Athlete of the Year: Coaches' Thoughts

Our 2011 Athlete of the Year, Kevin Murphy, has had a lot of different coaches in his life.
In his senior year at VCHS, Murphy had five different coaches from five different varsity sports, and they all had plenty of good things to say about such a versatile, hard-working athlete.
Here are their thoughts:

Kyle Kline, varsity boys water polo coach:
I think Kevin is a great choice for Athlete of the Year. I only had the pleasure of coaching Kevin for one season. I have had many athletes show up senior year and decide they want to play water polo and I was skeptical when I heard about Kevin and his desire to join the team. He showed up with confidence and I really didn’t expect him to last more than one day.
Kevin proved me wrong and exceeded my expectations. He was definitely behind on experience and conditioning in the water but that didn’t discourage him one bit. He worked through the tough practices and absorbed as much as he could to try to catch up. This is definitely one of the most coachable athletes I have had and he put everything I tried to teach him to use. I would only have to tell Kevin something once, and I would see him working on whatever it was throughout the rest of practice and the whole season. Kevin is also a natural athlete. He is aggressive and gives 110% with everything he does.
Something else that really defined Kevin was his willingness to face a tough challenge. He never backed down from a tough swim set that would give seasoned swimmers a tough time. What really set him apart was his decision to take on one of the toughest positions in the pool as two meter defense. This position involves defending usually the biggest and strongest player on the opposing team. When I described this position Kevin’s eyes lit up. He knew this was his spot and he wanted to make sure he earned the starting position. He worked hard and earned the starting spot and again exceeded my expectations. This position does not usually get the stats that the offensive two meter player gets. It does not get nearly as much attention or glory as other positions. Kevin was not in it for those things. He was in it for the challenge and to help his team. He handled athletes that had many more years experience than him and did an excellent job.
What makes Kevin a successful athlete is a combination of things. His work ethic is exceptional. He is confident but not over confident. He faces challenges head on and with an enthusiasm that I don’t often see. He is a positive role model for younger athletes and a team leader. He leads by example but is outspoken when necessary. He is extremely coachable and has a great attitude. All of these things are beneficial to a team. He made a huge contribution to my team this season and I can only imagine the water polo player he would have been with a few more years experience.
I am sure Kevin will apply these characteristics in the future and it is these that will ensure success in anything he chooses to pursue.
Kevin’s senior year stats: nine goals, 16 assists, 31 steals, and four blocks.
Thanks for giving recognition to a great athlete, student, and individual!

Clay Clifford, varsity wrestling coach:
Kevin was a three-year varsity letterman for wrestling and was a contributor to our second place finish at the San Diego CIF Division IV Championships. Kevin is good-natured and was a pleasure to have on the wrestling team. He made many sacrifices for the team when called upon, and always gave his best effort. I expect that Kevin will one day be a very good coach, hopefully in the sport of wrestling.

Rick Darland, varsity boys golf coach:
Kevin is a great kid and a team leader, and I had a lot of fun coaching him this season. To be able to do that many things that well shows you what kind of an athlete and what kind of a person he is.
Because of the nature of golf, you can’t just pick up your sticks after taking all winter off, but somehow Kevin showed up this spring and was better than he was last year. He progressed further than I thought he would this year.
He’s a well-rounded person who enjoys life, and he knows what it takes to be successful in whatever he wants to do.

Rob Gilster, varsity football coach:
He played football all four years, and he was thinking about just doing water polo his senior year, but he was such a strong long snapper that we found a way to make it work out for him to do both this year. He’s a really good long snapper, and I’m sure he could have helped us out at some other positions on the football field, but he was really passionate about water polo. He was able to get in some practice time and work with Davey [Last, the football team’s kicker] on his own. And he was able to get to all our games on time, even though he had other games on the same day.
He was also one of my ASB students this year, so I got to work closely with him on a lot of school activities. He’s a great kid, a hard worker, and very dependable. You know he’s going to get the job done.
He’s very responsible, and as a student and as a player, same thing. I know he had a lot of other responsibilities in his life, but he’s committed to doing what he needs to do to be a good teammate, a good student and a good person.
I think the balance and time management that he’s learned through sports and ASB in high school are important skills he will carry with him. That’s what so much of life is—we don’t always get to focus on just one thing, we have to be able to handle a lot at a time, and Kevin is definitely prepared to do that.
And he was good, too. He’s a great athlete.

Laura McCaulley, varsity swim coach:
Kevin did really well this year for the swim team. He fit in well with the boys and helped us out a lot, especially in the relays. He went to league for the 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relays and got better throughout the year.
His experience with the water polo team helped him be successful because he was already training really hard. During the swim season, he would come to the morning workout because he had golf in the afternoon, so he had a lot of long days.
But it paid off because he did such a great job in the league finals, where he placed in both the relay events as well as the 200 freestyle.
He’s a really hard worker, and that’s only going to help him with whatever he does in life. His work ethic is unreal!

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.

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!”

Season ends in quarterfinals for Lady Jags water polo team

The 2011 season came to an end this week for the Valley Center varsity girls water polo team after the Lady Jaguars advanced to the quarterfinals of the CIF playoffs before suffering a loss.
The Lady Jags beat Santa Fe Christian in the opening round of the Division III playoffs on Thursday, but couldn’t get past No. 3-ranked Cathedral Catholic in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
Valley Center played well against Santa Fe Christian, taking an early lead and holding on late in the game for a 9–4 win.
After having beaten the Lady Eagles by only one goal earlier in the season, the Lady Jags knew the rematch would be a tough game.
The Lady Jaguars to put away three goals in the first, while allowing two for the Lady Eagles. Both teams scored one in the second, giving Valley Center a 4–3 advantage at half.
The Lady Jags were able to score three in the third, while only allowing only one, to lead 7–4 going into the fourth. In the final period, Valley Center was able to put away two more goals allowing none to take the win.
“The girls did a good job of battling for four quarters,” head coach Kyle Kline said. “Carina Favela had two solid shots at two meters right away, causing Santa Fe Christian to double team her for the remainder of the game. This opened up some opportunities for other players to score from the perimeter. Maddy Daugherty was able to put away three in the third and one in the fourth on penalty shots and from the outside. Nikki Paredes had two solid shots from a six-on-five situation and Makayla Markey had a solid goal from a cross-cage pass. This game was close all the way into the fourth quarter and the girls held their composure and pulled off the win.”
Maddy Daugherty had four goals, four steals, and earned one exclusion. Carina Favela had a solid game with two goals, two assists, two steals, two blocks, earned two exclusions, and earned two penalty shots. Nikki Paredes had two goals, and one steal. Makayla Markey had one goal, three assists, three steals, and earned one penalty shot. Nicole Marler had two assists, and one steal. Danielle Moran played great in the first half with five goal saves and one steal. Melissa Persichetti played great in the second half with eight goal saves and one steal.
This win advanced the Lady Jags to the quarterfinals against Cathedral Catholic on Saturday, and the No. 3 team in the playoffs proved they belonged there with a 14–2 win over Valley Center.
The Lady Jaguars didn’t score until the fourth quarter when the game was all but decided. Meanwhile, Cathedral Catholic racked up five goals in the first, four in the second, three in the third and two more for good measure in the fourth.
For Valley Center, Daugherty and Morrison each scored a goal, while Favela had an assist and Persichetti made eight saves in goal.
The Lady Jaguars finish the season with a 19–10 record.

Lady Jaguars clinch Valley League water polo title with undefeated season

With a pair of wins this week, the Valley Center varsity girls water polo team posted an undefeated season in the Valley League and clinched the league championship.
The Lady Jaguars earned the No. 6 seed in the CIF Division III playoffs, which means they will play against Santa Fe Christian at Westview High School on Thursday at 4 p.m.
To clinch the league title, the Lady Jags defeated Canyon Crest last Tuesday, then finished off the undefeated league season with a big win over Del Norte on Thursday.
On Tuesday, the Lady Jags played a steady, consistent game to take a 9–4 win over Canyon Crest.
The Lady Jaguars had a slower start in this game against the Lady Ravens than they did in the first meeting, but still managed to take a 3–1 lead after the first quarter. Canyon Crest was able to score two in the second, allowing two for the Lady Jags, giving Valley Center a 5–3 advantage at half.
The Lady Jaguars were only able to score one in the third, but held Canyon Crest scoreless to lead 6–3 entering the fourth. The Lady Jags were able to score two goals while only allowing one to hang on for the win.
“This was a tough game for the girls against an improved Canyon Crest team,” head coach Kyle Kline said. “We missed some opportunities and were playing with some sick girls but they battled through to earn a league title.”
Maddy Daugherty had a big game with five goals, six steals, and one exclusion. Carina Favela had two goals, two steals. Makayla Markey was playing sick, but still had one goal and two steals. Nicole Marler had five steals, one assist, and one block. Nikki Paredes playing sick had three steals. Sarah Mitchell had one assist. Dani Lettice had one assist. Danielle Moran played the first quarter in goal with three goal saves and two assists. Melissa Persichetti had five goal saves and two assists.
Valley Center took on its final opponent of the regular season on Thursday, and after taking a big early lead, the Lady Jaguars went on to beat Del Norte, 13–5, to seal the undefeated league season.
The Lady Jags had an outstanding start, taking a 6–1 lead in the first quarter. Del Norte came back in the second to score two, while allowing only one for the Lady Jags, giving Valley Center a 7–3 lead at half.
The Lady Jags picked it up a notch in the third, scoring three goals and allowing none, to lead 11–3 going into the fourth. Del Norte scored two goals in the fourth, but the Lady Jags put away three to cap the comfortable win.
“Going undefeated in league was a goal for the girls and it was great to see them set the goal, work hard and achieve it,” Kline said. “They played solid team defense in coming up with sixteen steals and were able to turn many of those into goals. Finishing off strong like this will give the girls momentum heading into the playoffs.”
Favela had a great game with six goals, one assist, six steals, and earned one exclusion. Daugherty had three goals, two assists, two steals, earned two exclusions, and converted on two penalty shots. Lettice had two goals, one steal, earned two exclusions, and earned one penalty shot. Marler had one goal, one steal, and a huge block. Paredes had one goal, one assist, two steals, and earned one exclusion. Mitchell had one steal and earned one penalty shot. Markey had one steal, earned one exclusion, and earned one penalty shot. Macy Morrison had one assist. Maggie McGlynn had one steal. Kaylee Hudson had one steal. Persichetti had eight goal saves and four assists.

Lady Jaguars win two of four in water polo

The Valley Center varsity girls water polo team had a busy week with a league match against San Dieguito last Tuesday and three games to close out the San Diego Open Tournament this weekend.
The Lady Jaguars played well, earning two wins in the four games, including an outstanding 15–0 shutout against San Dieguito.
In that game, the Lady Jags took a 7–0 lead in the first quarter and didn’t look back, smothering the counterattack and rolling to the big win.
Maddy Daugherty had three goals, one assist, and three steals. Nikki Paredes had three goals. Makayla Markey had three goals. Dani Lettice had two goals, one assist, five steals, and three blocks. Carina Favela had one goal, three assists, two steals, and earned one exclusion. Nicole Marler had one goal, two assists, two steals, and earned one exclusion. Macy Morrison had one goal, and one steal. Kaylee Hudson had one goal, one assist, and one steal. Melissa Persichetti had 12 goal saves, four steals, and one assist.
Valley Center finished off the San Diego Open Tournament this weekend with one win in three games.
On Friday, the Lady Jaguars faced Granite Hills, and after falling behind early, suffered an 11–1 loss.
Granite Hills had a solid start, taking a 5–0 lead at half. The Lady Jags were able to put away one goal in the third, while allowing two, to trail 7–1 entering the fourth. Granite Hills scored four more while allowing none to put the game away.
“We were a little out of sync and could not generate any offense against a solid Granite Hills team,” said head coach Kyle Kline. “The girls played hard but could not match Granite who went on to take third in the tournament.”
Lettice had Valley Center’s only goal, while Paredes had five steals and Persichetti had a good game with nine saves and five steals.
The first game Saturday was against La Costa Canyon (LCC) and once again the Lady Jaguars couldn’t overcome an early deficit and lost, 12–8.
LCC came out strong in the first quarter to take a 3–2 lead. The Lady Jags had a slow second quarter and were unable to score, while allowing three more for LCC, to trail 6–2 at half.
The Lady Jags gained some momentum in the third by scoring five goals and allowing three to trail 9–7 going into the fourth. But LCC was able to put away three more goals while the Lady Jags could only earn one.
“This was a tough game and we had some defensive breakdowns with two starters fouling out,” Kline said.
Daugherty had a good game with five goals, one assist, two steals, and earned one exclusion. Favela had two goals, one assist. Elsie Emanuel had one goal. Persichetti had seven goal saves and one assist.
The final game of the tournament was against Scripps Ranch, in a rematch of an earlier tournament game that Valley Center lost by two goals. This time, the Lady Jaguars came out fired up, took an early lead and got a clutch goal late to take a 7–6 win.
The Lady Jags took a 2–1 lead in the first, then picked it up in the second by scoring three goals while allowing one to lead 5–2 at half.
Scripps Ranch was able to score two in the third while allowing one for the Lady Jags, giving Valley Center a 6–4 advantage heading into the fourth.
Scripps Ranch scored two goals in the fourth, but the Lady Jags were able to put one away to take the one-goal win.
“This was good for the girls to finish off with a hard earned win,” Kline said. “They did an awesome job at this tournament, earning three big wins against Santa Fe Christian, University City, and Scripps Ranch. They played some of their best polo yet, which will give them a huge boost heading into the end of league play and the playoffs.”
Daugherty had two goals, two assists, and one steal. Markey had two goals, one assist, and four steals. Favela had one goals, one assist, and one steal. Lettice had one goal, one assist, and one steal. Paredes had one goal, one assist, and one steal. Marler had three steals. Persichetti had 12 goal saves.
The Lady Jaguars play their final match of the regular season on Thursday at Del Norte at 3:45 p.m.

Lady Jaguars on a roll with four more wins in water polo

Melissa Persichetti (1) goes after this shot against Orange Glen. (photos by Ray Flores)

The Valley Center varsity girls water polo team is on a hot streak, having won its last seven games and 11 of the past 13.
The Lady Jaguars kept that momentum going with four wins this week, two in league play and a pair to start play in the San Diego Open Tournament.
The Lady Jags finished off the first round league play last Tuesday with an 11–7 win over Del Norte at home.
The Lady Jags had a slow start shooting in the shallow end, giving Del Norte a 3–1 lead after the first. The Lady Jags were able to gain a little momentum in the second shooting deep putting away five goals allowing one for a 6–4 lead at half. Del Norte was able to come back in the third and score three goals allowing two for the Lady Jags giving Valley Center an 8–7 advantage going into the fourth. The Lady Jags were able to put away three goals allowing none to take the big win.
“This was a tough game and the girls had a slow start,” head coach Kyle Kline said. “This was not our best performance, but we’re happy to get the win.”
Maddy Daugherty had four goals, two assists, eight steals, and earned one exclusion. Carina Favela had three goals, one assist, one steal, and earned two exclusions. Dani Lettice had two goals, one assist, two steals, and earned one exclusion. Nikki Paredes had two goals, one steal, and earned one exclusion. Makayla Markey had one goal, three assists, one steal, and earned one exclusion. Melissa Persichetti had 12 goal saves and two steals.
Valley Center then took on Orange Glen at Adams Park on Thursday, and after a good first half, held on for a 17–2 win.
The Lady Jags had a slow start taking a 2–0 lead in the first. Valley Center was able to pick up the pace in the second putting away seven goals allowing one for a 9–1 lead at half. The Lady Jags put away five more in the third allowing one for a 14–2 lead going into the fourth. Valley Center scored three more, while allowing none, to seal the win.
“The girls missed some early opportunities, but settled in and put together a solid second and third quarter,” Kline said.
Favela had five goals, one assist, and three steals. Paredes had four goals, one assist, and two steals. Markey had three goals, one assist, six steals, and earned two exclusions. Daugherty had two goals, three assists, four steals, earned one exclusion, and one penalty shot. Maggie McGlynn had two goals, and one steal. Sarah Mitchell had one goal, and one steal. Persichetti had ten goal saves, three steals, and one assist.
On Monday, the Lady Jaguars started play in the San Diego Open Tournament with two games.
The first game was against Santa Fe Christian, and Valley Center came back from a late deficit to take a narrow 6–5 win.
Both teams traded two goals each in the first quarter. Both teams scored one each in the second for a 3–3 tie at half.
Santa Fe Christian was able to put away two goals in the third keeping the Lady Jags scoreless to lead 5–3 heading into the fourth. The Lady Jags were able to regroup and put away three unanswered goals in the fourth to get the win.
“This was a tough game, as we had to make some defensive adjustments right away,” Kline said. “We couldn’t get any rhythm on offense, but the girls came up with some goals when it counted. We were happy to come away with the win.”
Favela had two goals, two assists, three steals. Daugherty had one goal. Lettice had one goal, one assist, and two steals. Nicole Marler had one goal, two steals. Markey had one goal, and earned one penalty shot. Persichetti had eight goal saves.
The second game was against University City, and after a big first quarter, Valley Center cruised to a 15–5 win.
The Lady Jaguars knew it would be a tough game, as UC had just earned a one-goal victory in overtime against Santa Fe Christian. The team got focused and came out swinging in the first quarter, taking a solid 8–1 lead.
The Lady Jags flattened out offensively in the second, earning only one goal while allowing one to lead 9–2 at half.
UC was able to put away three goals in the third, allowing two for the Lady Jags, giving Valley Center an 11–5 lead going into the fourth. The Lady Jags finished off the fourth quarter well, putting away four unanswered goals to win by ten.
“This was a huge game and a huge win for the girls,” said Kline. “Both teams are division three teams, so this will certainly help in our ranking for playoffs. The girls really pulled it together after not playing well in the first game and played their best water polo yet in the first quarter.”
The win puts Valley Center in the top 16 for the tournament out of 38 teams.
Favela had her best game yet with five goals, one assist and one steal. Lettice had her best game with four goals, one assist, one steal. Markey had one of her best with three goals, three assists, two steals, and earned one penalty shot. Daugherty playing sick had two goals, two assists, and one steal. Paredes with one of her best had one goal, and six assists. Persichetti played well with eight goal saves.
The next game for Valley Center is on Friday, when the Lady Jaguars continue play in the San Diego Open with a game against Granite Hills.

Big first quarter leads to big water polo win for Lady Jaguars

The Valley Center varsity girls water polo team played an outstanding game on offense and defense to come up with a big league win this week.
The Lady Jaguars took on Canyon Crest Academy on Thursday at Adams Park and after building a huge lead early on, put the game away for a 14–5 win.
The Lady Jags came out pumped for this game after defeating the Lady Ravens by only one goal in the last meeting.
The Lady Jags took a solid 7–0 lead in the first quarter. Valley Center was able to back that up with three more goals in the second, while keeping Canyon Crest scoreless to lead 10–0 at half.
Canyon Crest was able to put away three goals in the third while allowing two for the Lady Jaguars. But both teams were able to score two in the fourth, giving the Lady Jags the big win.
“The girls had an excellent first quarter that really set the tone for the game,” head coach Kyle Kline said. “We were able to convert on some counterattacks and some cross cage shots which were created from playing solid defense. Carina and Maddy had huge games as well as Nikki, and it was good to get some other girls scoring and having eight players involved in assists.”
Maddy Daugherty had five goals, four assists, seven steals, and earned one exclusion. Carina Favela had five goals, two assists. Nikki Paredes played well with two goals, two assists, two steals, and earned one exclusion. Makayla Markey had one goal, one assist, one steal, and earned one exclusion. Macy Morrison had one goal, one steal, and earned one exclusion. Dani Lettice had two assists, a huge block, and earned one exclusion. Nicole Marler had one assist, and two steals. Sarah Mitchell had three steals. Melissa Persichetti played well in the goal with seven goal saves.
Next up for the Lady Jags is a game against Orange Glen at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday at Adams Park.

Water polo league play opens with two wins for Lady Jaguars

The Valley Center varsity girls water polo team kicked off league play this week with a pair of dominating wins on the road.
The Lady Jaguars’ week started last Tuesday with a solid 13–1 win over Orange Glen. The Lady Jags had a great start taking a 7–0 lead in the first quarter. After slowing things down a bit, the Lady Jags put away three goals in the second to lead 10–0 at the half.
The Lady Patriots were able to put away one goal in the third, while allowing zero for the Lady Jags. But Valley Center was able to hold the Lady Patriots scoreless in the fourth, while putting away four goals to take the big win.
“This was a good start for the girls,” head coach Kyle Kline said. “We were able to work on defense and counterattacks.”
Captain Dani Lettice had three goals, one assist, and two steals. Fellow captain Carina Favela had three goals, one assist, five steals, and earned two exclusions. Maddy Daugherty had three goals, one steal. Makayla Markey had three goals, one assist. Nikki Paredes had one goal, two assists, two steals, and earned two exclusions. Macy Morrison had one assist and five steals. Captain and Goalie Melissa Persichetti had seven goal saves, three steals, and two assists.
The Lady Jaguars took on San Dieguito Academy Thursday at Adams Park, and after taking an early lead, went on to take a big 17–3 win.
The Lady Jags had another great start, taking a 7–1 lead in the first quarter. Valley Center held San Dieguito scoreless in the second, while putting away five more of their own, to lead 12–1 at the half. The Lady Jags slowed things down a bit, putting away five goals in the second half and allowing two more for San Dieguito to cruise the win.
“The girls played well and showed discipline against a young San Dieguito team,” Kline said. “We worked on some different plays on offense and defense with the emphasis on defense.”
Favela had three goals, two assists, one steal, and earned one exclusion. Daugherty had three goals, two assists, and two steals. Elsie Emanuel had three goals. Lettice had two goals, one assist, and two steals. Sarah Mitchell had a good game with two goals, four steals, and earned one exclusion. Nicole Marler had one goal and five steals. Kaylee Hudson had one goal, one assist, and two steals. Markey had one goal, one assist, and three steals. Maggie McGlynn had one goal. Persichetti had six goal saves, four assists, and one steal.
Valley Center is now 9–7 overall and 2–0 to start league play. On Thursday, the Lady Jags face Canyon Crest at Adams Park at 3:45 p.m. in what should be a good game after the Lady Jaguars were able to come away with a one-goal win in the teams’ first match-up this season.

Lady Jags beat Ramona, fall to Torrey Pines in water polo

Danielle Moran (in goal) goes after a high shot against Ramona.

Valley Center’s varsity girls water polo team split a pair of games this week, as the Lady Jaguars came back from an early deficit to double up Ramona to start the week, but suffered a tough loss against Torrey Pines to close out the week’s action.
The Lady Jags played Ramona at home on Wednesday, and after a slow start, came back to beat the Lady Bulldogs 10–5.
Shooting in the deep end, the Lady Jags scored two goals but allowed two for Ramona. Shooting shallow in the second quarter, the Lady Jags were able to outscore the Lady Bulldogs 2–1 to take a slim 4–3 lead at half.
The Lady Jags settled in and put together a solid quarter shooting deep again, scoring four goals while holding the Lady Bulldogs scoreless, to take an 8–3 lead going into the fourth. Both teams scored two in the fourth, giving Valley Center the big win.
“The girls had a slow start in the first half, but were able to play well in the third quarter to take control of the game,” head coach Kyle Kline said. “We missed several opportunities and allowed some shots against us, but we made some corrections and finished well.”
Maddy Daugherty had four goals, two assists, four steals, one block, and earned one exclusion. Dani Lettice had two goals, two assists. Carina Favela had two goals, one assist and earned two exclusions. Nikki Paredes had two goals, two assists, two steals, and earned one exclusion. Danielle Moran played well in the goal with five goal saves.
On Friday, the Lady Jaguars took on Torrey Pines at UCSD and couldn’t keep up in a 9–1 loss.
Torrey Pines took an early 3–0 lead in the first quarter. The Lady Jags were able to put away one goal in the second, but allowed three more goals for Torrey Pines. The Lady Jags allowed three more goals in the second half to give Torrey Pines the big win.
“The girls played hard against a solid Torrey Pines team,” Kline said. “I’m happy with the driving we did to earn eight exclusions. Defensively, the girls had some good shot blocks and Danielle Moran played very well in the goal for us filling in for an injured Melissa Persichetti.”
Daugherty had one goal and earned three exclusions. Nicole Marler had one steal and earned three exclusions. Makayla Markey had three steals and earned one exclusion. Paredes had one assist. Moran had eight goal saves.
Valley Center is now 7–7 overall and will have begun league play against Orange Glen at Washington Park on Tuesday. Next up, the Lady Jags take on San Dieguito at Adams Park on Thursday at 4 p.m.

Jags post three wins, three losses in an up-and-down water polo week

Valley Center’s varsity boys water polo team faced some tough competition in the San Diego Open tournament, but earned two wins in five matches. The Jaguars also earned a big win against Army/Navy to give them three wins on the week.
The Jags played at the Army/Navy Academy on Thursday, and after a good start, held on for a 20–11 win.
The Jags got the offense going early, scoring six goals but allowing four in the first quarter. The Jags got their defense in order in the second quarter, holding Army/Navy to two goals while putting away seven of their own to lead 13–6 at half.
Army/Navy picked up their defense in the third, holding the Jags to three goals, scoring three of their own, giving the Jags a 16–9 lead going into the fourth. Valley Center continued to control the game, scoring four more goals while allowing only two to seal the win.
“The boys played well and kept their composure,” head coach Kyle Kline said of the big win.
Ian Macfarlane had an incredible game with nine goals, two assists, seven steals, one block, and earned three penalty shots. Jake Walder had a great game with six goals, three assists, two steals, and earned one exclusion. Dylan Peters also had an outstanding game with four goals, two assists, two steals, and one block. Lucas Coch had one goal, and one steal. Kevin Murphy played well with two assists, five steals, and one block. Shea Swartz played three quarters and had 16 goal saves, two assists, and one steal. Tyler French played one quarter in goal and had two goal saves and one assist.
Last week, Valley Center started play in the San Diego Open tournament with a game against Grossmont last Monday, and the Jaguars couldn’t keep pace in a 17–4 loss.
Grossmont had a solid 5–1 start in the first and continued to control the game to the finish.
Macfarlane had two goals, one steal, one block, earned one exclusion, and one penalty shot. Walder had one goal, and three steals. Murphy had one goal, one assist, and one steal. Swartz had five goal saves.
The second game of the night was against Escondido, and after the game went to overtime, the Jaguars couldn’t get a goal and suffered a 14–13 loss.
The Cougars were able to put away three goals right away, but the Jags were able to put away three of their own to tie the score at the end of the first. The Jags gave up three more goals in the second and were only able to score two to give the Cougars a 6–5 lead at half.
The Cougars put together five goals in the third while allowing only three for the Jags to lead 11–8 going into the fourth quarter.
The Jags came out in the fourth quarter with some intensity and were able to pull within one goal with less than a minute left. The Jaguars had a huge stop defensively and took control of the ball with 17 seconds left to play. After a timeout the Jags were able to tie the game with a huge goal from Macfarlane, sending the game into sudden-death overtime.
Both teams went scoreless after the first overtime quarter, but halfway through the second overtime quarter the Cougars were able to put away the game winning shot for the one-goal win.
“It was disappointing for the guys to lose a close one like this,” Kline said. “They worked hard and had an excellent fourth quarter.”
Macfarlane had five goals, one assist, five steals, and earned one penalty shot. Walder had a big game with five goals, four assists, and four steals. Murphy had one goal, one assist, and one steal. Cody Wolf had one goal, one assist, and two steals. Lucas Coch had one goal, and one assist. Connor Macfarlane had three steals. Swartz had a huge game with 18 goal saves.
The Jaguars took on Clairemont in their third game of the tournament, and after a slow start, rebounded to force overtime for the second consecutive game. But once again, the Jags couldn’t get the game-winner in extra time and took a 16–15 loss.
Clairemont took an early 2–1 lead in the first quarter. The Jags had a slow second quarter, giving up three goals only scoring one to trail 5–2 at half.
Valley Center stepped it up, putting away five goals in the third allowing four to trail 9–7 going into the fourth. The Jags had another good quarter, scoring five and allowing three to tie the game at 12 at the end of regulation.
After two three-minute quarters, the score was again tied this time at 15. In sudden death overtime, Clairemont was able to score on a lob shot to win the game.
“This was a tough loss for the guys,” Kline said. “They played an excellent second half to earn an opportunity in overtime.”
Ian Macfarlane had seven goals, one assist, five steals, two blocks, and earned one exclusion. Walder had seven goals, one assist, and two steals. Dylan Peters had one goal, four assists, one steal, and one blocks. Swartz had a big game with 29 goal saves.
The fourth game of the tournament was Saturday at Santana High School against Chula Vista, and this time the Jaguars scored early and often to take a 22–10 victory.
The Jags took a 6–3 lead after a solid first quarter. Chula Vista was able to score two more in the second, but the Jags put away another six to lead 12–5 at half.
Valley Center was able to control the game from there, outscoring Chula Vista 10–5 for a 12-goal win.
“This was a good win for the guys,” said Kline. “We started to gain some momentum early and worked well as a team.”
Ian Macfarlane had seven goals, four assists, six steals, four blocks, and earned one exclusion. Walder had six goals, seven assists. Wolf had a big game with four goals, two assists, and six steals. Peters had three goals, four assists, two steals, and earned one exclusion. Coch had one goal, one assist, and one steal. Connor Macfarlane had one goal, three steals, and earned one penalty shot. Swartz had seven goal saves.
The fifth and final game of the tournament was against Mar Vista, and the Jaguars held off a late charge to win, 10–8.
After one quarter, the score was tied 2–2. The Jags came out in the second quarter and put away five goals, while allowing only two, to lead 7–4 at half.
Both teams were only able to score one goal in the third, giving Valley Center an 8–5 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Mar Vista came on late in the game to score three goals, but the Jags were able to hold them off for a two-goal win.
“This was another big win for the guys,” Kline said. “They had to battle hard for four quarters and played some excellent team water polo. Putting in a solid charge in the second quarter paid off in this game.”
Ian Macfarlane had four goals, and one assist. Walder had four goals, one assist, and two steals. Peters had one goal, one assist, and two steals. Murphy had one goal, two assists, and three steals. Swartz had six goal saves and two assists.
This week the Jags finish off league play with two big games. The first of the week is Tuesday against Canyon Crest at Adams Park. The last game of the regular season is Thursday against Del Norte at Adams Park. Both games are at 4 p.m.
In an unfortunate turn of events this week, the Valley Center varsity boys water polo team was forced to forfeit seven games when a clerical error led to the team playing with an ineligible player.
VCHS athletic director Mike Cummings admitted that the error was not the fault of the team or the player involved, and added that this is the first time in the school’s history that a varsity team has forfeited a contest.
Since the Jaguars lost four of the seven games anyway, the net result is three more losses on the record, giving the Jags a mark of 7–13 overall and 4–2 in league.
However, the forfeits mean that the Jaguars would be ineligible for the playoffs, since CIF rules state that any team with five or more forfeits is ineligible. Schools have the option to appeal, and Cummings said that the Jaguars have submitted an appeal to be able to participate in the playoffs this season.

Jaguars win twice in water polo

The Jaguars got two key wins this week, giving them momentum as the season winds down.
(photo by Cathy Schwickert)

The Valley Center varsity boys water polo team played two big games this week with the playoffs looming, and the Jaguars pulled out a pair of wins to gain momentum heading into the final stretch of the regular season.
To start the week, the Jags took on Del Norte last Tuesday at Del Norte High School and held on for a 9–8 win.
The Jaguars had a good start defensively, holding Del Norte to only one goal but were able to score only one in the first. The Jags were able to score one goal in the second holding Del Norte scoreless to take a 2-1 lead at half. Del Norte gained some momentum in the third putting away four goals. The Jags adjusted defensively and slowed them down and were able to put away three goals of their own to tie the game at five going into the fourth. Both teams traded goals throughout the fourth quarter.
Cody Wolf scored with 1:45 left to play to take an 8-7 lead. Del Norte was able to capitalize on a mistake and tied the game at eight with 1:20 left on the clock. Wolf again stepped up and was able to put away a key goal with 17 seconds left on the clock to take a 9-8 lead. Del Norte took a timeout to set up a play giving the Jags an opportunity to set up their defensive plan. Ian Macfarlane came up with a huge steal allowing the Jags to take their final timeout and run out the clock for the win.
“This was a big win for the guys,” said head coach Kyle Kline. “They battled hard all four quarters and came up with some key goals at the right time.”
Dylan Peters was on fire with five goals, one assist, one steal, one exclusion, and one penalty shot. Ian Macfarlane played well with two goals, five steals, two blocks, and saved the game with a huge steal at the end. Cody Wolf had a big game with two goals, including the game winner, and three assists. Connor Macfarlane had one assist and four steals. Shea Swartz had a huge game with 16 goal saves.
The Jags then took on Orange Glen at Washington Park on Thursday, and came out firing on all cylinders to take a 14–3 win.
Valley Center scored two in the first and held Orange Glen to just one for a slim early lead. But the Jaguars broke the game open with four goals in each of the final three quarters, while holding the Patriots to just one goal in the third quarter and one more in the fourth.
Ian Mcfarlane led the way with four goals, while Walder had three goals, Wolf had two goals and three assists, Kevin Murphy and Lucas Coch each had two goals and an assist and Dylan Peters had an assist. In goal, Swartz made eight big saves to get the win.
Valley Center is now 7–10 overall and 4–1 in league play, with the San Diego Open Tournament continuing this week, as well as a game at Army/Navy on Thursday at 3:15 p.m.

Water Polo: Jaguars split two games

The Valley Center varsity boys water polo team split its two games this week, scoring a bunch of goals late in the match to beat Army-Navy Academy but falling behind early and losing to Canyon Crest Academy on Thursday at Catholic High School.
The Jaguars hosted Army-Navy last Tuesday, and after trailing by one in the first, they came back to hold a two-goal lead at halftime before putting the game away with nine goals in the fourth quarter in a 16–9 win.
Ian Macfarlane scored eight goals and had three assists, while Jake Walder had six goals and two assists, Connor Macfarlane had a goal and an assist and Lucas Coch had a goal. Shea Swartz made nine saves in goal for the Jaguars to get the victory.
On Thursday, the Jags took on Canyon Crest Academy and and couldn’t keep pace in an 11–6 loss.
Canyon Crest took a 3–0 lead in the first quarter, as the Jags were unable to get any offense going. Both teams traded a goal each in the second giving Canyon Crest a 4–1 lead at half.
The Jags were able to put away two goals in the third but broke down defensively, giving up six, to trail 10–3 going into the fourth.
Valley Center was able to score three goals while allowing only one in the final period, but couldn’t come all the way back.
“We knew Canyon Crest would be tough and it took us a while to adapt to the larger pool,” said head coach Kyle Kline. “We were slow getting started on offense, and had a rough third quarter defensively.”
Ian Macfarlane had five goals, one steal, and earned two penalty shots, while Walder had one goal, Connor Macfarlane had three steals and Swartz had ten goal saves.
Next up for the Jags is a match against Orange Glen at Washington Park in Escondido on Thursday at 3:15 p.m.