information officer and assistant treasurer Tony Katzdorn, safety officer Chad Gustine, snack bar coordinator Gina Puentes, sponsorship and fund-raising coordinator Nancy Layne, team/parent coordinator Jenny Mihoky, assistant chief umpire Mike Marenholz, assistant fund-raising coordinator Angie Saunders, Majors/Minors coaches coordinator Ken Boone, Tee Ball/Caps coordinator Brian Podratz, head scorekeeper Jenny Hakes, sign board coordinator Ron Burke, equipment manager Rob Lieschman, event coordinator Joe Edwards, background check coordinator Newell Cumming, Juniors coordinator Rick Blucher, Web site director Amy Podratz, Little League Baseball district administrator Larry Burch, Valley Center Parks & Recreation general manager Doug Johnsen and Valley Center Parks & Recreation president Tom Litchfield.
VCLL also took time to say a special thanks to the sponsors who helped make the 2011 season possible, including the I-15 Sustainable Community by the Accretive Group, the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians, Pauma Valley Insurance and the Lake Elsinore Storm, as well as snack bar sponsor A-1 Irrigation, Bates Nut Farm, California Bank & Trust, Community Pharmacy of VC, Economy Restaurant Supply, Farmers Daughter, Fat Ivors, Ghosh Consulting, Henry Avocado, Hidden Valley Pump, Jeremy Klem - Farmers Insurance, Jersey Mikes Subs, Left Coast Engineering, the Leishman Family, Medina Eades DDS, North County Spring, Pacific Tax and Financial, Papa Bears/ Sorrentinos, Pinamonti Rentals, ProSource Group, Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians, SportAbout, Sports Closet, St. Stephen Catholic Church, Tri City Carpet, Valley Center Barbershop, Valley Center Dental, Valley Center Propane and Western CNC, Inc.

Local author examines how action sports changed the business world

BY: DAN KIDDER

What if the world had never heard of Tony Hawk?
Sure, there are those who would welcome the liberation of their precious sidewalks from the tyranny of an army of four-wheeled oppressors.
But for those who rocked DC gear before it was mainstream, who saved up to buy that Element deck they had their eye on, who saw Hawk pull off the 900 at the X-Games in 1999 and immediately went outside to practice on their own boards—and who know that Hawk’s popularity came about only because of the revolutionary pioneers of the sport, a list that includes Alan Gelfand, Tony Alva, Danny Way, Per Welinder, Andy Kessler and so many more—a life without a skateboard is unimaginable.
It staggers the mind to think about how a group of bored surfers who slapped some metal wheels on the bottom of a wooden box turned out to be the unwitting pioneers of a multi-billion dollar industry. But in the 60-odd years since these unknown street surfers first shredded the California concrete with their new invention, skateboarding has transformed from a weekend hobby into a unique, multi-layered culture.
How did it happen? How did these punks on wheels turn into multi-millionaires? How did the underground skaters in the Z-Boys and the Bones Brigade morph into international superstars? Why didn’t things like frisbee competitions, which were also on the fringe of popularity in the 1970s, explode into a worldwide phenomenon?
Basically, what was it about skateboarding that made it so cool?
That’s what Alex Striler wanted to know.
The Valley Center resident came to California from a job on Wall Street eight years ago and recently published the book X Play Nation, an examination of the people, companies and marketing strategies behind the surge in popularity of action sports.
“I came out here to run a company that sold to skaters online, and I thought I knew how to do it,” he says. “Boy, was I wrong. So I hooked up with Tony Alva, and he helped me see that it’s an entirely different culture than the business community is used to dealing with.”
From that realization came a desire to help create connections between the business community and the ever-growing nation of action sports.
“These endemic brands like DC Shoes just don’t understand the way that corporate America works,” Striler says. “And corporate America doesn’t understand the culture around these brands. This book is a way to bridge that gap.”
X Play Nation is an in-depth look at how leading action sports companies created their brands using lifestyle marketing. With more than 50 interviews of company founders, CEOs and professional athletes, Striler thoroughly examines the roots of skateboarding, the process and effectiveness of lifestyle marketing, the impact of technology and social media on the culture, and the current direction of the culture, including a chapter on the rise of action sports in China.
“My generation grew up with the traditional sports—baseball, football and basketball, or if you’re from Europe, hockey and soccer—and things like skateboarding and snowboarding were just weekend hobbies,” Striler says. “My kids are growing up not knowing the difference between action sports and traditional sports. They don’t view the X-Games as any different from Major League Baseball. My son Cole plays baseball, but he also knows about guys like Ken Block and Mike Metzger. These athletes are finding new ways to earn money by being good at their sport, winning competitions and getting sponsors. And this book is an explanation of how the industry works.”
It’s already working, too. Striler tells a quick story about Vox Footwear, a company formed by his friend, skater Ed Dominick, along with Dr. Chen, a traditional businessman who also helped found Osiris Shoes.
“They always fought about how to do business,” he says. “Doctor Chen came from a methodical business culture and wanted Ed to have regular hours, wear a tie and all of that. Ed was a skater, so he wanted to hit the skate park for lunch and things like that. Ed ended up leaving, saying that he just couldn’t handle that environment anymore. After he left, Doctor Chen got a copy of my book and invited me to lunch. He told me, ‘Thank you for this book, now I understand what Ed was trying to do.’ He called Ed and apologized for everything. Ed sent me a heartfelt e-mail saying that, after four years of an unbearable work environment, Doctor Chen’s call reconciled everything.”
One of the book’s chapters highlights the trend-forward nature of action sports in the parity between genders that pervades deeper into the roots of the sport than in any of the traditional sports.
“The support that was coming in for the guys, it just wasn’t happening for girls,” Striler says. “At the X-Games, the medals for men were something like ten thousand, but for girls it was only like eighteen hundred. The girls united and said that they should get as much as men because they’re out there getting the same exposure. That’s something you don’t see in other sports yet.”
Striler’s ultimate hope for this book is to make it possible for a company looking to support the next skating superstar to find the kid who is out on his sidewalk perfecting the next revolution in the sport.
“Action sports are about creativity and expression,” he says. “Anyone can increase the bar by doing something that no one else has ever done. That expression of creativity is what’s fueling the industry. It’s so innovative, I can’t wait to see what unfolds in the next five years.”
Check out X Play Nation on the book’s Web site at www.x-playnation.com or search for X Play Nation on Amazon.

Click here to check out a gallery of clinic photos on the VC Vaqueros Facebook page!

The Valley Center Vaqueros Equine Educational Foundation will host a series of horsemanship clinics in March and April.
The local horsemanship group is excited to offer these clinics to the public at a cost of $5 per family per clinic, or $10 per family for the entire day. Guests are encouraged to bring a picnic lunch to enjoy between sessions.
The clinics will take place at the Valley Center Vaqueros Equestrian Park, located at the corner of Lilac Rd. and Valley Center Rd. The grounds open at 9 a.m. each day of the clinics, and the first sessions begin at 10 a.m.
The first clinic takes place on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon, and is hosted by Margit Deerman and Cindi Gianinni. These instructors will present a demonstration of Parelli Natural Horsemanship that is designed to help trainers and their horses achieve the desired behavioral results with as little stress on the horse as possible.
Deerman is a third degree licensed Parelli Natural Horsemanship Instructor and Gianinni is a first degree
junior instructor. Deerman offers clinics and lessons at her M&M Ranch here in Valley Center, while
Gianinni owns and operates Savvy Stables, where she offers lessons and boarding. Deerman can be reached at www.margitdeerman.com or (760) 749-2129 and Gianinni at www.savvystables.com or (760) 751-2073.
The second session on Saturday takes place from 1–3 p.m. and features a demonstration of Driving Training by local trainer Julie Picot.
Picot trains and gives lessons in driving, dressage, hunt seat and western riding. She can be reached at (619) 884-3982 or by e-mail at jewels92040@yahoo.com.
Sunday’s clinics begin again at 10 a.m., and the first session, which lasts until noon, features a presentation by local veterinarian Dr. Linda Byer.
Dr. Byer’s demonstration on basic care is titled, “When to call the vet.” She is an active sponsor of the Valley Center Vaqueros, and writes an article for the monthly Vaqueros newsletter, Nickers and Neighs.
She is a Vaqueros board member and dedicated supporter of the new Valley Center Large Animal Safety Team (LAST). Dr. Byer’s email is lindabyerdvm@sbcglobal.net and she can be called at (760) 751-0807 for appointments.
On Sunday from 1–3 p.m., Sabrina Kahoutek will give a demonstration on Equissage.
Kahoutek teaches and does hands-on application of equissage, which is short for equine massage. She will work with two horses from the audience, to be arranged prior to demonstration date. Anyone interested in taking part in this demonstration should phone ahead for space reservation at (760) 473-9893. Her Web site is www.sabrinaequissagecalifornia.com/
The next series of clinics will be held on April 2–3 at the Vaqueros Equestrian Park, once again at a fee of $5 per family per clinic or $10 per family for the entire day.
The first clinic on April 2 runs from 10 a.m. to noon and features a presentation on trail and endurance riding by local endurance rider Heidi Helly.
Helly is the three-time Regional Featherweight Endurance Champion for 2005, 2008 and 2009 with her horse, Andreti, a Legion of Honor recipient. She has been riding for over twenty years and has logged over 7,000 miles in endurance riding.
This seminar will provide information on trail riding for pleasure or how to achieve your endurance goals, and everything in between. A variety of saddles, tack and accessories will be available to look at and try out, so attendees are encouraged to bring their horses along. There will also be an opportunity to discuss nutritional and conditioning needs and tips on camping with your horse. Helly will be happy to evaluate your saddle needs, and will have horses available for trying on saddles. She can be reached at (760) 749-4063 or by e-mail at vchorsegal@aol.com.
The second session on April 2 will run from 1–4 p.m. and will feature a presentation by Tom Kemp of the Escondido Mounted Posse, who will bring obstacles for sensory training.
Kemp will discuss desensitization of horses and mules for use in parades, etc. He has had experience in working with posse and parade animals for this purpose. Guests are welcome to bring your manageable and “relatively safe” horse to this event to work on sensitizing and desensitization, but the Vaqueros must be sure to keep this a safe activity while exposing animals to new things. For info please contact Tom Kemp by e-mail at goatowner@yahoo.com.
On April 3, the first clinic runs from 10 a.m. to noon and features a demonstration of Natural Balance Hoof Care by farrier Gina Rice.
Rice will work on two horses from the audience with arrangements made before the demonstration. She can be reached at (760) 716-2098 or by e-mail at ginafindyourhouse@cox.net to reserve a space.
The second clinic on April 3 will run from 1–3 p.m. and will be a trail obstacle practice, so guests should bring their horses to take part in the event. Anyone who would like to donate an obstacle to the club is encouraged to call Lorelei Jones at (760) 751-2284.
For more information, visit the Vaqueros’ Web site at www.valleycentervaqueros.com/ or check out the group's Facebook page here.

Oros, Smith finish in top ten in CIF Masters wrestling tournament

Two Valley Center wrestlers finished in the top ten in the CIF Masters wrestling tournament this weekend.
Juan Oros finished sixth at 105 pounds and Dylan Smith finished seventh at 173 pounds to finish off the wrestling season for the Jaguars.
Oros, Smith and Dustin Miller (114 pounds) each earned All-Valley League first team honors for their outstanding seasons, while second team honors went to Daquota Avila (137 pounds), Damian Stehly (162 pounds) and Travis Weddington (217 pounds).

Jaguars win in first round of CIF basketball playoffs, but lose in quarterfinals

After a thrilling, one-point win to advance to the quarterfinals of the CIF Division III playoffs, the Valley Center varsity boys basketball team ran into a juggernaut in the final game and lost to wrap up the 2010-11 season.
The Jaguars went into the playoffs as the No. 9 seed, which set them up with a first-round game at Santana on Wednesday.
In a close game from start to finish, the Jags held on through a furious fourth quarter to escape with a 51–50 win.
Santana came out firing on all cylinders early in the game and took a quick lead. But the Jaguars battled back, spreading the ball around and evening the score at 11 at the end of the first quarter.
The Jags took their first lead of the game on the first shot of the second quarter, a fast-break layup by AJ Broomell that started with a steal by James Siva. Valley Center extended the lead to four points early in the quarter and pushed the lead out to six midway through the period before Santana fought back and pulled within two at halftime.
The Sultans re-took the lead with a three-pointer to open the third quarter, but the Jaguars fed the ball inside to Stehly Reden, who racked up a dozen points in the period, to take a 41–36 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Eight of Reden’s 12 points in the quarter came on free throws, as the Sultans had trouble containing Reden’s size in the paint.
The Jags needed every one of their ten points in the fourth quarter. Santana re-took the lead early in the period on a four-point play, but the Jags went on a six-point run to pull ahead by five once again. Santana responded with another six-point run to pull ahead by one with just over a minute left to play.
With time winding down, the Sultans missed an inside shot, and Siva grabbed the rebound on the baseline after it bounced off of Reden’s hands. After a quick pass fake, Siva took off, driving down the court, past his defender and into the lane, where he bounced a pass to Beau Reilly, who banked in the layup to give Valley Center a one-point lead with 30 seconds left on the clock.
Santana called a timeout with 19 seconds left to draw up a play for a last-second shot for the win. The Sultans got off an open three-pointer with eight seconds remaining, but the shot clanged off the back of the rim and bounced away. One of the Sultans nearly came down with the rebound, but Reden poked it out of his hands and the ball squirted out near mid-court. Broomell knocked it away from another Santana player, and Siva finally got ahold of the ball at half court, where he was immediately fouled with nine-tenths of a second remaining the game. Siva missed the first of his one-and-one shots, and the Sultans tried a desperation heave from the other side of the court. The Valley Center supporters held their collective breath as the ball hit the front of the rim, then celebrated when the ball fell harmlessly to the floor to end the thrilling Jaguar win.
“This game was up and down and up and down, but in the end, we held our poise,” Valley Center coach Bob Purdy said after the game. “We got a little lucky with some shots, but when they doubled Stehly and started overplaying AJ, we were able to spread the ball around and get the points we needed.”
Reden finished the game with an outstanding 22 points, while Broomell added nine, Siva had eight, Reilly had six, and Mike McInerny, Brett Henderson and Ryan Kleiman each had two.
The season came to an abrupt end on Saturday night, however, as the Jaguars traveled to St. Augustine to take on the No. 1-ranked Saints in the quarterfinals.
Valley Center ran into a well-coached team full of outstanding athletes and couldn’t keep pace in a 79–39 loss to end the season.
The Jaguars jumped out to a 5–2 lead in the opening minutes of the game, but St. Augustine put the hammer down and never trailed again in the lopsided game. The Jags pulled within two points late in the first quarter, but the Saints went on a nine-point run to close out the period with an 11-point lead.
It was more of the same in the second quarter, as St. Augustine outscored Valley Center 25–8 in the period to hold a 28-point lead at halftime.
The lead increased to 37 after the third quarter, as the Saints forced turnovers and converted shot after shot on the fast break. With a running clock in the fourth quarter, the Saints ran out the time and put the cap on the 40-point win.
Broomell scored all of the team’s eight points in the second quarter and finished with 17 points in the game, while Reden added eight points, all of which came in the first quarter. Siva chipped in with six points, while Robby Tortes had four points and Reilly and Henderson each scored two.
Valley Center finishes off the season with an 18–9 overall record.

Lady Jaguars fall in first round of CIF girls basketball playoffs

Valley Center’s varsity girls basketball team exceeded many of the preseason predictions for the 2010-11 season, posting an outstanding overall record, earning a share of the Valley League title and taking the No. 7 seed and a home game in the CIF Division III playoffs.
But the season came to an end last Tuesday, as the Lady Jaguars couldn’t get the offense going when they needed it in a 53–43 loss to Santana in the first round of the playoffs.
The Lady Jags battled back from an early deficit to pull within one, 12–11, at the end of the first quarter. Valley Center tied the game at 17 on a fast-break basket by Victoria Navarro with 3:30 left in the first half, but Santana responded with a 12-point run to close out the second quarter and the Lady Jags trailed 29–17 at halftime.
The Lady Jaguars bounced back in a big way in the third quarter, as they scored 21 points in the period to tie the score at 38 heading into the fourth quarter. Sidney Reilly led the charge with seven points in the period, while Vinessa Perryman and Miriam Zabinsky added five points each to propel the Lady Jags back into the game.
But the Lady Sultans opened the final quarter with a six-point run and held Valley Center off down the stretch by converting their free throw opportunities to hang on for the ten-point win.
Reilly finished with 15 points in the game, while Zabinsky scored 11, Perryman had nine, Lauren Gilster had four and Navarro and Andie Wagner each had two.
Valley Center finishes the season with a 15–13 overall record.

Lady Jaguars' soccer season comes to an end

Valley Center’s varsity girls soccer team boasted solid play from a team full of underclassmen this season, and the Lady Jaguars took advantage of their youth and skill to dominate their opening round game in the CIF Division IV playoffs this season.
The Lady Jags cranked up the offense and never let up on defense to cruise to a 7–0 win over Mountain Empire on Wednesday in the first round of the post-season.
The Heredia sisters combined for eight points in the game, as Melina scored four goals and had an assist, while Vanessa scored a goal and had two assists.
Midfielder Hannah Sanders added a goal and two assists, while Julia Stone scored a goal and both Kelly Hagadorn and Leina Villamez had an assist.
In goal, Taylor Yates made two saves to preserve the shutout.
But the Lady Jaguars couldn’t find the offense they needed in the quarterfinals, as they suffered a 2–1 loss to Francis Parker on Saturday.
Melina Heredia scored another goal on an assist from Sanders, while Yates made six saves in a valiant effort in goal to finish out the season.
Valley Center ends the year with a 11–7–2 overall record.

Seven VC water polo players earn All-League honors

Seven Lady Jaguars from the Valley League champion varsity girls water polo team earned honors from the league this week.
Senior Carina Favela was named the Valley League player of the year for 2010–11 and was also honored with a selection to the All-Valley League first team.
Also earning first team honors were Maddy Daugherty, Dani Lettice and Melissa Persichetti, while second team honors went to Nicole Marler, Nikki Paredes and Makayla Markey.
“I am so proud of the girls for accomplishing their goals of earning an undefeated league championship and advancing past the first round in the playoffs,” head coach Kyle Kline said. “This was a great season and I want to thank the parents, faculty, staff, administration, and fans for supporting the girls this season!”

Dr. Greg Carlson opens VC Smiles dentistry

Dr. Greg Carlson has a lot to smile about.
Valley Center’s newest dentist has a young family, an office full of the latest dental technology, and he says he’s looking forward to becoming an integral part of our town.
“We’re new to Valley Center, but I grew up in unincorporated Escondido, so this area appeals to me with all this open space,” he says. “We’re excited to get involved with the community here.”
Dr. Carlson comes to Valley Center with his wife B.B. and their three children—Riley, age four; McKenna, age three; and Huck, age one—to open Valley Center Smiles, a dentist’s office located on Valley Center Rd. at the corner of Woods Valley Rd.
The grand opening for the office will be on March 14, and Dr. Carlson says that his experiences in the world of dentistry so far have prepared him well for opening his own practice.
“Right out of dental school, I worked with the Indian Health Service in Montana, on a reservation with about a thousand people,” he says. “There was a shortage of dental care, so I saw a lot of things you wouldn’t normally see, which helped me hone my skills.”
Now in his third year of dentistry, Dr. Carlson has also picked up plenty of tips from his family.
“When I got back to California last August, I started working with my dad and brother, who have a family practice in Escondido,” he says. “I’ve learned a lot of new procedures and picked up some complex cases while I’ve been there. The two of them have more than fifty years of combined experience, and it’s been great to draw from that before I venture out on my own.”
Dr. Carlson says that a primary focus in his new practice is to make his patients as comfortable and at ease as he can.
“I find that the best way to go about things is to treat everyone like you want you and your family to be treated,” he says. “We’ve got state-of-the-art equipment, as new as you can get, and we offer dental care for the whole family. We cater to all ages, we do most procedures right here, and I’m comfortable doing a lot of the special aspects as well.”
Two pieces of equipment at VC Smiles that will help keep patients as comfortable as possible are the Digital Panoramic X-Ray machine and the electric hand piece drill.
Dr. Carlson says that the Digital Panoramic X-Ray will help cut down on the number of x-rays that need to be taken on each patient.
“In one shot, we can get the whole mouth, even the shots that we used to have to go inside the mouth to get,” he says. “This machine converts the image to show us what we need to see without having to take more shots. That means we’re limiting the number of x-rays taken, which means less radiation, and we can help the comfort level of each patient.”
The electric hand piece for the drill isn’t designed to do anything different than the standard air drills. But one slight difference in the design will hopefully help the mental state of each patient undergoing a drilling procedure.
“With the traditional air-driven hand pieces, you get that high pitched sound that makes you cringe,” Dr. Carlson says. “The electric hand piece operates with considerably less of that sound, which should help take the edge off. It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but I thought it was a no-brainer if it meant that my patients would be more comfortable. It’s a conscious decision to make that a priority in my practice.”
To help patients work a visit to the dentist into their busy schedules, Valley Center Smiles will offer a variety of hours during the week.
“I want to make the hours more accessible for people who work elsewhere,” Dr. Carlson says. “Some days, we’ll open at seven to be able to see people before they head off to work. Other days, we’ll stay open a little later to catch people after work. We want to make sure we make it convenient for people who work in Escondido or San Marcos, as well as for those who stay right here in Valley Center.”
To help keep Valley Center’s smiles healthy, Dr. Carlson is offering a special to his new patients.
“For any new patient, we’re offering free whitening for life,” he says. “Everyone wants a nice, bright smile, so new patients will get a custom tray to use at home, plus the whitening paste. That’s typically something that costs in the hundreds of dollars, but we’re giving that to our new patients who stay current on their cleanings and yearly exams.”
For more information about Dr. Carlson and his new practice, search for Valley Center Smiles on Facebook, or call the office at 760-749-4700.